Rhode Island is the “Little Engine That Could” of the American experiment. It is a state so small that you can drive across it in the time it takes to listen to a long podcast, yet it possesses an ego large enough to fill the entire New England coast.

Formally known (until recently) as “Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,” it is famously neither an island (mostly) nor particularly large. It is a dense, salty, fiercely independent corner of the world that operates on the philosophy that size is no substitute for character—or “moxie.”

The Rogue’s Island

Historically, Rhode Island was founded on the concept of being a “reject.” Roger Williams was kicked out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636 for having the audacity to suggest that church and state should be separate and that perhaps we should pay the Indigenous people for their land.

He founded Providence as a “lively experiment” in religious freedom. For a long time, the neighboring colonies referred to it as “Rogue’s Island,” a sanctuary for the weirdos, the dissenters, and the people who were too difficult for the Puritans to handle. This spirit remains; Rhode Island was the first colony to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown and the last one to ratify the Constitution (because they didn’t think it did enough to protect individual rights).

The Geographical Identity Crisis

The name is a source of eternal confusion. The “Rhode Island” part actually refers only to Aquidneck Island (where Newport sits), while the rest of the state is mainland.

Because space is at such a premium, Rhode Islanders have a distorted sense of distance. To a resident of Warwick, a trip to Woonsocket (about 30 minutes away) is a major expedition requiring snacks, a full tank of gas, and possibly an overnight bag. If a destination is more than 15 minutes away, it is considered “the other side of the state.”

The Culinary Curiosities

Culturally, Rhode Island is a culinary island as much as a geographical one. It has developed a hyper-local menu that confuses outsiders:

• Coffee Milk: The official state drink, which is exactly what it sounds like—milk with sweet coffee syrup.
• Del’s Lemonade: A frozen, slushy lemon treat that is a seasonal religion.
• New York System Wieners: Tiny hot dogs topped with a specific meat sauce, onions, and yellow mustard. (Despite the name, they have nothing to do with New York).
• Stuffies: Quahog clams stuffed with breading and herbs, served in the shell.

The Gilded and the Gritty

Geographically, the state is a study in class contrast. On one hand, you have Newport, the “Sailing Capital of the World,” home to “The Mansions”—monuments of Gilded Age excess where the Astors and Vanderbilts spent their summers pretending they weren’t in the United States.

On the other hand, you have Providence, a gritty, creative, post-industrial city that has reinvented itself as a hub for art and food. It is the home of RISD (Rhode Island School of Design), which ensures that the city is always populated by people with interesting hair and avant-garde ideas.

The Independent State of Mind

Ultimately, Rhode Island is a state that refuses to be ignored. It is the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution (Slater Mill) and the home of the “Big Blue Bug” (the world’s largest termite mascot). It is a place where everyone knows everyone else, where politics is a blood sport, and where the “Ocean State” license plate is a badge of survival against the encroaching influences of New York and Boston.