Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state. It straddles part of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island state line with Tiverton, RI to its south.
Fall River | |
|---|---|
Downtown Fall River in September 2007 | |
|
Flag Seal | |
| Nicknames: "The Scholarship City", "The River", "Spindle City", "Where the River Falls" "The City of the Dinner Pail" | |
| Mottoes: "We'll Try" | |
Location of Fall River in Bristol County, Massachusetts | |
Fall River Location in Massachusetts Fall River Location in the United States | |
| Coordinates: 41°42′05″N 71°09′20″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Bristol |
| Settled | 1670 |
| Incorporated (town) | 1803 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1854 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–council |
| • Mayor | Paul Coogan |
| • City council | Joseph Camara President Linda Pereira Vice President Shawn E. Cadime Michelle Dionne Bradford L. Kilby Laura-Jean Washington Andrew Raposo Leo O. Pelletier |
| Area | |
| • Total | 40.24 sq mi (104.22 km2) |
| • Land | 33.12 sq mi (85.79 km2) |
| • Water | 7.12 sq mi (18.43 km2) |
| Elevation | 72 ft (37 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Total | 94,000 |
| • Density | 2,837.91/sq mi (1,095.73/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Codes | 02720–02724 |
| Area code | 508/774 |
| FIPS code | 25-23000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0612595 |
| Website | www |
Located along the eastern shore of Mount Hope Bay at the mouth of the Taunton River, the city gained recognition during the 19th century as a leading textile manufacturing center in the United States. While the textile industry has long since moved on, its impact on the city's culture and landscape is still prominent. Fall River's official motto is "We'll Try", dating back to the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1843. Nicknamed The Scholarship City after Irving Fradkin founded Dollars for Scholars there in 1958, mayor Jasiel Correia introduced the "Make It Here" slogan as part of a citywide rebranding effort in 2017.
Fall River is known for the Lizzie Borden case, the Fall River cult murders, Portuguese culture, its numerous 19th-century textile mills and Battleship Cove, home of the world's largest collection of World War II naval vessels (including the battleship USS Massachusetts). Fall River has its city hall located over an interstate highway.