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140-645: Dighton is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts , United States. The population was 8,101 at the 2020 census. The town is located on the western shore of the Taunton River in the southeastern part of the state. Dighton's location has long made it a crossroads for travel. The "Old Bristol Path" took early settlers from the Pilgrim settlement in Plymouth, Massachusetts to Bristol, Rhode Island ,

280-565: A Seventh-day Adventist school serving students from grades Pre-K–10; and the Pinecroft School serving students from K–5. The town is full of winding, country roads. The longest state routes through town, U.S. Route 44 and Massachusetts Route 118 , intersect near the center of town. U.S. Route 6 and Interstate 195 run through the southwest corner of town for approximately 0.7 and 1.5 miles (2.4 km), respectively. Exit 2 off I-195 (" Route 136 / Warren, R.I. – Newport, R.I. ")

420-725: A CDP which is coextensive with the entire town. CDPs are only recognized within towns, not cities. Because the primary role of CDPs is to establish "place" data for communities located in unincorporated areas, a CDP cannot be within an incorporated place. Since the Census Bureau recognizes New England cities as incorporated places, a CDP cannot be within a city. Data users from outside New England should be aware that New Englanders usually think in terms of entire towns (i.e., MCD data), making CDP data of marginal local interest. Since virtually all territory in New England outside of Maine

560-461: A borough or city can span more than one town. In practice, though, most cities in Connecticut today do not function any differently from their counterparts elsewhere in New England. See the section below on boroughs and villages for more background on this topic. There are far fewer cities in New England than there are towns, although cities are more common in heavily built-up areas, and most of

700-484: A borough, a city can cover only a portion of a town rather than being coextensive with the town. This is rare today—only one or two examples remain—but it was more common in the past. At least one borough historically spanned more than one town: the borough of Danielsonville originally laid over parts of Killingly and Brooklyn , until the Brooklyn portion petitioned to be reorganized as a fire district and concurrently

840-529: A city, it is coextensive and consolidated with the Town of Hartford; governed by a single governmental entity with the powers and responsibilities of the Town being carried out by the entity referred to as the City of Hartford. In legal theory though not in current practice Connecticut cities and boroughs could be coextensive (covering the same geography as the town) without being consolidated (a single government); also

980-420: A fair number of unincorporated, named communities that lie within the incorporated territory of a municipality. Connecticut is one of two New England states to have any type of incorporated general-purpose municipality below the town level, namely incorporated boroughs (Vermont has incorporated villages). There are nine remaining in the state, with one, Naugatuck , having consolidated with the town. Additionally,

1120-456: A few cases in Maine where a township or gore does not border any other unorganized land, it is treated as its own MCD rather than being folded into a larger UT. In theory, a CDP could probably be defined within an MCD representing an unorganized area. Due to the extremely sparse population in most such areas, however, there are few if any cases in which the Census Bureau has actually done so. For

1260-497: A historical example in New Hampshire, see Plantation number four . Most areas of New England never developed municipal forms based on the compact populated place concept. This contrasts with states with civil townships, which typically have extensive networks of villages or boroughs that carve out or overlay the townships. Two of the New England states do have general-purpose municipalities of this type, however, to at least

1400-407: A household in the town was $ 65,373, and the median income for a family was $ 71,992. Males had a median income of $ 45,557 versus $ 32,445 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 26,467. About 2.1% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 7.4% of those age 65 or over. The Rehoboth Antiquarian Society (RAS) operates both

1540-470: A limited extent. Connecticut has incorporated boroughs , and Vermont has incorporated villages . Such areas remain a part of their parent town, but assume some responsibilities for municipal services within their boundaries. In both states, they are typically regarded as less important than towns, and both seem to be in decline as institutions. In recent decades, many boroughs and villages have disincorporated, reverting to full town control. The term "village"

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1680-478: A list of all New England towns and other town-level municipalities, see the following articles: Note: All population statistics are from the 2020 United States census . Connecticut contains 169 incorporated towns. Put into terms that are equivalent to the other New England states, 20 are cities/boroughs and 149 are towns. (As discussed in the Cities section of Other types of municipalities in New England above,

1820-461: A normal-sized town, these areas were known by a variety of names, including gores , grants, locations, purchases, surpluses, and strips. Sometimes these areas were not included in any town due to survey errors (which is the technical meaning of the term "gore"). Sometimes they represent small areas that were left over when a particular region was carved into towns, not large enough to be a town on their own. Some appear to have simply been granted outside

1960-568: A part of a town — within Barnstable, the seven villages correspond to districts for fire, water, sewer and elementary schooling, for instance. (In Maine and New Hampshire, the term "village corporation" is used for a type of special-purpose district.) Many villages also are recognized as places by the United States Postal Service (some villages have their own post offices , with their names used in mailing addresses) or

2100-527: A particular municipality. All municipalities titled as cities are classified as incorporated places, even if their population-distribution pattern is no different from that of a typical town; towns are never classified as incorporated places, even if they are thoroughly built up. The ambiguity over whether certain municipalities in Massachusetts should be classified as cities or towns, and the Census Bureau's inconsistent handling of these municipalities (see

2240-608: A regional vocational school system, the closest one being Bristol-Plymouth Regional Technical School , located in Taunton, Massachusetts . Dighton is served by the Dighton Public Library. As of December 2009, the Library Director was Jocelyn Tavares. New England town Towns date back to the time of the earliest English colonial settlement , which predominated in New England, and they pre-date

2380-413: A result, Maine has developed more of an infrastructure for administration of unincorporated and unorganized areas than the other New England states. The existence of this fallback probably explains why Maine has had significantly more towns disincorporated over the years than any other New England state. There have been numerous instances of towns in Maine disincorporating despite populations that numbered in

2520-521: A similar purpose to MCDs in other states in terms of governmental function or civic-identity importance. New England towns are classified as MCDs not because they are not "incorporated" but rather the data that the census gathers on places is analyzed based on different models (those of compact settled places and open rural places) that is not well represented by the New England Town system of organization. In order to better fit their own purposes,

