Difference between revisions of "Boston, Massachusetts" - New World Encyclopedia

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{{Images OK}}{{Submitted}}{{Approved}}{{copyedited}}
 
{{Infobox Settlement
 
{{Infobox Settlement
|official_name     = City of Boston
+
|name                    = Boston
|nickname         = Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe), The Cradle of Liberty, The Cradle of Modern America, The Walking City
+
|official_name = City of Boston
|image_skyline     = Bostonstraight.jpg
+
|settlement_type         = [[State capital|State Capital]]
|image_caption     =  
+
|image_skyline           = Bostonstraight.jpg
|image_flag         = Us-ma-bo.png
+
|imagesize                =
|image_seal         = Boston city seal.jpg
+
|image_caption           =  
|image_map          = Boston_ma_highlight.png
+
|image_flag               = Us-ma-bo.png
|mapsize            = 250px
+
|image_seal               = Boston city seal.jpg
|map_caption        = Location in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
+
|nickname                = Beantown,<ref name="Nicknames1">{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/boston_nicknames/ |title=What's in a nickname? |accessdate=April 8, 2009 |last=Dalager |first=Norman |work=Boston Globe  | date=August 10, 2006}}</ref> The Hub (of the Universe),<ref name="Nicknames1"/> The Cradle of Liberty,<ref name="Nicknames2">{{cite web |url=http://www.britannia.com/travel/Market/boston-vacations.html |title=Boston Travel & Vacations |accessdate=April 8, 2009 |year=2006 |publisher=Britannia.com}}</ref> The Cradle of Modern America,<ref name="Nicknames1"/> The Athens of America,<ref name="Nicknames2"/> The Walking City<ref name="Nicknames1"/>
|subdivision_type1  = State
+
|motto                    = '' Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis '' ([[Latin]] "As God was with our fathers, so may He be with us")
|subdivision_name1  = Massachusetts
+
|image_map                = Boston ma highlight.png
|subdivision_type2  = County
+
|map_caption              = Location in [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts]]
|subdivision_name2  = Suffolk
+
|coordinates_display      = display=inline,title
|established_title  = Settled
 
|established_date  = 1630
 
|established_title2 = Incorporated (city)
 
|established_date2  = 1822
 
|government_type    =
 
|leader_title      = Mayor
 
|leader_name        = Thomas M. Menino (D)
 
|area_magnitude    = 1 E8
 
|unit_pref          = Imperial
 
|area_total_sq_mi  = 89.6
 
|area_total_km2    = 232.1
 
|area_land_sq_mi    = 48.4
 
|area_land_km2      = 125.4
 
|area_water_sq_mi  = 41.2
 
|area_water_km2    = 106.7
 
|area_metro_km2    = 11684.7
 
|area_metro_sq_mi  = 4511.5
 
|elevation_m        = 43
 
|elevation_ft      = 141
 
|population_as_of  = 2006
 
|population_metro  = 5,977,504 [http://www.fairus.org/site/PageServer?pagename=research_researchfad0_sup#cps]
 
|population_footnotes = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/metro_general/2006/CBSA-EST2006-01.csv |title=Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-03-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2006-01.csv |title=2007 Census Estimates |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-03-25}}</ref>
 
