fbpx
Wikipedia

Bristol County, Massachusetts

Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 579,200.[1] The shire town is Taunton.[2] Some governmental functions are performed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, others by the county, and others by local towns and cities.

Bristol County
The Old Bristol County Courthouse in Taunton
Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°45′N 71°05′W / 41.75°N 71.09°W / 41.75; -71.09
Country United States
State Massachusetts
FoundedJune 2, 1685 (from Plymouth Colony)
Named forBristol, Rhode Island
SeatTaunton
Largest cityNew Bedford
Area
 • Total691 sq mi (1,790 km2)
 • Land553 sq mi (1,430 km2)
 • Water138 sq mi (360 km2)  20%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total579,200
 • Density1,047.2/sq mi (404.3/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts4th, 8th, 9th
Websitewww.countyofbristol.net

Bristol County is part of the ProvidenceWarwick, RI–MA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the BostonWorcester–Providence, MA–RI–NHCT Combined Statistical Area. The county is adjacent to the state of Rhode Island. It is geographically adjacent to the Massachusetts counties of Plymouth, Norfolk, and Dukes (via water), and the Rhode Island counties of Bristol, Newport, and Providence.

History edit

Bristol County was created by the Plymouth Colony on June 2, 1685,[3] and named after its "shire town" (county seat), Bristol.[4] The Plymouth Colony, along with the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Maine Colony and several other small settlements were rechartered in 1691, by King William III, to become The Province of Massachusetts Bay.

The towns of Bristol, Barrington, and Warren were awarded to Rhode Island in 1746 as part of the settlement of a long-running boundary dispute (see History of Massachusetts), forming Bristol County, Rhode Island. At the same time, Cumberland, Rhode Island was carved out of Attleborough, Massachusetts and annexed to Providence County, Rhode Island; Tiverton and Little Compton were transferred to Newport County, Rhode Island. East Freetown was officially purchased by Freetown, Massachusetts, from Tiverton in 1747, and so remained on the Massachusetts side.

After the departure of Bristol, Taunton was made the shire town of the county. A second county courthouse was constructed in 1828 in the growing town of New Bedford (designed a "half-shire town"). In 1862, a part of Seekonk (that portion of which is now East Providence, Rhode Island) and the entirety of East Pawtucket were transferred to Providence County, Rhode Island. At the same time, land ceded from Rhode Island was added to Fall River and Westport. The growing Fall River became the site of the third county courthouse in 1877.[4]

Geography edit

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 691 square miles (1,790 km2), of which 553 square miles (1,430 km2) is land and 138 square miles (360 km2) (20%) is water.[5] The highest point in Bristol County is Sunrise Hill (Watery Hill) at 390 feet (120 m) above sea level located in World War I Memorial Park in North Attleborough. It is also to note that Bristol, Plymouth and Taunton are all places in South West England. Their Massachusetts cousins were named after the originals as South West England was the focal point for sailing and discovery at the time of America's discovery. John Cabot set sail from Bristol and sailed down the Severn on which lies Newport in Wales.

Adjacent counties edit

To the south, Dukes County, Massachusetts is opposite Buzzards Bay from Bristol County.

National protected area edit

Demographics edit

 
Largest self-reported ancestry groups in New England. Americans of Portuguese descent plurality shown in grey.
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
179031,696
180033,8806.9%
181037,1689.7%
182040,90810.1%
183049,59221.2%
184060,16421.3%
185076,19226.6%
186093,79423.1%
1870102,8869.7%
1880139,04035.1%
1890186,46534.1%
1900252,02935.2%
1910318,57326.4%
1920359,00512.7%
1930364,5901.6%
1940364,6370.0%
1950381,5694.6%
1960398,4884.4%
1970444,30111.5%
1980474,6416.8%
1990506,3256.7%
2000534,6785.6%
2010548,2852.5%
2020579,2005.6%
2021 (est.)580,1640.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790–1960[7] 1900–1990[8]
1990–2000[9] 2010–2020[10]

2000 census edit

At the 2000 census there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families in the county. The population density was 962 inhabitants per square mile (371/km2). There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile (150/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.98% White, 2.03% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.12% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. 3.60%[11] was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.7% were of Portuguese, 13.0% Irish, 8.9% French, 8.2% English, 6.8% Italian and 6.4% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000. 79.1% spoke English, 13.9% Portuguese, 2.9% Spanish and 1.6% French as their first language. The United States Census Bureau reported Bristol County as being one of two counties in the United States with a plurality of people of Portuguese ancestry[12] (the other being the contiguous Bristol County, Rhode Island).

Of the 205,411 households 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. Of all households 26.50% were one person and 11.00% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08.

The age distribution was 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.50 males.

The median household income was $43,496 and the median family income was $53,733. Males had a median income of $39,361 versus $27,516 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,978. About 7.80% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of that age 65 or over.