2660-568: A single streetcar line ran through the town; the Providence and Taunton Street Railway began interurban trolley service in 1891 along what is now U.S. Route 44 (referred as the Providence-Taunton Line). The line diverted into a forested area and crossed Bay State Road north of the intersection with Moulton Street (a site known as Nichol's Crossing) in order to serve Rehoboth Village. The service would later be operated by

2800-412: A single compact populated place. Plantations in Maine are similarly classified as MCDs. That New England towns serve, in essence, the same function as incorporated places in other states, but are not treated as incorporated places by the Census Bureau, can be a source of confusion. The Census classifications should not be understood to imply that New England towns are not incorporated, or necessarily serve

2940-466: A teacher for the settlement's children. Church and government were closely tied in early colonial villages, so the word 'public' refers instead to access to education by all children in the community, not just those of wealthy parents. Another town landmark is related to education: The historic Hornbine School , built in 1845, is located in the southeast corner of town and is open to the public for visiting and educational purposes from May to September. For

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3080-488: A total area of 46.8 square miles (121 km ), of which 46.5 square miles (120 km ) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km ), or 0.60%, is water. Much of the land is hilly and swampy, with most of its brooks and swamps feeding into the Palmer River , which empties into Narragansett Bay to the south. Rehoboth shares its entire western border with Seekonk . It is also bordered by Attleboro and Norton to

3220-423: A town and a city have become blurred. Since the early 20th century, towns have been allowed to modify the town meeting form of government in various ways (e.g., representative town meeting , adding a town manager ). In recent decades, some towns have adopted what effectively amount to city forms of government, although they still refer to themselves as towns. As a practical matter, one municipality that calls itself

3360-719: A town and another that calls itself a city may have exactly the same governmental structure. With these changes in town government, a reluctance to adopt the title of city seems to have developed, and few towns have officially done so since the early 20th century. In Massachusetts, nine municipalities ( Agawam , Barnstable , Braintree , Franklin , Palmer , Randolph , Southbridge , West Springfield and Weymouth ) have adopted Mayor-Council or Council-Manager forms of government in their home rule charters, and are therefore considered to be legally cities, but nevertheless continue to call themselves "towns". They are sometimes referred to in legislation and other legal documents as "the city known as

3500-426: A town disincorporated or a plantation surrendered its organization). The remaining eight counties contain significant amounts of unincorporated/unorganized territory. Most of these areas are in very sparsely populated regions, however. Only about 1.3% of the state's population lives in areas not part of a town, city, or plantation. (Since the 2000 Census, two towns, Madrid and Centerville, have disincorporated. Thus, at

3640-472: A town elder. At the time of incorporation, the town included land on both sides of the Taunton River, including the land of Assonet Neck, which includes Dighton Rock , a rock found in the shallows of the river which includes cryptic carvings whose origins are debated to this day. However, in 1799, that land on the east bank of the river was annexed by Berkley , thus giving that town the claim of being

3780-560: A town government. A typical town in the northern three states was laid out in a 6-by-6-mile (9.7 by 9.7 km) square. Each contained 36 sections, 1 mile (1.6 km) squares or 640 acres (260 ha). One section was reserved for the support of public schools. This was copied when the Continental Congress laid out Ohio in 1785–87. Many early towns covered very large amounts of land. Once areas had become settled, new towns were sometimes formed by breaking areas away from

3920-562: A town meeting as its legislative body; instead, a city's legislative body is an elected representative body, typically called the city council or town council or board of aldermen . City governments are typically administered by a mayor (and/or city manager ). In common speech, people often generically refer to communities of either type as "towns", drawing no distinction between the two. The presence of incorporated boroughs in Connecticut and incorporated villages in Vermont has influenced

4060-784: A transition program for special education students from 18 to 22 to continue academics and pursue vocational interests while concentrating on independent living skills. The athletics teams of Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School (the "Falcons") participate in the South Coast Conference (SCC) of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA). Sports include cheerleading, cross-country, soccer, football, volleyball, baseball, softball, basketball, golf, field hockey, indoor track, outdoor track, tennis, wrestling, lacrosse and swimming. The Dighton-Rehoboth Marching Band

4200-460: A unique type of entity called a plantation . Beneath the town level, Connecticut has incorporated boroughs , and Vermont has incorporated villages . In addition to towns, every New England state has incorporated cities. However, cities are treated in the same manner as towns under state law, differing from towns only in their form of government. Most cities are former towns that changed to a city form of government because they grew too large to have

4340-475: A very rudimentary organization that does not rise to the level of an organized general-purpose municipal government (e.g., a town clerk 's office exists for the purpose of conducting elections for state or federal offices). In general, unorganized areas fall into one of the three categories below. During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, as town boundaries were being drawn up, small areas would sometimes be left over, not included in any town. Typically smaller than

Dighton, Massachusetts - Misplaced Pages Continue

4480-499: Is Elizabeth Warren . In a typical year, Dighton, Massachusetts temperatures fall below 50 °F (10 °C) for 164 days per year. Annual precipitation is typically 47.6 inches (1,210 mm) per year (above normal for the US) and snow covers the ground 40 days per year, or 11.0% of the year (moderate in the US). It may be helpful to understand the yearly precipitation by imagining nine straight days of moderate rain per year. The humidity

4620-411: Is a historic town in Bristol County , Massachusetts , United States. Established in 1643, Rehoboth is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. The population was 12,502 at the 2020 census. Rehoboth is a mostly rural community with many historic sites, including 53 historic cemeteries. Rehoboth was established in 1643 by Walter Palmer (born 1585) and William Sabin. It was incorporated in 1645, one of

4760-599: Is a large organization of students that performs for athletic games, parades and special events such as the annual Dighton Christmas Tree Lighting and Rehoboth's Harvest Block Party. Under the direction of Joe Botelho, the band has performed several times at Walt Disney World and most recently represented the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the National Independence Day Parade in 2014. The band's travels, equipment and events are supported by

4900-412: Is an on-call department with trained firefighters. Only the fire chief is a full-time employee of the town. The Rehoboth Rescue Squad has served the community for the past 46 years and is the town's only 100% unpaid volunteer public safety organization. Rehoboth Ambulance is an independent, non-profit organization that provides vehicles, equipment, supplies and staffing stipends without direct funding from

