New Bedford, Massachusetts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids New Bedford, Massachusetts
City
Skyline of Center City from New Bedford Harbor
Seal Wordmark
Nickname(s):  "The Whaling City"
Motto(s):  Lucem Diffundo (Latin) "I Diffuse Light"
Location in Bristol County, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts Location in Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts New Bedford, Massachusetts Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Bristol
Settled	1652
Incorporated (town)	1787
Incorporated (city)	1847
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
Area
• Total	24.13 sq mi (62.50 km2)
• Land	20.00 sq mi (51.80 km2)
• Water	4.13 sq mi (10.70 km2)
Elevation	50 ft (15 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	102,882
• Density	5,053.70/sq mi (1,951.25/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code	02740, 02744–02746
Area code(s)	508/774
FIPS code	25-45000
GNIS feature ID	0613714

New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It's located on the Acushnet River in the South Coast region. New Bedford is the largest city in this area. It's also the second largest city in the Providence-Warwick-New Bedford Metropolitan Region. This region is part of the larger Boston Metropolitan Area.

Before the 17th century, the Wampanoag Native American people lived here. English colonists bought the land in 1652. English Quakers founded the first colonial settlement in the late 1600s. The town of New Bedford officially became a town in 1787.

In the early 1800s, New Bedford was a very important whaling port. It was even the wealthiest city in North America for a time! New Bedford was also a big center for ending slavery. Many freed or escaped African-American slaves came here. One famous person was Frederick Douglass, who lived in New Bedford from 1838 to 1841. The city is also featured in Herman Melville's famous 1851 novel Moby-Dick.

In 2020, New Bedford had about 101,079 people. This makes it the ninth-largest city in Massachusetts. The city is also known for having many Portuguese Americans. Today, New Bedford is still famous for its fishing fleet and seafood industry. In 2019, it was the top fishing port in the U.S. by value. The city is also home to the New Bedford Whaling Museum and New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

Exploring New Bedford's Past

Before the 1600s, the Wampanoag Native Americans lived along the Acushnet River. They had many settlements in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. This included places like Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. About 12,000 Wampanoag people lived there.

On May 15, 1602, an English explorer named Bartholomew Gosnold arrived. He landed on Cuttyhunk Island while exploring New England. He also explored Cape Cod and the area where New Bedford is now. Gosnold later left to settle in the Jamestown Colony in Virginia.

How Old Dartmouth Began

In 1652, English colonists bought a large area called Old Dartmouth. This area is now Dartmouth, Acushnet, New Bedford, Fairhaven, and Westport. The Wampanoag leaders, Chief Ousamequin (Massasoit) and his son Wamsutta, made a treaty with the colonists.

The colonists believed they fully owned the land after this deal. However, the Wampanoag people saw it differently. They didn't have the same idea of "land ownership" as the Europeans. They thought it was about hunting, fishing, and farming rights, not owning the land itself.

Quakers Settle in the Area

Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers, were some of the first European settlers. They faced unfair treatment in the Puritan communities of Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony. The Massachusetts Bay Colony even banned Quakers in 1656–1657.

By 1691, when Massachusetts Bay Colony took over Plymouth Colony, Quakers were the majority in Old Dartmouth. In 1699, with help from Peleg Slocum, Quakers built their first meeting house in Old Dartmouth. This is where the Apponegansett Meeting House stands today.

At first, Old Dartmouth didn't have big town centers. It had separate farms and small villages. People liked their independence from the Plymouth Colony. They didn't want the Plymouth court to choose a minister for them.

The economy back then was mostly farming and fishing. Many Quakers and Baptists from Newport and Portsmouth in Rhode Island moved here. More Puritans also came, attracted by the available land.

King Philip's War and Its Impact

As more Europeans arrived, their relationship with Native Americans worsened. Europeans took more land and didn't respect the Old Dartmouth Purchase agreement. This led to King Philip's War in 1675.