2010 census edit

At the 2010 census, there were 548,285 people, 213,010 households, and 141,338 families in the county.[13] The population density was 991.3 inhabitants per square mile (382.7/km2). There were 230,535 housing units at an average density of 416.8 per square mile (160.9/km2).[14] The racial makeup of the county was 88.4% white, 3.3% black, 1.9% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 3.4% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.0% of the population.[13] The largest ancestry groups were:[15]

  • 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

Of the 213,010 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.6% were non-families, and 27.4% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 39.8 years.[13]

The median household income was $54,955 and the median family income was $70,161. Males had a median income of $51,785 versus $39,714 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,736. About 8.8% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.7% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.[16]

Income breakdown by town edit

The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[17][18][19]

Rank Town Per capita
income
Median
household
income
Median
family
income
Population Number of
households
1 Mansfield Town $39,792 $98,182 $112,788 23,094 8,161
2 Easton Town $39,751 $89,714 $111,045 23,061 7,852
3 Rehoboth Town $38,415 $87,563 $97,711 11,470 4,093
4 Westport Town $35,337 $73,736 $83,289 15,396 5,867
Massachusetts State $35,051 $65,981 $83,371 6,512,227 2,522,409
5 Raynham Town $34,904 $82,855 $96,190 13,208 4,739
6 North Attleborough Town $34,374 $80,757 $94,469 28,593 10,426
7 Dighton Town $34,258 $85,284 $94,044 7,003 2,386
8 Swansea Town $33,910 $71,716 $79,486 15,886 6,173
North Westport CDP $33,858 $67,614 $82,827 4,188 1,700
9 Seekonk Town $33,136 $78,032 $89,833 13,700 4,752
10 Freetown Town $32,437 $82,208 $93,773 8,828 3,150
11 Dartmouth Town $32,138 $73,007 $86,650 33,759 12,119
Raynham Center CDP $32,034 $84,028 $91,154 4,619 1,563
Mansfield Center CDP $31,762 $71,685 $98,902 7,946 3,022
12 Somerset Town $31,718 $69,449 $80,795 18,172 6,983
13 Norton Town $30,772 $75,538 $91,636 18,970 6,297
North Seekonk CDP $30,705 $65,804 $81,111 2,552 941
14 Attleboro City $30,398 $65,298 $76,563 43,459 16,393
Smith Mills CDP $30,207 $67,907 $79,123 5,030 1,965
15 Acushnet Town $30,084 $64,695 $81,643 10,299 3,818
Bliss Corner CDP $29,569 $52,285 $63,554 6,063 2,534
Bristol County County $28,682 $55,813 $71,416 547,305 210,536
16 Fairhaven Town $28,658 $60,179 $77,089 15,915 6,444
17 Berkley Town $28,206 $81,094 $83,228 6,336 1,970
United States Country $27,915 $52,762 $64,293 306,603,772 114,761,359
18 Taunton City $26,309 $53,401 $67,447 55,930 21,799
Acushnet Center CDP $26,295 $51,782 $64,750 2,737 1,159
Ocean Grove CDP $25,058 $60,267 $72,594 3,098 1,230
19 New Bedford City $21,558 $37,493 $46,881 95,006 38,869
20 Fall River City $21,118 $34,789 $44,635 89,220 38,245
Norton Center CDP $16,578 $83,465 $84,781 2,977 446

Politics and government edit

Voter registration and party enrollment as of August 27, 2022[20]
Party Number of voters Percentage
Unenrolled 250,562 62.94%
Democratic 101,656 25.53%
Republican 40,053 10.06%
Other 5,845 1.47%
Total 398,116 100%

Bristol County has voted for the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in every election since 1960.