5040-557: Is below 60% for approximately 39.8 days, or 10.9% of the year. Dighton and its neighboring town Rehoboth comprise one school district, the Dighton-Rehoboth School District . It was founded in 1987 to oversee the schools of both towns. The high school, Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School , was founded in 1958 to serve both towns. The school itself is located in North Dighton, mere yards away from

5180-475: Is held on a Sunday evening with the Sunday Night Jammers, also at Goff Memorial Hall. For those interested in history, the 13th Continental Regiment Rehoboth Minute Company, originally chartered in 1774, was recommissioned in 1992 as part of the town's 350 anniversary celebration. It was incorporated three years later as a non-profit, educational organization. The present recreated group portrays

5320-411: Is incorporated, CDPs do not really serve the same purpose as they do elsewhere; CDPs in New England invariably represent territory that is not "unincorporated", but part of a larger incorporated town. The extent to which such an area has its own distinct identity can vary, but is not usually as strong as identification with the town as a whole. There are numerous instances where the Census Bureau recognizes

5460-537: Is just south of where the interstate passes into Swansea and can be reached by Kingsley Way (which also leads into Route 136). Rehoboth is a part of the Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA), which provides bus service to towns in central Bristol and Plymouth counties. Rehoboth is one of the few towns in Massachusetts where mainline railroads were never constructed. Historically, only

5600-433: Is no area that is outside the bounds of a municipality. Using usual American terminology, there is no "unincorporated" land in Massachusetts. Of the 351 municipalities, the number that are cities and the number that are towns is a matter of some ambiguity. Depending on which source is consulted, anywhere from 39 to 53 are cities. The ambiguity is the result of questions around the legal status of municipalities that have since

5740-600: Is now Rumford, Rhode Island . They gave the roundabout a distinctive name: "The Ring of the Green." Newman Congregational Church (founded 1643, current building dates to 1810) still stands at the intersections of Pawtucket Ave, Newman Ave and Ferris Ave. The area was known as Rehoboth village. Somewhat of a celebrity, Newman's famous bible concordance (the third ever printed in English) had just been published in London. He spent

Dighton, Massachusetts - Misplaced Pages Continue

5880-510: Is one of the few states in the region that is an exception to this rule; the Massachusetts Constitution requires a town to have a population of at least 10,000 people before it can switch its government from a town meeting form to a city form. Nevertheless, even without a hard and fast population limit for city status, the practical threshold to become a city seems to be higher in the three southern New England states than in

6020-551: Is patrolled by Troop D (Southeast District), 4th Barracks (located in Middleborough) of the Massachusetts State Police . On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts's 4th congressional district , which is represented by Jake Auchincloss . The state's senators are: Ed Markey , and Elizabeth Warren . Rehoboth municipal government operates from town offices located at 340 Anawan Street;

6160-481: Is sometimes used in New England to describe a distinct, built-up place within a town or city. This may be a town center , which bears the same name as the town or city (almost every town has such a place), or a name related to that of the town, or a completely unrelated name. The town of Barnstable, Massachusetts , for example, includes the villages of Barnstable Village , West Barnstable , Centerville , Marstons Mills , Osterville , Cotuit , and Hyannis . Except for

6300-469: Is sufficiently populated to be covered by a town or a city. In colonial times, Massachusetts also used the term "plantation" for a community in a pre-town stage of development (Maine originally got the term from Massachusetts, as Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1820, when it became a state via the Missouri Compromise ). The term "plantation" had not been much used in Massachusetts since

6440-602: Is the responsibility of the town's Cable Advisory Committee and town employees. Some municipal meetings are broadcast live while others are recorded and broadcast at various times. The town owned the Gladys L. Hurrell Senior Center located on Bay State Road. The building was used for municipal meetings, private and public events, until it was destroyed in a fire in September 2020. Military veterans in Rehoboth are supported by

6580-784: Is the site of the Berkley–Dighton Bridge , originally a one-lane bridge built in the 1890s as a link between Center Street in Dighton and Elm Street in Berkley. It is the only span crossing the Taunton River between the Brightman Street Bridge between Somerset and Fall River, and the Plain Street Bridge in Taunton, a drive of 12 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (20 km) (and 4 mi or 6 km south of

6720-730: The Carpenter Museum located on Locust Street, and Blanding Free Public Library housed in Goff Memorial Hall located on Bay State Road. The RAS hosts cultural events including Arts in the Village at Goff Memorial Hall, a classical concert series featuring world-class artists. The Carpenter Museum hosts several annual events including the Folk Art & Artisans Show in November and many other events held throughout

6860-545: The Narragansetts in a second attack, destroying 42 homes, 21 barns, corn mills and a sawmill. On August 28, 1676, Captain Benjamin Church surrounded and captured Anawan, a Wampanoag sachem who had become chief upon the death of King Philip two weeks earlier. The Wampanoags had taken a position above Squannakonk Swamp to hide from the colonists. Church's capture and execution of Anawan effectively ended

7000-634: The Old Colony Street Railway and the Eastern Massachusetts Street Railway until it was replaced by buses in the late 1920s. Currently, the nearest rail service is in the adjacent city of Attleboro, where there are two stops ( South Attleboro and Attleboro ) on the MBTA's Providence/Stoughton Line . The closest small aircraft public airports are located in Taunton and Mansfield. T. F. Green Airport

7140-508: The United States Census Bureau (which recognizes some villages as census-designated places and tabulates census data for them). Towns with an example of the former, such as Richmond, Rhode Island , do not have a post office themselves, but instead use villages in town or villages in nearby towns as a mailing address. This leads to a weaker town identification in such towns, with residents more strongly identifying with

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7280-549: The United States Census Bureau does not classify New England towns as "incorporated places". They are instead classified as " minor civil divisions " (MCDs), the same category into which civil townships fall. The Census Bureau classifies New England towns in this manner because they are conceptually similar to civil townships from a geographic standpoint, typically exhibiting similar population-distribution patterns. Like civil townships, but unlike most incorporated municipalities in other states, New England towns do not usually represent

