Washington County, Rhode Island, is commonly known as South County. The best resorts are on Block Island and Narragansett Bay. There's a state airport at Westerly, the Narragansett Indian Reservation at Charlestown, and the University of Rhode Island at Kingston are also here. Its most famous recreational area is probably Block Island. Ten thousand years ago, glaciers pushed their way down the East Coast and left behind the rocks and soil that was to form this little paradise. The result was a cozy community (only around 800 folks in the winter), a land of stunning vistas and a very fragile ecosystem that has been preserved for all to share. Because of the particular forces of nature that went to work on Block Island, no other place on earth shares its geography, nor its balance of species. A rarity, indeed.
Block Island is a rarity in another sense; it's a place that moves at its own pace and is known for a relaxed way of life. It's where "dressed up" means a pair of shorts. Islanders speak of going to the mainland as going "off island" — an expression of the feeling that Block Island is its own entity, as unique as the North Light or the 250-foot bluffs.