During this war, Wampanoag tribes, along with the Narragansett and Nipmuc, attacked European settlements. Europeans in Old Dartmouth found safety in strong homes. These included John Russell's home at Russells Mills and John Cooke's home in Fairhaven.

The Rise of New Bedford

A part of Old Dartmouth, called Bedford Village, became the town of New Bedford. This happened on February 23, 1787, after the American Revolutionary War. The Russell family, important people in the community, suggested the name. The Dukes of Bedford in England also had the last name Russell. (Bedford, Massachusetts, was named earlier, so this one became "New" Bedford.)

The late 1700s was a time of growth. A small whale fishery started, along with some international trade. From 1760 to 1775, skilled workers like shipbuilders and blacksmiths moved near New Bedford harbor. They created a strong community focused on the sea.

New Bedford's first newspaper, The Medley, started in 1792. The town opened its first post office on June 12, 1792. Building a bridge between New Bedford and Fairhaven in 1796 also helped the town grow. Fairhaven later became its own town in 1812.

New Bedford: The Whaling City

Nantucket used to be the main whaling port. But a group of merchants in Boston, Newport, and Providence controlled the industry. In the 1760s, Nantucket's top whaling families moved to New Bedford. They started refining their own oil and making their own candles.

The American Revolutionary War stopped the whaling industry. British forces blocked American ports and destroyed ships. They even marched into New Bedford and burned businesses. Nantucket was even more affected.

New Bedford had a deeper harbor and was on the mainland. So, it took over from Nantucket as the top whaling port. This began the "Golden Age of Whaling." Important Quaker businessmen like William Rotch and Samuel Rodman helped the whaling industry grow.

After the War of 1812, New Bedford started building many large whaling ships. Many were built in Mattapoisett. The invention of "tryworks" on ships changed everything. These were big iron pots over a furnace. Whalers could now process blubber into oil right on the ship. This meant whaling trips could last up to four years! Ships returned with barrels of oil, spermaceti, and sometimes ambergris.

Whaling was the most important part of New Bedford's economy for many years. Many families worked in the industry. Quakers remained powerful and brought their religious values to business. They promoted fairness and invested in things like railroads. They also hired people without discrimination. This connected New Bedford to other big cities like Boston and New York.

Ten thousand men worked in whaling. New Bedford's population grew from about 4,000 in 1820 to 24,000 in 1860. In 1857, at its peak, the harbor had 329 whaling ships. New Bedford became the richest city per person in North America.

On March 18, 1847, New Bedford officially became a city. Abraham Hathaway Howland was elected its first mayor.

A Place of Opportunity

The Quakers in New Bedford believed in egalitarianism (everyone is equal) and community-building. They used these ideas in their businesses. People from different backgrounds found work in New Bedford. This included British, Wampanoag, Cape Verdean, Azorean, Irish, and West African people.

New Bedford also became a major center for ending slavery. It was an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Many people were drawn to New Bedford's open-minded spirit. For example, Paul Cuffe, an Ashanti-Wampanoag Quaker and successful businessman, helped black property owners in New Bedford get the right to vote. This was decades before Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lewis Temple, an African-American blacksmith, invented the Temple toggle iron. This was the most successful harpoon design. Frederick Douglass, a famous social reformer, also found safety in New Bedford. He worked at the wharf for three years.

Whaling's Decline and New Industries

The whaling industry started to decline after 1859. This was when petroleum (oil) was discovered in Pennsylvania. Petroleum began to replace whale oil. During the Civil War, the Confederacy attacked American whaling ships. This hurt the industry even more. The U.S. government also sank old whaling ships filled with stones to block a Confederate bay. This was known as the Stone Fleet.

As whaling declined, New Bedford's economy shifted to the textile industry. Textile mills grew and expanded along the Acushnet River. By 1875, the Wamsutta Mills alone processed huge amounts of cotton into cloth. This cloth was worth as much as the entire whaling catch! The Wamsutta Mills was the world's largest weaving plant until 1892.

