Bristol County, Massachusetts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bristol County
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The Old Bristol County Courthouse in Taunton
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Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Massachusetts |
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| Founded | June 2, 1685 (from Plymouth Colony) | |
| Named for | Bristol, Rhode Island | |
| Seat | Taunton | |
| Largest city | New Bedford | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 691 sq mi (1,790 km2) | |
| • Land | 553 sq mi (1,430 km2) | |
| • Water | 138 sq mi (360 km2) 20% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 579,200 | |
| • Density | 1,047.2/sq mi (404.3/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional districts | 4th, 8th, 9th | |
Bristol County is a county in the state of Massachusetts. In 2020, about 579,200 people lived here. The main town for county government is Taunton. Some government jobs are handled by the state, some by the county, and others by local towns and cities. Bristol County is the sixth most populated county in Massachusetts.
Bristol County is part of a larger area called the Providence-New Bedford-Warwick RI-MA Metropolitan Statistical Area. This area also connects to the bigger Boston–Worcester–Providence, MA–RI–NH–CT Combined Statistical Area. The county is right next to Rhode Island. It also borders other Massachusetts counties like Plymouth, Norfolk, and Dukes (across water). Plus, it touches Rhode Island counties such as Bristol, Newport, and Providence.
Contents
History of Bristol County
Bristol County was created on June 2, 1685, by the Plymouth Colony. It was named after its main town at the time, Bristol. In 1691, King William III combined the Plymouth Colony with other settlements to form The Province of Massachusetts Bay.
In 1746, some towns like Bristol, Barrington, and Warren became part of Rhode Island. This happened because of a long disagreement about the border. At the same time, Cumberland, Rhode Island was taken from Attleborough, Massachusetts and added to Providence County, Rhode Island. Also, Tiverton and Little Compton moved to Newport County, Rhode Island. However, East Freetown stayed in Massachusetts.
After Bristol left, Taunton became the main town for the county. Later, in 1828, a second courthouse was built in the growing town of New Bedford. In 1862, parts of Seekonk and East Pawtucket were given to Rhode Island. At the same time, land from Rhode Island was added to Fall River and Westport. Fall River grew a lot, and a third county courthouse was built there in 1877.
Geography of Bristol County
Bristol County covers about 691 square miles. About 553 square miles are land, and 138 square miles (20%) are water. The highest point in the county is Sunrise Hill, which is about 390 feet (119 meters) above sea level. It's located in World War I Memorial Park in North Attleborough.
Many places in Bristol County, like Bristol, Plymouth, and Taunton, are named after towns in South West England. This is because that part of England was important for sailing and exploration when America was first discovered.
Counties Near Bristol County
- Norfolk County is to the north.
- Plymouth County is to the east.
- Newport County, Rhode Island is to the southwest.
- Bristol County, Rhode Island is to the west.
- Providence County, Rhode Island is to the northwest.
To the south, Dukes County is across Buzzards Bay from Bristol County.
Parks and Protected Areas
- New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is a special area that protects the history of whaling.
People of Bristol County
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1790 | 31,696 | — | |
| 1800 | 33,880 | 6.9% | |
| 1810 | 37,168 | 9.7% | |
| 1820 | 40,908 | 10.1% | |
| 1830 | 49,592 | 21.2% | |
| 1840 | 60,164 | 21.3% | |
| 1850 | 76,192 | 26.6% | |
| 1860 | 93,794 | 23.1% | |
| 1870 | 102,886 | 9.7% | |
| 1880 | 139,040 | 35.1% | |
| 1890 | 186,465 | 34.1% | |
| 1900 | 252,029 | 35.2% | |
| 1910 | 318,573 | 26.4% | |
| 1920 | 359,005 | 12.7% | |
| 1930 | 364,590 | 1.6% | |
| 1940 | 364,637 | 0.0% | |
| 1950 | 381,569 | 4.6% | |
| 1960 | 398,488 | 4.4% | |
| 1970 | 444,301 | 11.5% | |
| 1980 | 474,641 | 6.8% | |
| 1990 | 506,325 | 6.7% | |
| 2000 | 534,678 | 5.6% | |
| 2010 | 548,285 | 2.5% | |
| 2020 | 579,200 | 5.6% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 581,841 | 6.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 |
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Population in 2010
In 2010, there were 548,285 people living in Bristol County. There were 213,010 households and 141,338 families. The county had about 991 people per square mile. Most people (88.4%) were white. Other groups included black (3.3%), Asian (1.9%), and American Indian (0.4%). About 6.0% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino background.
