Dartmouth:

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Profile

The Town of Dartmouth is unusual in exemplifying from its earliest history the tension between the established Calvinist Puritan religion and those who wished to worship in their own way. In 1652, Massasoit, Chief Sachem of the Wampanoag Federation, sold the land covering Dartmouth and 4 other present towns, to elders of the Plymouth Colony, including Miles Standish, John Alden, and Governor William Bradford. These early real estate speculators then sold the land off in smaller parcels, primarily to religious dissidents, Quakers and Baptists, who were seeking refuge on what was then the frontier from the religious persecutions being launched both by the Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Bay Colonies. The town, named after an English port, was incorporated in 1664 but refused consistently to pay the "minister's tax" which was levied on all communities to support Puritan clergy. The community grew quickly, attracting many who disagreed with the establishment and many more who sought work in agriculture, saltmaking or fishing, including a significant number of Portuguese immigrants.

Dartmouth has remained through most of its history a rural agricultural community but began adopting a summer residential and resort character in the 19th century as wealthy and near-wealthy city dwellers from New Bedford built and purchased vacation homes. Although Dartmouth is now primarily a suburban bedroom community, the town came into the 20th century with significant portions of its historic character intact; there is still farming in Dartmouth, still a strong vacation component and still a wide diversity in religious beliefs. The construction of Southern Massachusetts University in the 1960's accelerated the town's growth in residential development. Areas of Dartmouth are rich in colonial, Federal and Greek revival architecture and some rural areas are left, although under pressure from housing development. Residents are proud of the fact that in Dartmouth the past and present co-exist: the past in its farms, churches, villages and scenic rural roads and the present in Route 6 commercial development, the North Dartmouth Mall and emerging industrial policies. *

Address

Town of Dartmouth
Slocum Road, P.O. Box 79399
Dartmouth, MA 02747-0713
508.910.1800

General Info

• Total valuation: $4.7 million; Residential, 85.5%; commercial, 10.3%; industrial, 1.6%; personal, 2.6%
• FY2008 Tax rate: $6.80
• District tax rates: District 1, $0.26; District 2, $0.50; District 3, $0.32
• 2004 population: 31,366
• Area: 61.82 square miles
• Miles of public road: 218.14
• Town Of Dartmouth Zoning By-Laws
• Dartmouth Harbormaster

Services

• Trash collection: Town is member of Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District, which manages trash collection and curbside recycling for entire town.
• Water: 90 percent of town receives municipal water
• Sewer: 50 percent of town served by municipal sewer system.
• Libraries:
• Southworth Library, 732 Dartmouth St., South Dartmouth, 999-0726
• North Dartmouth Library, 1383 Tucker Road, North Dartmouth, 999-0728
• Russells Mills Library, 1205 Russells Mills Road, North Dartmouth, 999-0729
• Parks and beaches
• Demarest Lloyd State Reservation, off Barney's Joy Road, South Dartmouth.
• Apponagansett Town Beach, opposite Smith Neck Road, near Padanaram Harbor.
• Round Hill Beach (town residents only), off Smith Neck Road.
• Jones Beach, end of St. John's Street.
• Playgrounds at all town elementary schools.

Emergency Phone Numbers

• Police: Emergency: 911; non-emergency, 910-1735.
• Fire: Emergency: 911; current system is divided into districts.
• District 1: 10 Bridge St.; business, 996-1596
• District 2: 1100 Russells Mills Road; business, 636-2441
• District 3: business, 994-6761 (140 Cross Road); 998-2589 (1140 Hixville Road); 993-9749 (254 State Road)
• Ambulance: through Police Department.
• Emergency Management, Edward V. Pimental Jr., 997-1304

Elected Officials

• Town Clerk: 910-1800
• Eleanor J. White
• Select Board: 910-1813
• Joe Michaud
• Robert W. Carney
• Kathleen Horan McLean
• Nathalie L. Dias
• Diane Gilbert
• Assessors: 910-1809
• Robert H. Michaud
• John Furtado
• Kevin C. Santos
• Town Agent:
• James L. Alphonse
• Library Trustees:
• Hope Atkinson
• Kathy Murphy-Aisenberg
• Paul Perreira
• Martha Munro
• Rachel Charrier
• Andrew M. Couto
• Board of Health: 910-1804
• Thomas W. Hardman
• Linda M.Motha
• Gail Davidson
• Cemetery Commissioners:
• Kathleen A. Costa
• Arthur Jones
• Manuel R. Morro
• Planning Board: 910-1816
• John P. Haran
• Joseph E. Toomey Jr.
• Arthur Larivee
• John V. Sousa
• Lori-Ann Miller
• Kathleen DelSordo
• Housing Authority:
• Christopher Markey
• Charles Sisson
• William F. O’Connor
• Robert Graham Jr.
• John L. Downey
• Moderator:
• Steven C. Sharek
• Park Commissioners:
• John P. Costa
• Lisa B. Tavares
• Shaun E. Westgate

