Scituate at a Glance:

The town of Scituate is located in Providence County, Rhode Island. Scituate was first settled in 1710 by emigrants from Scituate, Massachusetts. The original spelling of the town's name was "Satuit", a native Indian word meaning "cold brook" or "cold river." It was part of Providence until 1731.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 54.8 square miles, of which 6.1 square miles is water. The Scituate Reservoir is the largest freshwater body of water in the state of Rhode Island. It has an aggregate capacity of 39 billion U.S. gallons and a surface area of 5.3 square miles. It and its six tributary reservoirs—which make up a total surface area of 7.2 square miles—supply drinking water to more than 60 percent of the state population. The surrounding drainage basin that provides water to the reservoir system covers an area of about 94 square miles, which includes most of the town of Scituate and parts of Foster, Glocester, Johnston, and Cranston. The Scituate Reservoir is operated by Providence Water Supply Board.
Scituate's governmental structure is composed of a seven-member Town Council.