Abington - South Shore Recycling Cooperative
Acton - Town Transfer Station
Acushnet - Recycling in Acushnet
Adams - Department of Public Works
Agawam - Solid Waste Information
Alford - Town Transfer Station
Amesbury - Department of Public Works
Amherst - Recycling & Solid Waste
Andover - Town Recycling Program
Aquinnah (Gay Head) - Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal District
Arlington - Trash & Recycling
Ashburnham - Department of Public Works
Ashby - Recycling Center & Transfer Station
Ashfield - Earth 911
Ashland - Trash & Recycling
Athol - North Central Regional Solid Waste Cooperative
Attleboro - City Recycling Program
Auburn - DPW Solid Waste Division
Avon - Board of Health
Ayer - Town Transfer Station
Barnstable - DPW Solid Waste Division
Barre - Landfill & Recycling Center
Becket - Earth 911
Bedford - Recycling Information
Belchertown - Department of Public Works
Bellingham - Department of Public Works
Belmont - Trash, Recycling & Yard Waste Information
Berkley - Earth 911
Berlin - Town Transfer Station
Bernardston - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Beverly - Recycling Information
Billerica - Public Works Services
Blackstone - Blackstone Valley Regional Recycling Center
Blandford - Earth 911
Bolton - Transfer Station & Recycling Center
Boston - City Recycling Program
Bourne - Town Recycling Center
Boxborough - Town Transfer Station
Boxford - Trash Collection & Recycling Information
Boylston - Earth 911
Braintree - Trash & Recycling
Brewster - Town Transfer Station
Bridgewater - Town Transfer Station
Brimfield - Earth 911
Brockton - Department of Public Works
Brookfield - Board of Health
Brookline - Recycling Information
Buckland - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Burlington - Trash & Recycling Schedule & Information
Cambridge - Recycling Information
Canton - Recycling Department
Carlisle - Town Transfer Station
Carver - Rochester Convenience Facility
Charlemont - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Charlton - Town Recycling Committee
Chatham - ChathamRecycles.org
Chelmsford - Recycling Department
Chelsea - Rubbish, Recycling & Yard Waste
Cheshire - Earth 911
Chester - Board of Health
Chesterfield - Earth 911
Chicopee - Department of Public Works
Chilmark - Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal District
Clarksburg - Earth 911
Clinton - Trash Pickup & Recycling
Cohasset - South Shore Recycling Cooperative
Colrain - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Concord - Recycling Information
Conway - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Cummington - Board of Health
Dalton - Town Transfer Station
Danvers - Recycling & Refuse Collection
Dartmouth - Department of Public Works
Dedham - Recycling & Solid Waste Services
Deerfield - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Dennis - Transfer Station & Recycling Center
Devens - Community Services: Recycling Drop-Off
Dighton - Health Department
Douglas - Earth 911
Dover - Recycling Home Page
Dracut - Trash & Large Item Disposal
Dudley - Earth 911
Dunstable - Town Transfer Station
Duxbury - Town Transfer Station
East Bridgewater - Solid Waste & Recycling Information
East Brookfield - Solid Waste Department
Eastham - Department of Public Works
Easthampton - Trash Removal
East Longmeadow - Trash & Recycling Contacts
Easton - Board of Health
Edgartown - Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal District
Egremont - Town Contact List
Erving - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Essex - Town Transfer Station
Everett - Recycling Information
Fairhaven - Board of Health
Fall River - Department of Public Works
Falmouth - DPW Waste Management Facility
Fitchburg - Trash, Recycling & Yard Waste
Florida - Earth 911
Foxborough - Trash & Recycling
Framingham - Department of Public Works
Franklin - Town Recycling Committee
Freetown - Waste Management & Transfer Station
Gardner - Health Department
Gay Head (Aquinnah) - Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal District
Georgetown - Trash & recycling Contacts
Gill - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Gloucester - Recycling & Trash Information
Goshen - Refuse Disposal & Recycling Center
Gosnold - Earth 911
Grafton - Department of Public Works
Granby - Earth 911
Granville - Earth 911
Great Barrington - Town Recycling Center
Greenfield - DPW Solid Waste Division
Groton - Town Transfer Station
Groveland - Board of Health
Hadley - Transfer Station
Halifax - Recycling & Solid Waste Department
Hamilton - Recycling & Refuse Information
Hampden - Board of Health
Hancock - Earth 911
Hanover - South Shore Recycling Cooperative
Hanson - Town Recycling Program
Hardwick - Town Recycling Center
Harvard - Transfer Station & Recycling Guidelines