7420-438: The United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 22.6 square miles (58.5 km), of which 22.0 square miles (57.0 km) is land and 0.58 square miles (1.5 km), or 2.56%, is water. Dighton is bordered by Rehoboth to the west, Swansea to the southwest, Somerset to the south, the Taunton River and the town of Berkley to the east, and the city of Taunton to the north. In addition to being bordered by

7560-481: The West Indies . Shipbuilding started in Dighton as early as 1698. Thomas Coram built Dighton's first shipyard on the west side of the Taunton River. Shipbuilding grew into a significant industry after 1800, peaking around 1850. During 1840–1845 twenty-two schooners, two sloops, four brigs, and three barks were built in Dighton. There were also cotton mills, paper mills, manufacturers and farming concerns in

7700-446: The 1840s, and for many years prior to the 1860s Vermont had just one city. Even Massachusetts, historically New England's most populous state, did not have any cities until 1822, when Boston was granted a city form of government by the state legislature. In most of New England, population is not a determining factor for what makes a city or town, and there are many examples of towns with larger populations than nearby cities. Massachusetts

7840-717: The 18th and 19th centuries as what might be termed "future towns", but never saw enough settlement to actually commence operation of a formal town government. All three of the northern New England states also include at least one unorganized township that was once a town but has disincorporated and reverted to unorganized territory, generally due to population loss. Maine also has some unorganized townships that were once organized as plantations. Maine has significantly more unorganized territory than Vermont or New Hampshire. Fewer than 100 Vermont residents and fewer than 250 New Hampshire residents live in unorganized areas. In Maine, by contrast, about 10,000 residents live in unorganized areas. As

7980-497: The 18th century. Massachusetts also once had "districts", which served much the same purpose. They were considered to be incorporated, but lacked the full privileges of a town. On August 23, 1775, in order for more representation for the Revolutionary War, 36 towns in Massachusetts and 6 in Maine were incorporated, effectively eliminating the district meaning. Maine and Rhode Island are also known to have made limited use of

8120-457: The 1970s, through home-rule petition, adopted corporate charters approved by the state legislature with forms of government that resemble city government and do not include elements traditionally associated with town government (especially, a board of selectmen and a town meeting). Of the fourteen communities that have done so, all but three call themselves a "town" in their municipal operations, and are usually referred to by residents as "towns", but

8260-450: The 20th century, however. One late instance was the separation of Sugar Hill, New Hampshire , from the town of Lisbon in 1962. It has not taken place anywhere in New England in the last fifty years; boundary changes of any type are fairly rare. Towns are the basic building block of the New England municipality system, although several other types of municipalities also exist. Every New England state has cities . In addition, Maine also has

8400-549: The 42 municipalities that title themselves as cities are recognized as cities. This includes the 39 cities that adopted city forms of government through pre-home rule procedures. The other 309 municipalities in the state are treated as towns below. The same classification is used for identifying Massachusetts cities on the list of New England towns and its attendant pages with historical census population statistics. For further information, see this section of Massachusetts government . Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rehoboth

8540-603: The Annual 'Larry Procopio' Harvest Block Party, a free event held on the Redway Plain field off Route 44. The event was named after the late Larry Procopio, an active member of the community who first organized the yearly event. The town's historic one-room school house, the Hornbine School, is open spring and summer for visits and tours. The school, operated from 1848 to 1937, was restored in 1969 and now belongs to

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8680-478: The CDP. At the same time, not all built-up places with significant populations are recognized as CDPs. The Census Bureau has historically recognized relatively few CDPs within urbanized areas in particular. Many towns located in such areas do not contain any recognized CDPs and will thus be completely absent from Census materials presenting the population of "places". Greenwich, Connecticut, is one prominent example. While

8820-410: The Census Bureau, can be another source of confusion. The Census classifications should not be understood to imply that cities are incorporated but towns are not, or that cities and towns represent two fundamentally different types of entities. The Census classifies New England municipalities strictly based on whether they are towns or cities, with no regard to the actual population-distribution pattern in

8960-452: The Census only counts cities and certain fully urbanized towns as "places" in its categorization. In other towns, those with small built-up central villages, the Census designates one or more census-designated places (CDPs) and considers all other land to be parts of "minor civil divisions". This classification is done only for the Census's own data analysis, and otherwise has no connection to

9100-503: The Friends of D-R Marching Band, a group of parents that conduct fundraising efforts throughout the year. The school district has a cooperative agreement with Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical School for those high school students wishing to attend a vocational-technical school. Rehoboth students may also elect to attend Bristol County Agricultural High School in Dighton. Rehoboth has two private elementary schools: Cedar Brook School,

9240-527: The Killingly portion was renamed Danielson by the General Assembly. There are no legal restrictions in Connecticut that would prevent a city or borough today from similarly overlaying the territory of more than one town, provided it is not consolidated with one of the underlying towns. Cities actually developed earlier in Connecticut than in the other New England states, and were originally based on

9380-580: The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's Office considers all fourteen to be legally cities. Other sources within state government often refer to all fourteen municipalities as towns, however. The U.S. Census Bureau listed all as towns through the 1990 Census. For the 2000 Census, some were listed by the Federal government as towns and some as cities, a situation that continues in Census materials since 2000. Massachusetts appears to be

9520-597: The Native Americans. Peck's son was fined fifty shillings for making continuous sexual advances toward the maid. Peck died in Rehoboth in 1697. These tracts of land Peck willed to his son Samuel, who served as Deputy to the General Court at Plymouth, as well as the first representative from the town of Rehoboth after the Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts were united. The family continued to live in

9660-510: The Plain Street Bridge). In 2010, the old bridge was demolished and a temporary bridge handled traffic as a new bridge was built. In August 2015 a new two-lane bridge opened to traffic. Dighton's localities are Chestnut Tree Corner, Dighton, Dighton Rock State Park , North Dighton, Segreganset, South Dighton and Wheeler's Corner. As of the census of 2000, there were 6,175 people, 2,201 households, and 1,718 families residing in

9800-717: The Rehoboth Cultural Council, an affiliate of the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Members of the council, although appointed by town selectmen, operate independently from town government and award grants on a yearly basis with funds allotted by the state organization. Several non-profit organizations based in Rehoboth provide resources or cultural events. The Rehoboth Country Dance Society, founded in 1981, holds public contra dances with acclaimed musicians and callers at least twice monthly at Goff Memorial Hall. A monthly community dance

