Taunton

Sister cities

• Taunton
• Lagoa
• Angra do Heroísmo

History

Taunton was founded by settlers from England and officially incorporated as a town on September 3, 1639. Most of the town's settlers were originally from Taunton in Somerset, England, which led early settlers to name the settlement after that town. At the time of Taunton's incorporation, they explained their choice of name as being "in honor and love to our dear native country." Prior to 1640, the Taunton area was called Cohannet, Tetiquet, or Titiquet. The English founders of Taunton purchased the land from the Wampanoag Natives in 1637 as part of the Tetiquet Purchase and the remaining native families were relocated to the praying town of Ponkapoag in present-day Canton, Massachusetts. Elizabeth Poole, contrary to local folklore, did not take part in the town purchase but was among its greatest benefactors and played a significant role in the founding of its church. Described as "the foundress of Taunton" and its matriarch, Poole "was accorded equality of rights, whether in the purchase of lands, [or] in the sharing of iron works holdings," having been a financier of the settlement's first dam and mill built for the manufacture of bar iron. In 1897, the open event made news when third-place finisher W. E. Becker brutally attacked second-place winner Major Taylor, knocking him unconscious for fifteen minutes. Built in 1942, U.S. Army Camp Myles Standish was a departure point for over a million U.S. and allied military personnel bound for Europe during World War II. It also functioned as a prisoner of war camp housing German and Italian soldiers. While Camp Myles Standish was later closed in 1946, it was re-purposed as the Paul A. Dever School which was a facility that housed mentally disabled persons. The school site of was shut down in 1982. This portion was…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and , or 3.53%, is water. It is the third-largest city by area in Massachusetts, after Boston and Barnstable. Taunton has one major river, the Taunton River, along with its tributaries, including the Mill River and the Three Mile River. The highest point in the city is near its southwest corner, with an elevation of above sea level. Prospect Hill, rising over Lake Sabbatia north of the downtown, has an elevation of . According to the Köppen climate classification, Taunton has either a hot-summer humid continental climate (abbreviated Dfa), or a hot-summer humid sub-tropical climate (abbreviated Cfa), depending on the isotherm used. There are nine designated historic districts within the city: * Bay Road Historic District, also known as Post Road. The road runs from Taunton to Boston. (), 1 structure, 2 objects) * Bristol County Courthouse Complex (13 acres, three buildings) * Church Green Historic District, also known as Meetinghouse Common (160 acres, 18 buildings, one object) * Hopewell Mills District (120 acres, 13 buildings) * Old Bay Road Historic District, also known as The Post Road; The King's Highway (150 acres, 1 structure, three objects) * Reed and Barton Complex * Taunton Green Historic District (50 acres, 22 buildings, three objects) * Taunton State Hospital Historic District, also known as the Taunton Lunatic Asylum (), 38 buildings, eight structures) Due to the annexation of towns from the original town of Taunton, the city now is irregularly shaped; with it (along with neighboring Raynham) roughly making a triangle. The city is bordered by Norton to the northwest, Easton to the north, Raynham to the northeast, Middleborough to the east, Lakeville to the…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  13,188
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  13,165
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  12,652
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  12,366
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  12,217
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,561
• Carolina Wren

  Thryothorus ludovicianus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  10,462
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  9,333

Largest nearby schools

• Taunton High
  High · Taunton · 2,760 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical
  High · South Easton · 1,558 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• Bristol-Plymouth Vocational Technical
  High · Taunton · 1,310 students · 13:1 ratio
• James L. Mulcahey Elementary School
  Elementary · Taunton · 851 students · 14.4:1 ratio
• Benjamin Friedman Middle
  Middle · Taunton · 730 students · 14.6:1 ratio
• Raynham Middle School
  Middle · Raynham · 725 students · 15.1:1 ratio
• Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School
  High · North Dighton · 687 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Norton High
  High · Norton · 678 students · 11.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.6 — 2020-11-08
  10 km S of Bliss Corner, Massachusetts
• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2005-11-17
  4 km S of Plymouth, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2002-06-07
  3 km NNW of Hopedale, Massachusetts