The textile mills brought even more wealth to New Bedford. The city developed a lively art scene. The Mount Washington Glass Company made beautiful glass and silver items for the rich. You can see examples of these at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

In the 1920s, textile factories in the South offered lower wages. This put pressure on New Bedford's mills. In 1928, workers went on strike when employers tried to cut wages. The strike ended after a few months, but wage cuts weren't enough to stop the industry's decline.

Diverse Communities and Modern Times

Immigration and New Cultures

Before 1800, most people in New Bedford were Protestants from England, Scotland, Wales, and the Netherlands. In the early 1800s, many Irish immigrants came to Massachusetts. They built the first Catholic church, St. Mary's, in 1818.

Later in the 1800s, immigrants from Portugal and its islands like Cape Verde, the Azores, and Madeira arrived. They were drawn by jobs in the whaling industry. Many had family who worked on whaling ships. As the Portuguese community grew, they built their first church, St. John the Baptist, in 1871. French Canadians also settled here and built the Church of the Sacred Heart in 1877.

Polish immigrants started arriving in the late 1800s. They built the church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1903. Many Jewish families also came in the late 1800s. They were involved in the whaling industry, selling supplies to ships. Before World War I, a large Jewish community from Eastern Europe joined them. Some became important merchants and business owners, especially in textiles.

New Bedford Today

Today, fishing and manufacturing are still big businesses in New Bedford. Healthcare has also become a major employer. The biggest employers in the city include Southcoast Hospitals Group (healthcare), Titleist (golf equipment), and Riverside Manufacturing (clothing).

A 2001 study showed that the largest job areas in the New Bedford area were services (like healthcare), wholesale trade, and manufacturing.

In 2016, New Bedford hoped to become a center for wind energy. Companies have rented parts of the city's Marine Commerce Terminal. They plan to use it to set up wind turbines and platforms.

Community Landmarks

The Ash Street Jail in New Bedford opened in 1829. It is the oldest jail in the United States that has been open continuously.

Fort Taber and Fort Rodman were built during the American Civil War. They are now part of Fort Taber Park.

New Bedford's Location and Features

New Bedford is a coastal city and a seaport. It is bordered by Dartmouth to the west, Freetown to the north, Acushnet and Fairhaven to the east, and Buzzards Bay to the south.

The Port of New Bedford, also called New Bedford Harbor, is where the Acushnet River meets Buzzards Bay. A two-mile-long hurricane barrier was built in the 1960s. It protects the inner harbor where fishing boats dock. New Bedford also has Fish Island and Pope's Island. A swing bridge connects these islands, allowing boats to pass.

Parks and Green Spaces

New Bedford has many parks and playgrounds. Some even have splash pads! Here are some of the main parks:

• Abolition Row Park
• Brooklawn Park
• Buttonwood Park
• Clasky Common Park
• Fort Rodman/Taber Park
• Hazelwood Park
• New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park
• Riverside Park

Weather in New Bedford

New Bedford has a climate that is a mix of humid subtropical and humid continental. This means it has noticeable differences between seasons. Winters are a bit milder than places further inland. It rains or snows a lot throughout the year.

Who Lives in New Bedford?

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	3,313		—
1800	4,361		31.6%
1810	5,651		29.6%
1820	3,947		−30.2%
1830	7,592		92.3%
1840	12,087		59.2%
1850	16,443		36.0%
1860	22,300		35.6%
1870	21,320		−4.4%
1880	26,845		25.9%
1890	40,783		51.9%
1900	62,442		53.1%
1910	96,652		54.8%
1920	121,217		25.4%
1930	112,597		−7.1%
1940	110,341		−2.0%
1950	109,189		−1.0%
1960	102,477		−6.1%
1970	101,777		−0.7%
1980	98,478		−3.2%
1990	99,922		1.5%
2000	93,768		−6.2%
2010	95,072		1.4%
2020	101,079		6.3%
2023 (est.)	100,695		5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census

New Bedford and nearby towns are part of the Providence metropolitan area. This larger area has the biggest Portuguese-American community in the United States.

