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Southeastern Massachusetts

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Southeastern Massachusetts
Region of Massachusetts
A view from New Bedford overlooking Buzzards Bay
A view from New Bedford overlooking Buzzards Bay
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
Largest city (population)Brockton (105,643)
Largest town (area)Plymouth (134 square miles)
SubregionsCape Cod and Islands, South Coast, South Shore
Area
 • Total4,336.4 sq mi (11,231 km2)
 • Land2,352.3 sq mi (6,092 km2)
 • Water1,983.9 sq mi (5,138 km2)
Population
 • Total2,099,851
 • Density480/sq mi (190/km2)

Southeastern Massachusetts is a region of Massachusetts located south of Boston and east of Rhode Island. It is commonly used to describe areas with cultural ties to both Boston and Providence, Rhode Island, and includes the cities of New Bedford and Fall River and their respective suburbs. Despite the location of Cape Cod and the islands to its south, which are the southeasternmost parts of the state, they are not often grouped in this designation. At its broadest definition, it includes all of Massachusetts south of Boston, southeast of Worcester, and east of Providence, Rhode Island, while at its narrowest definition, it is Bristol County and the Western portion of Plymouth County. The region including Cape Cod roughly corresponds with the location of the historic Plymouth Colony, which became part of Massachusetts in 1691.

Definition

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As Southeastern Massachusetts is not an official designation, its borders are not exactly defined.

At its broadest definition, it includes all of Plymouth and Bristol counties (particularly the South Coast along Buzzards Bay and the South Shore along Cape Cod Bay), most of the cities and towns in Norfolk County, and even some towns in Worcester County. At its narrowest definition, it includes all of Bristol County, the western part of Plymouth County and the southwestern part of Norfolk County, with the South Shore and Metro-South areas being counted separately.

The terms "Southeastern Massachusetts," "Southeastern New England", and "Southern New England" are much-used by Providence-area broadcasters and other local companies and organizations but are not used as frequently in other parts of Massachusetts.

Characteristics

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The Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD) task force, which concerns Southeastern Massachusetts in its broadest definition, describes:

For this effort, southeastern [sic] Massachusetts is defined as fifty-two cities and towns from Bristol, Plymouth and Norfolk Counties. The region is geographically defined by Massachusetts Bay, Buzzards Bay, The [sic] Taunton River watershed, and its location relative to Boston, Rhode Island and Cape Cod. Bristol County, Massachusetts and Bristol County, Rhode Island are contiguous and are the only counties in the nation where Portuguese Americans make up the plurality of the population. This is due to the Portuguese-American population, the Portuguese-Brazilian population, and the Portuguese-Cape Verdean population that came to Southern New England in the 19th century to do the much needed whaling work; in fact, New Bedford is called "the Whaling City."

...[it] is home to approximately one million people residing in over 1,300 square miles (3,400 km2). We have been adding 10,000 new residents and consuming 4.7 square miles (12 km2) of undeveloped land each year for the past thirty years, and new transportation improvements (commuter rail, Route 44 and Route 3 & 24 improvements) continue to attract more growth. Southeastern Massachusetts comprises several clearly defined sub-regions, including the South Shore, the South Coast and the Tri-City area around Brockton, Attleboro and Taunton. Despite the diversity within the region, the fifty-two cities and towns all have common concerns and opportunities.[1]

Taunton, Brockton, Fall River, and New Bedford are the largest cities in Southeastern Massachusetts and are close to one another in size. All four have a strong Portuguese presence. In 2000, 43.9% of Fall River residents identified as being of Portuguese heritage. This is the highest percentage of Portuguese Americans in the country. Most of the population claims to be of Azorean origin, many from São Miguel Island. There are smaller, but significant presences of other Portuguese-speaking communities, such as other Azorean Islanders, Portuguese from mainland Portugal, Madeirans, Cape Verdeans, Brazilians, and Angolans. In 2000 New Bedford had the second highest percentage of Portuguese Americans with 38.6% of residents reporting that ancestry. New Bedford is also 8.0% Cape Verdean, 4.39% African American and 7.1% Puerto Rican, and 3% were other Hispanics, In 2000 it was 75% White alone.[2]

Like most of the state, Southeastern Massachusetts is ethnically, racially, linguistically, and religiously diverse. However, Portuguese-speakers are especially well represented in this area (especially Bristol County) due to a pattern of immigration that began in the 19th century and was tied to the whaling industry. Today, many people in Southeastern Massachusetts, most notability Bristol County, trace their ancestry to mainland Portugal and the Azores. Quincy, Milton, and Randolph are all in Norfolk County and are included in the Southeastern Massachusetts definition; they are populated by Irish Americans, British Americans, African Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans and Latin Americans. Irish Americans dominate Norfolk County, Bristol County and Plymouth County which has been known as the "Irish Riviera". Cape Verdean Americans, Brazilian Americans, Angolan Americans, African Americans, Arab Americans, Irish Americans, British Americans, Portuguese Americans, Asian Americans, Latin Americans, Spanish Americans, Chinese Americans, Russian Americans, Turkish Americans, German Americans, Polish Americans, Swedish Americans, French Americans, Lebanese Americans, Italian Americans, and Greek Americans preside over Brockton, Taunton, Fall River and New Bedford.[3][4]

