Buzzards Bay · MA
New Bedford
The Whaling City, still America's most valuable fishing port.
- Population
- 101,079 (2020 census)
- Whaling peak
- 1857: 329 ships
- Scallops
- 84% of the catch value
Then
- 1838–1841
Frederick Douglass lives here after escaping slavery.
- 1851
Herman Melville, once a whaler from New Bedford, publishes Moby-Dick, which opens here.
- 1857
At the height of whaling, 329 ships fill the harbor, making New Bedford the richest city per capita in North America.
- 1960s
A two-mile hurricane barrier is built to protect the inner harbor.
- 1999–2019
New Bedford is the most valuable commercial fishing port in the country, mostly on scallops.
Now
New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park preserves the old waterfront. About a third of residents are of Portuguese descent.
This stretch covers Buzzards Bay, from Westport and Clarks Point to the Elizabeth Islands and West Falmouth.
14 tide stations around New Bedford
- New Bedford Harbor, Marine Terminal1.5 mi
- Clarks Point3.5 mi
- Mattapoisett, Mattapoisett Harbor6.4 mi
- Round Hill Point6.8 mi
- Marion, Sippican Harbor10.1 mi
- Piney Point11.8 mi
- Great Hill12.5 mi
- Penikese Island12.9 mi
- Quicks Hole, North side13.6 mi
- Cuttyhunk14.6 mi
Show all 14 stations
- Monument Beach17.3 mi
- Gray Gables17.4 mi
- Poponesset Island, Poponesset Bay24.6 mi
- Cotuit Highlands25.8 mi