|population_urban  = 4313000
 
|population_total  = 616535
 
|population_density_km2 = 4815
 
|population_density_sq_mi = 12327
 
|population_blank1_title = Demonym
 
|population_blank1  = Bostonian
 
|timezone          = Eastern
 
|utc_offset        = -5
 
|timezone_DST      = Eastern
 
|utc_offset_DST    = -4
 
|postal_code_type  =
 
|postal_code        =
 
|area_code          = 617 / 857
 
 
|latd=42 |latm=21 |lats=28 |latNS=N
 
|latd=42 |latm=21 |lats=28 |latNS=N
 
|longd=71 |longm=03 |longs=42 |longEW=W
 
|longd=71 |longm=03 |longs=42 |longEW=W
|coordinates_display    = display=inline,title  
+
|coordinates_region      = US-MA
|website           = [http://www.cityofboston.gov/ www.cityofboston.gov]
+
|subdivision_type        = Country
|blank_name         = FIPS code
+
|subdivision_name        = [[:United States]]
|blank_info         = 25-07000
+
|subdivision_type1        = [[Political divisions of the United States|State]]
|blank1_name       = GNIS feature ID
+
|subdivision_name1        = [[Massachusetts]]
|blank1_info       = 0617565
+
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
 +
|subdivision_name2        = [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk]]
 +
|established_title        = Settled
 +
|established_date        = September 17, 1630
 +
|established_title2      = Incorporated (city)
 +
|established_date2        = March 4, 1822
 +
|government_type          = [[Mayor–council government|Strong mayor – council]]
 +
|leader_title            = [[List of mayors of Boston|Mayor]]
 +
|leader_name              = [[Thomas Menino|Thomas M. Menino]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
 +
|area_footnotes          =<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-CONTEXT=gct&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US12S&-tree_id=4001&-redoLog=true&-_caller=geoselect&-geo_id=04000US25&-format=ST-7|ST-7S&-_lang=en |title=Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision |accessdate=April 29, 2009 |work=American FactFinder |publisher=United States Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1R_US12S&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=808&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=&-format=US-12|US-12S&-_lang=en |title=United States by Urbanized Area; and for Puerto Rico |accessdate=April 29, 2009 |work=American FactFinder |publisher=United States Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/GCTTable?_bm=y&-context=gct&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_GCTPH1_US25&-CONTEXT=gct&-tree_id=808&-redoLog=true&-geo_id=&-format=US-25|US-25S&-_lang=en |title=United States by County by State, and for Puerto Rico  |accessdate=April 29, 2009 |work=American FactFinder |publisher=United States Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1}}</ref>
 +
|unit_pref                = US
 +
|area_magnitude          = 1 E+8
 +
|area_total_sq_mi        = 89.63
 +
|area_total_km2          = 232.14
 +
|area_land_sq_mi          = 48.43
 +
|area_land_km2           = 125.43
 +
|area_water_sq_mi        = 41.21
 +
|area_water_km2          = 106.73
 +
|area_urban_sq_mi        = 1774
 +
|area_urban_km2          = 4595
 +
|area_metro_sq_mi        = 4511
 +
|area_metro_km2          = 11683
 +
|area_blank1_title        = [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]
 +
|area_blank1_sq_mi        = 10644
 +
|area_blank1_km2          = 27568
 +
|elevation_ft            = 141
 +
|population_as_of        = <!--Given separately to each figure because of differences—>
 +
|population_footnotes    =<ref name="2010census">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST16&prodType=table |title=Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 – State – County Subdivision, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=March 23, 2011}}</ref><ref name="Urban population">{{cite web|title=Alphabetically sorted list of Census 2000 Urbanized Areas|publisher=United States Census Bureau, Geography Division |format=TXT}}</ref>
 +
|population_total        = 617594 ('10 census)
 +
|population_density_sq_mi = 12752
 +
|population_density_km2  = 4924
 +
|population_urban        = 4032484 ('00 census)
 +
|population_metro        = 4522858 ('08 est.)
 +
|population_blank1_title  = [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]
 +
|population_blank1        = 7609358 ('09 est.)
 +
|population_blank2_title  = [[Demonym]]
 +
|population_blank2        = Bostonian
 +
|timezone                = [[Eastern Standard Time|EST]]
 +
|utc_offset              = -5
 +
|timezone_DST            = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]
 +
|utc_offset_DST          = -4
 +
|postal_code_type        = [[ZIP code|ZIP code(s)]]
 +
|postal_code              = {{Collapsible list |title=53 total ZIP codes:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp |title=ZIP Code Lookup – Search By City |accessdate=April 20, 2009 |publisher=United States Postal Service}}</ref> |02108–02137, 02163, 02196, 02199, 02201, 02203, 02204, 02205, 02206, 02210, 02211, 02212, 02215, 02217, 02222, 02228, 02241, 02266, 02283, 02284, 02293, 02295, 02297, 02298}}
 +
|area_code                = [[Area codes 617 and 857|617 and 857]]
 +
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
 +
|blank_info               = 25-07000
 +
|blank1_name             = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
 +
|blank1_info             = 0617565
 +
|website                  = [http://www.cityofboston.gov/ www.cityofboston.gov]
 
}}
 
}}
  
'''Boston''' is the [[capital]] and largest city of the U.S. state of [[Massachusetts]], and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in [[New England]], Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the entire region, and is sometimes regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England." Boston city proper had a 2008 estimated population of 616,535, making it the twenty-third largest in the country. Boston is also the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called Greater Boston, home to 4.4 million people and the tenth-largest metropolitan area in the country. Greater Boston as a commuting region includes parts of [[Rhode Island]] and [[New Hampshire]] and includes 7.4 million people, making it the [[Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas|fifth-largest Combined Statistical Area]] in the country.
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'''Boston''' is one of the oldest cities in the [[United States]]. It is the [[capital]] and largest [[city]] in the state of [[Massachusetts]] and the largest city in [[New England]]. Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region. With a 2008 estimated population of 616,535, Boston is also the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called Greater Boston, home to 4.4 million people and the tenth-largest metropolitan area in the country.  
  
In 1630, [[Puritan]] colonists from England founded the city on the [[Shawmut Peninsula]].<ref name="history">{{cite web |last=Banner |first=David |title=BOSTON HISTORY—The History of Boston, Massachusetts |url=http://www.searchboston.com/articles/history.html |publisher=SearchBoston.com |year=2007 |accessdate=2008-10-17}}</ref> During the late eighteenth 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 in the United States|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 attracts 16.3 million visitors annually.<ref name="economy">{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Boston-Economy.html |title=Boston: Economy |year=2006 |publisher=Thomson Gale (Thomson Corporation) |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref><ref name="history" /> The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, [[Boston Latin School]] (1635),<ref name="BPS">{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.k12.ma.us/bps/bpsglance.asp#students |title=BPS at a Glance |publisher=Boston Public Schools |date=2007-03-14 |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> and first college, [[Harvard College]] (1636), in neighboring [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]. Boston was also home to the first [[rapid transit|subway]] system in the United States.<ref name="first subway">{{cite book |title=The Rough Guide to Boston |last=Fagundes |first=David |coauthors=Grant, Anthony |publisher=Rough Guides |date=April 28, 2003 |id=ISBN 1-84353-044-9 }}</ref>
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[[Puritan]] colonists from [[England]] founded the city in 1630. During the late eighteenth century Boston was the location of several major events surrounding the [[American Revolution]], including the [[Boston Massacre]], the [[Boston Tea Party]], and the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]]. After independence from [[Great Britain]] was attained, Boston became a major shipping port and [[manufacturing]] center. Its rich history now attracts 16.3 million visitors annually.
  
