Warwick was settled by Samuel Gorton in 1642. In 1676, during King Philip's War, Warwick was almost completely destroyed. Not far from Warwick is Gaspee Point, which was the scene of the burning of the British revenue cutter Gaspee in 1772. The event is commemorated during the annual 'Gaspee Days'.

The city's textile industry dates from 1794. Other manufactures include machinery, metals, pipes and tubing and silverware. Warwick includes the villages of Apponaug, on Greenwich Bay and Hillsgrove, which is the site of the state airport. There are also several resorts.

Warwick has a very large music arena. American Revolutionary general Nathanael Greene was born in the city.

The Gamm Theater was established in 1984 at the Riverside Mills in Providence. That venue burned down in 1989 and the theater relocated to the Jewelry District in Providence. That space became too cramped and in 2003 the theater reopened in the Pawtucket Armory Center. In 2018, it was relocated to its current venue at 1245 Jefferson Boulevard in Warwick.

Accommodation and restaurants are available in town. Warwick is located in central Rhode Island, at the head of Narragansett Bay, 19 km (12 mi) south of Providence and 550 km northeast of Washington D.C.