In 2020, New Bedford had 101,079 people. The city is very diverse and multicultural. Many people have Portuguese, Puerto Rican, French, Cape Verdean, Irish, and English backgrounds.

Kʼicheʼ Community in New Bedford

New Bedford is home to a community of Kʼicheʼ people from Guatemala. They came to the United States to escape the Guatemalan Civil War. Kʼicheʼ men started moving to New Bedford in the late 1980s. By 2010, many were facing tough economic situations.

In 2019, a group that helps Maya people complained that the New Bedford School District wasn't providing enough Kʼicheʼ language help. The U.S. Department of Justice and the school district worked together. They agreed that the school district would provide better Kʼicheʼ language services.

New Bedford's Economy Today

New Bedford's economy started with farming and fishing villages. It quickly grew into a major port for whaling and trade. In the early 1700s, the Russell family helped develop the area.

Ships built in New Bedford include the schooner Caroline and the whaleship Charles W. Morgan. By the 1700s, whaling merchants from Nantucket were attracted to New Bedford. They helped make it one of the top whaling cities. Joseph Rotch, a key merchant, moved his business here in 1765. He wanted to refine whale oil and make candles himself.

The close relationship between New Bedford and Nantucket helped them lead the whaling industry. In 1848, New Bedford resident Lewis Temple invented the toggling harpoon. This invention changed whaling and helped New Bedford become the top American whaling city. Also, newer whaling ships were bigger and needed deeper harbors, which New Bedford had.

Syren, a long-lived clipper ship, carried whale oil to New Bedford for over ten years. Because it controlled whaling products used worldwide, New Bedford became one of the richest cities per person.

However, many whalers left in 1849 for the Gold Rush in California. During this time, Herman Melville, who worked as a whaler in New Bedford, wrote Moby-Dick. The city is where the book begins.

The whaling industry started to decline in 1859 when petroleum was discovered. Petroleum replaced whale oil. Another big hit came in 1871 when 22 New Bedford whalers were lost in ice off Alaska. The largest whaling company, J. & W. R. Wing Company, sent out its last whaleship in 1914. Whaling in New Bedford finally ended in 1925.

New Bedford stayed wealthy because of its textile industry. Starting in 1881, the textile industry grew very large. At its peak, over 30,000 people worked for 32 cotton factories. The New Bedford Textile School opened in 1895. This started a time of textile success that lasted until the 1940s.

Tourism in New Bedford

Tourism is a growing industry in New Bedford. The city hosts many fairs and festivals. These include the Whaling City Festival, Jazzfest, and the Portuguese Feast of the Blessed Sacrament. This feast is the largest Portuguese cultural celebration in the U.S.

Tourism also focuses on the city's whaling history. The New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park is the only national park that focuses on whaling's impact on U.S. history. The Buttonwood Park Zoo has many animals, including two Asian Elephants, Emily and Ruth. They are the only ones in New England.

A Fairfield Inn and Suites hotel opened in 2010. It was the first new hotel in the city in over 40 years. Another hotel, New Bedford Harbor Hotel, opened in 2018.

Fishing Industry Today

Despite the decline of whaling, the Port of New Bedford is still a top fishing port. From 1999 to 2019, New Bedford was the most valuable commercial fishing port in the United States. In 2019, the fish caught were worth $451 million. Even though New Bedford didn't catch the most fish by weight, its catch was worth the most money. This is because scallops made up 84% of the port's fishing income.

Getting Around New Bedford

Water Transportation

The Port of New Bedford is a busy harbor for cargo and passenger services. It creates over $9.8 billion in economic value each year. The port handles fresh goods like fruit and fish. It's also a popular stop for cruise ships.

Several private ferry services leave from New Bedford. SeaStreak offers fast ferry service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. The Cuttyhunk Ferry Company runs ferries to Cuttyhunk Island. Ferry service from New Bedford started way back on May 15, 1818.

