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60-1481: [REDACTED] A map of the Greater Taunton Area The Greater Taunton Area is the suburban area surrounding the city of Taunton , in northeastern Bristol County, Massachusetts . It comprises various present-day municipalities that were once under the jurisdiction of Taunton in Colonial America. These present-day municipalities include the towns of Berkley , Dighton , Norton , and Raynham . See also [ edit ] Berkley, Massachusetts Bristol County, Massachusetts Dighton, Massachusetts Dighton Rock and Dighton Rock State Park Massasoit State Park Norton, Massachusetts Raynham, Massachusetts Silver City Galleria Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton River Taunton River Watershed References [ edit ] ^ "Taunton Area Chamber of Commerce" . Retrieved July 10, 2024 . External links [ edit ] Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development's Official Home Page Bristol County Convention & Visitors Bureau's Official Home Page Bristol County Superior Courthouse (in Taunton) Old Colony Historical Society's Official Home Page Archived 2015-09-05 at

120-526: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending

180-517: A state of emergency . It is estimated that if the dam had failed, the Mill River would have inundated the downtown area with up to 6 feet (1.8 m) of water. In response, Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney ordered an immediate inspection of high-risk dams throughout the Commonwealth. In 2010, the historic Taunton City Hall was severely damaged in an arson fire. City government operated out of

240-535: A town on September 3, 1639. Most of the town's settlers were originally from Taunton in Somerset , England , which led early settlers to name the settlement after that town. At the time of Taunton's incorporation, they explained their choice of name as being "in honor and love to our dear native country." Prior to 1640, the Taunton area was called Cohannet, Tetiquet or Titiquet. The English founders of Taunton purchased

300-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in

360-646: A county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of the later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been a major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of

420-471: A female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. Of all households 28.2% were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.09. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

480-567: A museum of regional objects, houses a research library specializing in local history and genealogy, and hosts arts and cultural events throughout the year. Taunton has four art galleries: Taunton Art Association (John Baradas Gallery), Hughes/Donahue Gallery, Art Euphoric, and the Trescott Street Gallery. The Taunton Art Association was founded in 1973 but had it roots in the Girl's Club in the early 1960s. Hughes/Donahue Gallery, founded in 2007,

540-560: A number of historic commercial blocks along Main Street, Taunton Green and Broadway, built during the period from about 1840 to 1920. Many large homes built by the wealthy industrialists and merchants of the late 19th and early 20th century line Route 44 , both east (Dean Street) and west (Winthrop Street) of the city center, while a majority of the city is occupied by more modest wood-framed single and multi-family homes, many over 100 years old. Modern single-family subdivisions , built mostly since

600-637: A portion of the film Shutter Island starring Leonardo DiCaprio in Taunton on location at the Whittenton Mills Complex. Surrogates , starring Bruce Willis , was partly filmed in the city, at the old Paul Dever school. As the seat of Bristol County , Taunton is home to many of the county's courthouses and administrative offices. These include the Taunton District Court, Bristol County Register of Deeds, and historic Bristol County Superior Courthouse. County seat In Canada ,

660-534: A prisoner of war camp housing German and Italian soldiers. While Camp Myles Standish was later closed in 1946, it was re-purposed as the Paul A Dever School which was a facility that housed mentally disabled persons. The school site of 220 acres (89 ha) was shut down in 1982. This portion was turned into an expansion scheme for the existing the Myles Standish Industrial Park, Taunton's north end, which

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720-568: A total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With the increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan, the number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized

780-466: A variety of goods including stoves (Weir Stove Company/Glenwood), tacks (Field Tack Company) and machinery. One of the more successful companies during this period was the Mason Machine Works , founded by William Mason , which produced machinery for the textile industry, as well as steam locomotives. The Taunton Locomotive Works (begun in 1846) also operated in the city during this time. Taunton

840-520: Is a city and county seat of Bristol County, Massachusetts , United States. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River , which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay , 10 miles (16 km) to the south. At the 2020 census , the city had a population of 59,408. Shaunna O'Connell is the mayor of Taunton. Founded in 1637 by members of the Plymouth Colony , Taunton is one of