9940-525: The Rehoboth town line. Its athletics teams are known as the Falcons, and its colors are green and gold. The Dighton Middle and Elementary Schools are located near the corner of Center Street and Somerset Avenue ( Route 138 ) at the center of town. The town is also the home of Bristol County Agricultural High School . The school operates a large farm along the banks of the Taunton River at its Center Street location. The town does not have any affiliation with

10080-472: The Statistics and Superlatives section below), further blurs matters. To fill in some of the "place" data, the Census Bureau sometimes recognizes census-designated places (CDPs) within New England towns. These often correspond to town centers or other villages, although not all such areas are recognized as CDPs. In cases where a town is entirely or almost entirely built-up, the Census sometimes recognizes

10220-577: The Taunton River, it also is bordered by the Three Mile River , a tributary which empties into the Taunton along the northeast border of town. The town is also crossed by the Segreganset River , another tributary of the Taunton which flows through the center of town, as well as several smaller brooks. The highest point in the town is in its northwest corner, where the elevation rises above 236 feet (72 m) above sea level. Dighton

10360-511: The Taunton River, was created as an Eagle Scout project by a young resident in honor of the town's tricentennial in 2012. Dighton is governed by an open town meeting led by a board of selectmen . Currently serving on the Board of Selectmen are: Leonard Hull (Chairman), Peter Caron (Clerk), and Nicole Mello. The town has a central police station along Route 138 by the banks of the Segreganset River , separate post offices and fire departments near

10500-517: The Town of ..." Greenfield, in December 2017, dropped the "town" designation, which some called "embarrassing" and which legislators said made paperwork more difficult. Common parlance labeling a community a "city" or a "town" may have more to do with its current size, whether its current size or its historical size and reputation. In addition to towns and cities, Maine has a third type of town-like municipality not found in any other New England state,

10640-527: The Town of Greenwich appears in MCD materials, the Census Bureau does not recognize Greenwich as a "place". In New Hampshire and Vermont, the Census Bureau treats each individual unorganized entity (township, gore, grant, etc.) as an MCD. In Maine, it seems, due to the extent of unorganized area, the Census Bureau typically lumps contiguous townships, gores, and the like together into larger units called "unorganized territories" (UTs), which are then treated as MCDs. In

10780-611: The U.S., except that it uses the town as its basic unit rather than the county. Even though the Census Bureau does not treat New England towns as "incorporated places", it does classify cities in New England as such. The rationale behind this is that cities are likely to be more thoroughly built-up and therefore more readily comparable to cities in other states than towns are. Boroughs in Connecticut and incorporated villages in Vermont are also treated as incorporated places. That New England states, in general, regard cities and towns on equal footing, yet they are handled in two different ways by

10920-564: The US Census Bureau treats Groton Long Point as a borough, as an act of the state legislature gives it the same powers as a borough, although it has never formally organized as one. They were once more numerous. Many of those that remain are very small. Connecticut also has at least one remaining city ( Groton ) that is within, but not coextensive with, its parent town . A second non-coextensive city, Winsted , still exists on paper, but its government has been consolidated with that of

11060-476: The actual organization or legal status of New England towns. The census bureau does uniquely recognize towns, however, in that it classifies metropolitan areas in New England on the basis of town boundaries rather than county boundaries as it does in other parts of the U.S. Unique to New England is the New England city and town area , which is analogous to Metropolitan Statistical Areas in other parts of

11200-411: The area through the twentieth century. Today's Pecks Corner in Rehoboth is named for this early Puritan family. Rehoboth was a significant site during King Philip's War . On June 30, 1675, King Philip led a small force in a surprise attack against the undefended settlement, killing settlers, burning houses, and causing residents to live in constant fear of attack. On March 28, 1676, Canonchet led

11340-405: The average family size was 3.17. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.1% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males. The median income for a household in the town

11480-505: The borough concept. At one time, all cities were non-coextensive; the practice of making cities coextensive with their towns was a later adaptation intended to mimic the city concept that had emerged in the other New England states. Over time, many non-coextensive cities have expanded to become coextensive with their parent town. As with boroughs, many have also disincorporated and reverted to full town control. These two trends have combined to make non-coextensive cities very rare in recent times;

11620-653: The boundary with New York State , housing the Stratford Shoal Light , is not part of any town and is administered directly by the United States Coast Guard . In general, inhabited minor off-shore islands are administered as part of a nearby town and in some cases, are their own independent towns, such as the town of Gosnold , Massachusetts, which encompasses the Elizabeth Islands . Unlike municipalities in most other states,

11760-415: The built-up area around a town center as a CDP, resulting in a CDP that bears the same name as the town. In these cases, data for the CDP is, in general, meaningless to local residents, who seldom draw any particular distinction between the built-up area around the town center and outlying areas of the town. A local source citing data for such a community will almost always use the data for the entire town, not

11900-504: The campaigns in southeastern Massachusetts of King Philip's War . Anawan Rock , a large puddingstone , still marks the location. Although a desolate place at the time, the rock is not far off modern-day Route 44 . Rehoboth is the birthplace of public education in North America . Upon incorporation, members of the Rehoboth community and Newman Church (in present-day East Providence, Rhode Island) elected to collect funds to pay

12040-579: The center of town and North Dighton, and the Dighton Public Library at the center of town. Dighton has a conservation area and a small park next to the town hall near the intersection of Center Street and Route 138. Dighton is located in the Fifth Bristol state representative district, which includes Somerset and parts of Swansea and Taunton. The town is represented in the state senate in the First Plymouth and Bristol district, which includes

12180-492: The development of counties in the region. Areas were organized as towns as they were settled, throughout the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Town boundaries were not usually laid out on any kind of regular grid, but were drawn to reflect local settlement and transportation patterns, often affected by natural features. In early colonial times, recognition of towns was very informal, generally connected to local church divisions. By 1700, colonial governments had become more involved in

