Rhode Island
Does Size Matter? Every County In Wyoming Is Bigger Than Rhode Island
Wyoming is huge, the 10th largest state in the U.S. that feels even larger by being the least populated. Then there’s Rhode Island, which has been the smallest state in the United States since the U.S. was founded.
At 48 miles wide and 37 miles long, it has a total area of 1,545 square miles, but it still has about double the population of the Cowboy State.
At 97,813 square miles, Wyoming is more than 63 times larger. Yellowstone National Park alone is bigger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
Not only that, each of Wyoming’s 23 counties is larger than Rhode Island, one of three states that can claim this, along with Arizona and Alaska.
But who’s keeping track? Rhode Islanders certainly aren’t.
“We view our size as an advantage,” Matthew Touchette, director of Communications for Rhode Island Commerce, told Cowboy State Daily. “You can drive from the southernmost point of the state to the northernmost point in about 45 to 50 minutes. That’s a single tank of gas to see all of Rhode Island.”
Compare that to Wyoming, were it often takes more time driving from town to town, let alone from border to border.
How Many Rhode Islands?
When comparing Rhode Island to every county in Wyoming, the story’s the same: they’re all bigger. Sometimes several times bigger.
Let’s take one from the middle of the list. Campbell County is the seventh-largest county in Wyoming at 4,802 square miles. That’s just over three Rhode Islands.
Even Wyoming’s smallest county, Hot Springs County, is more than 500 square miles larger than Rhode Island. Sweetwater County, the largest in Wyoming, is nearly seven times as big.
According to the 2020 Census, 47,026 people live in Campbell County, compared to 1.1 million in Rhode Island. If the population were correlated to size, there would be 3.3 million people living in Campbell County.
There are nearly two people in Rhode Island for every one in the entire state of Wyoming and more than 23 people for every one person in Campbell County.
Rhode Island has only five counties to Wyoming’s 23. However, Rhode Island’s counties haven’t had any governmental functions since 1846, and there are no local governments on the county level.
But there’s one thing both states have in common. As of 2025, Wyoming and Rhode Island have only one area code, 307 and 401, respectively.
Size Doesn’t Matter – Proximity Does
Touchette said Rhode Islanders don’t see their small size as anything but an advantage. Their state is small but has diversity and proximity in its favor.
“We’re a coastal state, so we have oceanfront communities with ocean access,” he said. “We have major cities and quaint, historic small towns, beaches, forests and state parks. There’s something for everybody here.”
Touchette also noted that anywhere in Rhode Island is less than an hour from Boston, Massachusetts, and less than two hours from New York City. This is attractive to many large employers and employees on the East Coast.
Touchette recommends Rhode Island for anyone who doesn’t want the hustle and bustle of “the big city” but still wants to be close enough to take advantage of opportunities.
“We have a lot of the same history and infrastructure as those big cities without all the traffic and craziness,” he said. “I don’t view our size as a disadvantage by any means.”
County Comparison
Wyoming’s more than a bit more spread out.
Gillette in Campbell County is two hours from Rapid City, South Dakota, three hours from Billings, Montana, and nearly four hours from Cheyenne. That’s not bad, considering the vastness of the Cowboy State.
A Campbell County Sheriff’s deputy couldn’t drive across Wyoming on a single tank of gas. They must top their tanks daily to ensure they complete their patrols without running out.
And those patrols have the agency covering an area the size of three Rhode Islands, meaning they cover triple the territory of their East Coast counterparts.
“Most of our officers fill up every single day when they go on shift and get off shift,” said Campbell County Undersheriff Quentin Reynolds. “We try not to let our vehicles get below half because we’ve had officers run out of fuel on high-speed chases.”
While Rhode Island has five counties, Campbell County has five districts that its deputies patrol. The mileage varies from officer to officer, but there’s a lot of ground to cover.
“We’ve got some mountainous terrain and a lot of flat areas, too,” he said. “We’re not as varied as other counties in our great state, but we’ve got a little bit of everything.”
Compared to Rhode Island, Campbell County might seem like another planet. Reynolds tries to wrap his head around how 1.1 million people fit in a state that’s three times smaller than his entire county.
