As with most port towns, the area around Newport’s waterfront was the first part of the city settled when colonists arrived in 1639. A remarkable number of colonial buildings still stand and are still in use within the 100-hectare (250-acre) swath of the downtown area designated a National Historic Landmark. The shops and cafés along Thames Street; the stately buildings surrounding Washington Square, Touro Synagogue and Trinity Church; and the tidy, clapboard homes in the Point neighborhood all lie within the district and demand attention from architecture and history fans.
