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Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1669 by John Babcock, it is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state. The population was 22,787 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Norwich–New London, Connecticut, New England city and town area. On the western border of Westerly flows the Pawcatuck River, once renowned for its own species of Westerly salmon, three of which are on the town's crest. The Pawcatuck River flows from some fifteen miles (24 km) inland, emptying into Little Narragansett Bay. The Pawcatuck River also serves as the boundary between Westerly and Pawcatuck, Connecticut. Along the coast of Westerly lie salt ponds, which serve as shallow reeflike pools, whose outer walls form the long, white beaches for which the town became renowned. From west to east, these ponds are called Maschaug Pond, Winnapaug Pond, and Quonochontaug Pond. The town also has a fresh water lake, Chapman's Pond, which is undergoing revitalization. A type of granite, known as Westerly granite, has long been quarried here. Westerly granite, ideal for statuary, has been used in numerous government buildings of several states along the eastern seaboard. The Westerly area was known for its granite and stone-cutting industry.〔(National Register of Historic Places )〕〔(Civil War Monuments of Connecticut ) Suppliers & Materials〕 Westerly becomes a large tourist attraction during the summer months during which the population nearly doubles.〔http://www.westerlychamber.org/pages/communityprofiles〕 From east to west, well-known beaches include Weekapaug Beach, Westerly Town Beach, Misquamicut State Beach, East Beach and Watch Hill Beach. ==History== Westerly's primary industries today are textiles and tourism, but historically Westerly was also famous for its granite, quarried in at least two locations in Westerly also in Bradford and Potter Hill. Westerly was named for the settlement's location, respective to Rhode Island's geography, being the westernmost town in the state. There is also a possibility that Westerly got its name from the English village of Westerleigh, in the county of Gloucestershire. The English village was the home of one of Westerly, Rhode Island's founding fathers, Elder John Crandall (ca. 1612-1676). Elder John settled in Westerly in 1661 and the early history of Westerly contains many references to him and his sons. Westerly sits atop a glacial moraine, a series of small hills of debris left behind by receding glaciers in the last Ice Age. A pristine sample of the moraine encompasses a preserve owned in perpetuity by the Westerly Land Trust. Within the trust land are the rare "kettle" formations that extend out under the sea to Block Island. Four trolley lines - the Groton and Stonington Street Railway, Norwich and Westerly Railway, Pawtucket Valley Street Railway, and the Ashaway and Westerly Railway, converged in Westerly and shared trackage between the railroad station and Dixon House Square downtown. The lines were built in the 1890s and 1900s and ran until the 1920s. Physician, American Revolution general, and Rhode Island Supreme Court justice, Dr. Joshua Babcock and Chief Justice and Governor of Rhode Island Samuel Ward were born in Westerly. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Westerly, Rhode Island」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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