“We’re the third-most populated county in Wyoming, and you still might only meet one or two vehicles in a 30-minute drive,” he said. “That’s a long way from backup when and where you need it.”
More People, More Problems
Rhode Island gets mocked for its size, while Wyoming gets mocked for its emptiness (and theoretically not existing). But there’s another piece of common ground between the vastly differently states — size is precisely what makes them the perfect places to call home.
“We’re very fortunate in Campbell County,” Reynolds said. “We have a great community, the commissioners ensure we have good vehicles and equipment, and our pay is comparable to other departments. I think many Wyoming communities and sheriff departments feel the same way.”
Rhode Islanders might enjoy being close enough to the big city action while staying close enough to step in as they’d like. Wyomingites are far from everything, which is how Reynolds and many others like it.
“More people, more problems,” Reynolds said. “That’s how we look at it. You get a little excitement, but you don’t get daily adrenaline dumps or feel like your life is in danger on a daily basis. There’s just enough people and plenty of space.”
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
Rhode Island
Bodycam footage shows moments police respond to Pawtucket shooting
Police bodycam footage shows the moments officers arrived to the scene of a deadly mass shooting in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
The shooting on Feb. 16 at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena killed Rhonda Dorgan and Aidan Dorgan, the ex-wife and son of the shooter, who died by suicide.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
Gerald Dorgan, Rhonda’s father, died from his injuries this week. His wife, Linda Dorgan, and family friend Thomas Geruso remain hospitalized.
Around five minutes after the first officer arrives, he beings helping paramedics with a man who identifies himself as Aidan. Twelve minutes in, Aidan Dorgan is transported to the hospital, where he would later die from his injuries.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
For the last 10 minutes of the footage, the officer then begins helping paramedics transport the other three gunshot victims.
The video ends with police prepping witness interviews.
The shooting rocked the Pawtucket community. Chris Librizzi, head coach of the Blackstone Valley Schools hockey team impacted by the shooting, said the players and coaching staff “are devastated over the events that took place at Lynch Arena on Monday and intimately affected one of our teammates.”
As authorities continue investigating the shooting in Pawtucket, three patients remain in critical condition.
“We will lean on each other and support one another, as we have always done as a team,” he added.
Pawtucket police said two handguns were found at the scene after the shooting, a Sig Sauer P226 and Glock. Other weapons have been seized at the suspect’s storage unit in Maine.
Investigators continue reviewing all video evidence from before, during and after the shooting, including surveillance footage from the Dennis M. Lynch Arena, police body-worn camera footage and other records — a high school sports livestream captured the shooting from a distance — police said.
Rhode Island
Man killed in RI shooting; suspect involved in Mass. car crash that killed 2 others
A man has died after a shooting in Cranston, Rhode Island, and investigators say a suspect was later involved in a car crash in Swansea, Massachusetts, that killed two other people.
The shooting victim was found Thursday on Legion Way, shot multiple times in the chest, Cranston police told NBC affiliate WJAR-TV. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital where he later died. His name has not been released.
The suspect initially fled on foot, setting off a shelter-in-place order while investigators searched the area.
Police said Friday that investigators identified a suspect vehicle, which was later spotted by Massachusetts State Police. A trooper followed the car down Route 6 and Interstate 195, but stopped when it crossed back into Rhode Island. The car was later involved in a crash on Route 136 in Swansea, Mass.
Swansea police say that crash on Route 136 (James Reynolds Road) resulted in the deaths of two other people.
According to the Swansea Police Department, two officers saw a white Infinity G37 speed past them around 12:18 a.m. Friday on Route 6, otherwise known as Grand Army of the Republic Highway. Moments later, officers observed that the vehicle had crashed into the side of a blue Subaru Ascent that had been traveling southbound on Route 136.
Both vehicles sustained catastrophic damage, police said.
The vehicle that was struck was fully engulfed in flames. First responders and bystanders tried to extinguish the fire, but both occupants — a man and a woman — were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. Their names have not been released.
The 28-year-old Infinity driver, who struck the victims’ Subaru, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries and later into custody by Cranston Police. They have not been publicly identified at this time.