900-482: Is a local community gallery serving local Taunton artists, as well as the surrounding areas of Southeastern Massachusetts and the cities of Providence, Rhode Island, and Washington, DC. Art Euphoric, founded in 2008, has both visual and craft exhibits and sales. The Trescott Street Gallery, founded in 2012, is primarily a visual-arts gallery but also exhibits crafts. In March 2008, Hollywood director Martin Scorsese filmed

960-593: Is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of

1020-666: Is also home to almost the entirety of Massasoit State Park in East Taunton, and a large portion of the Hockomock Swamp Wildlife Management Area in North Taunton. As of the census of 2000, there were 55,874 people, 22,045 households, and 14,473 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,200.1 inhabitants per square mile (463.4/km ). There were 22,908 housing units at an average density of 491.5 per square mile (189.8/km ). The racial makeup of

1080-557: Is currently one of the largest in New England, covering an area over 800 acres (320 ha). It services manufacturing, offices, high tech, and distribution centers. The National Weather Service operates a regional weather forecast office that serves much of Massachusetts, all of Rhode Island , and most of northern Connecticut there. The National Weather Service also operates the Northeast River Forecast Center on

1140-575: Is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km ), or 3.53%, is water. It is the third-largest city by area in Massachusetts, after Boston and Barnstable . Taunton has one major river, the Taunton River , along with its tributaries, including the Mill River and the Three Mile River . The highest point in the city is near its southwest corner, with an elevation of 207 feet (63 m) above sea level. Prospect Hill, rising over Lake Sabbatia north of

1200-408: Is located further north at the intersection of Broadway and Washington Street, known as Saint Mary's Square. In the 1880s Jewish immigrants from Russia began to move to the town, and Congregation Agudath Achim was founded in 1911. The congregation is now an independent progressive synagogue. Taunton's economy has historically been based on silversmithing and shipbuilding . Reed & Barton produced

1260-677: Is visible from many surrounding areas. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Currently, the Courthouse Complex is undergoing a major expansion and renovation program. Other significant buildings in the city include some fine stone churches, including the First Parish Church (1830), the Pilgrim Congregational Church (1851) and St. Mary's Church (1868) on Broadway. Downtown Taunton has

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1320-627: The 1996 Summer Olympics medals and silverware used exclusively for the White House . Also, the city produced the anchor for the USS Constitution . The nearby town of Raynham produced the anchor for the Civil War-era ironclad USS Monitor . Today, the city's economy has emphases on semiconductor , silicon, and electronics manufacturing. It is home to the corporate headquarters of many leading corporations in various industries. Currently,

1380-723: The People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized the counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under the Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when

1440-539: The Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of the imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of

1500-515: The United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in

1560-689: The Wayback Machine Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority's Official Home Page City of Taunton's Official Home Page Town of Berkley Town of Dighton's Official Home Page Town of Norton's Official Home Page Town of Raynham's Official Home Page Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Greater_Taunton_Area&oldid=1233769076 " Categories : Greater Taunton Area Taunton, Massachusetts Hidden category: Webarchive template wayback links Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton

1620-403: The city was 83.67% (79.7% Non-Hispanic) White , 4.84% African American , 0.26% Native American , 1.0% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 5.59% from other races , and 2.21% from two or more races. Persons of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity constituted 6.73% of the population. The city of Taunton was very multi-cultural with peoples of different origins living within the city. 34% of the city

1680-411: The provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below the provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia the term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in

1740-408: The winter holiday season into a grand display of holiday lights, scenes, and extravagant events. This is where and how the city earned its unofficial nickname in the surrounding areas as the "Christmas City." "The Green" continues to provide a centralized location for citywide Christmas activities, other holidays, events, and parades for the citizens of Taunton. A fountain is located at the center of

1800-597: The 1950s, exist on the outskirts of the sprawling city. The Central Fire Station at 50 School Street is recognized as the oldest functioning station house in the United States. The historic Taunton City Hall is located adjacent to Church Green . One of New England's oldest historical societies, the Old Colony Historical Society is located on picturesque Church Green. Founded in 1853, the Society maintains