Cities and towns

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Municipality Type[5] County[6] Form of government[5] Population
(2010)[6] 		Year
established[7]
Abington Town Plymouth Open town meeting 15,985 1712
Acushnet Town Bristol Open town meeting 10,303 1860
Aquinnah Town Dukes Open town meeting 311 1870
Attleboro City Bristol Mayor-council 43,593 1694
Avon Town Norfolk Open town meeting 4,356 1888
Barnstable City[8] Barnstable Council-manager 45,193 1639
Bellingham Town Norfolk Open town meeting 16,332 1719
Berkley Town Bristol Open town meeting 6,411 1735
Blackstone Town Worcester Open town meeting 9,026 1845
Bourne Town Barnstable Open town meeting 19,754 1884
Braintree City[8] Norfolk Mayor-council 35,744 1640
Brewster Town Barnstable Open town meeting 9,820 1803
Bridgewater City[8] Plymouth Council-manager 26,563 1656
Brockton City Plymouth Mayor-council 105,643 1821
Canton Town Norfolk Open town meeting 21,561 1797
Carver Town Plymouth Open town meeting 11,509 1790
Chatham Town Barnstable Open town meeting 6,125 1712
Chilmark Town Dukes Open town meeting 866 1714
Cohasset Town Norfolk Open town meeting 7,542 1775
Dartmouth Town Bristol Representative town meeting 34,032 1664
Dedham Town Norfolk Representative town meeting 24,729 1636
Dennis Town Barnstable Open town meeting 14,207 1793
Dighton Town Bristol Open town meeting 7,086 1712
Douglas Town Worcester Open town meeting 8,471 1775
Dover Town Norfolk Open town meeting 5,589 1836
Duxbury Town Plymouth Open town meeting 15,059 1637
East Bridgewater Town Plymouth Open town meeting 13,794 1823
Eastham Town Barnstable Open town meeting 4,956 1646
Easton Town Bristol Open town meeting 23,112 1725
Edgartown Town Dukes Open town meeting 4,067 1671
Fairhaven Town Bristol Representative town meeting 15,873 1812
Fall River City Bristol Mayor-council 88,857 1803
Falmouth Town Barnstable Representative town meeting 31,531 1686
Foxborough Town Norfolk Open town meeting 16,865 1778
Franklin City[8] Norfolk Council-administrator 31,635 1778
Freetown Town Bristol Open town meeting 8,870 1683
Grafton Town Worcester Open town meeting 17,765 1735
Gosnold Town Dukes Open town meeting 75 1864
Halifax Town Plymouth Open town meeting 7,518 1734
Hanover Town Plymouth Open town meeting 13,879 1727
Hanson Town Plymouth Open town meeting 10,209 1820
Harwich Town Barnstable Open town meeting 12,243 1694
Hingham Town Plymouth Open town meeting 22,157 1635
Holbrook Town Norfolk Representative town meeting 10,791 1872
Hopedale Town Worcester Open town meeting 5,911 1886
Hull Town Plymouth Open town meeting 10,293 1644
Kingston Town Plymouth Open town meeting 12,629 1726
Lakeville Town Plymouth Open town meeting 10,602 1853
Mansfield Town Bristol Open town meeting 23,184 1775
Marion Town Plymouth Open town meeting 4,907 1852
Marshfield Town Plymouth Open town meeting 25,132 1640
Mashpee Town Barnstable Open town meeting 14,006 1870
Mattapoisett Town Plymouth Open town meeting 6,045 1857
Medfield Town Norfolk Open town meeting 12,024 1651
Medway Town Norfolk Open town meeting 12,752 1713
Mendon Town Worcester Open town meeting 5,839 1667
Middleborough Town Plymouth Open town meeting 23,116 1669
Milford Town Worcester Representative town meeting 27,999 1780
Millbury Town Worcester Open town meeting 13,261 1813
Millis Town Norfolk Open town meeting 7,891 1885
Millville Town Worcester Open town meeting 3,190 1916
Milton Town Norfolk Representative town meeting 27,003 1662
Nantucket Town Nantucket Open town meeting 10,172 1671
New Bedford City Bristol Mayor-council 95,072 1787
Norfolk Town Norfolk Open town meeting 11,227 1870
North Attleborough Town Bristol Representative town meeting 28,712 1887
Northbridge Town Worcester Open town meeting 15,707 1775
Norton Town Bristol Open town meeting 19,031 1711
Norwell Town Plymouth Open town meeting 10,506 1849
Norwood Town Norfolk Representative town meeting 28,602 1872
Oak Bluffs Town Dukes Open town meeting 4,527 1880
Orleans Town Barnstable Open town meeting 5,890 1797
Pembroke Town Plymouth Open town meeting 17,837 1712
Plainville Town Norfolk Open town meeting 8,264 1905
Plymouth Town Plymouth Representative town meeting 56,468 1620
Plympton Town Plymouth Open town meeting 2,820 1707
Provincetown Town Barnstable Open town meeting 2,942 1727
Quincy City Norfolk Mayor-council 92,271 1792
Randolph City[8] Norfolk Council-manager 32,112 1793
Raynham Town Bristol Open town meeting 13,383 1731
Rehoboth Town Bristol Open town meeting 11,608 1645
Rochester Town Plymouth Open town meeting 5,232 1686
Rockland Town Plymouth Open town meeting 17,489 1874
Sandwich Town Barnstable Open town meeting 20,675 1638
Scituate Town Plymouth Open town meeting 18,133 1636
Seekonk Town Bristol Open town meeting 13,722 1812
Sharon Town Norfolk Open town meeting 17,612 1775
Somerset Town Bristol Open town meeting 18,165 1790
Stoughton Town Norfolk Representative town meeting 26,962 1726
Sutton Town Worcester Open town meeting 8,963 1714
Swansea Town Bristol Open town meeting 15,865 1667
Taunton City Bristol Mayor-council 55,874 1639
Tisbury Town Dukes Open town meeting 3,949 1671
Truro Town Barnstable Open town meeting 2,003 1709
Upton Town Worcester Open town meeting 7,542 1735
Uxbridge Town Worcester Open town meeting 13,457 1727
Walpole Town Norfolk Representative town meeting 24,070 1724
Wareham Town Plymouth Open town meeting 21,822 1739
Wellfleet Town Barnstable Open town meeting 2,750 1775
West Bridgewater Town Plymouth Open town meeting 6,916 1822
West Tisbury Town Dukes Open town meeting 2,740 1892
Westport Town Bristol Open town meeting 15,532 1787
Westwood Town Norfolk Open town meeting 14,618 1897
Weymouth City[8] Norfolk Mayor-council 53,743 1635
Whitman Town Plymouth Open town meeting 14,489 1875
Wrentham Town Norfolk Open town meeting 10,955 1673
Yarmouth Town Barnstable Open town meeting 23,793 1639

