Located an hour south of Boston, New Bedford was the heart of the world's whaling industry in the 19th century. Workers in the numerous factories turned whale oil into candles and Whale bone into corset frames and umbrellas. It's said that in 1850, 80 per cent of the nation's whale ships sailed from New Bedford. The industry began to fail when
oil was found in Pennsylvania and natural disasters wiped out a lot of the New Bedford fleet.
Today, the town still maintains its maritime ties through fishing but manufacturing and tourism are more integral to the local economy.
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