New Bedford has always been important for whaling and commercial fishing. Today, it's still a key fishing spot. In 2020, the Port of New Bedford was the number one fishing port in the U.S. based on the value of its catch. New Bedford fishermen caught 124 million pounds of fish in 2015, worth $322 million. The fishing industry makes up most of the Port's economic value.

Air Travel

New Bedford Regional Airport (EWB) is located in the city. It has two runways and helps planes land safely.

Cape Air and Southern Airways Express offer regular flights to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. As of 2020, New Bedford Regional Airport is the main base for Southern Airways Express in New England. It handles maintenance and offices for the airline.

The airport also offers services for private planes and corporate jets. This includes aircraft maintenance and flight lessons.

Roads and Highways

Interstate 195 is the main highway through New Bedford. It connects the city to Providence, Rhode Island, and Wareham. U.S. Route 6 also runs through the city from east to west. It crosses the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge to leave the city towards Cape Cod.

MA Route 140 starts in New Bedford. It's a highway that connects to MA Route 24 in Taunton, leading north to Boston. MA Route 18 is a short highway that connects I-195 to the port area.

Bus Services

The city's bus terminal offers local and long-distance bus connections. A free shuttle bus connects the terminal to the ferries. The Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) provides bus service within the city and to nearby areas like Fall River.

Peter Pan Bus Lines stops in New Bedford on its route from New York City to Hyannis (Cape Cod). DATTCO also provides daily bus service to Boston.

Train Connections

South Coast Rail is a project to build a new train line. It will bring passenger train service back to New Bedford, Taunton, and Fall River. Passenger train service to the South Coast stopped in 1958. Efforts to bring it back started in the 1980s.

Construction began on July 2, 2019. The South Coast Rail project is expected to be finished by the end of 2023.

The Massachusetts Coastal Railroad provides freight train service to New Bedford. Several old train yards are being fixed up for future freight services.

Learning in New Bedford

Public Schools

New Bedford Public Schools is the school district for the community. New Bedford High School is the only public high school in the city.

New Bedford is also home to Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School. This large school teaches job skills to students from New Bedford, Dartmouth, and Fairhaven.

The city also has two alternative high schools: Whaling City Alternative School and Trinity Day Academy. There are two charter schools: Global Learning Charter Public School (GLCPS) for grades 5–12, and Alma del Mar Charter School for grades K–8.

Other Schools

There are three Catholic schools in the city. They are run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River.

• All Saints Catholic School – Formed in 2010 by merging St. Mary and St. Joseph-Therese schools.
• St. Teresa of Calcutta School – Created in 2022 by merging St. James St. John School and Holy Family-Holy Name School.

Some students from these schools go on to Bishop Stang High School in nearby Dartmouth. There are also two Catholic preschools.

Other schools include Nazarene Christian Academy, run by the Church of the Nazarene. Independent schools are Nativity Prep for boys (grades 5–8) and Our Sisters' School for girls (grades 5–8).

Higher Education Opportunities

New Bedford has a campus of Fisher College. It helps adult students from New Bedford and nearby towns. Bristol Community College also has a campus downtown.

Nearby Dartmouth is home to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth campus. It also has the University of Massachusetts School of Law - Dartmouth, the first public law school in the state. The university also has a marine campus at Fort Rodman and an art campus downtown.

Bridgewater State University Aviation is based at the New Bedford Regional Airport. It's one of the few accredited college aviation programs in New England. They offer Bachelor of Science degrees in Flight Training and Aviation Management.

The Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School also offers adult education classes.

City Libraries

The New Bedford public library started in 1852. The city spends about $21.20 per person each year on its library system.

• Main Library
• Casa da Saudade (Portuguese branch)
• Howland-Green Library
• Lawler Library
• Wilks Library
• Bookmobile

Law Enforcement

The New Bedford Police Department provides law enforcement in the city.