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, finance, and technology principally [[biotechnology]]. Boston has been experiencing [[gentrification]] and has one of the highest [[Cost of living|costs of living]] in the United States, though remains high on world livability rankings.
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The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, [[Boston Latin School]] in 1635. Boston was also home to the first [[rapid transit|subway]] system in the United States.
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{{toc}}
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With many colleges and universities such as [[Harvard University|Harvard]] and [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of [[higher education]] and [[medicine]]. The city's economy is based on [[research]], [[finance]], and [[technology]]; principally [[biotechnology]]. Toward the beginning of the twenty first century, Boston began experiencing gentrification and obtained one of the highest costs of living in the United States, though it remains high on livability rankings.
  
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==Geography==
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[[Image:USA 09562 Boston Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg|thumb|The headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist in the Back Bay are dominated by a reflecting pool.]]
  
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Owing to its early founding, Boston is very compact. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 89.6 square miles (232.1&nbsp;km²)—nearly half of which is [[water]]. Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the [[peninsula]] where it started. Yet it is the fourth most densely populated city in the country not a part of a larger city's metropolitan area. Of United States cities with a population over 500,000, only [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] is smaller in land area. The highest point in Boston is Bellevue Hill at 330&nbsp;feet (101&nbsp;m) above [[sea level]], while the lowest point is at sea level.
  
==Geography==
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Much of the Back Bay and South End neighborhoods are built on reclaimed land—all the earth from two of Boston's three original hills was used as landfill material. Only Beacon Hill, the smallest of the three original hills, remains partially intact; just half of its height was cut down for landfill.
{{seealso|Neighborhoods in Boston}}
 
[[Image:Boston Landsat.jpg|thumb|A simulated-color satellite image of the Boston area taken on [[NASA]]'s [[Landsat 3]]]]
 
[[Image:USA 09562 Boston Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg|thumb|The headquarters of the [[Church of Christ, Scientist]] in the [[Back Bay]] are dominated by a reflecting pool. The tall buildings in the background are the [[Prudential Tower]] and 111 Huntington Avenue.]]
 
  
Owing to its early founding, Boston is very compact. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 89.6&nbsp;square miles (232.1&nbsp;km²)—48.4&nbsp;square miles (125.4&nbsp;km²) of it is land and 41.2&nbsp;square miles (106.7&nbsp;km²) (46.0%) of it is water. Boston is the [[List of United States cities by population|fourth most densely populated]] city in the country not a part of a larger city's [[metropolitan area]].<ref>After New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago. Many cities are denser but part of a larger city's metropolitan area such as [[Paterson, New Jersey]].</ref> Of United States cities over 500,000 in population, only [[San Francisco]] is smaller in land area. Boston's official elevation, as measured  at [[Logan International Airport]], is 19&nbsp;feet (5.8&nbsp;m) above sea level.<ref>{{cite web |title=Elevation data—Boston |url={{Gnis3|617565}} |year=2007 |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> The highest point in Boston is [[Bellevue Hill, Boston|Bellevue Hill]] at 330&nbsp;feet (101&nbsp;m) above sea level, while the lowest point is at sea level.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=6759|title=Bellevue Hill, Massachusetts |publisher=Peakbagger.com |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref>
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===Climate===
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Boston has what may basically be described as something between a humid continental [[climate]] and a humid subtropical climate, which is common in [[New England]]. [[Summer]]s are warm and humid, while [[winter]]s are cold, windy, and [[snow]]y. Prevailing [[wind]] patterns that blow offshore affect Boston, minimizing the influence of the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
  
Boston is surrounded by the "[[Greater Boston]]" region, and bordered by the cities and towns of [[Winthrop, Massachusetts|Winthrop]], [[Revere, Massachusetts|Revere]], [[Chelsea, Massachusetts|Chelsea]], [[Everett, Massachusetts|Everett]], [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]], [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]], [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]], [[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]], [[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]], [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]], [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]], and [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]].
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Spring in Boston can be warm, with temperatures as high as the 90s when winds are offshore, though it is just as possible for a day in late May to remain in the lower 40s due to cool ocean waters. The hottest month is July, with an average high of 82°F (28°C) and average low of 66°F (18°C). The coldest month is January, with an average high of 36&°F (2&°C) and an average low of 22°F (-6°C).
  
Much of the [[Back Bay, Boston|Back Bay]] and [[South End, Boston, Massachusetts|South End]] neighborhoods are built on [[Land reclamation|reclaimed land]]—all of the earth from two of Boston's three original hills, the "trimount," was used as landfill material. Only [[Beacon Hill, Boston, Massachusetts|Beacon Hill]], the smallest of the three original hills, remains partially intact; just half of its height was cut down for landfill. The downtown area and immediate surroundings consist mostly of low-rise brick or stone buildings, with many older buildings in the [[Federal architecture|Federal style]]. Several of these buildings mix in with modern high-rises, notably in the Financial District, [[Government Center (Boston)|Government Center]], the [[South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts|South Boston]] waterfront, and Back Bay, which includes many prominent landmarks such as the [[Boston Public Library]], [[Church of Christ, Scientist|Christian Science Center]], [[Copley Square]], [[Newbury Street]], and New England's two tallest buildings: the [[John Hancock Tower]] and the [[Prudential Tower|Prudential Center]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/?id=101045 |title=Boston Skyscrapers |publisher=Emporis.com |year=2005 |accessdate=2005-05-15}}</ref> Near the John Hancock Tower is the [[John Hancock Tower#The Berkeley Building (the "old John Hancock Building")|old John Hancock Building]] with its prominent [[weather beacon|weather forecast beacon]]—whatever light illuminates gives an indication of weather to come: "steady blue. clear view; flashing blue, clouds are due; steady red, rain ahead; flashing red, snow instead." (In the summer, flashing red indicates instead that a [[Red Sox]] game has been rained out.) Smaller commercial areas are interspersed among single-family homes and wooden/brick multi-family row houses. Currently, the South End Historic District remains the largest surviving contiguous Victorian-era neighborhood in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southendhistoricalsociety.org/about.htm |title=About the SEHS |publisher=South End Historical Society |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref>
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The city averages about 43 inches (108 cm) of precipitation a year, with 40.9 inches (104 cm) of snowfall a year. [[Snow]]fall increases dramatically as one goes inland away from the city and the warming influence of the [[ocean]].
  
