Fall River, Massachusetts

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About Fall River, Massachusetts

The City of Fall River Massachusetts. Located in southeastern Massachusetts "The Southcoast", between Providence and Cape Cod and Boston and Newport, the "Spindle City" is famed for its former cotton textile mills, which 100 years ago, were amongst the most productive in the world. Thousands of immigrants came to this city to seek a better life, including the Irish, French Canadian, Portugese, Italians, Lebanese, Poles, Jews and others. Before the advent of highways, Fall River was the preferred spot for travelers between Boston and New York, who would take the train from Beantown and then board the Fall River Line steam boats to Manhattan. The city's population peaked around 1920 at over 120,000, at which point it was one of the 50 largest cities in the nation.

Today, long after the mills have silenced, there remains a great mix of dynamic cultures and some fantastic old architecture. Famous Fall Riverites include Lizzie Borden, Emeril Lagasse and "The Rem Dawg", Jerry Remy. The population has held steady at about 93,000 for several decades, with the influx of new groups, including Hispanic and Southeast Asian cultures. There has been much effort recently to expand the arts scene within the city, and to revitalize the city's beautiful waterfront, along the Taunton River and Mt. Hope Bay. Battleship Cove is probably the city's biggest draw, with one of the largest collection of preserved WWII naval ships in the nation. Fantastic food opportunities exist throughout the city, with many fine restaurants, and "hidden gems", particularily with certain ethnic foods. (Chourico, chow mein, lebanese food, to name a few). The "Fall River accent", while often confused with the "Boston" accent by outsiders, is really more influenced by nearby Rhode Island, and to a lesser extent by New York City. (Listen to Emeril or Jerry Remy for 5 minutes, and you'll understand).