United States presidential election results for Bristol County, Massachusetts[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 119,872 42.92% 153,377 54.92% 6,030 2.16%
2016 105,443 41.82% 129,540 51.38% 17,157 6.80%
2012 93,898 38.88% 143,433 59.39% 4,178 1.73%
2008 90,531 37.24% 146,861 60.41% 5,728 2.36%
2004 82,524 35.44% 147,854 63.49% 2,500 1.07%
2000 62,848 29.74% 136,325 64.51% 12,164 5.76%
1996 47,164 23.79% 127,725 64.44% 23,324 11.77%
1992 52,370 24.73% 102,406 48.36% 56,978 26.91%
1988 83,797 43.30% 107,854 55.73% 1,879 0.97%
1984 93,232 49.58% 94,010 49.99% 797 0.42%
1980 77,545 41.12% 83,460 44.25% 27,600 14.63%
1976 69,957 36.48% 116,318 60.65% 5,496 2.87%
1972 84,390 44.71% 103,163 54.65% 1,215 0.64%
1968 56,672 30.87% 119,439 65.06% 7,458 4.06%
1964 39,230 21.02% 146,885 78.70% 521 0.28%
1960 64,290 33.02% 130,049 66.79% 383 0.20%
1956 109,542 57.85% 79,357 41.91% 466 0.25%
1952 98,105 51.09% 93,444 48.67% 462 0.24%
1948 63,216 36.64% 106,741 61.86% 2,594 1.50%
1944 60,880 40.13% 90,529 59.68% 283 0.19%
1940 60,143 37.97% 97,571 61.60% 677 0.43%
1936 49,754 35.25% 80,805 57.25% 10,586 7.50%
1932 50,846 43.58% 62,474 53.55% 3,355 2.88%
1928 55,205 47.69% 59,257 51.19% 1,293 1.12%
1924 58,929 66.23% 19,802 22.25% 10,249 11.52%
1920 56,734 73.65% 17,719 23.00% 2,579 3.35%
1916 22,578 53.69% 18,065 42.96% 1,407 3.35%
1912 13,279 34.98% 12,420 32.72% 12,264 32.31%
1908 20,683 60.58% 10,719 31.39% 2,742 8.03%
1904 18,742 60.00% 11,103 35.55% 1,390 4.45%
1900 19,396 64.77% 9,355 31.24% 1,196 3.99%
1896 21,629 76.06% 6,022 21.18% 784 2.76%
1892 15,732 57.72% 10,825 39.72% 699 2.56%
1888 14,570 60.39% 8,972 37.19% 584 2.42%
1884 12,291 60.03% 6,475 31.62% 1,710 8.35%
1880 13,418 67.51% 6,136 30.87% 323 1.62%
1876 11,578 66.43% 5,814 33.36% 38 0.22%
Gubernatorial elections results
Gubernatorial elections results[22]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2018 70.76% 132,371 29.02% 54,280 0.23% 423
2014 49.70% 72,641 45.19% 66,045 5.11% 7,471
2010 42.66% 73,220 47.23% 81,059 10.11% 17,340
2006 34.32% 57,233 57.33% 95,623 8.36% 13,925
2002 44.99% 71,189 50.73% 80,275 4.28% 6,779


  • Paul B. Kitchen—County Commissioner
  • John R. Mitchell—County Commissioner
  • John T. Saunders—County Commissioner
  • Thomas M. Quinn, III—District Attorney
  • Thomas M. Hodgson—Sheriff
  • Christopher T. Saunders—County Treasurer
  • Barry Amaral—Register of Deeds, Northern District
  • Bernard McDonald—Register of Deeds, Fall River District
  • Frederick M. Kalisz—Register of Deeds, Southern District
  • Marc Santos—Clerk of Courts

The Bristol County Sheriff's Office maintains its administrative headquarters and operates several jail facilities in the Dartmouth Complex in North Dartmouth in Dartmouth. Jail facilities in the Dartmouth Complex include the Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail, the Bristol County Sheriff's Office Women's Center, and the C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center. The office also operates the Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock-Up and the Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program (JALP) in New Bedford.[23]

The Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail has room for 1,100 prisoners. It houses men convicted of crimes who have been sentenced to 2+12 years or less. It also houses high-security male pre-trial prisoners, high-security female prisoners, and pre-trial female prisoners.[23]

The women's center, a medium security jail, can house up to 106 women. The self-contained women's center had opened as a minimum security pre-release center for male prisoners in 1990 which could house up to 106 prisoners. When it was a pre-release facility it only housed an average of 60 prisoners because the county sheriff imposed strict conditions upon the pre-release program. In 1999 the sheriff received a federal grant to convert the pre-release center into a women's center, and he moved the pre-release program to modular units at the main jail.[23]

The Carreiro jail houses detained individuals who are scheduled for deportation and individuals who are engaging in proceedings with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Ash Street jail houses over 200 pre-trial prisoners and a few sentenced inmate workers for the system. JALP houses up to 12 pre-arraingment juvenile prisoners.[23]

Twin town edit

The county is twinned with the municipality of Lagoa in the Azores.[24][25]

Transportation edit

Transportation authorities providing public bus service include the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority; and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority serving the Fall River and New Bedford areas.

Airports include the Mansfield Municipal Airport, Myricks Airport, New Bedford Municipal Airport and Taunton Municipal Airport; of these, the New Bedford airport is a commercial airport, with flights serving the Cape Cod, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard area.

The Providence/Stoughton Line of the MBTA commuter rail has stops in Mansfield, Attleboro, and South Attleboro. The line provides connections to Providence and Boston (at Back Bay Station and South Station), as well as intermediate stops. An extension has been completed that connects to T. F. Green Airport.

Major highways edit

Communities edit

 
Bristol County Superior Courthouse in Taunton.