Many people in Bristol County have roots from different countries. The largest groups reported were:
- 30.1% Portuguese
- 19.2% Irish
- 13.1% French
- 12.5% English
- 9.3% Italian
- 5.7% French Canadian
- 5.0% German
- 4.5% Polish
- 3.4% Puerto Rican
- 3.3% Sub-Saharan African
- 2.5% American
- 2.0% Scottish
- 1.4% Swedish
- 1.3% Scotch-Irish
- 1.0% Arab
About 32.6% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.50 people, and the average family had 3.06 people. The average age of people in the county was 39.8 years old.
The average income for a household was $54,955, and for a family it was $70,161. About 11.3% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 15.7% of those under 18 and 10.4% of those 65 or older.
Getting Around Bristol County
Public bus services are available through the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority. These buses serve areas like Fall River and New Bedford.
There are several airports in the county. These include Mansfield Municipal Airport, Myricks Airport, New Bedford Municipal Airport, and Taunton Municipal Airport. The New Bedford airport is a commercial airport, meaning it has flights to places like Cape Cod, Nantucket, and Martha's Vineyard.
The Providence/Stoughton Line of the MBTA commuter train has stops in Mansfield, Attleboro, and South Attleboro. This train connects to Providence and Boston. An extension has also been built to connect to T. F. Green Airport.
Main Roads
Towns and Cities in Bristol County
Cities
- Attleboro
- Fall River
- New Bedford
- Taunton (This is the county seat, where the main county government offices are.)
Towns
Other Communities
Some smaller communities are called census-designated places (CDPs) or villages. These are areas that are recognized for population counting but are not officially separate towns or cities.
Census-Designated Places
Villages
- Assonet
- Bowensville
- Britannia
- East Freetown
- East Taunton
- Fall River Station
- Five Corners
- Flint Village
- Four Corners
- Globe Village
- Gushee Pond
- Highlands
- Hixville
- Hornbine
- Hortonville
- Kingmans Corner
- Myricks
- North Attleborough Center
- North Raynham
- North Rehoboth
- North Taunton
- Oakland
- Padanaram
- Pecks Corner
- Perrys Corner
- Perryville
- Pleasantfield
- Pleasant Street
- Pottersville
- Prattville
- Ramblewood
- Rehoboth
- Sassaquin
- South Attleboro
- South Rehoboth
- Squawbetty
- Steep Brook
- Titicut
- Tracy Corner
- Wade's Corner
- Weir Village
- Westville
- Whittenton
- Whittenton Junction
Ghost Town
- Norton Furnace is a place that used to be a town but is now abandoned.
Education in Bristol County
Bristol County has many school districts for students of all ages.
Schools for All Grades (K–12)
- Attleboro School District
- Bridgewater-Raynham School District
- Dartmouth School District
- Dighton-Rehoboth School District
- Easton School District
- Fairhaven School District (also serves Acushnet for high school)
- Fall River School District
- Freetown-Lakeville School District
- Mansfield School District
- New Bedford School District (also serves Acushnet for high school)
- North Attleborough School District
- Norton School District
- Seekonk School District
- Swansea School District
- Taunton School District
- Westport School District
High Schools (Secondary)
- Somerset-Berkley School District
Elementary Schools
- Acushnet School District
- Berkley School District
- Somerset School District
There is also a special high school for vocational and technical training called Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School.
For higher education, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is located in Bristol County.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Bristol (Massachusetts) para niños
