Our City government serves the nearly 100,000 residents of New Bedford, a vibrant seaport city with a rich history. Until the mid-1800s, New Bedford was the largest whaling port in the world. A century later, the boon of the textile industry swelled the total population, spurred the development of vast new ethnic neighborhoods, and expanded the city’s growth to the north and south. Within the last century, the emergence of commercial fishing and processing secured national prominence as a center of global commerce connected to the sea. Today, New Bedford 's commercial fishing fleet, recreational, and research vessels have replaced the hulking whaling ships of the past, as the city is the #1 commercial fishing port in the United States.