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Fairhaven MA Real Estate and Town Profile
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Fairhaven, Massachusetts is located
in Southeastern Massachusetts, bordered by Acushnet on the north, Mattapoisett on
the east, Buzzards Bay on the south, and New Bedford Harbor and New Bedford on
the west. Fairhaven is about 15 miles southeast of Fall River; 55 miles south of
Boston; 35 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island; and 208 miles from New
York City. Principal highways are U.S. Route 6 and Interstate Route 195. No rail passenger service exists in Fairhaven, but connections to all
points can be made on Amtrak from Providence.
The Town of Fairhaven is a suburban/fishing/resort community on Buzzard's
Bay. The town suffered both material damage and loss of life during the
raids and battles of King Philip's war and significant settlement took
place only after the war. Until the middle of the 18th century, the town''s
economy was agricultural. Beyond that point there is a shift toward
maritime activities such as shipbuilding, whaling and foreign trade
focussing on the town's wharves. By 1838, Fairhaven was the second busiest
whaling port in the country and at its peak the town boasted 46 ships and
1,324 men engaged in bringing back over $600,000 worth of whale products
annually. Discovery of oil in Pennsylvania coming on the heels of a
national depression ended whaling and the town turned to such industries as
tack making. In 1903, the American Tack Company's new plant was said to be
the largest and best tack mill in the world. Prominent Fairhaven resident
Henry Huttleston Rogers went to Pennsylvania to learn about the oil
industry and after making himself an oil millionaire, Rogers re-made his
home town. He donated the town hall, library, church, schools, streets and
water system. The buildings make up the state's finest collection of public
buildings, almost all designed by Boston architect Charles Brigham.
The community began taking on the character of a suburban town in the late
1870's when the street railway connected Fairhaven to New Bedford. At the
same time Fairhaven began to develop as a summer resort area with
significant rural areas still the site of working farms.
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Map of Fairhaven
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Some information gathered on Fairhaven, MA is courtesy of Commonwealth Communities at Mass.gov
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