New Bedford Residents on What They Love About the Whaling City

My wife and I were away for the weekend when someone asked where I was from. When I answered that I was from New Bedford, it occurred to me that I have lived here much longer than I have in my hometown or college town. This actually marks my 30th year on the radio here in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

They asked what we loved most about New Bedford, and I thought that was an interesting question to ask. There are so many things I love about living here.

We decided to ask our audience what they loved about living in New Bedford. Here's a sample of what they said.

New Bedford's Food Scene

Jasmine Araujo: "Now that I don’t live there anymore, I can say I miss the food in/around NB the most."

Tim Murphy: "The food. Lots of great choices culturally as far as food and of course seafood. I've lived away from the ocean once, never again."

I think that first and foremost, when someone asks me what I love about New Bedford, the answer is going to be its incredible restaurant scene. No one can feed you a better sit-down meal at a better price than a restaurant in New Bedford, MA. Expect food that is bursting with flavor without busting your wallet. The restaurant scene somehow continues to improve on itself as the decades go by.

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New Bedford's Seafood and Fishing

Nikki Clattenburg: "Definitely the fresh seafood."

Jason Garcia: "Recreational fishing. New Bedford is right next to the stripers."

The seafood is so good here in New Bedford it actually makes us seafood snobs. Don't believe me? Travel on vacation to anywhere in the country and order scallops or a fresh fish dish. You'll turn your nose up at it.

Let's not forget that in addition to being America's No. 1 most valuable seaport, there is a ton of great recreational fishing.

New Bedford's Beaches

Chelsea Silva: "The history, the food, and mostly being 1 minute away from the Atlantic."

Lauriann DogMom: "The ocean, history, food."

Jaime Furtado: "I love that New Bedford has two beaches and I do utilize them. Summers in Fall River are brutal, nowhere to go cool off besides the pool. Even if you just go take your chair and sit, it's a great view."

Clearly, the Portuguese culture is front and center here in New Bedford, but don't forget the Cape Verdean and Puerto Rican cultures that are prevalent here as well.

New Bedford's Historical Architecture

Adrian Var: "My neighborhood is quiet. Historical buildings."

Melissa Thompson: "The gorgeous historical architecture – every house and building has unique and beautiful features."

The West End, particularly around St. Luke's Hospital, features some tremendous architecture built by the whaling captains.

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New Bedford's Scenic Views

LaBaron Studios: "Food, history, architecture, the downtown, the beaches."

Madison Dufresne: "The history, the culture, the food, the scenery."

Melissa Braga: "Lots!! Beaches so close. Downtown is a great spot. And tons of amazing restaurants."

The scenery of downtown, Buttonwood and Brooklawn parks, coupled with the beaches and even some more rural streets in the far North End offer a variety of scenery.

New Bedford's History

Adrienne Lunn: "The history."

Flip Rose: "The history. Whaling City."

New Bedford is rich in history dating back to Native people, the American Revolution, and the whale oil boom that lit the world in the 1800s.

Politeness

Jaime Furtado: "So I am a Fall Rivah girl living in a New Bedford world. I know a lot of people are going to come at me for this, but in New Bedford (no matter what walk of life you lead) there are a ton of please and thank yous when holding doors for people. Not so much in the Riv."

We're definitely not here to say Fall River is rude, but we won't shy away from acknowledging a polite general public in New Bedford.