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Massachusetts Counties
Massachusetts CountiesMassachusetts consists of the 14 counties. Massachusetts has abolished seven of its fourteen county governments, leaving five Counties with county-level local government (Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes, Norfolk, Plymouth) and two, Nantucket County and Suffolk County, with combined county/city government. |
Bristol County, MassachusettsBristol County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
Etymology - Origin of County NameFor its original county seat of Bristol, Massachusetts, which is named for the English port city of Bristol - when the city of Bristol joined Rhode Island, the name of the county was kept Demographics:County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts County HistoryBristol County was formed on 2 June 1685 when Old Plymouth Colony was divided into three counties, Plymouth, Bristol
and Barnstable. Barnstable and Plymouth counties were named after their county seats. Bristol County, MA county seat is
Taunton. Native Americans played a very important role before and during the "settlement" of the area. GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 691 square miles (1,790 kmē), of which, 556
square miles (1,440 kmē) of it is land and 135 square miles (350 kmē) of it (19.56%) is water. The highest point in
Bristol County is Sunrise Hill (Watery Hill) at 390 feet above sea level located in World War I Memorial Park in
North Attleborough. Neighboring Counties:
Cities and Towns:
County Resources:Enter County Resources and Information Here |
County Resources
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The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define
the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local.
And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions,
reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history. Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally." |