At the time of Taunton's incorporation, they explained their choice of name as being "in honor and love to our dear native country.

[6] Elizabeth Poole, contrary to local folklore,[a] did not take part in the town purchase but was among its greatest benefactors and played a significant role in the founding of its church.

The Taunton area has been the site of skirmishes and battles during various conflicts, including King Philip's War and the American Revolution.

In the 19th century, Taunton was also the center of an important iron-making industry, utilizing much bog iron from the numerous swamps in the surrounding area.

Today, TMLP provides electric service to 34,000 customers in Taunton, Berkley, Raynham, and sections of Dighton, Lakeville and Bridgewater.

[10] In 1897, the one-mile (1.6 km) open event made news when third-place finisher W. E. Becker brutally attacked second-place winner Major Taylor, knocking him unconscious for fifteen minutes.

[11] Built in 1942, U.S. Army Camp Myles Standish was a departure point for over a million U.S. and allied military personnel bound for Europe during World War II.

While Camp Myles Standish was later closed in 1946, it was re-purposed as the Paul A Dever School which was a facility that housed mentally disabled persons.

This portion was turned into an expansion scheme for the existing the Myles Standish Industrial Park, Taunton's north end, which is currently one of the largest in New England, covering an area over 800 acres (320 ha).

The National Weather Service also operates the Northeast River Forecast Center on the site, serving New England and most of New York state.

In October 2005, the Whittenton Pond Dam north of the downtown area threatened to fail following a week that brought 9 inches (230 mm) of rain to the city.

Over 2,000 city residents were evacuated, all downtown businesses were ordered closed[13] and Mayor Robert Nunes issued a state of emergency.

City government operated out of the former Lowell M. Maxham School on Oak Street for ten years, until the building was renovated and re-opened in September 2020.

[21] Taunton is home to a General Dynamics Mission Systems factory, which develops military communications equipment.

The city is bordered by Norton to the northwest, Easton to the north, Raynham to the northeast, Middleborough to the east, Lakeville to the southeast, Berkley and Dighton to the south, and Rehoboth to the west.

The biggest ethnic backgrounds people claimed were 23% Portuguese, 17% Irish, 9% English, 9% French, 8% Cape Verdean and 4% Puerto Rican.

Numerous religious groups exist within the city, including Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish congregations.

"The Green" continues to provide a centralized location for citywide Christmas activities, other holidays, events, and parades for the citizens of Taunton.

There are numerous pre-Revolutionary War private homes within the city, the oldest of which is the Joseph Willis House on Worcester Street, dating to about 1688.

Perhaps the most impressive structure in the city is the towering Bristol County Superior Courthouse, built in 1894 and designed by Frank Irving Cooper.

Many large homes built by the wealthy industrialists and merchants of the late 19th and early 20th century line Route 44, both east (Dean Street) and west (Winthrop Street) of the city center, while a majority of the city is occupied by more modest wood-framed single and multi-family homes, many over 100 years old.

Founded in 1853, the Society maintains a museum of regional objects, houses a research library specializing in local history and genealogy, and hosts arts and cultural events throughout the year.

[51] O'Connell's predecessor, Thomas Hoye Jr., resigned after being appointed Bristol County Register of Probate by Governor Charlie Baker.

The announcements of Hoye's appointment and O'Connell's mayoral campaign occurred simultaneously, just one day before nomination papers for public office were due.

Robert Treat Paine, a long-time Taunton resident, was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Since August 2019, the station has been owned by Dean of the State Senate Marc R. Pacheco of Taunton, and programmed by longtime New England radio veteran Chris Keach, who started work at the station in 2010 when it was owned by Steven Callahan and managed by Tony Lopes.

The AM signal now broadcasts with 5000 watts of power, and covers a large portion of Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

[citation needed] Electricity is provided to residents by the Taunton Municipal Lighting Plant (TMLP), located in the south end.

The Taunton Railway began in 1838 as the main rail transportation system, both industrial and passenger, connecting Taunton with points south, east, north, and west, including New Bedford and Cape Cod, Fall River and Newport, Somerset and Providence, Attleboro and Providence, Mansfield and Boston, Stoughton and Boston, Raynham, Middleborough and Wareham as time went on.

Several CSX freight rails pass through the city on their way towards Fall River, New Bedford and a link-up with the line in Middleborough.