Along with downtown, the geography of [[South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts|South Boston]] was particularly impacted by the [[Big Dig (Boston, Massachusetts)|Central Artery/Tunnel (CA/T) Project]] (or the "Big Dig"). The unstable reclaimed land in South Boston posed special problems for the project's tunnels. In the downtown area, the CA/T Project allowed for the removal of the unsightly elevated [[Central Artery]] and the incorporation of new green spaces and open areas.  
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Boston's coastal location on the [[North Atlantic]], though it moderates temperatures, also makes the city very prone to [[Nor'easter (storm)|Nor'easter]] weather systems that can produce much snow and [[rain]]. [[Fog]] is prevalent, particularly in spring and early summer, and the occasional tropical storm or [[hurricane]] can threaten the region, especially in early autumn.
  
[[Boston Common (park)|Boston Common]], located near the Financial District and Beacon Hill, is the oldest public park in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.celebrateboston.com/sites/bostoncommon.htm |title=Boston Common |year=2006 |publisher=CelebrateBoston.com |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> Along with the adjacent [[Boston Public Garden]], it is part of the [[Emerald Necklace]], a string of parks designed by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] to encircle the city. Franklin Park, which is also part of the Emerald Necklace, is the city's largest park and houses a [[Franklin Park Zoo|zoo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/emerald/Franklin_Park.asp |title=Franklin Park |year=2007 |publisher=City of Boston |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> Another major park is the [[Esplanade]] located along the banks of the [[Charles River]]. Other parks are scattered throughout the city, with the major parks and beaches located near [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]], in Charlestown and along the Dorchester, South Boston, and East Boston shorelines.
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===Cityscape===
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The downtown area and immediate surroundings consist mostly of low-rise [[brick]] or [[stone]] buildings, with many older buildings in the [[Federal architecture|Federal style]]. Several of these buildings mix in with modern high-rises, notably in the Financial District, Government Center, the South Boston waterfront, and Back Bay, which includes many prominent landmarks such as the Boston Public Library, Christian Science Center, Copley Square, Newbury Street, and New England's two tallest buildings: the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center. Smaller commercial areas are interspersed among single-family homes and wooden/brick multifamily row houses.  
  
The Charles River separates Boston proper from Cambridge, Watertown, and the neighborhood of Charlestown. To the east lies [[Boston Harbor]] and the [[Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area]]. The [[Neponset River]] forms the boundary between Boston's southern neighborhoods and the city of [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] and the town of [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]].<ref>http://www.massbike.org/bikeways/neponset/ <!--this doesn't include Canton... —></ref> The [[Mystic River]] separates Charlestown from Chelsea and Everett, while Chelsea Creek and Boston Harbor separate East Boston from Boston proper.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=42.35833&lon=-71.06028 |title=Kings Chapel Burying Ground, USGS Boston South (MA) Topo Map |publisher=TopoZone |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref>
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Boston Common, located near the Financial District and Beacon Hill, is the oldest public park in the U.S. Along with the adjacent Boston Public Garden, it is part of a string of parks designed by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] to encircle the city. Franklin Park is the city's largest park and houses a [[zoo]]. Another major park is the Esplanade located along the banks of the [[Charles River]]. Other parks are scattered throughout the city, with the major parks and beaches located near Castle Island, in Charlestown and along the Dorchester, South Boston, and East Boston shorelines.
  
[[Image:Boston Twilight Panorama 3.jpg|thumb|800px|center|Boston skyline from the north side of the Charles River.]]
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The Charles River separates Boston proper from Cambridge, Watertown, and the neighborhood of Charlestown. To the east lies Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The Neponset River forms the boundary between Boston's southern neighborhoods and the city of Quincy and the town of Milton. The [[Mystic River]] separates Charlestown from Chelsea and Everett, while Chelsea Creek and Boston Harbor separate East Boston from Boston proper.
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[[Image:Boston Twilight Panorama 3.jpg|thumb|730px|center|Boston skyline from the north side of the Charles River.]]
  
