South Coast (Massachusetts)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The South Coast of Massachusetts is the region of southeastern Massachusetts consisting of southern Bristol and Plymouth counties bordering Buzzards Bay, and includes the cities of Fall River and New Bedford and nearby towns. The term is recent, dating to the 1990s, and sometimes confused with the South Shore (a region southeast of Boston that includes Norfolk, Northern Bristol and eastern Plymouth counties).
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[edit] Economy
The area is generally looked on by the rest of the state as somewhat economically depressed[citation needed], as there are many abandoned buildings, mills, and factories. The area has a largely working-class population, a demographic factor that has been heavily exploited[citation needed] by those promoting the region as a place to develop industry in Massachusetts.
[edit] Transportation
The major highways through the area are Interstate 195 (from Providence to Wareham, Massachusetts) and U.S. Route 6, which is the older route connecting Providence to Cape Cod. Highway access to Boston is provided by Route 24 and Route 79, both of which end in Fall River, and Route 140 which connects New Bedford to Route 24 in Taunton. Limited public transportation is provided by the MBTA and the Greater Attleboro Regional Transit Authority. There is a proposal to connect Fall River to Boston via commuter rail, but it has not yet been approved.
The South Coast is home to Massachusetts' longest bridge, the Charles M. Braga, Jr. Bridge, which connects I-195 from Somerset to Fall River.
[edit] Media
Newspapers serving the area The New Bedford Standard-Times, The Fall River Herald News, The Providence Journal, The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald. Much of the broadcast media in the area is local to metropolitan Providence, Rhode Island and Boston.
[edit] See also
- Fall River, Massachusetts
- New Bedford, Massachusetts
- Taunton, Massachusetts
- Dartmouth, Massachusetts
- Somerset, Massachusetts
- Swansea, Massachusetts
- Westport, Massachusetts