Swansea police said they are aware that the Infinity was the subject of a police pursuit, and know the driver was wanted in connection to the Rhode Island homicide investigation. While Swansea police had been alerted to be on the lookout for the suspect’s vehicle, however, they say they were not involved in the pursuit and were not pursuing the vehicle at the time of the deadly crash.
The crash in Swansea is under investigation by Massachusetts authorities, including state police and the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office. Meanwhile, Cranston police said they would give an update on their investigation around 1 p.m.
Rhode Island
RI House speaker unveils housing bills for 2026. What to know
House Speaker Shekarchi unveils 2026 RI housing legislative package
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi’s nine-bill package for 2026 seeks to cut red tape and relax rules on parking, dividing lots and staircases.
House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi is once again taking aim at the regulations he says are stifling new homebuilding.
The Warwick Democrat unveiled his sixth annual suite of housing legislation on Thursday, Feb. 26, a few weeks after announcing he would not be running for governor this year.
“We are still trying to play catch-up for all the years that Rhode Island was dead last in the country for new housing starts,” Shekarchi said. “While Rhode Island remains a relatively affordable option for people moving here from other states, our own residents are too often priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in.”
The legislative text of the nine-bill housing package, and with it the specifics of how it would work, were not available for Thursday’s news conference.
But highlights of the package, according to summaries, include:
- Infill housing. Allow property owners to divide lots in single-family zoning districts, creating multiple dwellings instead of one, provided they have water and sewer service.
- Parking maximums. Put new limits on how much off-street parking communities require for new apartment buildings.
- Homeless Bill of Rights. Expand the state’s Homeless Bill of Rights to require 15-day notice to the occupants of encampments before local authorities clear them.
- Emergency shelters. Let communities build temporary shelters, such as the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence, during a state of emergency.
- Stairs. Legalize the construction of four-story apartment buildings with a single staircase.
- Affordable housing taxes. Overhaul the tax system for income-restricted housing covered by the state’s “8 Law.”
Is land-use reform working?
Since Shekarchi was elected speaker in 2021, the General Assembly has passed dozens of bills he backed that tweaked state land-use statutes or streamlined the process for building.
How successful this approach has been is subject to debate.
Many local elected officials wary of development in their communities continue to rail against efforts to erode their power over construction.
Others in the growing Yes In My Back Yard movement see Rhode Island’s piecemeal approach as inadequate in comparison with the scale of the affordability problem and what other states are doing.
As evidence that his changes are making a difference, Shekarchi said Rhode Island saw a 70% increase in building permits in 2023 and a more modest increase in 2024. (Statistics for last year were not immediately available.)
Gov. Dan McKee’s 2030 plan calls for 15,000 new housing units built by that year.
Democratic primary challenger Helena Foulkes is slated to roll out her housing plan on Monday.
It is expected to include a millionaires tax to fund affordable housing, a revolving fund and target of 20,000 new homes.
What would the new laws do?
Letting property owners put multiple homes on a plot of land is one of the most direct ways that lawmakers can encourage the construction of more homes, but it is also one of the most controversial.
That’s especially true in areas zoned for large lots and single-family homes.
How far the new bill allowing lots to be subdivided in single-family zones goes is unclear. It is sponsored by Rep. Stephen Casey, D-Woonsocket.
Legislation setting maximum parking requirements for new developments, introduced by Rep. Joshua Giraldo, D-Central Falls, would apply to areas accessible by public transit.
Critics of off-street parking requirements say they make it harder to build new apartments and make the units that are built more expensive.
Shekarchi proposed the emergency shelter bill last year. It passed the House and died in the Senate.
It was the result of how long it took state officials to navigate Rhode Island’s building code and open the ECHO Village Pallet shelter in Providence.
The staircase bill, sponsored by Rep. June Speakman, a Warren Democrat and chair of the House’s home affordability study commission, follows a wave of cities and states relaxing rules on how many exits are required in new construction.
Currently, the state building code requires two stairways in buildings with more than three stories, and fire officials have opposed all efforts to change that.
Speakman’s bill would allow four-story buildings with a maximum of 16 units with a single staircase.
Supporters of single-stair buildings say they allow development of small sites that would otherwise sit vacant and allow family-sized units with more light and better ventilation.
A previous Rhode Island single-stair bill would have allowed six stories, but it died in committee.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order in mid-February to study the idea.
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