Manton, Providence, Rhode Island
Encyclopedia
Manton is a residential neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island
and part of Johnston, Rhode Island
. It is in the westernmost part of the city. of Providence The town of North Providence
borders it to the north, Johnston
to the west, while the neighborhoods of Hartford
, Olneyville, and Mount Pleasant
border it inside Providence. Separating it from other Providence neighborhoods to its east are Rushmore Ave, Chalkstone Ave, Smith Street, and the Triggs Memorial Golf Course. The Woonasquatucket River
separates it from Johnston to the west.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Manton remained a rural agrarian region. The eponym
ous Edward Manton
was one of the original land owners, whose family would accumulate a huge tract of land. Toward the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the proximity of the Woonasquatucket River
was responsible for the establishment of a few tanneries in Manton and neighboring Olneyville. The rural location of Manton made it ideal for the establishment of vacation homes. A stagecoach inn was one of the earliest places to take summer vacations. In 1835, the hotel was converted to a school. In 1862, the school was demolished to make way for present-day Rhode Island College
.
Taking advantage of the water power provided by the Woonasquatucket River, early industrialists established mills, the first two being constructed in 1827 and 1830. Railroad lines running east through Olneyville to Downtown
facilitated the rapid development of the area, which was heavily industrial by the end of the 19th century.
The closure of the textile mills and collapse of heavy industry encouraged the exodus of working class residents to the suburbs. A public housing project, Manton Heights, was built in 1953, and may have contributed to the white flight
. During the 1970s Manton lost 15 percent of its population. By the 1980s Manton Heights had, like so many public housing complexes, fallen into disrepair. The Manton-Fruit Hill Neighborhood Association was founded about this time and encourages neighborhood participation and improvement.
The median family income in Manton in 1989 was $27,262, which is 4 percent lower than the citywide average. Poverty rate had increased from 2.1 percent in 1980 to 12.2 percent in 1990, while families below the poverty line rose from 2.1 percent to 8.6 percent. The rate of elderly living in poverty rose from 2.9 percent in 1980 to 23.9 percent in 1990.
The number of housing units in Manton more than doubled recently, increasing from 549 in 1980 to 1,227 in 1990. Since most of these were rental units, the owner-occupied units declined from 63 percent to 41.7 percent.
The housing stock in Manton is also fairly new. More than one in three units were built within the last decade, and almost half of all units were constructed within the past 20 years. The median value of a single family owner-occupied housing unit in Manton in 1990 was $103,900, which was 7 percent lower than the citywide median. The median rent in Manton was 8 percent lower than the citywide figure.
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
and part of Johnston, Rhode Island
Johnston, Rhode Island
Johnston is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 28,769 at the 2010 census. Johnston is the site of the Clemence Irons House a stone-ender museum and the only landfill in Rhode Island...
. It is in the westernmost part of the city. of Providence The town of North Providence
North Providence, Rhode Island
North Providence is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 32,078 at the 2010 census.The town has the distinction of being the smallest by area in the smallest state . Though at only , the city of Central Falls is Rhode Island's smallest municipality...
borders it to the north, Johnston
Johnston, Rhode Island
Johnston is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 28,769 at the 2010 census. Johnston is the site of the Clemence Irons House a stone-ender museum and the only landfill in Rhode Island...
to the west, while the neighborhoods of Hartford
Hartford, Providence, Rhode Island
Hartford is a neighborhood located along the western edge of Providence, Rhode Island. Route 6 and the Woonasquatucket River separate it from Olneyville.- History :...
, Olneyville, and Mount Pleasant
Mount Pleasant, Providence, Rhode Island
Mount Pleasant is a working-class residential neighborhood situated in the northwest of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bordered by Olneyville to the south, Valley to the east, Manton to the west, and Elmhurst to the northeast, and the Town of North Providence to the north...
border it inside Providence. Separating it from other Providence neighborhoods to its east are Rushmore Ave, Chalkstone Ave, Smith Street, and the Triggs Memorial Golf Course. The Woonasquatucket River
Woonasquatucket River
The Woonasquatucket River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately and drains a watershed of 130 km² ....
separates it from Johnston to the west.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Manton remained a rural agrarian region. The eponym
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
ous Edward Manton
Edward Manton
Edward Manton was a delegate to the secessionist Hartford Convention in 1814-15.Manton was born around 1760 in Johnston, Rhode Island. Manton served as a presidential elector in 1800 presidential election. Manton "rarely mingled in the political discussions of his day...
was one of the original land owners, whose family would accumulate a huge tract of land. Toward the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the proximity of the Woonasquatucket River
Woonasquatucket River
The Woonasquatucket River is a river in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It flows approximately and drains a watershed of 130 km² ....
was responsible for the establishment of a few tanneries in Manton and neighboring Olneyville. The rural location of Manton made it ideal for the establishment of vacation homes. A stagecoach inn was one of the earliest places to take summer vacations. In 1835, the hotel was converted to a school. In 1862, the school was demolished to make way for present-day Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College is a nationally ranked, coeducational, state-supported comprehensive college founded in 1854, located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA...
.
Taking advantage of the water power provided by the Woonasquatucket River, early industrialists established mills, the first two being constructed in 1827 and 1830. Railroad lines running east through Olneyville to Downtown
Downtown, Providence, Rhode Island
Downtown, also known as Downcity, is the central economic, political, and cultural district of the city of Providence, Rhode Island. It is bounded on the east by Canal Street and the Providence River, to the north by Smith Street, to the west by Interstate 95, and to the south by Henderson Street...
facilitated the rapid development of the area, which was heavily industrial by the end of the 19th century.
The closure of the textile mills and collapse of heavy industry encouraged the exodus of working class residents to the suburbs. A public housing project, Manton Heights, was built in 1953, and may have contributed to the white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
. During the 1970s Manton lost 15 percent of its population. By the 1980s Manton Heights had, like so many public housing complexes, fallen into disrepair. The Manton-Fruit Hill Neighborhood Association was founded about this time and encourages neighborhood participation and improvement.
Demographics
Manton's population nearly doubled from 1,406 in 1980 to 2,584 in 1990. In 1990, 90 percent of Manton was white, 4 percent Native American, 2 percent black, and 1 percent Hispanic. Almost two-thirds of residents over the age of 25 had completed high school. The largest sources of employment were professional services (28.2%), manufacturing (21.4%), and retail trade (19.4%). The 11.2 percent unemployment rate in Manton is higher than the 9.2 percent rate for the city as a whole.The median family income in Manton in 1989 was $27,262, which is 4 percent lower than the citywide average. Poverty rate had increased from 2.1 percent in 1980 to 12.2 percent in 1990, while families below the poverty line rose from 2.1 percent to 8.6 percent. The rate of elderly living in poverty rose from 2.9 percent in 1980 to 23.9 percent in 1990.
The number of housing units in Manton more than doubled recently, increasing from 549 in 1980 to 1,227 in 1990. Since most of these were rental units, the owner-occupied units declined from 63 percent to 41.7 percent.
The housing stock in Manton is also fairly new. More than one in three units were built within the last decade, and almost half of all units were constructed within the past 20 years. The median value of a single family owner-occupied housing unit in Manton in 1990 was $103,900, which was 7 percent lower than the citywide median. The median rent in Manton was 8 percent lower than the citywide figure.