12320-434: The district concept. Districts have not been at all common since the first half of the 19th century, and there have not been any districts anywhere in New England in over a century. Maine is the only New England state that currently has a significant amount of territory that is not sufficiently populated to support town governments; thus, it is the only New England state that still needs the plantation type of municipality. For

12460-673: The earliest Massachusetts towns to incorporate. The town is named for the Hebrew word for "enlargement," (Broad Places) signifying the space settlers enjoyed (God has given us room). Early Rehoboth, known as Old Rehoboth, included all of what is now Seekonk , Massachusetts , and East Providence , Rhode Island , as well as parts of the nearby communities of Attleboro , North Attleborough , Swansea , and Somerset in Massachusetts, and Barrington , Bristol , Warren , Pawtucket , Cumberland , and Woonsocket in Rhode Island . The town

12600-473: The enclosed squares. People then place bets on the square that they believe will be defecated on first by one of the cows. Sweets Knoll State Park is a fifty-six acre park located in Dighton. It was purchased in June 2009, and includes two miles of old railroad bed which may be adapted into a walking and biking path, picnic areas, a small boat launch, and fishing. Tricentennial Park, a small waterfront park along

12740-458: The event. Every June a traveling carnival comes and sets up behind the Town Hall. Fireworks have been a recent addition to the festival. There are rides and a carnival mid-way along with food, musical performances, a lawn tractor pull, woodsman competition pony rides and the chicken BBQ. The name was given to it because they set up squares on the field behind the town hall. They place cows out on

12880-400: The evolution of cities in those states. In Connecticut in particular, the historical development of cities was quite different from in the other New England states, and at least technically, the relationship between towns and cities is today different from elsewhere in New England. Just as boroughs in Connecticut overlay towns, so do cities; for example, while Hartford is commonly thought of as

13020-490: The exception rather than the rule in the New England system, and the number of New England residents who live in them is extremely small in comparison to those who live in towns and cities, even in Maine. Most such areas are located in very sparsely populated regions. Much of the barely inhabited interior of Maine is unorganized, for example. The majority of the unincorporated areas in New Hampshire are in Coos County , and

13160-615: The founder of Rehoboth. The Rehoboth Carpenter family was one of the founding families. Among the earliest purchasers of the land that is now Rehoboth and nearby communities was the Peck family , who came from nearby Hingham, Massachusetts, initially. Joseph Peck, the brother of the Rev. Robert Peck,[4] the disaffected Puritan who had fled his Hingham church in England, after the crackdown by Archbishop Laud, had purchased sizable tracts of lands from

13300-431: The home of Massasoit. A ferry took travelers across the Taunton River. Later, a stage coach ran through Dighton, connecting Taunton and Bristol. Dighton was also along the route between Fall River and Taunton. Dighton was originally part of Taunton 's South Purchase and other surrounding towns. It was separated in 1672, officially incorporated in 1712. It was named for Frances Dighton Williams, wife of Richard Williams,

13440-592: The home of the rock. In 1765, shortly after the renewal of the Molasses Act , Dighton's wharves were the site of the "Molasses Affair," a protest of British taxes on molasses similar to the more famous Boston Tea Party . A local ship reported a cargo of 63 casks of molasses to the British custom officials, but the ship actually contained double that number. The customs official ordered the ship's cargo impounded while he departed for Newport for assistance. While he

13580-805: The hundreds. While these were not large communities, they were large enough to realistically operate a town government if they wanted to, but simply elected not to. In Vermont and New Hampshire, disincorporation has, in general, not been brought up for discussion unless a town's population has approached single digits. In general, coastal waters in the New England states are administered directly by either state or federal agencies and are not part of any town. Several towns, however, have chosen to include all or part of their corresponding coastal waters in their territory. Coastal waters include human-made structures built within them. In Connecticut, for example, an artificial, uninhabited island in Long Island Sound at

13720-490: The incorporated villages in Vermont, these "villages" are not incorporated municipalities and should not be understood as such. Towns do sometimes grant a certain measure of recognition to such areas, using highway signs that identify them as "villages", for example. These informal "villages" also sometimes correspond to underlying special-purpose districts such as fire or water districts, which are separately incorporated quasi-municipal entities that provide specific services within

13860-535: The land and building was purchased for $ 995,000 after voters approved a warrant article in May 2021, with offices relocated to the structure shortly thereafter. The former town hall complex was located in a one-story building on Peck Street, previously a Project Nike site, which is now used for storage. Municipal government is overseen by a five-member board of selectmen and a town administrator. Residents may vote on town governing issues at town meetings which are held in

14000-464: The largest municipalities in the region are titled as cities. Across New England as a whole, only about 5% of all incorporated municipalities are cities. Cities are more common in the three southern New England states, which are much more densely populated, than they are in the three northern New England states. In early colonial times, all incorporated municipalities in New England were towns; there were no cities. Springfield, Massachusetts , for instance,

14140-484: The late 18th century, and Massachusetts was almost completely covered early in the 19th century. By 1850, the only New England state that still had large unincorporated areas was Maine ; by the end of the 19th century, most areas in Maine that could realistically be settled had been organized into towns. Early town organization in Vermont and much of New Hampshire proceeded in a somewhat different manner from that of

14280-618: The majority of the unincorporated areas in Vermont are in Essex County . Two additional counties in New Hampshire and three additional counties in Vermont contain smaller amounts of unincorporated territory. In Maine, eight of the state's sixteen counties contain significant amounts of unorganized territory (in essence, those counties in the northern and interior parts of the state). Four other counties contain smaller amounts. Most of these areas have no local government at all; indeed, some have no permanent population whatsoever. Some areas have

14420-544: The next few years revising the concordance with a second edition published in 1650 that includes on the title page, "By Samuel Newman, now teacher of the Church at Rehoboth in New England." According to legend, he worked on the revisions by burning pine knots instead of candles. The concordance, later called the Cambridge Concordance, was reprinted as late as 1889, almost 250 years after it was first published by

14560-496: The north, Taunton and Dighton to the east, and Swansea to the south and southeast. Rehoboth's localities are Four Corners, Hornbine, Kingmans Corner, North Rehoboth, Pecks Corner, Perrys Corner, Perryville, Rehoboth Village, South Rehoboth and Anawan Rock. The town is located 11 miles (18 km) east of Providence , Rhode Island and 50 miles (80 km) south of Boston . As of the census of 2000, there were 10,172 people, 3,523 households, and 2,871 families residing in

