Our Community

Aquidneck Island Village is comprised of the City of Newport and the neighboring Towns of Middletown and Portsmouth.

While thought of as a tourist destination with its many attractions from the Gilded Age and beautiful beaches, Aquidneck Island is home to many full-time, long-term residents. Some 19.3% of island residents are 65+ years of age, and over 30% of them live alone. When Newport conducted the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities Survey Needs Assessment in 2020, the City learned that over 93% of respondents felt that being able to live independently in their own home was very important or extremely important to them. Major areas of concern identified in the survey were: the expense of housing and housing maintenance; the poor state of the sidewalks and the difficulties of pedestrian crossings; the difficulty of finding out about services for older adults; the challenge of affordable home health care providers; and the challenge of relying on public transportation.

Many benefits provided by a village address the challenges survey participants noted in Newport. For example, transportation can be quite expensive and has limited availability. Public transportation and cab availability are sporadic and costly in the area.