Watch Hill, RI

Watch Hill is a Westerly census-designated place at Rhode Island's southwestern tip, with 212 residents in the 2020 census. It sits on a peninsula between Block Island Sound and Little Narragansett Bay, with East Beach, Watch Hill Cove, the harbor, and Napatree Point arranged around the village. The place became a summer resort in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the Watch Hill Historic District still carries that resort-era architecture. The lighthouse, with a wooden tower completed in 1807, remains the clearest landmark.

Napatree Point gives the place a wildlife refuge and recreation edge: the sandy barrier beach separates the bay from the ocean, has a mile-long walk along the water, and includes a 70-acre conservation area. The village's working side remains the harbor, with moorings and boat access alongside the business district and nearby coves. At the Rhode Island tip, old resort buildings, a navigable harbor, and a storm-shaped barrier beach all meet in one village, with the water defining every edge.