Media and News

New Bedford is part of the Providence TV market. It has two TV stations: WLNE-TV (ABC) and WLWC (Court TV). The Portuguese Channel has its offices and studios in the city.

The city has three radio stations: WJFD-FM/97.3 (Portuguese-language), WNBH-FM/101.3, and WNBH-AM/1340.

In 2021, the "New Bedford Light" (https://newbedfordlight.org) was created. It's a free online news site that provides in-depth reporting.

The city also has two newspapers: the New Bedford Standard-Times and The Portuguese Times.

New Bedford's Culture and Fun

Literature and Art

Herman Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick is set in New Bedford. The New Bedford Whaling Museum holds an annual marathon reading of the book.

Benjamin Russell, Clement Nye Swift, Clifford Warren Ashley, and Albert Pinkham Ryder are famous artists from New Bedford. William Bradford, from Fairhaven, is also linked to New Bedford.

In 2018, a huge panoramic painting called Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage Round the World was shown. It was painted by Caleb Purrington and Benjamin Russell in 1848. It shows a 19th-century whaling trip leaving New Bedford.

Music Scene

New Bedford has had some successful musicians. In the 1970s, Tavares, an Rhythm and blues group of five brothers from New Bedford, had hit songs like "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel." In 1999, the pop group LFO had a hit song called "Summer Girls." Harold "Devin" Lima from the group was from New Bedford.

Have Heart, a Straight-edge hardcore band, formed in New Bedford in 2002. The hardcore punk band A Wilhelm Scream has also gained success. Hector Barros and Scott Ross from New Bedford were members of the hip-hop group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. They had a number one hit with "Good Vibrations" in 1991. Josh Newton from the band Every Time I Die was born in New Bedford.

Quinn Sullivan (born 1999) is a blues guitarist from New Bedford. He has played with famous musicians like Buddy Guy and B.B. King. He has also performed on TV shows like The Oprah Winfrey Show.

The accordion player Aldo DeRossi (1917–2010) wrote the Whaling City Concerto in 1992, honoring New Bedford.

The city is home to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center. This is where the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra performs.

Summerfest, a folk music festival, started in 1996. By 2012, it was attracting 10,000 to 20,000 people. It was then renamed the New Bedford Folk Festival. The festival held its 25th and final event in 2022.

Sports in New Bedford

New Bedford had a professional Baseball team called The New Bedford Whalers from 1895 to 1915. They played in the New England League. Another team, the New Bedford Millmen, played for one season in 1929. A second Whalers team played in 1933–1934.

A team from New Bedford won the 1977 Pony League World Series.

Since 2009, the city has been home to the New Bedford Bay Sox baseball team. They are part of a college summer baseball league. They play home games at Paul Walsh Field.

From 2005 to 2018, the Whaling City Clippers, a semi-professional football team, played at Walsh Field.

Exciting Events

New Bedford hosts several exciting events. These include the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, the New Bedford Folk Festival, the Whaling City Festival, Jazzfest, and the Working Waterfront Festival. AHA! (Art, History, and Architecture) Nights are free cultural events held every month downtown.

Places to Visit in New Bedford

Museums to Explore

New Bedford is home to the New Bedford Whaling Museum. This is the main part of the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park. It's the largest museum in the country about whaling and the history of humans and whales. The museum has skeletons of a 66-foot-long baby blue whale, a 35-foot-long adult humpback whale, and a 45-foot-long sperm whale on display.

The Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum is a beautiful 28-room mansion. It was built in 1834 for a whaling merchant named William Rotch Jr. Three important families owned the house between 1834 and 1981. It was restored in the 1980s and became a museum. It shows 150 years of life in New Bedford.

The New Bedford Fire Museum is in an old fire station that opened in 1867. It was one of the oldest continuously operating fire stations in the state. The museum has old firefighting equipment and fire engines. You can also look at old city fire records from 1890. Retired and active firefighters work as guides.