Harwich - Town Tansfer Station
Hatfield - Earth 911
Haverhill - Rubbish & Curbside Collection
Hawley - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Heath - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Hingham - Department of Public Works
Hinsdale - Earth 911
Holbrook - South Shore Recycling Cooperative
Holden - Recycling & Trash
Holland - Waste Removal
Holliston - Recycling & Solid Waste
Holyoke - Department of Public Works
Hopedale - Recycling Information
Hopkinton - Town Recycling Committee
Hubbardson - Town Recycling Center
Hudson - BP Trucking Transfer Station
Hull - Recycling Information
Huntington - Transfer Station
Hyannis (Barnstable) - DPW Solid Waste Division
Ipswich - Town Recycling Committee
Kingston - South Shore Recycling Cooperative
Lakeville - Town Transfer Station
Lancaster - Town Recycling Center
Lanesborough - Frequently Asked Questions
Lawrence - Recycling & Trash Information
Lee - Earth 911
Leicester - Board of Health
Lenox - Earth 911
Leominster - Rubbish & Recycling
Leverett - Town Transfer Station
Lexington - Trash & Hazardous Waste
Leyden - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Lincoln - Town Transfer Station
Littleton - Highway Department
Longmeadow - Town Recycling Center
Lowell - DPW Recycling Program
Ludlow - Department of Public Works
Lunenburg - North Central Regional Solid Waste Cooperative
Lynn - Department of Public Works
Lynnfield - Recycling Committee
Malden - Department of Public Works
Manchester-by-the-Sea - Trash Disposal, Recycling & Composting
Mansfield - Recycling Information
Marblehead - Board of Health
Marion - Recycling & Rubbish
Marlborough - Rubbish & Recycling
Marshfield - Trash & Recycling
Mashpee - Town Transfer Station
Mattapoisett - Board of Health
Maynard - Recycling & Solid Waste
Medfield - Town Transfer Station
Medford - Recycling Information
Medway - Board of Health
Melrose - Recycling Information
Mendon - Board of Health Trash Program
Merrimac - Curbside Recycling Program
Methuen - Department of Public Works
Middleborough - Trash & Recyclables
Middlefield - Earth 911
Middleton - Department of Public Works
Milford - Board of Health
Millbury - Town transfer Station
Millis - Department of Public Works
Milton - Trash, Recycling & Yard Waste Information
Millville - Town Home Page
Monroe - Earth 911
Monson - Board of Health
Montague - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Monterey - Town Transfer Station
Montgomery - Earth 911
Mount Washington - Earth 911
Nahant - Trash & Recycling
Nantucket - Department of Public Works
Natick - Recycling Center
Needham - Recycling & Transfer Station
New Ashford - Earth 911
New Bedford - DPW Solid Waste Division
New Braintree - Trash & Recycling
Newbury - Town Transfer Station
Newburyport - Recycling & Trash
New Marlborough - Town Transfer Station
New Salem - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Newton - Solid Waste & Recycling
Norfolk - DPW Solid Waste Division & Transfer Station
North Adams - City Transfer Station
North Andover - Solid Waste & Recycling
North Attleborough - Solid Waste Collection & Recycling Information
Northborough - Town Engineering Department
Northbridge - Solid Waste & Recycling
North Brookfield - Town Recycling Center
Northfield - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Northhampton - Recycling Information
North Reading - Recycling Information
Norton - Trash & Recycling Information
Norwell - South Shore Recycling Cooperative
Norwood - Recycling Information
Oak Bluffs - Martha's Vineyard Refuse Disposal District
Oakham - Earth 911
Orange - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Orleans - Town Transfer Station
Otis - Center for Ecological Technology
Oxford - Earth 911
Palmer - Earth 911
Paxton - Earth 911
Peabody - City Home Page
Pelham - Earth 911
Pembroke - Trash & Recycling Information
Pepperell - Town Transfer Station
Peru - Earth 911
Petersham - North Central Regional Solid Waste Cooperative
Phillipston - Town Transfer Station
Pittsfield - Department of Public Works & Utilities
Plainfield - Earth 911
Plainville - Trash & Recycling
Plymouth - Solid Waste Division Recycling Program
Plympton - Town Transfer Station
Princeton - Earth 911
Provincetown - Department of Public Works
Quincy - Public Works Department
Randolph - Recycling Information
Raynham - Transfer & Recycling Facility
Reading - Recycling Information
Rehoboth - Town Handbook
Revere - Trash & Recycling Information
Richmond - Town Home Page
Rochester - Transfer Station (Mattapoisett) & Trash Pick-Up
Rockland - South Shore Recycling Cooperative
Rockport - DPW Transfer Station
Rowe - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Rowley - Recycling Information
Royalston - North Central Regional Solid Waste Cooperative
Russell - Earth 911
