Keith E. Hamilton (R), President Sondra A. Blank (D) David M. Gleason (R) Mary A. McDowell (I) Sharlene M. Patton (R) Juan Carlos Payero (D) David G. Reise (R)
Saint Philomena School (Pre-Kindergarten through 8th Grade)
The Pennfield School (Nursery through 8th Grade)
Commerce
Portsmouth is home to the Portsmouth Business Park, as well as a few small plazas with a variety of businesses. Portsmouth is also home to the Raytheon Missiles & Defense division. Adjacent to Raytheon is the Newport Car Museum which opened in 2017 and receives 50,000 visitors a year.[3]
Sports
Portsmouth is the headquarters of US Sailing, the national governing body of sailing in the U.S.[4] It is also home to the Newport International Polo Series held at Glen Farm.[5]
Music
On September 21, 2017, plaques were unveiled by Roger Williams University, along with Al Gomes and Connie Watrous of Big Noise, at the Baypoint Inn & Conference Center honoring music icons The Beach Boys. The plaques were to commemorate the band's concert on September 22, 1971 in Portsmouth. The concert was the first-ever appearance of South African Ricky Fataar as an official member of the band and Filipino Billy Hinsche as a touring member, essentially changing The Beach Boys' live and recording act's line-up into a multi-cultural group. Diversity is a credo of Roger Williams University, which is why they chose to celebrate this moment in the band's history.[6][7]
Jimmy Buffett performed at the Sunset Cove restaurant on July 2, 2023, which was his final public performance before his death on September 1 of that year.[8]
The 2000 U.S. Census[1] reported that there were 17,149 people, or an increase of 1.7%, residing in the town. There were also 6,758 households, and 4,865 families recorded. The population density was 739.0 inhabitants per square mile (285.3/km2). There were 7,386 housing units at an average density of 318.3 units per square mile (122.9 units/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.82% White, 1.17% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.36% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.45% of the population.
There were 6,758 households, of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $88,835, and the median income for a family was $108,577. Males had a median income of $46,297 versus $31,745 for females. The per capita income for the town was $46,161. About 2.0% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
2010 U.S. Census
The 2010 U.S. Census[1] reported that there were 17,349 people, or an increase of 1.15%, residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 94.57% White, 1.35% African American, 1.58% Asian, 0.21% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 0.04% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 0.40% of some other race, and 1.86% of two or more races.
In the town, 22.98% of the population was under the age of 18 and 16.47% were 65 years of age or older. Females made up 51.03% of the population.
