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State of Rhode Island
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Rhode Island, or the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, as it’s officially knows, is the United State’s smallest state but has the longest name. It was one of the 13 original colonies to  break from Britain. The state capital and largest city is Providence, whose metro area has a higher population than the entire state in which it’s located.
Not actually an island, Rhode Island is located in the New England region of the country, a little south of Boston, MA. The state has the state of Massachusetts as a neighbor to the north, Connecticut to the west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. The state covers about 1,200 square miles. The state is fairly flat, with the highest point, Jerimoth Hill, rising only 812 feet above sea level.
In 1636, Roger Williams was banished from the Massachusetts Bay Colony because of his religious views, so he founded Providence on the tip of Narragansett Bay as a haven of religious freedom. He secured a title to the land from the Narragansett tribe that made its home in the area. Rhode Islanders were among the first involved in fighting British control in the colonies, and were among the first to declare independence. After the war, Rhode Island was among the first states to begin industrializing, and by the mid 1800s the manufacturing sector was among the largest in the economy. Immigrants from Europe poured in until the Depression, which hit the state particularly hard. The economy has since been restructured to focus more on service industries.
The largest industry in Rhode Island currently is health services, with tourism and manufacturing also providing large amounts of jobs. In Providence, education and government services are also very important. The state still has some manufacturing, especially jewelry and shipbuilding, but it’s not as important as it once was. The state’s gross product in the year 2000 was $33 billion, and the GDP was $29,685, which ranked it 16th in the United States.
Rhode Island has a moderate climate, helped greatly by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Temperatures are typically much more temperate than those in the inland parts of New England, though “Nor’easter” snow storms are knows to blow  through in the winter. The summers are typically hot and humid, and the winters snowy.
The state’s income tax system has five brackets with a top rate of 9.9%, making it the second highest nationally. Sales tax in the state is set at 7%. Property taxes are also fairly high. |