Rutland - Earth 911
Salem - Recycling Department
Salisbury - Department of Public Works
Sandisfield - Center for Ecological Technology
Sandwich - DPW Transfer Station
Saugus - Department of Public Works
Savoy - Earth 911
Scituate - DPW Transfer Station Division
Seekonk - Department of Public Works
Sharon - DPW Operations Division
Sheffield - Town Transfer Station
Shelburne - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Sherborn - Recycling Information
Shirley - Board of Health
Shrewsbury - Rubbish Disposal & Recycling
Shutesbury - Recycling & Solid Waste
Somerset - Earth 911
Somerville - Trash & Recycling Information
Southborough - Town Recycling Committee
Southbridge - Curbside Rubbish Removal
South Hadley - Department of Public Works
Southampton - Town Transfer Station
Southwick - DPW Solid Waste Division
Spencer - Town Transfer Station
Springfield - Department of Public Works
Sterling - Department of Public Works
Stockbridge - Town Web Site
Stoneham - Recycling & Solid Waste Program
Stoughton - Department of Public Works
Stow - Earth 911
Sturbridge - Board of Health
Sudbury - Transfer Station & Recycling Center
Sunderland - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Sutton - Town Transfer Station
Swampscott - Board of Health
Swansea - Town Recycling Program
Taunton - Solid Waste & Recycling Information
Templeton - Board of Health
Tewksbury - Recycling Committee
Tisbury - Trash & Recycling Services
Tolland - Transfer Station & Recycling
Topsfield - Trash Collection & Recycling Information
Townsend - Recycling Information
Truro - Town Transfer Station
Turners Falls (Montague) - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Tyngsboro - Recycling Committee
Tyringham - Earth 911
Upton - Board of Health
Uxbridge - Earth 911
Wakefield - Department of Public Works
Wales - Earth 911
Walpole - Recycling Information
Waltham - Recycling Department
Ware - Earth 911
Wareham - Recycling Information
Warren - Earth 911
Warwick - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Washington - Earth 911
Watertown - Department of Public Works
Wayland - Board of Health
Webster - Earth 911
Wellesley - Recycling & Disposal Facility
Wellfleet - Recycling Information
Wendell - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Wenham - Town Recycling Program
Westborough - Recycling & Trash Disposal
West Boylston - Trash & Recycling Information
West Bridgewater - Town Transfer Station
West Brookfield - Highway Department
Westfield - Refuse & Recycling Collection
Westford - WestfordRecycles.org
Westhampton - Earth 911
Westminster - Town Web Site
West Newbury - Town Web Site
Weston - Department of Public Works
Westport - Landfill, Transfer Station & Recycling
West Springfield - Curbside Trash & Recycling Collection
West Stockbridge - Town Transfer Station
West Tisbury - Town Transfer Station
Westwood - Trash & Recycling Information
Weymouth - Town Trash & Recycling Program
Whately - Franklin County Solid Waste Management District
Whitman - South Shore Recycling Cooperative
Wilbraham - Disposal & Recycling Center
Williamsburg - Earth 911
Williamstown - Town Transfer Station
Wilmington - Recycling Information
Winchendon - Town Transfer Station
Winchester - Town Transfer Station
Windsor - Earth 911
Winthrop - Trash & Curbside Recycling
Woburn - Recycling Information
Worcester - Department of Public Works & Parks
Worthington - Town Information
Wrentham - Town Recycling Committee
Yarmouth - Solid Waste Disposal & Recycling Center
The history of New Bedford as recorded by the English began
four centuries ago and pre-dates the Pilgrims of Plymouth by 18 years. English
explorer Bartholomew Gosnold investigated New Bedford's harbor on May 31, 1602
(Julian Calendar). Gosnold's expedition set out from Falmouth, England, and was
financed in part by the Earl of Southampton, a patron of Shakespeare. Gosnold
named Cape Cod for the abundance of fish he observed there; he named Martha's
Vineyard for his beloved daughter, Martha, and named the Elizabeth Islands for
his queen, Elizabeth I. Some historians place Gosnold's landing on New
Bedford's mainland shore at "Smoking Rocks," a rocky outcropping that
once existed approximately west-northwest of Palmer's Island. The site is now
part of the South Terminal.Before the 1600s, the Wampanoags, who had settlements throughout southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, were the only inhabitants of the lands along the Acushnet River. Their population is believed to have been about 12,000. While exploring New England, Bartholomew Gosnold landed on Cuttyhunk island on May 15, 1602. From there, he explored Cape Cod and the neighboring areas, including present-day New Bedford. However, rather than settle the area, he returned to England at the request of his crew.
