New
Bedford
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While many New England communities once sent out whaling
ships, the industry pushed deepest into New Bedford, the world’s largest whaling
port before the industry fell in the late 19th century.
More than a century
after Herman Melville penned “Moby-Dick,” the legacy lives on in the New
Bedford National Whaling Historical Park, a 34-acre downtown area featuring
the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the legendary schooner Ernestina
and historical homes shaded smoky gray and pale yellow, some that sheltered
runaway slaves like Frederick Douglass.
The present is also celebrated at New Bedford’s waterfront,
where three lighthouses still stand. Each year, this predominately Portuguese city
welcomes more cruise ships than the last and its port now leads the nation in
value of fish landed, creating more work than ever for local seafood processing
plants.
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Quick
glimpse
Municipal website:
www.ci.new-bedford.ma.us
Incorporated in
1847...New Bedford borders Acushnet and Dartmouth and is linked by bridge to
Fairhaven...has 20 square miles of land...and 93,000 residents.
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South
Coast, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, attractions, boating, literature,
history, tour, guide
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