LITTLE RHODY
COFFEE MILK
MEET
LITTLE RHODY
STATE SYMBOLS
STATE MOTTO : Hope
STATE BIRD : Rhode Island Red
STATE FISH : Striped Bass
STATE FLOWER : Violet
STATE TREE : Red Maple
STATE FRUIT : Rhode Island Greening Apple
STATE ROCK : Cumberlandite
STATE SHELL : Quahog
STATE DRINK :
COFFEE MILK
◆ As you may have guessed , Rhode Island is neither a road nor an island . The name originated with Dutch explorer Adriaen Block who called the area “ Roodt Eylandt ” ( translation : red island ) because of the red clay that lined its shores .
◆ Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation , hence the nickname “ Little Rhody .”
◆ Rhode Island previously laid claim to the longest state name ( we nixed “ and Providence Plantations ” in a 2020 statewide vote ).
◆ Rhode Island ’ s official state nickname is the Ocean State . The state is just thirty-seven miles wide and forty-eight miles long but boasts nearly 400 miles of shoreline .
◆ In addition to sharing land borders with Connecticut and Massachusetts , Rhode Island shares a water border with New York : Block Island Sound is adjacent to Long Island Sound .
FUN FACTS
Get to know some of the state ’ s more unique facts and quirks .
◆ The portrait of George Washington that appears on the U . S . dollar bill was painted by Saunderstown ’ s very own Gilbert Stuart in 1796 .
◆ Cumberlandite , Rhode Island ’ s official state rock , was originally known as “ rhodose ,” but when folks began to search for the rock elsewhere , they soon realized it was seldom found outside the town of Cumberland .
◆ Rhode Island never ratified the Eighteenth Amendment , aka the prohibition of liquor .
◆ We ’ re home to some of the oldest religious institutions in the U . S ., including Touro Synagogue in Newport and the First Baptist Church of Providence .
◆ As host to the country ’ s oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration , one could argue that Bristol is the most patriotic town in the country . The Bristol Fourth of July Parade has marched on , rain or shine or pandemic , every year since 1785 .
◆ The second- and fourtholdest libraries in the country are located here . The Redwood Library in Newport was founded in 1747 , while the Providence Athenaeum was founded and incorporated in 1836 .
◆ The first polo club in the U . S . was formed in Newport .
◆ The Big Blue Bug , an iconic Rhode Island landmark that overlooks Interstate 95 , has a name : It ’ s Nibbles Woodaway , and he ’ s been sitting on top of Big Blue Bug Solutions ’ Providence location since 1980 .
◆ We ’ re also home to one of the nation ’ s oldest carousels , the Flying Horse Carousel in Westerly .
◆ The Narragansett Tribe ’ s annual meeting is the oldest powwow in the country , going on for 350 years . The powwow acts as both a formal gathering
▲SMALL AND NOT TOO TALL and a party for the tribe members , where everything from a cleansing of the circle to traditional songs and dances are observed .
◆ The famous “ Obey ” stickers , which sparked a national phenomenon and became a subculture gem , were created by former Rhode Island School of Design student Shepard Fairey in 1989 .
◆ Baseball ’ s longest game was played in Pawtucket , at Rhode Island ’ s former McCoy Stadium , then home to the Pawtucket Red Sox .
◆ The away match jersey for the state ’ s professional soccer club , Rhode Island FC , lists the thirty-nine municipalities of Rhode Island , contains thirteen stars on the collar as a nod to the original Colonies and illustrates five nautical knots representing the five counties .
Jerimoth Hill , located in the town of Foster , is the state ' s highest point at 812 feet above sea level .
6 RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY ’ S NEWCOMERS ’ GUIDE l 2024