14700-453: The official establishment of new towns. Towns were typically governed by a town meeting form of government, as many still are today. Towns originally were the only form of incorporated municipality in New England. The city form of government was not introduced until much later. Boston , for instance, was a town for the first two centuries of its existence. The entire land areas of Connecticut and Rhode Island had been divided into towns by

14840-443: The only New England state where this issue has arisen, though other New England states also have municipalities that have adopted what amounts to city forms of government but continue to call themselves "towns". In the other New England states, it does not appear that any need to officially label such municipalities as "cities" has been identified. For purposes of determining the "largest town" and "smallest city", in this article, only

14980-530: The only one currently incorporated is the city of Groton , located in the southwestern part of the town of Groton, Connecticut . In Vermont, if a village becomes a city, it does not continue to overlay its parent town, but breaks away and becomes a completely separate municipality. Most cities in Vermont today are actually former villages rather than former towns, and are much smaller than a typical town in terms of land area. The above process has created several instances where there are adjacent towns and cities with

15120-400: The original 1774 unit in civilian dress, accoutrements and firearms. Men, women and children participate in the unit as musketmen, drummers, fifers and assorted characters. The well-known group of re-enactors are invited to participate in parades, ceremonies, encampments, and battle re-enactments, as well as visiting schools throughout the region. Each September, the town events committee hosts

15260-411: The original existing towns. This was an especially common practice during the 18th and early 19th centuries. More heavily populated areas were often subdivided on multiple occasions. As a result, towns and cities in urbanized areas are often smaller in terms of land area than an average town in a rural area. Formation of new towns in this manner slowed in the later part of the 19th century and early part of

15400-419: The other New England states. In these areas, towns were often "chartered" long before any settlers moved into a particular area. This was very common in the mid to late 18th century—although there were towns which predated that period and were not part of this process in southeastern New Hampshire, such as Exeter . Once there were enough residents in a town to formally organize a town government, no further action

15540-524: The plantation. A plantation is, in essence, a town-like community that does not have enough population to require full town government or services. Plantations are organized at the county level and typically found in sparsely populated areas. There is no bright-line population divider between a town and a plantation, but no plantation currently has any more than about 300 residents. Plantations are considered to be "organized" but not "incorporated." Not all counties have them; in some southern counties, all territory

15680-408: The population. There were 2,201 households, out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.5% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.9% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and

15820-453: The population. The leading ancestries reported by Rehoboth residents are 17% Irish, 17% English, 16% Portuguese and 11% French. There were 3,523 households, out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.5% were non-families. Of all households, 14.1% were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who

15960-421: The relationship between towns and cities in Connecticut is different from the other New England states, at least on paper; thus, in the technical sense, all 169 of the above municipalities are really towns, with 20 overlaid by a coextensive city or borough of the same name.) Together, these 169 municipalities cover the entire state. There is no unincorporated territory, but, as in all New England states, there are

16100-439: The remaining 32 are organized as plantations. These 485 organized municipalities together cover much of, but not all of, the state's territory. Of Maine's sixteen counties, only four are entirely incorporated. Four other counties are almost entirely incorporated, but include small amounts of unincorporated/unorganized territory (three of these four counties were entirely incorporated or organized at one time, but lost that status when

16240-506: The same name. In all cases, the city was originally the "town center" of the town, but later incorporated as a city and became a separate municipality. All three of the northern New England states ( Vermont , New Hampshire , and Maine ) contain some areas that are unincorporated and unorganized, not part of any town, city or plantation. Maine has significantly more such area than the other two states. While these areas do exist, their importance should not be overstated. They are certainly

16380-400: The spring and fall. The current board of selectmen consists of: Frederick "Skip" Vadnais (chair), Michael Diegnan and George Solas with two vacant seats. The town has a central police and fire station (Public Safety Building) on Anawan Street (Route 118). There are two additional fire stations: North Station (#2) located on Tremont Street; South Station (#3) located on Pleasant Street. The RFD

16520-457: The three northern New England states. In Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, almost every city has at least 10,000 people, and all but a few have at least 20,000. In Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, however, there are a number of cities with fewer than 10,000 people, and there are five (three in Maine and two in Vermont) with fewer than 5,000. Over time, some of the distinctions between

16660-399: The time of the 2000 Census, Maine had 22 cities, 434 towns, and 34 plantations, for a total of 490 organized municipalities. Also since the 2010 Census, Sanford adopted a new charter that included designation as a city.) Massachusetts contains 351 municipal corporations, consisting of cities and towns. These 351 municipalities together encompass the entire territory of Massachusetts; there

16800-701: The town (see "History" for more details). The Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District was formed in 1958 and expanded to include all schools in both Rehoboth and neighboring Dighton. Rehoboth schools include Palmer River Elementary School on Winthrop Street (Route 44) and D. L. Beckwith Middle School, adjacent to the elementary school. Both schools offer special education to students with an Individualized Education Program . The Rehoboth Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA) serves both students of both schools. Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School , located in North Dighton, provides AP, Honors, college preparatory and career-technical education (CTE). The school also supports

16940-486: The town council voted in favor of the Articles of Confederation . As it was located at the beginning of the tidewater of the river, Dighton was a shipbuilding community, and even had status as a port of call . North of Dighton the Taunton River becomes too shallow for ships to navigate, and this, along with its centralized location, allowed Dighton to become a shipping hub for southeastern Massachusetts. In 1789 Dighton

17080-444: The town of Winchester for many years, making it more of a special-purpose district than a true municipality. Winsted is no longer recognized by the Census Bureau as an incorporated place, although data is tabulated for a Census Designated Place that is coextensive with that of the original city. As of the 2020 census, Maine contains 485 organized municipalities, of which 23 are incorporated as cities, 430 are incorporated as towns, and

