Welcome to Block Island ...
Block Island is located in Washington County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Block Island, you might consider that their post office opened in 1879.
A typical abbreviation for Block Island: Block Is. (in Canada, 'Isld.' is the more common abbreviation.)
Time Zone: Block Island lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Code for Block Island: 401
The ZIP code for Block Island: 02807<2>
Communities Also Named Block Island ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are two Rhode Island communities named Block Island: This one is located in Washington County and the other is located in Newport County.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Block Island.
Communities near Block Island ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Block Island.
- South Kingstown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the north)
- Westerly
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Westerly have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Westerly
- Westerly is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 22,328 people
- Charlestown
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)
- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Charlestown have been provided by the GNIS.<3> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Charlestown
- Charlestown is located in Washington County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 7,836 people
- Charlestown
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Jerusalem
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Point Judith
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)
- Weekapaug
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northwest)
- Note: We haven't been able to verify our GPS coordinates for Weekapaug. Although the coordinates have been estimated, they should be in the vicinity.<4>
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weekapaug
- Weekapaug is located in Washington County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Weekapaug
- From Block Island to Weekapaug
- Langworthy Corner
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest)
- Perryville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the north)
- Avondale
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Block Island. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Block Island.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Block Island. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Block Island.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Block Island. See our Newspapers Page for Block Island.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Block Island ...
Looking for more information about Block Island? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
While we are unaware of a Tourism page that is specific to Block Island, there are neighboring communities that do have Tourism pages. A map of those communities can be found with our TripAdvisor Page for Block Island.
Adding Block Island to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Block Island in the FIPS-55 file. For more information, see the Referenced FIPS Codes section on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Block Island was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<5>
From that list, the Block Island post office opened in 1879.
For more details, see References and Mentions for Block Island.
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of the state's counties, including Washington, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Block Island). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Block Island or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <3> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <4> | An 'estimated' location is one where we have been given GPS coordinates, but are unable to verify the accuracy of those coordinates. That said, we have some confidence that we have placed the marker near the actual location. A typical reason for being unable to verify a location is that it might be on private property or maybe historic and gone without an obvious trace. |
| <5> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at:
https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |