Pawtucket, city, Providence County, northern Rhode Island, at falls on the Blackstone River, adjoining Providence; incorporated as a city 1885. It is an industrial center with manufactures that include wire, textiles, electronic equipment, jewelry, and glassware. Among the historic buildings are Slater Mill (1793), the nation's first successful water-powered cotton mill, and Daggett House (1685). Settled in 1671, Pawtucket developed as an early iron-manufacturing center. The eastern part of Pawtucket was transferred from Massachusetts to Rhode Island in 1862. Its name is derived from a Native American expression for “river falls.” Population 71,204 (1980); 72,644 (1990); 72,958 (2000).