===Climate===
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==History==
Boston has what may basically be described as something between a [[humid continental climate]] and a [[humid subtropical climate]], such as is very common in New England. Summers are typically warm and humid, while winters are cold, windy and snowy. Prevailing wind patterns that blow offshore affect Boston, minimizing the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.
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[[Image:Boston-view-1841-Havell.jpeg|thumb|View of Boston from Dorchester Heights, 1841.]]
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[[Image:Scollay1880s.jpg|thumb|Scollay Square in the 1880s]]
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[[Image:USA 09532 Boston Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg|thumb|Trinity Church reflected in the facade of the John Hancock Tower]]
  
Spring in Boston can be warm, with temperatures as high as the 90s when winds are offshore, though it is just as possible for a day in late May to remain in the lower 40s due to cool ocean waters. The hottest month is July, with an average high of 82&nbsp;°[[Fahrenheit|F]] (28&nbsp;°C) and average low of 66&nbsp;°F (18&nbsp;°C), with conditions usually humid. The coldest month is January, with an average high of 36&nbsp;°F (2&nbsp;°C) and an average low of 22&nbsp;°F (-6&nbsp;°C).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/climate/bosnml.shtml |publisher=NWS Taunton, MA |year=2006 |title=Boston Daily Normals |accessdate=2006-04-19}}</ref> Periods exceeding {{convert|90|°F|°C|abbr=on}} in summer and below {{convert|10|°F|°C|abbr=on}} in winter are not uncommon, but rarely prolonged. The record high temperature is 104&nbsp;°F (40&nbsp;°C), recorded July 4, 1911. The record low temperature is -18&nbsp;°F (-28&nbsp;°C), recorded on February 9, 1934. February in Boston has seen 70&nbsp;°F (21&nbsp;°[[Celsius|C]]) only once in recorded history, on February 24, 1985. The maximum temperature recorded in March was 89&nbsp;°F (31&nbsp;°C), on March 31, 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.erh.noaa.gov/box/climate/bosrecords.html |publisher=NWS Taunton, MA |year=2006 |title=Boston Temperature Records |accessdate=2006-02-09}}</ref>
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The Shawmut peninsula was connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, and surrounded by the waters of [[Massachusetts Bay]] and the Back Bay, an [[estuary]] of the [[Charles River]]. Several prehistoric [[Native American]] [[archaeology|archaeological]] sites excavated in the city have shown that the peninsula was inhabited as early as 5000 B.C.E. Boston's early [[Europe]]an settlers first called the area ''Trimountaine'' but later renamed the town after Boston, Lincolnshire, [[England]], from which several prominent colonists had emigrated.
  
The city averages about 43&nbsp;[[inch|in]] (108&nbsp;cm) of precipitation a year, with 40.9&nbsp;in (104&nbsp;cm) of snowfall a year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=090527&refer= |title=Historical Weather for Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America |publisher=Weatherbase |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> Snowfall increases dramatically as one goes inland away from the city and the warming influence of the ocean.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/states/Massachusetts-Climate.html |title=Massachusetts—Climate |year=2005 |publisher=city-data.com (Thomson Gale) |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref>  Most snowfall occurs December through March, usually with little or no snow in April and November and rare snow events in May and October.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intellicast.com/Almanac/Northeast/May/ |title=May in the Northeast |year=2003 |publisher=Intellicast.com |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2005/10/30/snowstorm_packs_october_surprise/ |author=Wangsness, Lisa |title=Snowstorm packs October surprise |date=October 30, 2005 |publisher=The Boston Globe |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref>
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Boston was founded on September 17, 1630, by [[Puritan]] colonists from England, who were distinct from the [[Pilgrims]] who had founded [[Plymouth Colony]] ten years earlier. The two groups differed in religious practice, and the separate colonies were not united until the Province of Massachusetts Bay was formed in 1691. Boston was the largest town in British [[North America]] until the mid-1700s.
  
Boston's coastal location on the [[North Atlantic]], though it moderates temperatures, also makes the city very prone to [[Nor'easter]] weather systems that can produce much snow and rain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/film/weather.asp |title=Weather |year=2007 |publisher=City of Boston Film Bureau |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref><!--Someone confirm the numbers for Noreaster snowfall amounts-"dump more than 20&nbsp;in (50&nbsp;cm) of snow on the region in one storm event."—> Fog is prevalent, particularly in spring and early summer, and the occasional tropical storm or [[hurricane]] can threaten the region, especially in early autumn.
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===Role in independence===
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In the 1770s, British attempts to exert more stringent control on the [[Thirteen Colonies|thirteen colonies]], primarily via [[taxation]], prompted Bostonians to initiate the [[American Revolution]]. The [[Boston Massacre]] of 1770 and several early battles occurred in or near the city, including the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]], [[Battle of Bunker Hill]], and the [[Siege of Boston]].  
  
==History==
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After the Revolution, Boston became one of the world's wealthiest international trading ports. Exports included [[rum]], [[fish]], [[salt]], and [[tobacco]]. In 1822, Boston was chartered as a [[city]].
[[Image:Boston 1772.gif|left|thumb|Boston in 1772.]]
 
Boston was founded on September 17, 1630, by [[Puritan]] colonists from England. 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 are historically distinct and differed in religious practice. 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 surrounded by the waters of [[Massachusetts Bay]] and the Back Bay, an [[estuary]] of the [[Charles River]]. Several prehistoric [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] archaeological sites excavated in the city have shown that the peninsula was inhabited as early as 5,000 B.C.E. 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 captured 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), and America's first college, [[Harvard College]] (1636). Boston was the largest town in British North America until the mid-1700s.
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===Manufacturing center===
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By the mid-1800s, the city's industrial [[manufacturing]] overtook [[international trade]] in economic importance. Until the early 1900s, Boston remained one of the nation's largest manufacturing centers, and was notable for its [[Clothing|garment]] production and [[leather]] goods industries. A network of small [[river]]s bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region made for easy shipment of goods and allowed for a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a dense network of [[railroad]]s facilitated the region's industry and commerce.
  
