Boston, Massachusetts State capital City of Boston Clockwise: Skyline of Back Bay seen from the Charles River, Fenway Park, Church of Christ, Scientist, Boston Common and the Downtown Crossing skyline, skyline of the Financial District seen from the Boston Harbor, and Massachusetts State House Nickname(s): Beantown,[1] The Hub,[1] The Cradle of Liberty, The Cradle of Modern America,[1] The Athens of America, The Walking City[1] Motto: Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis (Latin: "As God was with our fathers, so may He be with us") Boston (red) is in Suffolk County (gray+red) in the state of Massachusetts Location in the United States Coordinates: 422129N 710349W / 42.35806N 71.06361W / 42.35806; -71.06361Coordinates: 422129N 710349W / 42.35806N 71.06361W / 42.35806; -71.06361 Country United States State Massachusetts County Suffolk Historic countries Kingdom of England Kingdom of Great Britain Historic colonies Massachusetts Bay Colony, Province of Massachusetts Bay Settled (town) September 7, 1630 (date of naming, O.S.) Incorporated (city) March 4, 1822 Government Type Strong mayor council Mayor Marty Walsh (D) Council Boston City Council Area State capital 89.63sqmi (232.14km2) Land 48.42sqmi (125.41km2) Water 41.21sqmi (106.73km2) Urban 1,770sqmi (4,600km2) Metro 4,500sqmi (11,700km2) CSA 10,600sqmi (27,600km2) Elevation 141ft (43m) Population (2013)[4][5][6][7][8] State capital 645,966 [3] Density 13,340/sqmi (5,151/km2) Urban 4,180,000 (US: 10th) Metro 4,590,000 (US: 10th) CSA 7,600,000 (US: 6th) Demonym Bostonian Time zone EST (UTC-5) Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4) ZIP code(s) 0210802137, 02163, 02196, 02199, 02201, 02203, 02204, 02205, 02206, 02210, 02211, 02212, 02215, 02217, 02222, 02228, 02241, 02266, 02283, 02284, 02293, 02295, 02297, 02298, 02467 (02467 also includes parts of Newton and Brookline) Area code(s) 617 and 857 FIPS code 25-07000 GNIS feature ID 0617565 Website cityofboston.gov
Boston (pronounced i//) is the capital and largest city[10] of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Boston also serves as county seat of Suffolk County. The largest city in New England, the city proper, covering 48 square miles (124km2), had an estimated population of 645,966 in 2014,[11] making it the 24th largest city in the United States.[4] The city is the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called Greater Boston, home to 4.5million people and the tenth-largest metropolitan area in the country.[7] Greater Boston as a commuting region[12] is home to 7.6million people, making it the sixth-largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States.[8][13]
One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan colonists from England.[14] It was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon American independence from Great Britain, the city continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub, as well as a center for education and culture. Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the original peninsula. Its rich history helps attract many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone attracting over 20million visitors.[17] Boston's many "firsts" include the United States' first public school, Boston Latin School (1635),[18] and first subway system (1897).
The area's many colleges and universities make Boston an international center of higher education and medicine, and the city is considered to be a world leader in innovation for a variety of reasons.[20][21] Boston's economic base also includes finance,[22] professional and business services, and government activities.[23] The city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States,[24] though it remains high on world livability rankings.[25]
Boston's early European settlers had first called the area Trimountaine (after its "three mountains"only traces of which remain today) but later renamed it Boston after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, from which several prominent colonists had come. The renaming, on September 7, 1630 (old style), was by Puritan colonists from England,[26] who had moved over from Charlestown earlier that year in quest of fresh water. Their settlement was initially limited to the Shawmut Peninsula, at that time surrounded by the Massachusetts Bay and Charles River and connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The peninsula is known to have been inhabited as early as 5000 BC.[27]
In 1629, the Massachusetts Bay Colony's first governor, John Winthrop, led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, a key founding document of the city. Puritan ethics and their focus on education influenced its early history; America's first public school was founded in Boston in 1635.[18] Over the next 130 years, the city participated in four French and Indian Wars, until the British defeated the French and their native allies in North America. Boston was the largest town in British North America until Philadelphia grew larger in the mid 18th century.[29]
Many of the crucial events of the American Revolutionthe Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere's "midnight ride", the battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill, the Siege of Boston, and many othersoccurred in or near Boston. After the Revolution, Boston's long seafaring tradition helped make it one of the world's wealthiest international ports, with rum, fish, salt, and tobacco being particularly important.[31]
The Embargo Act of 1807, adopted during the Napoleonic Wars, and the War of 1812 significantly curtailed Boston's harbor activity. Although foreign trade returned after these hostilities, Boston's merchants had found alternatives for their capital investments in the interim. Manufacturing became an important component of the city's economy, and by the mid-19th century, the city's industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance. Until the early 20th century, Boston remained one of the nation's largest manufacturing centers and was notable for its garment production and leather-goods industries.[32] A network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region facilitated shipment of goods and led to a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a dense network of railroads furthered the region's industry and commerce.
During this period Boston flourished culturally as well, admired for its rarefied literary life and generous artistic patronage,[34][35] with members of old Boston familieseventually dubbed Boston Brahminscoming to be regarded as the nation's social and cultural elites. Boston also became a center of the abolitionist movement.[37] The city reacted strongly to the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850,[38] contributing to President Franklin Pierce's attempt to make an example of Boston after the Anthony Burns Fugitive Slave Case.[39][40]
In 1822,[41] the citizens of Boston voted to change the official name from "the Town of Boston" to "the City of Boston", and on March 4, 1822, the people of Boston accepted the charter incorporating the City.[42] At the time Boston was chartered as a city, the population was about 46,226, while the area of the city was only 4.7 square miles (12km2).[42]
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