Homes on Riverside Avenue in The Hummocks neighborhood of Portsmouth. Only two houses were listed for sale last week n the neighborhood. The Providence Journal / Bill Murphy

The Hummocks is a waterfront neighborhood in Portsmouth named for its hilly topography. Located just north of the Island Park neighborhood, with the Sakonnet River to the east and Blue Bill Cove to the west, it was first developed as a summer retreat by Fall River merchants, according to one longtime resident.

The Aquidneck Island neighborhood is also roughly bordered by two bridges, the Cove Bridge to the south, connecting The Hummocks to Island Park on Hummocks Point Road, and the Sakonnet River Bridge to the north. Many hilltop residents also have views of the remains of the Stone Bridge, which linked Island Park and Tiverton until it was destroyed by Hurricane Carol in 1954.

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Tighter weight restrictions have recently been established for the neighborhood’s aging bridges until more comprehensive repair or replacement is completed.

Muriel Coyle, who lives on Hummocks Avenue, said she grew up in Fall River but spent most of her childhood summers in The Hummocks. She said her parents rented a cottage for many years in an area known as the “first Hummocks,” near the cove bridge, and then bought a house on a hill at 150 Cliff Ave., in the “second Hummocks,” in 1954, the year of the big hurricane.

The cottage that Coyle’s parents rented for so many years was destroyed by the hurricane, she said.

The “third Hummocks,” is the most northern hill, and there are only a few houses there, Coyle said.

Coyle said she inherited her parents’ house on Cliff Avenue, and her husband, who is a contractor, is renovating it in his spare time on evenings and weekends. They plan to move there when it is completed. She said she never really considered selling it. “Any waterfront property, you just hate to give it up,” she said. Coyle said her son will move into their house on Hummocks Avenue when they leave it. She said this is what happens with many properties in The Hummocks. “They all stay in the same families,” she said.

Roger Moriarty first bought his property in The Hummocks on Cliff Avenue in 1969, but he tore down the older cottage a few years ago and built a more substantial house in its place. Moriarty, who is a building contractor, said the neighborhood was a summer cottage community for many years, and many of the first houses there were built by merchants from Fall River, the nearest city.

Only two houses were listed for sale in The Hummocks last week: the first, a 1955 split level at 314 Point Rd., has an asking price of $399,900. It has three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and 1,640 square feet of living space. There is also an in-ground pool and deeded water access, according to the listing information. The second house, priced at $695,000, is at 228 Cliff Rd.; it is a raised ranch built in 1971 with two bedrooms, three full baths, and 1,700 square feet of living space. It has its own mooring, according to the listing information.

POPULATION: (Portsmouth, 2000) 17,149

MEDIAN HOUSE PRICE: (Portsmouth, 2007) $367,000

INTERESTING FACT: The state plans to replace the deteriorating Sakonnet River Bridge within five years, but has imposed a 22-ton limit for vehicles crossing the bridge in the interim. The Sakonnet River Bridge opened in 1956, two years after the Stone Bridge was destroyed by Hurricane Carol. More recently, a 10-ton limit was established for the Cove Bridge, requiring the rerouting of some local school bus routes.

cdunn@projo.com