|
Massachusetts State...
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Massachusetts Counties
|
|
Click Image to Enlarge
Massachusetts Counties
Massachusetts 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, Massachusetts
Bristol County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Taunton
Year Organized: 1685
Square Miles: 556
|
Court House: 9 Court Street
County Courthouse
Taunton, MA 02780-3223
|
Etymology - Origin of County Name
For 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
History
Bristol 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.
Bristol County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, adjacent to the state of Rhode Island. The land
that is now Bristol County was part of the Plymouth Colony, which pre-dates the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Part of the
county's land has been transferred to Rhode Island over time
Geography
According 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:
- North: Norfolk County
- Northeast: Plymouth County
- Southeast: Buzzards Bay
- Southwest: Newport County, R.I.; Bristol County, R.I.
- West: Providence County, R.I.
Cities and Towns:
|
- Acushnet |
town |
|
|
- Attleboro |
city |
Incorporated Area |
|
- Berkley |
town |
|
|
- Dartmouth |
town |
|
|
- Dighton |
town |
|
|
- Easton |
town |
|
|
- Fairhaven |
town |
|
|
- Fall River |
city |
Incorporated Area |
|
- Freetown |
town |
|
|
- Mansfield |
town |
|
|
- New Bedford |
city |
Incorporated Area |
|
- North Attleborough |
town |
|
|
- Norton |
town |
|
|
- Raynham |
town |
|
|
- Rehoboth |
town |
|
|
- Seekonk |
town |
|
|
- Somerset |
town |
|
|
- Swansea |
town |
|
|
- Taunton
(County Seat) |
city |
Incorporated Area |
|
- Westport |
town |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
|
|
County Resource Guide
|
|
|
The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our 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." |
|
|
| |
|
