#20 Middletown: RI's Best Communities 2013

#20 Middletown: RI's Best Communities 2013

This Aquidneck town was named in the 18th century for its middling location. A place where you can pick strawberries with postcard views of Narragansett Bay, the community has an agrarian component and a diverse landscape made up by sand dunes, scenic beaches, and a rocky coastline. Surrounded by water on three sides, Middletown is a scenic ocean town with active practices of fishing, boating, and swimming.

Middletown by the numbers

Established: 1639
Population: 16,150
Median household income: $71,901
Median housing price: $310,000

2013 Best Communities rankings

Overall ranking: 20
Affordability ranking: 31
Education ranking: 24
Economic Condition ranking: 14
Safety ranking: 16
Arts & Culture ranking: 9

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Famous residents

Nicolas Cage, former owner of "Grey Craig" mansion
Charlie Day, actor, in the TV show, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
John Huston, Oscar winning film director
Obadiah Holmes, an early colonial Baptist minister, and an ancestor of President Abraham Lincoln
Edwin Booth, actor and brother of John Wilkes Booth