# Exeter, Rhode Island > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Exeter,_Rhode_Island > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Exeter,_Rhode_Island.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exeter%2C_Rhode_Island > Source revision: 1346394122 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Exeter** is a [town](/source/New_England_town) in [Washington County](/source/Washington_County,_Rhode_Island), [Rhode Island](/source/Rhode_Island), United States. Exeter extends east from the [Connecticut](/source/Connecticut) border to the town of [North Kingstown](/source/North_Kingstown,_Rhode_Island). It is bordered to the north by [West Greenwich](/source/West_Greenwich,_Rhode_Island) and [East Greenwich](/source/East_Greenwich,_Rhode_Island), and to the south by [Hopkinton](/source/Hopkinton,_Rhode_Island), [Richmond](/source/Richmond,_Rhode_Island), and [South Kingstown](/source/South_Kingstown,_Rhode_Island). Exeter's [postal code](/source/Postal_code) is 02822, although small parts of the town have the mailing address [West Kingston](/source/West_Kingston,_Rhode_Island) (02892) or [Saunderstown](/source/Saunderstown,_Rhode_Island) (02874). The population was 6,460 at the [2020 census](/source/United_States_Census,_2020). ## History Native Americans lived in the town prior to [King Philip's War](/source/King_Philip's_War), and [Wawaloam](/source/Wawaloam), a female Narragansett/Nipmuc leader lived in the town in the 1660s. The town of Exeter was formed in 1742 from the western part of [North Kingstown](/source/North_Kingstown). The name Exeter derives from the county town and cathedral city of [Exeter](/source/Exeter) in [Devon](/source/Devon), England.[3] Numerous [other places](/source/Exeter_(disambiguation)) have also been given the name. Exeter is noted by folklorists as the site of one of the best documented examples of [vampire](/source/Vampire) [exhumation](/source/Exhume): the [Mercy Brown Vampire Incident](/source/Mercy_Brown_Vampire_Incident) of 1892. ## Geography According to the [United States Census Bureau](/source/United_States_Census_Bureau), the town has a total area of 58.4 square miles (151 km2), of which 57.7 square miles (149 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km2) (1.15%) is water. ## Demographics As of the [census](/source/Census) of 2020, there were 6,460 people and 2,339 households in the town. The population density was 112.4 inhabitants per square mile (43.4 /km2). There were 2,647 housing units in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 92.03% [White](/source/White_(U.S._Census)), 0.40% [African American](/source/African_American_(U.S._Census)), 0.36% [Native American](/source/Native_American_(U.S._Census)), 1.08% [Asian](/source/Asian_(U.S._Census)), 0.02% [Pacific Islander](/source/Pacific_Islander_(U.S._Census)), 1.28% from [other races](/source/Race_(United_States_Census)), and 4.83% from two or more races. [Hispanic](/source/Hispanic_(U.S._Census)) or [Latino](/source/Latino_(U.S._Census)) of any race were 2.91% of the population. There were 2,339 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.6% were [married couples](/source/Marriage) living together, 19.0% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 19.0% had a male householder with no spouse present. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.38. In the town, the population was spread out, with 18.3% under the age of 18, 16.3% from 18 to 24, 23.5% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. The median income for a household in the town was $99,236, and the median income for a family was $126,554. The [per capita income](/source/Per_capita_income) for the town was $44,096. About 10.4% of the population was below the [poverty line](/source/Poverty_line), including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over. ## Government The town government is directed by a 5-member town council that is headed by a council president.[4] For the purpose of school administration, Exeter is a member town of the [Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District](/source/Exeter-West_Greenwich_Regional_School_District) along with the neighboring town of West Greenwich. ## Attractions and National Historic Places in Exeter - [Yawgoo Valley](/source/Yawgoo_Valley) is the only ski resort in Rhode Island. - [Austin Farm Road Agricultural Area](/source/Austin_Farm_Road_Agricultural_Area) - [Baptist Church in Exeter](/source/Baptist_Church_in_Exeter) - [Fisherville Historic and Archeological District](/source/Fisherville_Historic_and_Archeological_District) - [Hallville Historic and Archeological District](/source/Hallville_Historic_and_Archeological_District) - [Lawton's Mill](/source/Lawton's_Mill) - [Simon Lillibridge Farm](/source/Simon_Lillibridge_Farm) - [Parris Brook Historic and Archeological District](/source/Parris_Brook_Historic_and_Archeological_District) - [Queen's Fort](/source/Queen's_Fort) - [Sodom Mill Historic and Archeological District](/source/Sodom_Mill_Historic_and_Archeological_District) - Tomaquag Museum, only solely Native American museum in Rhode Island ## Notable people - [George Wait Babcock](/source/George_Wait_Babcock), privateer - [Job Kenyon](/source/Job_Kenyon), politician ## References 1. ["U.S. Census website"](https://www.census.gov). [United States Census Bureau](/source/United_States_Census_Bureau). Retrieved January 31, 2008. 1. Gannett, Henry (1905). [*The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States*](https://books.google.com/books?id=9V1IAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA122). Govt. Print. Off. p. 122. 1. ["Town of Exeter profile"](http://www.riedc.com/data-and-publications/state-and-community-profiles/richmond). Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20111210060919/http://www.riedc.com/data-and-publications/state-and-community-profiles/exeter) December 10, 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 6, 2011. ## External links - [EDC Profile of Exeter](https://web.archive.org/web/20061214012155/http://www.riedc.com/riedc/ri_databank/31/282/) - [RI.GOV – Town of Exeter](http://www.ri.gov/towns/view/exeter/) - [Town of Exeter, Rhode Island website](https://www.exeterri.gov/) - [Exeter Town Library](http://www.exeterpubliclibrary.org) - [United States Constitution Referendum Ratification: Exeter](https://catalog.sos.ri.gov/repositories/2/digital_object_components/736)[dead link] from the Rhode Island State Archives --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Exeter, Rhode Island](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exeter%2C_Rhode_Island) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exeter%2C_Rhode_Island?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.