Local city information for Plymouth, MA

Plymouth (historically known as Plimouth and Plimoth) is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest municipality in Massachusetts by area. The population was 51,701 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2008 population of 58,681. Plymouth is one of two county seats of Plymouth County, the other being Brockton. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, which is, in turn, named after its location at mouth of the River Plym.

Plymouth is best known for being the landing site of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims. Founded in 1620, Plymouth is the oldest municipality in New England and one of the oldest in the United States. It also is the oldest continually inhabited English settlement in the modern United States. The town has served as the location of several prominent events, the most notable being the First Thanksgiving feast. Plymouth served as the capital of Plymouth Colony from its founding in 1620 until the colony's dissolution in 1691.

Plymouth is located approximately south of Boston in a region of Massachusetts known as the South Shore. Throughout the 19th century, the town thrived as a center of ropemaking, fishing, and shipping, and once held the world's largest ropemaking company, the Plymouth Cordage Company. While it continues to be an active port, today the major industry of Plymouth is tourism. Plymouth is served by Plymouth Municipal Airport, and contains Pilgrim Hall Museum, the oldest continually operating museum in the United States.

As one of the country's first settlements, Plymouth is well-known in the United States for its historical value. The events surrounding the history of Plymouth have become part of the mythology of the United States, particularly those relating to Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving.


The latitude of Plymouth is 41.95833. The longitude is -70.66778. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of : of it is land, and of it (28%) is water. Plymouth is geologically part of Cape Cod, but the 1914 completion of the Cape Cod Canal separated it from the rest of the Cape's towns.

With the largest land area of any municipality in Massachusetts, Plymouth consists of several neighborhoods and geographical sections. Larger localities in the town include Plymouth Center, North, West and South Plymouth, Manomet, Cedarville, and Saquish Neck.

Plymouth makes up the entire western shore of Cape Cod Bay. Landwise, it is bordered by Bourne to the southeast, Wareham to the southwest, Carver to the west, and Kingston to the north. It also shares a small border with Duxbury at the land entrance of Saquish Neck. Plymouth's border with Bourne makes up most of the line between Plymouth and Barnstable counties. The town is located roughly southeast of Boston (it is almost exactly from Plymouth Rock to the Massachusetts State House) and equidistantly east of Providence, Rhode Island.

Plymouth has many distinct geographical features. The town's Atlantic coast is characterized by low plains, while its western sections are extremely hilly and forested. Plymouth contains several small ponds scattered throughout its western quadrant, the largest being the Great Herring Pond (which is partly in the town of Bourne). A major feature of the town is the Myles Standish State Forest, which is in the southwestern region. Cachalot Scout Reservation, operated by the Cachalot District of the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America, lies adjacent to the state forest lands. There is also a smaller town forest, as well as several parks, recreation areas and beaches.

Plymouth has nine public beaches, the largest being Plymouth Beach. Plymouth Beach guards Plymouth Harbor and mostly consists of a three-mile (5 km) long, ecologically significant barrier beach. Clark's Island, a small island in Plymouth Bay, is the only island in Plymouth. It is off the coast of Saquish Neck and has nine summer houses but no year-round inhabitants.

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