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Throwing political correctness to the winds, New Bedford persists in calling itself "The Whaling City." But don't call in Greenpeace just yet. No whaling ship has sailed from New Bedford's harbor since 1925, as petroleum replaced whale oil as the more popular lamplighting fluid. The city's whaling tradition remains a proud part of its history. It was the whale that built New Bedford and fired the muse of Herman Melville, who in his classic Moby Dick called New Bedford "the dearest place to live in all New England." The novel feared by high school English students everywhere is set largely in New Bedford (the dry parts anyway) and the city played backdrop to Hollywood's version of the tale. As the maritime industry fell on tough times, textiles became a cornerstone of New Bedford's economy. Six major textile mills continue to operate here. Located about an hour southeast of Boston, the city has the highest percentage of Portuguese-Americans of any U.S. municipality and is also home to a high number of immigrants from the tiny republic of Cape Verde. Fishing and other maritime industries provide a livelihood for many, and young people who feel the lure of the high seas can still train to become sailors at the Northeast Maritime Institute.