In the 1770s, British attempts to exert more stringent control on the [[Thirteen Colonies|thirteen colonies]], primarily via taxation, prompted Bostonians to initiate the [[American Revolution]]. The [[Boston Massacre]], the [[Boston Tea Party]], and several early battles occurred in or near the city, including the [[Battle of Lexington and Concord]], [[Battle of Bunker Hill]], and the [[Siege of Boston]].  
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From the mid- to late nineteenth century, Boston flourished culturally; it became renowned for its [[literature|literary]] culture and [[art]]istic patronage. It also became a center of the [[Abolitionism|abolitionist]] movement.
  
[[Image:Boston-view-1841-Havell.jpeg|thumb|View of Boston from Dorchester Heights, 1841.]]
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In the 1820s, Boston's population began to swell and the city's ethnic composition changed dramatically with the first wave of [[Europe]]an immigrants, especially from [[Ireland]]. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the city saw increasing numbers of Irish, [[Germany|Germans]], [[Lebanon|Lebanese]], [[Syria]]ns, [[French Canadian]]s, and [[Russia]]n and [[Poland|Polish]] [[Jews]] settle in the city. By the end of the nineteenth century, Boston's neighborhoods had become enclaves of ethnically distinct immigrants. Italians inhabited the North End, the Irish dominated South Boston, and Russian Jews lived in the West End.
After the Revolution, Boston had become one of the world's wealthiest international trading ports due to the city's consolidated seafaring tradition – exports included rum, [[fish]], [[salt]], and [[tobacco]]. During this era, descendants of old Boston families became regarded as the nation's social and cultural elites; they were later dubbed the ''Boston Brahmins''. In 1822, Boston was chartered as a city.
 
  
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-1800s, the city's industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance. Until the early 1900s, Boston remained one of the nation's largest manufacturing centers, and was notable for its [[Clothing|garment]] production and [[leather]] goods industries. A network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region made for easy shipment of goods and allowed for a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a dense network of railroads facilitated the region's industry and commerce. From the mid- to late nineteenth century, Boston flourished culturally; it became renowned for its rarefied literary culture and lavish artistic patronage. It also became a center of the [[Abolitionism|abolitionist]] movement. The city reacted strongly to the [[Fugitive Slave Law]], which contributed to President [[Franklin Pierce]]'s attempt to make an example of Boston after the [[Burns Fugitive Slave Case]].
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Irish and [[Italy|Italian]] immigrants brought with them [[Roman Catholicism]]. Catholics make up Boston's largest religious community, and since the early twentieth century the Irish have played a major role in Boston politics—prominent figures include the Kennedys, [[Thomas P. O'Neill|Tip O'Neill]], and [[John F. Fitzgerald]].
  
[[Image:Scollay1880s.jpg|thumb|Scollay Square in the 1880s]]
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===Urban renewal===
In the 1820s, Boston's population began to swell and the city's ethnic composition changed dramatically with the first wave of European immigrants. Irish immigrants dominated the first wave of newcomers during this period. By 1850, about 35,000 [[Irish people|Irish]] lived in Boston. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the city saw increasing numbers of Irish, Germans, [[Lebanon|Lebanese]], Syrians, [[French Canadian]]s, and Russian and Polish Jews settle in the city. By the end of the nineteenth century, Boston's core ned Russian Jews lived in the [[West End, Boston, Massachusetts|West End]].
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By the mid-twentieth century, the city was in decline as [[factory|factories]] became old and obsolete, and businesses moved out of the region for cheaper labor elsewhere. Boston responded by initiating various [[urban renewal]] projects under the direction of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), which was established in 1957. By the 1970s, the city's economy boomed after thirty years of economic downturn. [[Hospital]]s such as Massachusetts General, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women's led the nation in [[medicine|medical]] innovation and patient care. Schools such as [[Harvard University]], [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], [[Boston University]], [[Boston College]], and [[Northeastern University]] attracted students to the area. Nevertheless, the city experienced conflict starting in 1974 over [[desegregation busing]], which resulted in unrest and violence around [[public school]]s throughout the mid-1970s.
  
By the end of the nineteenth century, Boston's neighborhoods had become enclaves of ethnically distinct immigrants – Italians inhabited the [[North End, Boston, Massachusetts|North End]], the Irish dominated [[South Boston]], and Russian Jews lived in the West End.
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The Columbia Point housing projects, built in 1953 on the Dorchester peninsula, had gone through bad times until there were only 350 families residing there in 1988. It was run down and dangerous. In 1984, the city of Boston gave control of it to a private developer, Corcoran-Mullins-Jennison, who re-developed and revitalized the property into an attractive residential mixed-income community called Harbor Point Apartments which was opened in 1988 and completed by 1990. It is a very significant example of revitalization and re-development and was the first federal housing project to be converted to private, mixed-income housing in the United States.
  
[[Irish American|Irish]] and [[Italian American|Italian]] immigrants brought with them [[Roman Catholicism]]. Currently, Catholics make up Boston's largest religious community and since the early twentieth century the Irish have played a major role in Boston politics—prominent figures include the Kennedys, Tip O'Neill, and John F. Fitzgerald.
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By the early twenty-first century the city had become an intellectual, [[technology|technological]], and [[politics|political]] center. It had, however, experienced a loss of regional institutions, which included the acquisition of the ''Boston Globe'' by the ''New York Times'' and the loss to mergers and acquisitions of local financial institutions such as FleetBoston Financial, which was acquired by Charlotte-based Bank of America in 2004. The city also had to tackle gentrification issues and rising living expenses, with housing prices increasing sharply since the 1990s.
  
