Bristol County, Massachusetts

Bristol County is a county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 548,285.[1] The county seat is Taunton.[2] Some governmental functions are performed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, others by the county, and others by local towns and cities. See administrative divisions of Massachusetts. The property deed records are kept in Taunton, Attleboro, Fall River, and New Bedford.

Bristol County
County
The Old Bristol County Courthouse in Taunton
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 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
 • Estimate 
(2019)
565,217
 • Density1,015.3/sq mi (392.0/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts4th, 8th, 9th
Websitewww.countyofbristol.net

Bristol 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.

The adjacent counties are Plymouth County, Norfolk County, Bristol County, Rhode Island (RI), Newport County, Rhode Island, Providence County, Rhode Island, and Dukes County.

History
Further 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

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. He then stumbled across mainland U.S.A.

Adjacent counties

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

National protected area

Demographics
Largest self-reported ancestry groups in New England. Americans of Portuguese descent plurality shown in grey.
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
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%
Est. 2019565,217[6]3.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2019[1]

2000 census

At the 2000 census there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile (371/km²). There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile (151/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

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]

Demographic breakdown by town

Income
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 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
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018[20]
Party Number of voters Percentage
Democratic 112,527 30.55%
Republican 39,501 10.72%
Unenrolled 210,273 57.09%
Minor Parties 1,563 0.42%
Other 4,449 1.21%
Total 368,313 100%
Presidential election results
Presidential election results[21]
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2016 41.8% 105,443 51.4% 129,540 6.8% 17,157
2012 38.9% 93,898 59.4% 143,433 1.7% 4,178
2008 37.2% 90,531 60.4% 146,861 2.4% 5,728
2004 35.4% 82,524 63.5% 147,854 1.1% 2,500
2000 29.7% 62,848 64.5% 136,325 5.8% 12,164
1996 23.8% 47,164 64.4% 127,725 11.8% 23,324
1992 24.7% 52,370 48.4% 102,406 26.9% 56,978
1988 43.3% 83,797 55.7% 107,854 1.0% 1,879
1984 49.6% 93,232 50.0% 94,010 0.4% 797
1980 41.1% 77,545 44.3% 83,460 14.6% 27,600
1976 36.5% 69,957 60.7% 116,318 2.9% 5,496
1972 44.7% 84,390 54.7% 103,163 0.6% 1,215
1968 30.9% 56,672 65.1% 119,439 4.1% 7,458
1964 21.0% 39,230 78.7% 146,885 0.3% 521
1960 33.0% 64,290 66.8% 130,049 0.2% 383
1956 57.9% 109,542 41.9% 79,357 0.3% 466
1952 51.1% 98,105 48.7% 93,444 0.2% 462
1948 36.6% 63,216 61.9% 106,741 1.5% 2,594
1944 40.1% 60,880 59.7% 90,529 0.2% 283
1940 38.0% 60,143 61.6% 97,571 0.4% 677
1936 35.3% 49,754 57.3% 80,805 7.5% 10,586
1932 43.6% 50,846 53.6% 62,474 2.9% 3,355
1928 47.7% 55,205 51.2% 59,257 1.1% 1,293
1924 66.2% 58,929 22.3% 19,802 11.5% 10,249
1920 73.7% 56,734 23.0% 17,719 3.4% 2,579
1916 53.7% 22,578 43.0% 18,065 3.4% 1,407
1912 35.0% 13,279 32.7% 12,420 32.3% 12,264
1908 60.6% 20,683 31.4% 10,719 8.0% 2,742
1904 60.0% 18,742 35.6% 11,103 4.5% 1,390
1900 64.8% 19,396 31.2% 9,355 4.0% 1,196
1896 76.1% 21,629 21.2% 6,022 2.8% 784
1892 57.7% 15,732 39.7% 10,825 2.6% 699
1888 60.4% 14,570 37.2% 8,972 2.4% 584
1884 60.0% 12,291 31.6% 6,475 8.4% 1,710
1880 67.5% 13,418 30.9% 6,136 1.6% 323
1876 66.4% 11,578 33.4% 5,814 0.2% 38
  • 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.[22]

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.[22]

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.[22]

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.[22]

Transportation

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

Communities
Bristol County Superior Courthouse in Taunton.

Cities

Towns

Census-designated places

Other villages

Ghost town

See also

References
  1. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  2. "Find a County". 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. 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. . 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. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  9. "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 15, 2014.
  11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  12. Census 2000 Brief - Ancestry Archived 2004-09-20 at the Wayback Machine
  13. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  14. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  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 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  16. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2016-01-12.
  17. "SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  18. "ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  19. "HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
  20. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 17, 2018" (PDF). Massachusetts Elections Division. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  21. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org.
  22. "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 "

Further reading
  • The Bristol County Directory, Boston, Mass.: Dean Dudley & Co., 1878
  • 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.
  • The Bristol County Directory, Boston, Mass.: Briggs & Co., 1885, OCLC 8750817
  • A history of Bristol County, Massachusetts, Volume 1 by Frank Walcott Hutt. Lewis Historical Pub. Co., Inc., 1924.
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