Historic Newport is best known as a summer resort colony. Three distinct communities comprise its population: the settled, predominantly Catholic community, the summer colony, and the United States Navy. The city has been called "The Birthplace of the Navy;" the presence of navy personnel builds on the distinctly nautical flavor of the seaside town. Newport is located on Aquidneck Island, which has expanded its role in naval activities in recent years, resulting in the growth of high technology industries and support services in the development of sophisticated communications and defense weaponry systems. Newport's beautifully preserved architectural heritage, including the summer "cottages"—actually late nineteenth-century mansions built by wealthy New York families—have made the city a warm-weather capital of American "high society" and a mecca for tourists interested in the colonial history of the United States. Newport's past is a fascinating mix of religious tolerance, slave trade, the military, and the very wealthiest of U.S. capitalists.