Cranston, city, Providence county, central Rhode Island, U.S. It lies on the western shore of Narragansett Bay and adjoins Providence city. The first settlement was made on the Pawtuxet River in 1638 by William Arnold, an ancestor of Benedict Arnold and a compatriot of Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island colony. Separated from Providence in 1754, it became a town and was named for Samuel Cranston, governor of Rhode Island (1698–1727). Its early growth depended on the textile industry. It was incorporated as a city in 1910. Although primarily a residential suburb, Cranston has industrial plants that produce machinery, jewelry, food products, and metals. Truck and dairy farms and nurseries are in the area. The city is the seat of the state’s adult and juvenile correctional institutions. The Joy Homestead (c. 1778) and the Sprague Mansion (1790) are historic landmarks. Pop. (2000) 79,269; (2010) 80,387.