It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. It is the largest city in the region and second largest city in the Providence-Warwick-New Bedford Metropolitan Region which is a part of the combined Boston, Massachusetts Metropolitan Area. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Indians.
English colonists bought the land on which New Bedford would later be built from the Wampanoag in , and the original colonial settlement that would later become the city was founded by English Quakers in the late 17th century.
The town of New Bedford itself was officially incorporated in During the first half of the 19th century, New Bedford was one of the world's most important whaling ports. New Bedford was also a center of abolitionism at this time. The city attracted many freed or escaped African-American slaves, including Frederick Douglass , who lived there from until At the U. The city is also known for its high concentration of Portuguese Americans.
New Bedford remains known for its fishing fleet and accompanying seafood industry, which as of generated the highest annual value of any fishing port in the United States.
Before the 17th century, the lands along the Acushnet River were inhabited by the Wampanoag Native Americans, who had settlements throughout southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, including Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
