October 19, 2014 — Once known as the “City That Lit the World” because of its whaling industry, New Bedford is on the way to becoming the “City That Kept the Lights On.” New Bedford was once the busy international port city Herman Melville immortalized in “Moby-Dick” (the 163d anniversary of its first publication was Oct. 18). Today with 10 solar energy projects and its recent designation as the on-shore staging area for Cape Wind, the city’s goal, as the mayor recently said, is “to establish New Bedford in the eyes of the wider world as a leader that other communities ought to emulate, rather than as just another medium-sized Northeast industrial city struggling to catch up in a post-industrial economy.
Long regarded as an industrial city whose good times had past, New Bedford has polished its image. The restored downtown has a busy, optimistic feel, with a steady stream of visitors enjoying the look of historic buildings, cobblestone streets, museums, galleries, and well-placed green spots. Residents like it, too, pointing to new restaurants with a view of the harbor and sidewalk cafes offering local Portuguese favorites and a diverse cuisine. The popular lunch and dinner spot No Problemo “feeds the whole city,” one city employee said.
On the streets of the very walkable downtown, the New Bedford Whaling Museum welcomes visitors with suspended skeletons of the world’s largest creatures, a model whaling ship, and art, science, and interactive exhibits. Go upstairs and enjoy the brilliant view of the Port of New Bedford, with its rows of fishing boats and the blue horizon beyond.
The harbor is also a source of recreation. Taking advantage of its setting and historic infrastructure, the city is paving the top of a hurricane barrier to create another site for bicycling along the water. Inexpensive studio space inside old mills is attracting artists to a city that already has one of the highest per capita percentages of visual artists in the nation.
Read the full story at the Boston Globe