New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located 51 miles (82 kilometers) south of Boston, 28 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of Fall River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 93,768, making it the seventh-largest in the state. New Bedford is nicknamed "The Whaling City" because it was, during the nineteenth century, one of th...
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New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located 51 miles (82 kilometers) south of Boston, 28 miles (45 kilometers) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about 12 miles (19 kilometers) east of Fall River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 93,768, making it the seventh-largest in the state. New Bedford is nicknamed "The Whaling City" because it was, during the nineteenth century, one of the most important whaling ports in the world. The city, along with Fall River, is one of two cities on the south coast of Massachusetts.
Before the 1600s, the Wampanoags, who had settlements throughout southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, were the only inhabitants of the lands along the Acushnet River. Their population is believed to have been about 12,000. While exploring New England, Bartholomew Gosnold landed on Cuttyhunk island on May 15, 1602. From there, he explored Cape Cod and the...
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