Pawtucket, with an estimated population of 72,958 residents, is the fourth largest city in the state of Rhode Island. The city is known as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution because of the 1790 establishment of Slater Mill, the first successful cotton-spinning mill with a fully mechanized power system.
With a culturally diverse citizenship, Pawtucket has an active arts and music community. The city is home to significant numbers of Portuguese and Liberian citizens. Some Liberian families relocated to escape Charles Taylor's repressive rule of the government of Liberia.
Each September, the city, in conjunction with members of the Pawtucket Arts Collaborative, heads up the annual Arts Festival. The city also hosts Riversing, an independently produced, day-long musical event. Other attractions in the city include Veterans Memorial Park and Slater Memorial Park, which contains The Looff Carousel built by Charles Looff and is included in the National Register of Historic Places.
