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Bristol County, Massachusetts
Bristol County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, adjacent to the state of Rhode Island. As of 2005, the population was estimated at 546,331. The county level of government is currently of diminishing importance in Massachusetts, with most governmental functions being performed at the state or local level. See Administrative divisions of Massachusetts. Despite multiple seats being displayed on some maps, the formal county seat is Taunton; Fall River and New Bedford are not county seats, but there are some courthouses and other county-operated facilities in those two places. The county offices are located in the Taunton Superior Courthouse in Taunton.
Elected County Officials
HistoryThe land that is now Bristol County was part of the Plymouth Colony, which pre-dates the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Part of the county's land has been transferred to Rhode Island over time; see History of Massachusetts. GeographyAccording to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 691 square miles (1,790 km˛), of which, 556 square miles (1,440 km˛) of it is land and 135 square miles (350 km˛) of it (19.56%) is water. The highest point in Bristol County is Sunrise Hill (Watery Hill) at 390 feet above sea level located in World War I Memorial Park in North Attleborough. Adjacent counties
National protected areaDemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile (371/km˛). There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile (151/km˛). The racial makeup of the county was 90.98% White, 2.03% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.12% from other races, and 2.34% from two or more races. 3.60% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. 29.7% were of Portuguese, 13.0% Irish, 8.9% French, 8.2% English, 6.8% Italian and 6.4% French Canadian ancestry according to Census 2000. 79.1% spoke English, 13.9% Portuguese, 2.9% Spanish and 1.6% French as their first language. The United States Census Bureau reported Bristol County as being one of two counties in the United States with a plurality of people of Portuguese ancestry (the other being the contiguous Bristol County Rhode Island). There were 205,411 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.60% were married couples living together, 13.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.50% were non-families. 26.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.08. In the county the population was spread out with 24.60% under the age of 18, 8.50% from 18 to 24, 30.50% from 25 to 44, 22.20% from 45 to 64, and 14.10% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.50 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,496, and the median income for a family was $53,733. Males had a median income of $39,361 versus $27,516 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,978. About 7.80% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 12.00% of that age 65 or over. Cities, towns, and villages*
Bristol County Superior Courthouse in Taunton, with the Soper Fountain in the foreground.
* Villages are census division, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in. See alsoReferencesExternal links
de:Bristol County (Massachusetts) fr:Comté de Bristol (Massachusetts) bpy:???????? ???????, ?????????????? it:Contea di Bristol (Massachusetts) nl:Bristol County (Massachusetts) no:Bristol County (Massachusetts) nds:Bristol County (Massachusetts) pl:Hrabstwo Bristol (Massachusetts) pt:Condado de Bristol (Massachusetts) sv:Bristol County, Massachusetts zh:????? (?????) Source: Wikipedia | The above article is available under the GNU FDL. | Edit this article
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