Cities edit

Towns edit

Census-designated places edit

Other villages edit

Ghost town edit

Education edit

School districts include:[26]

K–12:

  • Attleboro School District
  • Bridgewater-Raynham School District
  • Dartmouth School District
  • Dighton-Rehoboth School District
  • Easton School District
  • Fairhaven School District - Takes Acushnet for secondary school
  • Fall River School District
  • Freetown-Lakeville School District
  • Mansfield School District
  • New Bedford School District - Takes Acushnet for secondary school
  • North Attleborough School District
  • Norton School District
  • Seekonk School District
  • Swansea School District
  • Taunton School District
  • Westport School District

Secondary:

  • Somerset-Berkley School District

Elementary:

  • Acushnet School District
  • Berkley School District
  • Somerset School District

Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational-Technical High School is also in the county.

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is in the county.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. ^ . National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. ^ "RootsWeb.com Home Page". www.rootsweb.ancestry.com.
  4. ^ a b History of Bristol County, Massachusetts with Biographical Sketches of many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 1 edited by Duane Hamilton Hurd. J. W. Lewis and Co., 1883. [1]. p. 1.
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  8. ^ "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  10. ^ "2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  12. ^ Census 2000 Brief - Ancestry 2004-09-20 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  14. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  15. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  16. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2016.
  17. ^ "SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  18. ^ "ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  19. ^ "HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  20. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of August 27, 2022" (PDF). Massachusetts Elections Division. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  21. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  22. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections - Sate Data". uselectionatlas.org.
  23. ^ a b c d "Facilities." Bristol County Sheriff's Office. Retrieved on January 30, 2012. "400 Faunce Corner Road, Dartmouth, MA 0274" and "Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747" and "Bristol County Sheriff's Office Women’s Center 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747" and "C. Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center: 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth, MA 02747" and "Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program 323 Mill Street New Bedford, MA 02740 " and "Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock-Up 226 Ash Street New Bedford, MA 02740 "
  24. ^ Câmara Municipal de Lagoa Archived 2014-05-23 at archive.today
  25. ^ Silva, Lurdes C. da. "Azorean city of Lagoa to celebrate its 500 years with local Sister Cities, special exhibition to open May 13 in Dartmouth". Fall River Herald News. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  26. ^ "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Bristol County, MA" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved July 22, 2022. - Text list

Further reading edit

  • The Bristol County Directory, Boston, Mass.: Dean Dudley & Co. (published 1878), 1867
  • History of Bristol County, Massachusetts with Biographical Sketches of many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men, Part 1 edited by Duane Hamilton Hurd. J.W. Lewis and Co., 1883. [2]
  • The Bristol County Directory, Boston, Mass.: Briggs & Co. (published 1885), 1867, OCLC 8750817
  • A history of Bristol County, Massachusetts, Volume 1 by Frank Walcott Hutt. Lewis Historical Pub. Co., Inc., 1924.

External links edit

  • Official website
  •   Geographic data related to Bristol County, Massachusetts at OpenStreetMap