17220-610: The town under the jurisdiction of the historical commission, and tended carefully by the non-profit Horbine School Association. The town is part of the Fourth Bristol state representative district, including Seekonk and parts of Swansea and Norton. In the state senate, the town is part of the Bristol and Norfolk district, which includes part of the city of Attleboro and all or part of the towns of Dover, Foxborough, Mansfield, Medfield, Norton, Seekonk, Sharon and Walpole. Rehoboth

17360-407: The town's 350th anniversary in 1992, the town conducted a promotional "take back" of the communities that were once the original Rehoboth. With encouragement from musket-bearing members of the 13th Continental Regiment, Rehoboth Minutemen, other towns and cities ceremonially 'returned' their land for the duration of the anniversary year celebration. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the town has

17500-493: The town's Veterans Services Department located at the town office. The Veteran's agent Jake Kramer works with veterans of all ages to help them access services. In 2012, residents voted at town meeting to adopt provisions of the Massachusetts Valor Act so that local veterans can perform municipal work to offset their property tax bills. Rehoboth's educational system can be traced back to the earliest days of

17640-603: The town. In cases of emergency or disaster, the Rehoboth Emergency Management Agency (REMA) coordinates efforts of all the public safety entities. The Highway Department and Forestry service is located down the road from police/fire headquarters. An additional town-owned building, located on Anawan Street, houses Rehoboth Community TV, the local public access cable television service. Operation of public programming on three channels (Government Channel 9, Education Channel 15 and Public Channel 98)

17780-425: The town. The population density was 218.8 inhabitants per square mile (84.5/km ). There were 3,597 housing units at an average density of 77.4 per square mile (29.9/km ). The racial makeup of the town was 97.70% White , 0.35% African American , 0.30% Native American , 0.52% Asian , 0.01% Pacific Islander , 0.26% from other races , and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.50% of

17920-425: The town. The population density was 275.9 inhabitants per square mile (106.5/km). There were 2,280 housing units at an average density of 101.9 per square mile (39.3/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.80% White , 0.53% African American , 0.19% Native American , 0.49% Asian , 0.02% Pacific Islander , 0.28% from other races , and 0.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of

18060-495: The town. From before the Civil War to at least 1912, the town was regionally known for its strawberry farms. With time, however, many of these industries left, leaving the town as a rural suburban community with some small farms. In 2012, Dighton celebrated its Tricentennial with town selectmen donning historic costumes and crossing the Taunton River to Ferry Landing. Afterwards they held a ceremony at Founders Hall. According to

18200-557: The towns of Berkley, Bridgewater, Carver, Marion, Middleborough, Raynham, Taunton and Wareham. Dighton is patrolled by the Middleboro Barracks (D4) of the Massachusetts State Police. On the national level, the town is part of Massachusetts Congressional District 4, which is represented by Jake Auchincloss . The state's junior (Class I) Senator is Ed Markey and the state's senior (Class II) Senator

18340-621: The usual town structure, sometimes in areas where it was probably not contemplated that towns would ever develop. Over time, those located in more populated areas were, in general, annexed to neighboring towns or incorporated as towns in their own right. No such areas exist today in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, but some remain in New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. All three of the northern New England states contain some town-sized unorganized entities, referred to as "unorganized townships" (sometimes, just "townships") or "unorganized towns". Most of these are areas that were drawn up on maps in

18480-451: The village they live in. However, villages or CDPs have no existence as general-purpose municipalities separate from the town (if they even have any legal existence at all), and are usually regarded by local residents as a part of the town in which they are located, less important than the whole. It is possible for a Connecticut borough or Vermont village to become a city. In Connecticut, cities overlay towns just as boroughs do, and, just like

18620-754: The year. In 2013, the museum was awarded the Gold Star Award by the Massachusetts Cultural Council for their 2012 multi-event cultural program, "Remembering Rehoboth School Days." The antiquarian society hosts a yearly Clam Bake each summer, a traditional that began in 1884, behind Goff Memorial Hall. Blanding Free Public Library hosts events and programs for children and adults throughout the year. The Blanding Book Club meets monthly. Programs are offered for children, from pre-schoolers up, including reading, arts/crafts, summer programs, performances, visiting exhibits and other special events. Many cultural events held in Rehoboth are supported in part by grants from

18760-469: Was $ 58,600, and the median income for a family was $ 64,792. Males had a median income of $ 41,427 versus $ 28,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 22,600. About 1.0% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over. Dighton is home of the Cow Chip Festival. The Dighton Lions Club hosts

18900-452: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.20. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.2% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 28.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.2 males. The median income for

19040-519: Was and still is a site of a crossroads which help to serve Taunton , Providence , Fall River and points to the north. One of the founding fathers of Rehoboth was Samuel Newman , a clergyman from Weymouth, Massachusetts who moved to the Seconet area near to Little Compton in the Plymouth Colony . Samuel Newman and his followers migrated north and established a huge town common in what

19180-505: Was gone, forty local men with blackened faces stole the cargo, ran the ship aground, and drilled holes in the hull to protest British tax policies. During the time of the American Revolutionary War , Dighton gave refuge to several refugees from Newport, Rhode Island who had fled the British occupation there. These included Ezra Stiles and William Ellery . Stiles kept a diary of his time in Dighton. In January 1778

19320-414: Was made a port of entry for the surrounding towns. Ships would unload in Dighton and goods were either transferred to smaller boats or towed by oxen along a tow path on the east side of the river to Taunton. Herring were plentiful in the Taunton River, and at one point Dighton's herring fishery provided more income to the town than any other industry. Fish were preserved in salt and exported as far away as

19460-513: Was necessary to incorporate. This practice can lead to inconsistencies in the dates of incorporation for towns in this region. Dates given in reference sources sometimes reflect the date when the town was chartered, which may have been long before it was settled, and not the date when its town government became active. In other parts of New England, some "future towns" were laid out along these lines, but such areas would not be formally incorporated as towns until they were sufficiently settled to organize

19600-442: Was settled as a "plantation" (in colonial Massachusetts, the term was synonymous with town) as early as 1636, but the city of Springfield was not established until 1852. The oldest cities in New England date to the last few decades of the 18th century, (e.g. New Haven, Connecticut , was chartered as a city in 1784). In New England, cities were not widespread until well into the 19th century. New Hampshire did not have any cities until

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