About the East Bay

The beautiful serene region of the East Bay is said to have first been enjoyed in the early 1600s by the Native Americans. A favorite with Massasoit, Chief of the Wampanoags, the area began drawing English settlers from nearby Plymouth and Boston during the mid 1600s. The territory was to remain part of Massachusetts until 1747 when royal decree incorporated it into Rhode Island.

Because of their proximity to the sea, Warren and Bristol quickly emerged as vital colonial ports. Barrington, at first a part of Warren, was incorporated as a seaport town in 1770 remaining, for the most part, a quiet farming community until the mid 20th century.

With the outbreak of the American Revolution, destruction and famine came to the area as British and Hessian troops looted and burned Warren and Bristol. Nevertheless, recovery was rapid shortly after America won independence, as maritime endeavors such as whaling, shipbuilding and trade flourished in those towns.

Bristol remained a major port until Boston Harbor was dredged. Today, Bristol County's waterways are filled with a myriad of pleasure boats mixed with quahog skiffs, fishing vessels, tour boats such as the Vista Jubilee and Bristol's Prudence Island Ferry.

The East Bay has a distinctive character shaped by its relations to Narragansett Bay and the personality of its 50,000 residents. You may feel like you are a world away, but you are just an hour and 15 minutes from Boston and three hours from New York. Located only a few miles from the cities of Providence, Newport and Fall River, Massachusetts, the East Bay offers visitors and residents a unique blend of American and Old World heritage.

The heritage is most keenly felt each year at the Bristol Fourth of July Parade. It begins every year with the ringing of the bells at 6:00 a.m. Bristol's parade has gained national recognition and draws thousands of visitors from all over the United States. Running continuously since 1785, Bristol's Fourth of July Parade is the longest running parade in the country.

The Town of Warren has a certified Arts District that allows artists living in Warren, creating in Warren, or selling products created in Warren to be exempt from income tax on the art they have sold.  In addition, if you are a merchant that sells products created by a local artist or artisan you do not have to charge your customers sales tax or pay state sales taxes on those products sold. All artists must apply for eligibility through the Rhode Island Council on the Arts, which will submit an application to the Rhode Island Division of Taxation for approval.