Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, about 52 miles south of Boston, and 16 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 91,938 at the 2000 census. The current mayor of Fall River is Edward M. Lambert Jr. The city's motto is "We'll Try." The city is nicknamed "The Scholarship City" as seen on the Fall River welcome signs. A Fall River native is called a Fall Riverite. The city is home to Battleship Cove, the world's largest collection of World War II naval vessels, which houses the USS Massachusetts, the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., and the submarine USS Lionfish.

The Fall River high school is named B.M.C. Durfee High School, named after a descendant of Colonel Joseph Durfee, founder of the first cotton mill in the city. Along with New Bedford, Fall River is considered one of the two most important cities along Massachusetts' South Coast area.