iss012e19051

ISS012-E-19051 (4 March 2006) --- Newport, R.I., is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 12 crew member on the International Space Station. Newport is well-known as a summer destination, but winter snow blankets the city in this image. One of the first settlements by Europeans in the Americas, the region was initially settled by colonists seeking religious freedom denied them in Europe, but over time some of them perceived a need to escape the strictures of the dominant Puritan faith. Newport, founded in 1639, became a bastion of the Baptist faith and exemplified one of the basic precepts of the United States Constitution – separation of church and state. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, Newport consolidated its position as one of the premier ports of the United States. The 19th and early 20th centuries saw a decline in commercial shipping at Newport and its rebirth as a recreational destination. Many of the leading industrialist families of the time, such as the Vanderbilts, built grand summer mansions in Newport that are now open to visitors. The United States Navy has also had a strong presence in the Newport area since 1869, exemplified by the establishment of the Naval War College in 1884 (image top center). The College still serves as an educational institution for naval officers. The gray-brown metropolitan area of Newport is thrown into sharp contrast by the surrounding snow-covered open fields and rural areas to the east and southwest. The Clairborne Pell (also known as Newport) Bridge connects Jamestown, R.I. on Conanicut Island to Newport at image top. The main span of this suspension bridge is 1600 feet (485 meters) long and crosses the East Passage of Narragansett Bay. The Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge (image lower right) supports over 200 bird species, including the largest winter harlequin duck population on the East Coast.