bristol, county, massachusetts, bristol, county, county, commonwealth, massachusetts, 2020, census, population, shire, town, taunton, some, governmental, functions, performed, commonwealth, massachusetts, others, county, others, local, towns, cities, bristol, . Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts As of the 2020 census the population was 579 200 1 The shire town is Taunton 2 Some governmental functions are performed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts others by the county and others by local towns and cities Bristol CountyCountyThe Old Bristol County Courthouse in TauntonSealLocation within the U S state of MassachusettsMassachusetts s location within the U S Coordinates 41 45 N 71 05 W 41 75 N 71 09 W 41 75 71 09Country United StatesState MassachusettsFoundedJune 2 1685 from Plymouth Colony Named forBristol Rhode IslandSeatTauntonLargest cityNew BedfordArea Total691 sq mi 1 790 km2 Land553 sq mi 1 430 km2 Water138 sq mi 360 km2 20 Population 2020 Total579 200 Density1 047 2 sq mi 404 3 km2 Time zoneUTC 5 Eastern Summer DST UTC 4 EDT Congressional districts4th 8th 9thWebsitewww wbr countyofbristol wbr netBristol County is part of the Providence Warwick RI MA Metropolitan Statistical Area which is also included in the Boston Worcester Providence MA RI NH CT Combined Statistical Area The county is adjacent to the state of Rhode Island It is geographically adjacent to the Massachusetts counties of Plymouth Norfolk and Dukes via water and the Rhode Island counties of Bristol Newport and Providence Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2 1 Adjacent counties 2 2 National protected area 3 Demographics 3 1 2000 census 3 2 2010 census 3 3 Income breakdown by town 4 Politics and government 4 1 Twin town 5 Transportation 5 1 Major highways 6 Communities 6 1 Cities 6 2 Towns 6 3 Census designated places 6 4 Other villages 6 5 Ghost town 7 Education 8 See also 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External linksHistory editFurther information History of Massachusetts Bristol County was created by the Plymouth Colony on June 2 1685 3 and named after its shire town county seat Bristol 4 The Plymouth Colony along with the Massachusetts Bay Colony the Maine Colony and several other small settlements were rechartered in 1691 by King William III to become The Province of Massachusetts Bay The towns of Bristol Barrington and Warren were awarded to Rhode Island in 1746 as part of the settlement of a long running boundary dispute see History of Massachusetts forming Bristol County Rhode Island At the same time Cumberland Rhode Island was carved out of Attleborough Massachusetts and annexed to Providence County Rhode Island Tiverton and Little Compton were transferred to Newport County Rhode Island East Freetown was officially purchased by Freetown Massachusetts from Tiverton in 1747 and so remained on the Massachusetts side After the departure of Bristol Taunton was made the shire town of the county A second county courthouse was constructed in 1828 in the growing town of New Bedford designed a half shire town In 1862 a part of Seekonk that portion of which is now East Providence Rhode Island and the entirety of East Pawtucket were transferred to Providence County Rhode Island At the same time land ceded from Rhode Island was added to Fall River and Westport The growing Fall River became the site of the third county courthouse in 1877 4 Geography editAccording to the U S Census Bureau the county has a total area of 691 square miles 1 790 km2 of which 553 square miles 1 430 km2 is land and 138 square miles 360 km2 20 is water 5 The highest point in Bristol County is Sunrise Hill Watery Hill at 390 feet 120 m above sea level located in World War I Memorial Park in North Attleborough It is also to note that Bristol Plymouth and Taunton are all places in South West England Their Massachusetts cousins were named after the originals as South West England was the focal point for sailing and discovery at the time of America s discovery John Cabot set sail from Bristol and sailed down the Severn on which lies Newport in Wales Adjacent counties edit Norfolk County Massachusetts north Plymouth County Massachusetts east Newport County Rhode Island southwest Bristol County Rhode Island west Providence County Rhode Island northwestTo the south Dukes County Massachusetts is opposite Buzzards Bay from Bristol County National protected area edit New Bedford Whaling National Historical ParkDemographics edit nbsp Largest self reported ancestry groups in New England Americans of Portuguese descent plurality shown in grey Historical population CensusPop Note 179031 696 180033 8806 9 181037 1689 7 182040 90810 1 183049 59221 2 184060 16421 3 185076 19226 6 186093 79423 1 1870102 8869 7 1880139 04035 1 1890186 46534 1 1900252 02935 2 1910318 57326 4 1920359 00512 7 1930364 5901 6 1940364 6370 0 1950381 5694 6 1960398 4884 4 1970444 30111 5 1980474 6416 8 1990506 3256 7 2000534 6785 6 2010548 2852 5 2020579 2005 6 2021 est 580 1640 2 U S Decennial Census 6 1790 1960 7 1900 1990 8 1990 2000 9 2010 2020 10 2000 census edit At the 2000 census there were 534 678 people 205 411 households and 140 706 families in the county The population density was 962 inhabitants per square mile 371 km2 There were 216 918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile 150 km2 The racial makeup of the county was 90 98 White 2 03 Black or African American 0 24 Native American 1 26 Asian 0 03 Pacific Islander 3 12 from other races and 2 34 from two or more races 3 60 11 was Hispanic or Latino of any race 29 7 were of Portuguese 13 0 Irish 8 9 French 8 2 English 6 8 Italian