Portsmouth was settled in 1638 as the second settlement in the area. With Anne Hutchinson as leader of the settlement, Portsmouth became the first community founded in the New World by a woman. Its Indian name was Pocasset, and on May 12, 1649, the name of Portsmouth was confirmed. And as original settlement, Portsmouth became part of the original group of settlements which united to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.
Today, many of the town's working population is employed in private industry, in Portsmouth and nearby communities. The earliest source of income for the townspeople was farming and shipbuilding. However, boat building continues as one of the areas major industries.
Portsmouth is located in Newport County 11 miles north of Newport between Middletown and Bristol along Highway 24 near the Bristol Ferry.