[[Image:USA 09532 Boston Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg|thumb|Trinity Church reflected in the façade of the John Hancock Tower.]]
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==Government==
Between 1631 and 1890, the city tripled its physical size by land reclamation, by filling in marshes, mud flats, and gaps between wharves along the waterfront, a process Walter Muir Whitehill called "cutting down the hills to fill the coves." The largest reclamation efforts took place during the 1800s. Beginning in 1807, the crown of Beacon Hill was used to fill in a 50-acre (20&nbsp;ha) mill pond that later became Haymarket Square. The present-day State House sits atop this shortened Beacon Hill. Reclamation projects in the middle of the century created significant parts of the South End, West End, the Financial District and Chinatown. After The Great Boston Fire of 1872, workers used building rubble as landfill along the downtown waterfront. During the mid-to-late nineteenth century, workers filled almost 600&nbsp;acres (2.4&nbsp;km²) of brackish Charles River marshlands west of the Boston Common with gravel brought by rail from the hills of Needham Heights. In addition, the city annexed the adjacent towns of Roxbury (1868), Dorchester (1870), Brighton, West Roxbury (including present day Jamaica Plain, Roslindale and West Roxbury), and Charlestown. The last three towns were annexed in 1874.
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Boston has a strong mayor system in which the [[mayor]] is vested with extensive executive powers. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by plurality voting. The city council is elected every two years. There are nine district seats, each elected by the residents of that district through plurality voting, and four at-large seats. Each voter casts up to four votes for at-large councilors, with no more than one vote per candidate. The candidates with the four highest vote totals are elected. The president of the city council is elected by the councilors from within themselves. The school committee for the Boston Public Schools is appointed by the mayor. The Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Zoning Board of Appeals (a seven-person body appointed by the mayor) share responsibility for land-use planning.
  
The first community health center in the United States was the Columbia Point Health Center in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston. It was opened in December 1965 and served mostly the massive Columbia Point public housing complex adjoining it. It was founded by two medical doctors, Jack Geiger of Harvard University and Count Gibson of Tufts University. It is still in operation and was re-dedicated in 1990 as the Geiger-Gibson Community Health Center.
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As the [[capital]] of [[Massachusetts]], Boston plays a major role in state [[politics]]. The city also has several properties relating to the federal government, including the John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building and the Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building. The city also serves as the home of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, as well as the headquarters of the [[Federal Reserve System|Federal Reserve Bank of Boston]]. The city is in the Eighth and Ninth Congressional Districts.
  
[[Image:Bostonfromthefens.jpg|thumb|The skyline of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, home to some of the city's tallest skyscrapers, as seen from the Back Bay Fens. The Prudential Tower, John Hancock Tower, 111 Huntington Avenue, and the Christian Science Center are all visible, left to right.]]
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==Economy==
By the early and mid-twentieth century, the city was in decline as factories became old and obsolete, and businesses moved out of the region for cheaper labor elsewhere. Boston responded by initiating various [[urban renewal]] projects under the direction of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), which was established in 1957. In 1958, BRA initiated a project to improve the historic West End neighborhood. Extensive demolition garnered vociferous public opposition to the new agency. BRA subsequently reevaluated its approach to urban renewal in its future projects, including the construction of Government Center. By the 1970s, the city's economy boomed after thirty years of economic downturn. Hospitals such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women's Hospital led the nation in medical innovation and patient care. Schools such as [[Harvard University]], [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], [[Boston University]], [[Boston College]] and [[Northeastern University]] attracted students to the Boston area. Nevertheless, the city experienced conflict starting in 1974 over [[desegregation busing]], which resulted in unrest and violence around public schools throughout the mid-1970s.
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[[Image:Hyatt in Boston downtown.JPG|thumb|Hyatt in downtown Boston]]
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[[Image:Boston economy chart.png|thumb|250px|Data from City-Data.com<ref>''City-Data.com,'' 2007, [http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Boston-Economy.html Boston Economy.] Retrieved January 11, 2009.</ref>]]
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[[Image:Bostonhorseandcart.JPG|thumb|Many of Boston's roads were based upon horse and cart paths from the seventeenth century. A few horse carriages are still found in the city today.]]
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[[Image:SouthStation.agr.JPG|thumb|South Station is an intermodal station for Amtrak, commuter, and bus service.]]
  
The Columbia Point housing projects, built in 1953 on the Dorchester peninsula, had gone through bad times until there were only 350 families living in it in 1988. It was run down and dangerous. In 1984, the city of Boston gave control of it to a private developer, Corcoran-Mullins-Jennison, who re-developed and revitalized the property into an attractive residential mixed-income community called Harbor Point Apartments which was opened in 1988 and completed by 1990. It is a very significant example of revitalization and re-development and was the first federal housing project to be converted to private, mixed-income housing in the United States.
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Boston's [[college]]s and [[university|universities]] are not only major employers but they also attract high-tech industries to the city and surrounding region. Boston is also a major hub for [[biotechnology]] companies. According to a 2003 report by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, students enrolled in Boston's colleges and universities contribute $4.8 billion annually to the city's economy. Boston also receives the highest amount of annual funding from the [[National Institutes of Health]] of all cities in the United States.
  