and 6 4 French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000 79 1 spoke English 13 9 Portuguese 2 9 Spanish and 1 6 French as their first language The United States Census Bureau reported Bristol County as being one of two counties in the United States with a plurality of people of Portuguese ancestry 12 the other being the contiguous Bristol County Rhode Island Of the 205 411 households 33 00 had children under the age of 18 living with them 51 60 were married couples living together 13 00 had a female householder with no husband present and 31 50 were non families Of all households 26 50 were one person and 11 00 were one person aged 65 or older The average household size was 2 54 and the average family size was 3 08 The age distribution was 24 60 under the age of 18 8 50 from 18 to 24 30 50 from 25 to 44 22 20 from 45 to 64 and 14 10 65 or older The median age was 37 years For every 100 females there were 92 40 males For every 100 females age 18 and over there were 88 50 males The median household income was 43 496 and the median family income was 53 733 Males had a median income of 39 361 versus 27 516 for females The per capita income for the county was 20 978 About 7 80 of families and 10 00 of the population were below the poverty line including 13 00 of those under age 18 and 12 00 of that age 65 or over 2010 census edit At the 2010 census there were 548 285 people 213 010 households and 141 338 families in the county 13 The population density was 991 3 inhabitants per square mile 382 7 km2 There were 230 535 housing units at an average density of 416 8 per square mile 160 9 km2 14 The racial makeup of the county was 88 4 white 3 3 black 1 9 Asian 0 4 American Indian 3 4 from other races and 2 6 from two or more races Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6 0 of the population 13 The largest ancestry groups were 15 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 Of the 213 010 households 32 6 had children under the age of 18 living with them 47 5 were married couples living together 14 0 had a female householder with no husband present 33 6 were non families and 27 4 of households were made up of individuals The average household size was 2 50 and the average family size was 3 06 The median age was 39 8 years 13 The median household income was 54 955 and the median family income was 70 161 Males had a median income of 51 785 versus 39 714 for females The per capita income for the county was 27 736 About 8 8 of families and 11 3 of the population were below the poverty line including 15 7 of those under age 18 and 10 4 of those age 65 or over 16 Income breakdown by town edit See also List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns Data is from the 2007 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates 17 18 19 Rank Town Per capitaincome Medianhouseholdincome Medianfamilyincome Population Number ofhouseholds1 Mansfield Town 39 792 98 182 112 788 23 094 8 1612 Easton Town 39 751 89 714 111 045 23 061 7 8523 Rehoboth Town 38 415 87 563 97 711 11 470 4 0934 Westport Town 35 337 73 736 83 289 15 396 5 867Massachusetts State 35 051 65 981 83 371 6 512 227 2 522 4095 Raynham Town 34 904 82 855 96 190 13 208 4 7396 North Attleborough Town 34 374 80 757 94 469 28 593 10 4267 Dighton Town 34 258 85 284 94 044 7 003 2 3868 Swansea Town 33 910 71 716 79 486 15 886 6 173North Westport CDP 33 858 67 614 82 827 4 188 1 7009 Seekonk Town 33 136 78 032 89 833 13 700 4 75210 Freetown Town 32 437 82 208 93 773 8 828 3 15011 Dartmouth Town 32 138 73 007 86 650 33 759 12 119Raynham Center CDP 32 034 84 028 91 154 4 619 1 563Mansfield Center CDP 31 762 71 685 98 902 7 946 3 02212 Somerset Town 31 718 69 449 80 795 18 172 6 98313 Norton Town 30 772 75 538 91 636 18 970 6 297North Seekonk CDP 30 705 65 804 81 111 2 552 94114 Attleboro City 30 398 65 298 76 563 43 459 16 393Smith Mills CDP 30 207 67 907 79 123 5 030 1 96515 Acushnet Town 30 084 64 695 81 643 10 299 3 818Bliss Corner CDP 29 569 52 285 63 554 6 063 2 534Bristol County County 28 682 55 813 71 416 547 305 210 53616 Fairhaven Town 28 658 60 179 77 089 15 915 6 44417 Berkley Town 28 206 81 094 83 228 6 336 1 970United States Country 27 915 52 762 64 293 306 603 772 114 761 35918 Taunton City 26 309 53 401 67 447 55 930 21 799Acushnet Center CDP 26 295 51 782 64 750 2 737 1 159Ocean Grove CDP 25 058 60 267 72 594 3 098 1 23019 New Bedford City 21 558 37 493 46 881 95 006 38 86920 Fall River City 21 118 34 789 44 635 89 220 38 245Norton Center CDP 16 578 83 465 84 781 2 977 446Politics and government editVoter registration and party enrollment as of August 27 2022 20 Party Number of voters PercentageUnenrolled 250 562 62 94 Democratic 101 656 25 53 Republican 40 053 10 06 Other 5 845 1 47 Total 398 116 100 Bristol County has voted for the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in every election since 1960 United States presidential election results for Bristol County Massachusetts 21 Year Republican Democratic Third partyNo No No 2020 119 872 42 92 153 377 54 92 6 030 2 16 2016 105 443 41 82 129 540 51 38 17 157 6 80 2012 93 898 38 88 143 433 59 39 4 178 1 73 2008 90 531 37 24 146 861 60 41 5 728 2 36 2004 82 524 35 44 147 854 63 49 2 500 1 07 2000 62 848 29 74 136 325 64 51 12 164 5 76 1996 47 164 23 79 127 725 64 44 23 324 11 77 1992 52 370 24 73 102 406 48 36 56 978 26 91 1988 83 797 43 30 107 854 55 73 1 879 0 97 1984 93 232 49 58 94 010 49 99 797 0 42 1980 77 545 41 12 83 460 44 25 27 600 14 63 1976 69 957 36 48 116 318 60 65 5 496 2 87 1972 84 390 44 71 103 163 54 65 1 215 0 64 1968 56 672 30 87 119 439 65 06 7 458 4 06 1964 39 230 21 02 146 885 78 70 521 0 28 1960 64 290 