Welcome to New Bedford ...
The coastal city of New Bedford is located in Bristol County<1>.
New Bedford was settled in 1640.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, New Bedford has a population of 95,432 people<2> (see below for details).
The community of New Bedford is 70 feet [21 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: New Bedford lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Telephone area codes for New Bedford: (508) and (774)<4>
The ZIP codes for New Bedford: 02740-02742, 02744-02746<5>
Websites for New Bedford ...
Official Website: www.ci.new-bedford.ma.us/
Chamber of Commerce: www.newbedfordchamber.com/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, New Bedford had an population of 95,432 people. This is an increase of 0.38% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 1.77% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, New Bedford had a population of 95,072 people (or 17.34% of the total population of Bristol County). This makes New Bedford the county's most populous community.
The population of New Bedford represents 1.45% of the total population of Massachusetts (which has 6,547,629 people), making it the state's 6th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 95,072 people, the population of New Bedford increased 1.39% from the 2000 Census (with a count of 93,768 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for New Bedford.
Communities Also Named New Bedford ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 6 communities that are also named New Bedford - they are located in Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey, Ohio (2) and Pennsylvania.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for New Bedford.
Communities near New Bedford ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near New Bedford.
- Fall River
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Fall River
- Fall River is located in Bristol County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 89,792 people
- Falmouth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Falmouth
- Falmouth is located in Barnstable County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 31,107 people
- Middleborough
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middleborough
- Middleborough is located in Plymouth County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,722 people
- Wareham
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northeast) - Bristol
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west) - Bourne
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast) - Somerset
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Somerset
- Somerset is located in Bristol County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 18,144 people
- Portsmouth
(17 miles [27.4 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Portsmouth have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portsmouth
- Portsmouth is located in Newport County (RI)
- Population from the 2020 Census: 17,108 people
- Swansea
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northwest) - Westport
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the southwest)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around New Bedford. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for New Bedford.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of New Bedford. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around New Bedford.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around New Bedford. Our list includes 89 papers. See our Newspapers Page for New Bedford.
Adding New Bedford to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of New Bedford in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for New Bedford was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the New Bedford post office opened in 1792.
We also found New Bedford in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (1803).
For more details, see References and Mentions for New Bedford.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for New Bedford: www.ci.new-bedford.ma.us/
The official website for State of Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Massachusetts' counties, including Bristol, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for New Bedford. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around New Bedford - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | Area code (774) is an overlay for area code (508). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as New Bedford). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether New Bedford or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for New Bedford includes: 02740, 2741, 02744, 2745 & 02746. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |