Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County and the hub of the Greater Taunton Area.
Taunton's nicknames are derived from its history. The moniker Silver city is born of Taunton's industrial past when companies such as F. B. Rogers produced silver goods throughout the city, while Christmas city is still evidenced each December with the celebrations on the Taunton Green surrounding the Christmas holiday.

Notable firsts

• Elizabeth Pole was the first business woman, with the Iron Forge or Bloomery in 1652.
• First display of "Liberty and Union" on a flag. It occurred on the Taunton Green in 1774.
• First forge (James and Henry Leonard, Taunton, 1652) for first business woman.

• First known calico printworks in America was in the city.
• The Vietnam Memorial Fountain was the first public Vietnam memorial in Massachusetts.
• First stoneware pottery in Massachusetts.
• First town founded by a woman (Elizabeth Pole in 1637).
• Old Colony Historical Society is one of New England's oldest historical societies.
• Taunton is the largest city in terms of square mileage in Massachusetts.
• At one time, Taunton was one of the busiest inland seaports on the Atlantic coast.
• It was in Taunton that Babbitt metal, used in the manufacture of ball bearings, was invented.
• Liberty and Union Flag is called by some "the first American flag."