Europeans first settled New Bedford in 1652. Plymouth Colony settlers purchased the land from chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag tribe. Whether the transfer of the land was legitimately done has been the subject of intense controversy. Like other native tribes, the Wampanoags did not share the settlers' concepts of private property. The tribe believed they were granting usage rights to the land, not giving it up permanently.
The settlers used the land to build the colonial town of Old Dartmouth (which encompassed not only present-day Dartmouth, but also present-day New Bedford, Acushnet, Fairhaven, and Westport). A section of Old Dartmouth near the west bank of the Acushnet River, originally called Bedford Village, was officially incorporated as the town of New Bedford in 1787. The name was suggested by the Russell family who were prominent citizens of the community. It comes from the fact that the Dukes of Bedford, a leading English aristocratic house, also bore the surname Russell. (Bedford, Massachusetts had already been incorporated by 1787; hence "New" Bedford.)
The late-eighteenth century was a time of growth for the town. New Bedford's first newspaper, The Medley (also known as New Bedford Marine Journal), came into being in 1792. On June 12, 1792, the town set up its first post office with William Tobey as its first postmaster. The creation of a bridge (originally a toll bridge) between New Bedford and present-day Fairhaven in 1796 also spurred growth. (Fairhaven separated from New Bedford in 1812, forming an independent town that included both present-day Fairhaven and present-day Acushnet.) The town of New Bedford officially became a city in 1847; Abraham Hathaway Howland was elected its first mayor.
Until 1800, New Bedford and its surrounding communities were, by and large, populated by Protestants of English, Scottish, and Welsh origin. During the first half of the nineteenth century, however, a large wave of Irish people came to Massachusetts.
In 1818, Irish immigrants established the Catholic mission that built St. Mary's Church. Later in that century, immigrants from Portugal and its dependent territories of the Azores, Cape Verde and Madeira began arriving in New Bedford and the surrounding area, largely because of the whaling industry. As the Portuguese community began to increase, they established the first Portuguese parish in the city, St. John the Baptist (1871). The French (chiefly French-Canadian) also secured a foothold in New Bedford at about the same time, and they built the Church of the Sacred Heart in 1877.
Similarly, Polish-Americans established the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in 1903. A number of Jewish families, arriving in the late 19th century, were active in the whaling industry, selling provisions and outfitting ships. During the years leading up to the First World War, a sizable eastern-European Jewish community joined them in New Bedford, many of whom became prominent merchants and businessmen, mainly in textiles and manufacturing.
Paul Cuffee, a whaling captain active in the New Bedford whaling industry, was born in nearby Cuttyhunk and settled in Westport, Massachusetts. Many of his ships sailed out of New Bedford.
Lewis Temple was an African-American blacksmith who invented the toggle iron, a type of toggling harpoon, which revolutionized the whaling industry and enabled the capture of more whales. There is a monument to Temple in downtown New Bedford.
In 1838, Frederick Douglass, the runaway slave who became a famous abolitionist, settled in New Bedford. He writes in detail about the life and times of New Bedford in the late 1840s in his celebrated Autobiography..[4][5][6] A historic building and monument dedicated to Douglass can be found today at the Nathan and Polly Johnson properties.
Frederick Douglass was not the only fugitive slave or freedman to see New Bedford as a welcoming place to settle. New Bedford had a small but thriving African-American community during the ante-bellum period. It was the home of a number of members of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment, an American Civil War regiment which fought, with considerable distinction, to preserve the Union. The 54th Massachusetts was the first regiment in the country's history formed entirely by African-American troops (who served with white officers). The most famous of these soldiers was William Harvey Carney, who made sure that the American flag never touched the ground during the Union assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina, near Charleston. There is an elementary school in New Bedford named in his honor.
Bishop "Sweet Daddy" Grace, a native of Brava, Cape Verde Islands was a New Bedford resident who founded the United House of Prayer for All People, one of the largest African-American sects in America. He is buried in New Bedford.