1860-559: The 19th century, Taunton became known as the "Silver City", as it was home to many silversmithing operations, including Reed & Barton , F.B. Rogers , the Poole Silver Company , and the Taunton Silverplate Company . In the 19th century, Taunton was also the center of an important iron-making industry, utilizing much bog iron from the numerous swamps in the surrounding area. The iron industry in Taunton produced

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1920-539: The Taunton Green. Always to be seen flapping together in emblematic unison, the "Liberty & Union" flag and the U.S. flag fly side by side on the flagpole at the city's center. The city is served by a central public library, the Taunton Public Library , which opened in 1903 and has undergone several expansions and renovations since that time. Also of note is the Old Colony Historical Society , which archives

1980-494: The Taunton Municipal Light Plant (TMLP) in 1897, when it decided to purchase the floundering Taunton Electric Lighting Company, making it a publicly owned electric utility. Today, TMLP provides electric service to 34,000 customers in Taunton, Berkley, Raynham, and sections of Dighton, Lakeville and Bridgewater. TMLP is governed by a three-member Board of Commissioners, which is elected by the citizens of Taunton. In

2040-507: The additional nickname of the Christmas City . The original boundaries of Taunton included the land now occupied by many surrounding towns, including Norton , Easton , Mansfield , Dighton , Raynham , Berkley , and Lakeville . Possession of the latter is still noted by the naming of Taunton Hill in Assonet . Taunton was founded by settlers from England and officially incorporated as

2100-528: The city and region's past. The city is home to two state parks operated by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation : Massasoit State Park in East Taunton and Watson Pond State Park in the north part of the city. The city of Taunton has a wide array of architecture ranging from the colonial period to modern times. There are numerous pre-Revolutionary War private homes within

2160-429: The city is trying to attract biotechnology research companies to its industrial parks. Silver City Galleria was a large shopping mall in Taunton catering to the local city and to the neighboring towns and cities of Raynham, Berkley, Rehoboth, Dighton, New Bedford, Fall River, Norton, Easton, Assonet, Acushnet, Bridgewater, Lakeville, Middleboro, and Freetown. It was open for 28 years, closing on February 29, 2020 and

2220-763: The city now is irregularly shaped, with it (along with neighboring Raynham) roughly making a triangle. The city is bordered by Norton to the northwest, Easton to the north, Raynham to the northeast, Middleborough to the east, Lakeville to the southeast, Berkley and Dighton to the south, and Rehoboth to the west. City neighborhoods include the Bird Lanes, Clearview Estates, East Taunton , Elliot's Corner, Herring Run Estates, Linden Estates, Matthews Landing, North Taunton , Oakland , Pine Crest Estates, Pine Hill Estates, Wades Corner, Weir Village , Westville, Whittenton, Whittenton Junction, Britannia Village or Britanniaville, Willis Lake Village and Woodward Estates. Taunton

2280-503: The city, including Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish congregations. The First Parish Church, now a Unitarian Universalist church, located at Church Green at the east end of downtown, was founded in 1637, before the Town of Taunton was even established. The current church dates from 1830. The Pilgrim Congregational Church on Broadway was formed in 1821, its current church built in 1851. The city's oldest Roman Catholic parish, St. Mary's Church,

2340-526: The city, the oldest of which is the Joseph Willis House on Worcester Street, dating to about 1688. The city has over one hundred buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Perhaps the most impressive structure in the city is the towering Bristol County Superior Courthouse , built in 1894 and designed by Frank Irving Cooper. With its tall copper dome, the Superior Courthouse

2400-432: The county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in the United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated,

2460-491: The county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of the county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where

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2520-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for

2580-467: The downtown, has an elevation of 197 feet (60 m). According to the Köppen climate classification , Taunton has either a hot-summer humid continental climate (abbreviated Dfa ), or a hot-summer humid sub-tropical climate (abbreviated Cfa ), depending on the isotherm used. There are nine designated historic districts within the city: Due to the annexation of towns from the original town of Taunton,

2640-506: The former Lowell M. Maxham School on Oak Street for ten years, until the building was renovated and re-opened in September 2020. In 2012 Taunton became the target location for a Wampanoag casino complex which was embroiled in conflict by competing regional bands of the Wampanoag over territory claims. The proposed casino resort complex location is adjacent to a local elementary school and