Appointed Officials

• Selectmen's Executive Administrator, Michael J. Gagne, 910-1836
• Police Chief, Mark Pacheco, 910-1736
• Animal Control Officer, Sandra Gosselin, 910-1840
• Fire Chiefs: District 1, John Alcaidinho; District 2, Tim Andre; District 3, Richard Arruda
• Department of Public Works Acting Superintendent: David T. Hickox, 999-0740
• Town Collector: Deborah L. Piva, 910-1806
• Town Accountant, Claire Karvonen, 910-1824
• Administrator of Assessing: Paul Bergman
• Finance and Budget Director/Treasurer, Edward F. Iacaponi, 910-1802
• Director of Inspectional Services, Joel S. Reed, 910-1820
• Director of Public Health, Wendy W. Henderson, RS, 910-1804
• Environmental Affairs Coordinator: Michael O'Reilly
• Harbormaster, Steven Melo, 999-0759
• Natural Resources/Shellfish Warden, Kenneth Pacheco, 910-1819
• Council on Aging Director, Nancy Pimental, 999-4717
• Conservation Commission: 910-1822
• Gerald Franklin
• George Levesque
• David Bolton
• Lawrence Mastera
• Jacquelyn McDonald
• David Roderick
• Patricia Sweriduk
• Planning Director, Donald Perry
• Zoning Board of Appeals: 910-1823
• Roger Tougas
• Jose Abreu
• Raymond Souza
• Kimberly Moses Smith
• Finance Committee
• Melissa Haskell
• George Jacobs
• Shannon Jenkins
• Peter D. Friedman
• Larry Fox
• David Ferreira
• Francis Pettengill
• Stewart Washburn
• Greg Lyman
• Library Trustees
• Hope Atkinson (2008)
• Kathy Murphy-Aisenberg (2008)
• Edmund Tavares (2007)
• Matha Munro (2006
• Ralph Schmarsow (2006)
• Andrew Couto (2007)
• Park Superintendent, Timothy J. Lancaster
• Recreation Department (Commissioners Re-Appointed Yearly)
• Paul Coucci
• Cynthia Shorrock
• Cynthia Karl
• Peter Shultz
• Timothy J. Lancaster, Director
• Veteran's Agent, Shawn Goldstein

Schools

• School Committee:
• John L. Nunes
• Joan Britto
• Shawn McDonald
• Judith C. K. Boles
• Christopher Pereira

• Administration: 997-3391
• Superintendent: Dr. Stephen Russell
• Assistant Superintendent: Marylou Clarke.
• Business Manager: Manuel Cordeiro Jr.

• Public Schools
• Joseph DeMello School, 654 Dartmouth St., 996-6750, grades K-5, Principal Cathy Maccini.
• George H. Potter School, 185 Cross Road, 996-8259, grades K-5, Principal Jacqueline Figueiredo.
• James M. Quinn Elementary School, 529 Hawthorne St., 997-3178, grades K-5, Principal Dr. Carol A. Karafotis.
• Dartmouth Middle School, 366 Slocum Road, 997-9333, grades 6-8, Principal Stephen Pettey.
• Dartmouth High School, 555 Bakerville Road, 961-2700, grades 9-12, Principal Donna Dimery; Assistant Principals Robert Taylor and Manuel Cabral Jr.

• Friends Academy
• (Preschool-8), 1088 Tucker Road, Head of School- Claudia P. McClure
• Daggett, 508.999.1356
• Bishop Stang High School
• (9-12), 500 Slocum Road, President
• Theresa Dougall, 508.996.5602

• University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth
• 285 Old Westport Road, 508.999.8000
• Southern New England School of Law
• 333 Faunce Corner Road, 508.998.9660

Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust

Historical links

Learn about other South Coast Communities

* Described by community members for the MA Dept. of Housing and Community Development.