The following tabular list shows the 12 government divisions of Southeastern Massachusetts which have been officially granted the right to use the city form of government along with the official name in use by each municipality.[Note 1]

Municipality Official name Web reference
Attleboro City of Attleboro [9]
Barnstable Town of Barnstable [10]
Braintree Town of Braintree [11]
Bridgewater Town of Bridgewater [12]
Brockton City of Brockton [13]
Fall River City of Fall River [14]
Franklin Town of Franklin [15]
New Bedford City of New Bedford [16]
Quincy City of Quincy [17]
Randolph[18] Town of Randolph [19]
Taunton City of Taunton [20]
Weymouth Town of Weymouth [21]

Census-designated places

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Education

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Institutions of higher learning which serve Southeastern Massachusetts communities include:

Notes

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  1. ^ The main source for the table is the Massachusetts Municipal Association 2009-2010 Municipal Directory Archived 2013-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. The MMA Directory is not an official state document, but is more up to date and specific than the official list from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's office, which is dated 03-11-2008 and does not include Palmer, Randolph and Winthrop, which have since adopted the city form of government.

References

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  1. ^ "(SRPEDD) task force".
  2. ^ "The US50 - Cities and Towns in Massachusetts State". theus50.com.
  3. ^ "Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers".
  4. ^ "University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth".
  5. ^ a b "2009-10 Municipal Directory". Massachusetts Municipal Association. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
  6. ^ a b "Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - State -- County Subdivision, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-03-23.[dead link]
  7. ^ "Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
  8. ^ a b c d e f One of 14 municipalities with a city form of government that refers to itself as "The Town of". "Citizen Information Service: Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2016-08-11.
  9. ^ "Attleboro, MA | Official Website". www.cityofattleboro.us.
  10. ^ "Official Website of The Town of Barnstable". www.town.barnstable.ma.us.
  11. ^ "Berita Game Terbaru, Ulasan, dan Konten Esports | Townofbraintreegov.com". Berita Game Terbaru, Ulasan, dan Konten Esports | Townofbraintreegov.com. December 29, 2023.
  12. ^ "Bridgewater, MA | Official Website". www.bridgewaterma.org.
  13. ^ "City of Brockton, MA - Official Website". City of Brockton. November 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Welcome to Fall River, Massachusetts". www.fallriverma.gov.
  15. ^ "franklinma |". www.franklinma.gov.
  16. ^ "Home - City of New Bedford Official Website".
  17. ^ "Quincy, MA". www.quincyma.gov.
  18. ^ "Chapter 147 of the Acts of 2009". Boston: Massachusetts General Court. November 19, 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
  19. ^ "Randolph, MA | Official Website". www.randolph-ma.gov.
  20. ^ "Taunton, MA | Official Website". www.taunton-ma.gov.
  21. ^ "weymouthma |". www.weymouth.ma.us.
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