2700-611: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford

2760-621: The land from the Nemasket Natives in 1637 as part of the Tetiquet Purchase and the remaining native families were relocated to the praying town of Ponkapoag in present-day Canton, Massachusetts . Elizabeth Poole , contrary to local folklore, did not take part in the town purchase but was among its greatest benefactors and played a significant role in the founding of its church. Described as "the foundress of Taunton" and its matriarch, Poole "was accorded equality of rights, whether in

2820-463: The late 19th century, Taunton was a stop on the national bicycle racing circuit. In 1897, the one-mile (1.6 km) open event made news when third-place finisher W. E. Becker brutally attacked second-place winner Major Taylor , knocking him unconscious for fifteen minutes. Built in 1942, U.S. Army Camp Myles Standish was a departure point for over a million U.S. and allied military personnel bound for Europe during World War II. It also functioned as

2880-425: The oldest towns in the United States. Taunton is also known as the "Silver City", as it was a historic center of the silver industry beginning in the 19th century when companies such as Reed & Barton, F. B. Rogers , Poole Silver, and others produced fine-quality silver goods in the city. Since December 1914, the city of Taunton has provided a large annual light display each December on Taunton Green , giving it

2940-523: The purchase of lands, [or] in the sharing of iron works holdings," having been a financier of the settlement's first dam and mill built for the manufacture of bar iron . Plymouth Colony was formally divided into counties on June 2, 1685, with Taunton becoming the shire town of Bristol County. The counties of Plymouth Colony were transferred to the Province of Massachusetts Bay on the arrival of its charter and governor on May 14, 1692. The Taunton area has been

3000-663: The regional technical high school, generating protests by parent and teacher groups. On June 10, 2012, the City of Taunton dedicated the Taunton Global War on Terrorism War Memorial on Church Green . Taunton is home to a General Dynamics Mission Systems factory, which develops military communications equipment. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 48.4 square miles (125.4 km ), of which 46.4 square miles (120.1 km )

3060-558: The site of skirmishes and battles during various conflicts, including King Philip's War and the American Revolution . Taunton was re-incorporated as a city on May 11, 1864. In 1656, the first successful iron works in Plymouth Colony was established on the Two Mile River, in what is now part of Raynham . The Taunton Iron Works operated for over 200 years until 1876. It was the first of many iron industries in Taunton. During

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3120-494: The site, serving New England and most of New York state . Several major companies operate within the industrial park and in other parts of the city. In October 2005, the Whittenton Pond Dam north of the downtown area threatened to fail following a week that brought 9 inches (230 mm) of rain to the city. Over 2,000 city residents were evacuated, all downtown businesses were ordered closed and Mayor Robert Nunes issued

3180-764: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of

3240-570: The term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after the Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of

3300-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of

3360-538: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,

3420-446: Was Luso-American . The biggest ethnic backgrounds people claimed were 23% Portuguese , 17% Irish , 9% English , 9% French , 8% Cape Verdean and 4% Puerto Rican . Most of Taunton's immigration occurred near the turn of the 1900s when immigrants came to work in the city's mills. There were 22,045 households , out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 15.4% had

3480-435: Was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males. Males had a median income of $ 36,895 versus $ 27,686 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 19,899. About 10.0% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line , including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over. Numerous religious groups exist within

3540-451: Was also home to several textile mills (Whittenton Mills) and other industries, such as felt (Bacon Felt) and brick making. During the 19th century, Taunton was a major shipping point for grain from the inland rural farm areas of Massachusetts to the rest of the nation via Weir Village and the Taunton River . With the advent of the railroad, Taunton would also become an important transportation hub due to its central location. The city formed

3600-542: Was demolished on May 9, 2021. The Taunton Green is the city's central square. Early in its history, "The Green" was used as a training ground for militias in the American Revolution . Some say it was also the site of the historic "Liberty & Union"/"Taunton" flag raising in 1774 by the Sons of Liberty , prior to the American Revolution. Since the early 20th century, Taunton Green has temporarily been transformed during

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