New Bedford is located at 41°39'06?N 70°56'01?W? / ?41.651803°N 70.933705°W (41.651803, -70.933705).[7] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 62.2 square kilometers (24.0 square miles). Of the total area, 20.1 square miles (52.1 km2) is land, and 3.9 square miles (10.1 km2)(16.23%) is water. New Bedford is a coastal city, a seaport, bordered on the west by Dartmouth, on the north by Freetown, on the east by Acushnet and Fairhaven, and on the south by Buzzards Bay.
New Bedford Harbor, a body of water shared with Fairhaven, is actually the estuary of the Acushnet River where it empties into Buzzards Bay. The river empties into the bay beyond Clark's Point, the southernmost point of the city. To the west of Clark's Point is Clark's Cove, which extends landward approximately one and a half mile from the bay. Just south of Palmers Island, beginning near Fort Phoenix in Fairhaven, lies a two-mile-long hurricane barrier, constructed in the 1960s to protect the inner harbor where the fishing fleet anchors. Along with Palmers Island, the city also lays claim to Fish Island and Pope's Island. Between these two islands lies one of the three sections, the central section, of the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge. The central span, a swing bridge, connects the two islands as well as allowing boats and ships passage to the upper harbor. Two conventional bridges connect each of the islands to the nearest mainland, Fish Island to New Bedford and Pope's Island to Fairhaven. In addition to the harbor, there are several small brooks and ponds within the city limits.
There are several parks and playgrounds located throughout the city, the largest being Brooklawn Park in the north end, Fort Taber Park (also referred to as Fort Rodman, the name of another fort built there) at Clark's Point, and Buttonwood Park, directly west of the downtown area near the Dartmouth town line. Buttonwood Park is also the site of a lagoon which feeds into Buttonwood Brook, and the Buttonwood Zoo. In the northwest part of the town, extending into Dartmouth, lies the Acushnet Cedar Swamp State Reservation.
At least three private ferry services originate at New Bedford. As of 2006, New England Fast Ferry company offers fast catamaran ferry service between New Bedford and Martha's Vineyard; and the Cuttyhunk Ferry Company runs scheduled ferry services to Cuttyhunk Island. Ferry service from New Bedford dates back to May 15, 1818, when the steamboat The Eagle carried 600 passengers across the Nantucket Sound.
Highways I-195 and US 6 run from east to west through the city. US 6 leaves the city toward Cape Cod over the New Bedford-Fairhaven Bridge, a swing truss bridge, and the Popes Island Bridge. New Bedford is the southern terminus of MA 140, which is a freeway from MA 24. MA 18, also known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, is a freeway for the short stretch connecting I-195 to US 6 and the port area.
The Port of New Bedford serves as a break-bulk handler of perishable items, including fruit and fish;[8] the port also handles other cargo. For 2006, the port expected upwards of 30 cruise ship calls.[9] One public and several private marinas offer limited transient dockage for recreational boats. As of November, 2005, the port is the top U.S. fishing port in terms of dollar value of catch.[10]
New Bedford Regional Airport EWB, a towered Class D airport offering two 5,000-foot (1,500 m) runways and a precision instrument landing system, is located in the central portion of the city with easy access to highways. Frequent scheduled passenger service is provided to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard by Cape Air, and scheduled cargo service to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard by Boston-Maine Airways. Charter services, including seaplane charters, are available for destinations throughout the southern New England/New York region. In addition, the airport provides a range of general aviation and corporate jet services including aircraft maintenance facilities and flight instruction.
The city bus terminal offers local and long distance bus connections. A free shuttle bus connects the bus terminal and the ferries. The Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) provides bus service between the city, Fall River, and the surrounding regions.[11] As of October, 2006, private carrier DATTCO provides daily commuter bus service to Boston via Taunton.[12] Private carrier Peter Pan Bus Lines no longer offers bus service to Boston.
The MBTA has proposed providing commuter rail service to the city.[13] As of May 14, 2006, total capital costs for commuter rail service to New Bedford were projected to be $800 million, and the project has not yet been funded by the state; which is still reeling financially from the financial excesses of the Big Dig project in Boston.[14] CSX Transportation (formerly Conrail) provides freight rail service to New Bedford, terminating at the New Bedford Rail Yard in the port area.[15]
As of April 6, 2007, Governor Deval Patrick has proposed a 1.6 billion dollar plan to bring commuter rail service to New Bedford and Fall River.