This June, The Providence Journal, in a weekly series by staff writer Tiffany Bartish of the South County bureau, focused on the plan and its concerns. Read her full introduction to the effort . Of course Washington County, which offers both rustic charm and sandy shores at a bargain, is growing. But as a rule, Washington County's economy rests almost entirely on property taxes. In Exeter, for example, those taxes supply about 95 percent of the town's annual revenue.
Residents wake up here each morning and drive to work in Newport, Providence or Connecticut.
With only a few major roads servicing the region, traffic congestion has become an increasingly common problem. Tourists and college students aren't the only culprits, the population boom that goes along with South County growth plays a large part, as well.