Contents
Boston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
— City —
Flag
Seal
Nickname(s): Beantown,[1] The Hub (of the Universe),[1] The Cradle of Liberty,[2] The Cradle of Modern America,[1] The Athens of America,[2] The Walking City[1]
Coordinates: 71°03′42″W / 42.35778°N 71.06167°W / 42.35778; -71.06167Coordinates: 71°03′42″W / 42.35778°N 71.06167°W / 42.35778; -71.06167
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Suffolk
Settled September 17, 1630
Incorporated (city) March 4, 1822
Government
- Type Strong mayor – council
- Mayor Thomas M. Menino (D)
Area [3][4][5]
- City 89.63 sq mi (232.14 km2)
- Land 48.43 sq mi (125.43 km2)
- Water 41.21 sq mi (106.73 km2)
- Urban 1,774 sq mi (4,595 km2)
- Metro 4,511 sq mi (11,683 km2)
- CSA 10,644 sq mi (27,568 km2)
Elevation 141 ft (43 m)
Population [6][7][8][9]
- City 620,535 ('08 estimate)
- Density 12,813/sq mi (4,947/km2)
- Urban 4,032,484 ('00 census)
- Metro 4,522,858 ('08 est.)
- CSA 7,514,759 ('08 est.)
- Demonym Bostonian
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code(s)
Area code(s) 617 and 857
FIPS code 25-07000
GNIS feature ID 0617565
Website www.cityofboston.gov
Boston (pronounced 
/ˈbɒstən/ (help·info)) is the capital and largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact.[11] Boston city proper had a 2008 estimated population of 620,535, making it the twenty-first largest in the country.[6] 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.[8] Greater Boston as a commuting region includes six Massachusetts counties, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth, and Worcester,[12] 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.[9][13]
In 1630, Puritan colonists from England founded the city on the Shawmut Peninsula.[14] 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,[14] and its rich history now helps attract 16.3 million visitors annually.[15] The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635),[16] and the first subway system in the United States.[17]
With many colleges and universities within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education and a center for medicine.[18] The city's economy is also based on research, electronics, engineering, finance, and high technology—principally biotechnology.[19] The city has been experiencing gentrification and has one of the highest costs of living in the United States,[20] and it remains high on world livability rankings.[21]
History
Boston was founded on September 17, 1630, by Puritan colonists from England.[14] The Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony are sometimes confused with the Pilgrims, who founded Plymouth Colony ten years earlier in what is today Bristol County, Plymouth County, and Barnstable County, Massachusetts. The two groups, which differed in religious practice, are historically distinct. The separate colonies were not united until the formation of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1691.
The Shawmut Peninsula was connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus and was surrounded by the waters of Massachusetts Bay and the Back Bay, an estuary of the Charles River. Several prehistoric Native American archaeological sites that were excavated in the city have shown that the peninsula was inhabited as early as 5,000 BC.[22] Boston's early European settlers first called the area Trimountaine, but later renamed the town after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, from which several prominent colonists had emigrated. Massachusetts Bay Colony's original governor, John Winthrop, gave a famous sermon entitled "A Model of Christian Charity," popularly known as the "City on a Hill" sermon, which espoused the idea that Boston had a special covenant with God. (Winthrop also led the signing of the Cambridge Agreement, which is regarded as a key founding document of the city.) Puritan ethics molded a stable and well-structured society in Boston. For example, shortly after Boston's settlement, Puritans founded America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635).[16] Between 1636 and 1698, six major smallpox epidemics in Boston had caused a substantial number of deaths.[23] Boston was the largest town in British North America until Philadelphia grew larger in the mid-18th century.[24]
In the 1770s, British attempts to exert more-stringent control on the thirteen colonies—primarily via taxation—led to the American Revolution.[14] The Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and several early battles—including the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston—occurred in or near the city. During this period, Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride. After the Revolution, Boston had become one of the world's wealthiest international trading ports because of the city's consolidated seafaring tradition. Exports included rum, fish, salt, and tobacco.[25] During this era, descendants of old Boston families were regarded as the nation's social and cultural elites; they were later dubbed the Boston Brahmins.[26]