33 02 130 049 66 79 383 0 20 1956 109 542 57 85 79 357 41 91 466 0 25 1952 98 105 51 09 93 444 48 67 462 0 24 1948 63 216 36 64 106 741 61 86 2 594 1 50 1944 60 880 40 13 90 529 59 68 283 0 19 1940 60 143 37 97 97 571 61 60 677 0 43 1936 49 754 35 25 80 805 57 25 10 586 7 50 1932 50 846 43 58 62 474 53 55 3 355 2 88 1928 55 205 47 69 59 257 51 19 1 293 1 12 1924 58 929 66 23 19 802 22 25 10 249 11 52 1920 56 734 73 65 17 719 23 00 2 579 3 35 1916 22 578 53 69 18 065 42 96 1 407 3 35 1912 13 279 34 98 12 420 32 72 12 264 32 31 1908 20 683 60 58 10 719 31 39 2 742 8 03 1904 18 742 60 00 11 103 35 55 1 390 4 45 1900 19 396 64 77 9 355 31 24 1 196 3 99 1896 21 629 76 06 6 022 21 18 784 2 76 1892 15 732 57 72 10 825 39 72 699 2 56 1888 14 570 60 39 8 972 37 19 584 2 42 1884 12 291 60 03 6 475 31 62 1 710 8 35 1880 13 418 67 51 6 136 30 87 323 1 62 1876 11 578 66 43 5 814 33 36 38 0 22 Gubernatorial elections resultsGubernatorial elections results 22 Year Republican Democratic Third parties2018 70 76 132 371 29 02 54 280 0 23 4232014 49 70 72 641 45 19 66 045 5 11 7 4712010 42 66 73 220 47 23 81 059 10 11 17 3402006 34 32 57 233 57 33 95 623 8 36 13 9252002 44 99 71 189 50 73 80 275 4 28 6 779 Paul B Kitchen County Commissioner John R Mitchell County Commissioner John T Saunders County Commissioner Thomas M Quinn III District Attorney Thomas M Hodgson Sheriff Christopher T Saunders County Treasurer Barry Amaral Register of Deeds Northern District Bernard McDonald Register of Deeds Fall River District Frederick M Kalisz Register of Deeds Southern District Marc Santos Clerk of CourtsThe Bristol County Sheriff s Office maintains its administrative headquarters and operates several jail facilities in the Dartmouth Complex in North Dartmouth in Dartmouth Jail facilities in the Dartmouth Complex include the Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail the Bristol County Sheriff s Office Women s Center and the C Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center The office also operates the Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock Up and the Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program JALP in New Bedford 23 The Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail has room for 1 100 prisoners It houses men convicted of crimes who have been sentenced to 2 1 2 years or less It also houses high security male pre trial prisoners high security female prisoners and pre trial female prisoners 23 The women s center a medium security jail can house up to 106 women The self contained women s center had opened as a minimum security pre release center for male prisoners in 1990 which could house up to 106 prisoners When it was a pre release facility it only housed an average of 60 prisoners because the county sheriff imposed strict conditions upon the pre release program In 1999 the sheriff received a federal grant to convert the pre release center into a women s center and he moved the pre release program to modular units at the main jail 23 The Carreiro jail houses detained individuals who are scheduled for deportation and individuals who are engaging in proceedings with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE The Ash Street jail houses over 200 pre trial prisoners and a few sentenced inmate workers for the system JALP houses up to 12 pre arraingment juvenile prisoners 23 Twin town edit The county is twinned with the municipality of Lagoa in the Azores 24 25 Transportation editTransportation authorities providing public bus service include the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority and the Southeastern Regional Transit Authority serving the Fall River and New Bedford areas Airports include the Mansfield Municipal Airport Myricks Airport New Bedford Municipal Airport and Taunton Municipal Airport of these the New Bedford airport is a commercial airport with flights serving the Cape Cod Nantucket and Martha s Vineyard area The Providence Stoughton Line of the MBTA commuter rail has stops in Mansfield Attleboro and South Attleboro The line provides connections to Providence and Boston at Back Bay Station and South Station as well as intermediate stops An extension has been completed that connects to T F Green Airport Major highways edit nbsp I 95 nbsp I 195 nbsp I 295 nbsp I 495 nbsp US 1 nbsp US 6 nbsp US 44 nbsp Route 1A nbsp Route 18 nbsp Route 24 nbsp Route 79 nbsp Route 81 nbsp Route 88 nbsp Route 104 nbsp Route 105 nbsp Route 106 nbsp Route 118 nbsp Route 120 nbsp Route 123 nbsp Route 136 nbsp Route 138 nbsp Route 140 nbsp Route 152 nbsp Route 177Communities edit nbsp Bristol County Superior Courthouse in Taunton Cities edit Attleboro Fall River New Bedford Taunton county seat Towns edit Acushnet Berkley Dartmouth Dighton Easton Fairhaven Freetown Mansfield North Attleborough Norton Raynham Rehoboth Seekonk Somerset Swansea Westport Census designated places edit Acushnet Center Bliss Corner Mansfield Center North Seekonk North Westport Norton Center Ocean Grove Raynham Center Smith Mills Other villages edit 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 Dighton North Easton 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 South Easton Squawbetty Steep Brook Titicut Tracy Corner Wade s Corner Weir Village Westville Whittenton Whittenton Junction Ghost town edit Norton FurnaceEducation editSchool districts include 26 K 12 Attleboro School District Bridgewater Raynham School District Dartmouth School District Dighton Rehoboth School District Easton School District Fairhaven School District Takes Acushnet for secondary school Fall River School District Freetown Lakeville School District Mansfield School