Located in the central part of the state of Rhode Island and a city in Providence County, Cranston sits in the Narragansett Bay on its western shore and is adjoined by Providence City. The first recorded settlement was in 1638 and was made on the Pawtuxet River. When the area was separated from Providence, it became a town and was then named after Samuel Cranston, the then governor of Rhode Island. Cranston was primarily founded and developed as a residential suburb, it has industrial plants that produce jewelry, machinery, food products, and metals. Trucks and dairy farms nurseries are also established in the area.