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Location Information:
Boston
is the capital and largest city in
Massachusetts, and is one of the
oldest cities in the United States.
The largest city in New England,
Boston is regarded as the unofficial
"Capital of New England" for its
economic and cultural impact on the
entire New England region. Boston
city proper had a 2009 estimated
population of 645,169, making it the
twentieth largest in the country.
Boston is also the anchor of a
substantially larger metropolitan
area called Greater Boston, home to
4.5 million people and the
tenth-largest metropolitan area in
the country. Greater Boston as a
commuting region includes six
Massachusetts counties, Essex,
Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk,
Plymouth, and Worcester, all of
Rhode Island and parts of New
Hampshire; it is home to 7.5 million
people, making it the fifth-largest
Combined Statistical Area in the
United States.
In
1630, Puritan colonists from England
founded the city on the Shawmut
Peninsula. During the late 18th
century, Boston was the location of
several major events during the
American Revolution, including the
Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea
Party. Several early battles of the
American Revolution, such as the
Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege
of Boston, occurred within the city
and surrounding areas. Through land
reclamation and municipal
annexation, Boston has expanded
beyond the peninsula. After American
independence was attained Boston
became a major shipping port and
manufacturing center, and its rich
history now helps attract 16.3
million visitors annually. The city
was the site of several firsts,
including America's first public
school, Boston Latin School (1635),
and the first subway system in the
United States.
With
many colleges and universities
within the city and surrounding
area, Boston is a center of higher
education and a center for medicine.
The city's economy is also based on
research, electronics, engineering,
finance, and high technology,
principally biotechnology. The city
has been experiencing gentrification
and has one of the highest costs of
living in the United States, though
it remains high on world livability
rankings. Boston has been ranked #1
globally and #1 in North America for
innovation for a variety of reasons
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