District New Bedford School District Takes Acushnet for secondary school North Attleborough School District Norton School District Seekonk School District Swansea School District Taunton School District Westport School District Secondary Somerset Berkley School DistrictElementary Acushnet School District Berkley School District Somerset School DistrictGreater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School is also in the county University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is in the county See also edit nbsp Massachusetts portal nbsp United States portalAdministrative divisions of Massachusetts Registry of Deeds Massachusetts Bristol Community College Horseneck Beach State Reservation Freetown Fall River State Forest National Register of Historic Places listings in Bristol County Massachusetts Southern New England School of Law Taunton River Taunton River Watershed University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Wheaton CollegeReferences edit 2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on August 12 2021 Retrieved August 12 2021 Find a County National Association of Counties Archived from the original on May 31 2011 Retrieved June 7 2011 RootsWeb com Home Page www rootsweb ancestry com a b History of Bristol County Massachusetts with Biographical Sketches of many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men Part 1 edited by Duane Hamilton Hurd J W Lewis and Co 1883 1 p 1 2010 Census Gazetteer Files United States Census Bureau August 22 2012 Archived from the original on September 14 2014 Retrieved September 15 2014 U S Decennial Census United States Census Bureau Retrieved September 15 2014 Historical Census Browser University of Virginia Library Retrieved September 15 2014 Population of Counties by Decennial Census 1900 to 1990 United States Census Bureau Retrieved September 15 2014 Census 2000 PHC T 4 Ranking Tables for Counties 1990 and 2000 PDF United States Census Bureau Retrieved September 15 2014 2020 Census Demographic Data Map Viewer United States Census Bureau Retrieved August 12 2021 U S Census website United States Census Bureau Retrieved January 31 2008 Census 2000 Brief Ancestry Archived 2004 09 20 at the Wayback Machine a b c DP 1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics 2010 Demographic Profile Data United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 13 2020 Retrieved January 12 2016 Population Housing Units Area and Density 2010 County United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 13 2020 Retrieved January 12 2016 DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES 2006 2010 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 13 2020 Retrieved January 12 2016 DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2006 2010 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 13 2020 Retrieved January 12 2016 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2007 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 12 2020 Retrieved January 26 2013 ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2007 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 12 2020 Retrieved January 26 2013 HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES 2007 2011 American Community Survey 5 Year Estimates U S Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 12 2020 Retrieved January 26 2013 Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of August 27 2022 PDF Massachusetts Elections Division Retrieved September 21 2022 Leip David Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections uselectionatlas org Leip David Dave Leip s Atlas of U S Presidential Elections Sate Data uselectionatlas org a b c d Facilities Bristol County Sheriff s Office Retrieved on January 30 2012 400 Faunce Corner Road Dartmouth MA 0274 and Bristol County House Of Correction and Jail 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth MA 02747 and Bristol County Sheriff s Office Women s Center 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth MA 02747 and C Carlos Carreiro Immigration Detention Center 400 Faunce Corner Road North Dartmouth MA 02747 and Juvenile Secure Alternative Lock Up Program 323 Mill Street New Bedford MA 02740 and Ash Street Jail and Regional Lock Up 226 Ash Street New Bedford MA 02740 Camara Municipal de Lagoa Archived 2014 05 23 at archive today Silva Lurdes C da Azorean city of Lagoa to celebrate its 500 years with local Sister Cities special exhibition to open May 13 in Dartmouth Fall River Herald News Retrieved September 28 2022 2020 CENSUS SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP Bristol County MA PDF U S Census Bureau Retrieved July 22 2022 Text listFurther reading editThe Bristol County Directory Boston Mass Dean Dudley amp Co published 1878 1867 History of Bristol County Massachusetts with Biographical Sketches of many of its Pioneers and Prominent Men Part 1 edited by Duane Hamilton Hurd J W Lewis and Co 1883 2 The Bristol County Directory Boston Mass Briggs amp Co published 1885 1867 OCLC 8750817 A history of Bristol County Massachusetts Volume 1 by Frank Walcott Hutt Lewis Historical Pub Co Inc 1924 External links editBristol County Massachusetts at Wikipedia s sister projects nbsp Definitions from Wiktionary nbsp Media from Commons nbsp News from Wikinews nbsp Quotations from Wikiquote nbsp Texts from Wikisource nbsp Textbooks from Wikibooks nbsp Resources from Wikiversity Official website nbsp Geographic data related to Bristol County Massachusetts at OpenStreetMap Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bristol County Massachusetts amp oldid 1164377734, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.