The New Bedford Museum of Glass shows the city's history with glass companies like Mount Washington and Pairpoint Glass. The museum has glass from ancient times to today. It focuses a lot on New England glass. The museum is in one of the historic Wamsutta Mills textile factory buildings.

Historic Areas to See

New Bedford has nine historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These are special areas recognized for their history. They include:

• Acushnet Heights Historic District
• Buttonwood Park Historic District
• Central New Bedford Historic District
• County Street Historic District
• Howland Mill Village Historic District
• Merrill's Wharf Historic District
• Moreland Terrace Historic District
• New Bedford Historic District
• North New Bedford Historic District

Famous People from New Bedford

[[Multiple image | header = | align = right | direction = | total_width = 300 | perrow = 2 | image1= Paul Cuffee4.jpg | caption1 = Paul Cuffee in 1812. | image2= Frederick Douglass Way, New Bedford Massachusetts.jpg | caption2 = Street in New Bedford named for Frederick Douglass. ]] Paul Cuffee, a merchant and ship captain, was born nearby. He was of Native and African heritage. Many of his ships sailed from New Bedford.

Lewis Temple was an African-American blacksmith. He invented the toggle iron, a type of toggling harpoon. This invention changed the whaling industry. There is a monument to Temple in downtown New Bedford.

In 1838, Frederick Douglass, a famous abolitionist and escaped slave, settled in New Bedford. He wrote about life in New Bedford in his autobiography. A historic building and monument dedicated to Douglass can be found at the Nathan and Polly Johnson properties.

New Bedford was a welcoming place for many escaped slaves and freedmen. It had a small but growing African-American community. Many members of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment were from New Bedford. This was an American Civil War regiment made up entirely of African-American troops with white officers. One famous soldier was William Harvey Carney. He made sure the American flag never touched the ground during a battle. An elementary school in New Bedford is named after him.

Patrick Cunningham was an Irish immigrant and inventor. He was known for building a torpedo and firing it down a city street!

Bishop "Sweet Daddy" Grace, from Brava, Cape Verde, lived in New Bedford. He founded the United House of Prayer for All People, a large African-American church group. He is buried in New Bedford.

• Clifford Warren Ashley, author, sailor, and artist. He is famous for The Ashley Book of Knots, a huge book about tying knots.
• Albert Bierstadt, a 19th-century artist known for paintings of the American West.
• Ezell A. Blair Jr. (later Jibreel Khazan), a civil rights activist famous for his part in the Greensboro sit-ins.
• William Harvey Carney, an American soldier who received the Medal of Honor during the Civil War.
• Paul Clayton, a folksinger.
• Nelson Eddy, a singer and movie star from the 1930s and 1940s. He spent part of his childhood in New Bedford.
• Hetty Green, a businesswoman who became one of the wealthiest women in America.
• Brian Helgeland, a screenwriter who wrote Mystic River and L.A. Confidential.
• Irwin M. Jacobs, co-founder of Qualcomm.
• Joe Lacob, owner of the Golden State Warriors basketball team.
• Albert Pinkham Ryder, a 19th-century painter known for his unique seascapes.
• Pete Souza, the Chief Official White House Photographer for Barack Obama.
• Quinn Sullivan (born 1999), a talented musician.
• John Tukey, a statistician who is believed to have first used the terms "software" and "bit."

New Bedford's Sister Cities

New Bedford has sister cities around the world. These are cities that have special friendly relationships.

• Utqiagvik, United States
• Derry, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
• Grimsby, England, United Kingdom
• Figueira da Foz, Portugal
• Funchal, Portugal
• Horta, Portugal
• Ílhavo, Portugal
• São Vicente, Cape Verde
• Tosashimizu, Japan
• Youghal, Ireland

Images for kids

• 

  Child workers at Wamsutta Mill, 1912.

• 

  Manuel Sousa (appears to be 12 years old) with his family.

• 

  A young messenger in New Bedford.

• 

  Children working in the Butler Mills.

See also

In Spanish: New Bedford (Massachusetts) para niños