In the early twenty-first century the city has become an intellectual, technological, and political center. It has, however, experienced a loss of regional institutions, which included the acquisition of the ''Boston Globe'' by ''The New York Times'', and the loss to mergers and acquisitions of local financial institutions such FleetBoston Financial, which was acquired by Charlotte-based Bank of America in 2004. The city also had to tackle gentrification issues and rising living expenses, with housing prices increasing sharply since the 1990s.
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[[Tourism]] comprises a large part of Boston's economy. In 2004 tourists spent $7.9 billion and made the city one of the ten most popular tourist locations in the country. Other important industries include [[financial services]], especially [[mutual fund]]s and [[insurance]]. The city is also the regional headquarters of major [[bank]]s and a center for [[venture capital]]. Boston is also a [[printing]] and publishing center; Houghton Mifflin is headquartered within the city, along with Bedford-St. Martin's Press, Beacon Press, and Little, Brown and Company. The city is home to four major [[convention center]]s: The Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay, the Bayside Expo Center in Dorchester, and the World Trade Center Boston and Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on the South Boston waterfront. Because of its status as a state capital and the regional home of federal agencies, [[law]] and [[government]] is another major component of the city's economy.
  
==Economy==
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Route 128 serves as the center of the region's high-tech industry. In 2006 Boston and its metropolitan area ranked as the fourth largest cybercity in the United States with 191,700 high-tech jobs. Only NYC Metro, DC Metro and [[Silicon Valley]] had bigger high-tech sectors.
[[Image:Hyatt in Boston downtown.JPG|thumb|Hyatt in downtown Boston|left]]
 
Boston's colleges and universities have a major impact on the city and region's economy. Not only are they major employers, but they also attract high-tech industries to the city and surrounding region. Boston is home to [[technology]] companies such as [[EMC Corp.]] and [[Analog Devices]] as well as [[E-Commerce]] companies [[VistaPrint]] and [[CSN Stores]]. Boston is also a major hub for [[biotechnology]] companies, including [[Millennium Pharmaceuticals]], [[Merck & Co.]], [[Millipore]], [[Genzyme]], and [[Biogen Idec]]. According to a 2003 report by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, students enrolled in Boston's colleges and universities contribute $4.8&nbsp;billion annually to the city's economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/PDF/ResearchPublications//pdr97-2.pdf |format=pdf |title=Leadership Through Innovation: The History of Boston's Economy |year=2003 |publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority |accessdate=2007-04-18}}</ref> Boston also receives the highest amount of annual funding from the [[National Institutes of Health]] of all cities in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/022006t.htm |title=Top 100 NIH Cities |year=2004 |publisher=SSTI.org |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref>
 
  
[[Image:Boston economy chart.png|thumb|360px|Data from City-Data.com<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Economy |publisher=Advameg Inc.|publisher=City-Data.com|year=2007|url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Boston-Economy.html|accessdate=2007-06-20}}</ref>]]
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The Port of Boston is a major seaport along the United States' East Coast, and is also the oldest continuously operated industrial and [[fishing]] port in the [[Western Hemisphere]].
Tourism comprises a large part of Boston's economy. In 2004 tourists spent $7.9&nbsp;billion and made the city one of the ten most popular tourist locations in the country.<ref name="economy"/> Other important industries include [[financial services]], especially [[mutual fund]]s and [[insurance]].<ref name="economy"/> Boston-based [[Fidelity Investments]] helped popularize the mutual fund in the 1980s, and has made Boston one of the top financial cities in the United States. The city is also the regional headquarters of major banks such as [[Bank of America]] and [[Sovereign Bank]], and a center for [[venture capital]]. [[State Street Corporation]], which specializes in asset management and custody services, is headquartered in the city. Boston is also a printing and publishing center – [[Houghton Mifflin]] is headquartered within the city, along with [[Bedford-St. Martin's|Bedford-St. Martin's Press]], [[Beacon Press]], and [[Little, Brown and Company]]. [[Pearson PLC]] publishing units also employ several hundred people in Boston. The city is home to four major [[convention center]]s: the [[Hynes Convention Center]] in the Back Bay, the Bayside Expo Center in Dorchester, and the World Trade Center Boston and [[Boston Convention and Exhibition Center]] on the South Boston waterfront. Because of its status as a state capital and the regional home of federal agencies, law and government is another major component of the city's economy.<ref name="economy" />
 
 
 
Major companies headquartered within the city include the [[Liberty Mutual]] insurance company, [[The Gillette Company|Gillette]] (now owned by [[Procter & Gamble]]), and [[Teradyne]], one of the world's leading manufacturers of semiconductor and other electronic test equipment. [[New Balance]] has its headquarters in the city. Boston is also home to [[management consulting]] firms [[The Boston Consulting Group]], [[Monitor Group]], and [[Bain & Company]], as well as the private equity group Bain Capital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bcg.com/this_is_bcg/bcg_history/bcg_history_1963.html |title=This is BCG&mdash;History&mdash;1963 |publisher=The Boston Consulting Group |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-06-22}}</ref> Other major companies are located outside the city, especially along [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/world-cities/Boston-Economy.html |title=Cities of the World—Boston Economy |publisher=city-data.com |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> Route 128 serves as the center of the region's high-tech industry. In 2006 Boston and its metropolitan area ranked as the fourth largest cybercity in the United States with 191,700 high-tech jobs. Only NYC Metro, DC Metro and [[Silicon Valley]] had bigger high-tech sectors.<ref>[http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/06/23/daily21.html?jst=b_ln_hl AeA ranks Atlanta 10th-largest U.S. cybercity.<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref> The [[Port of Boston]] is a major seaport along the United States' East Coast, and is also the oldest continuously-operated industrial and [[fishing]] port in the [[Western Hemisphere]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massport.com/ports/about_histo.html |title=About the Port—History |year=2007 |publisher=Massport |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>  Boston is classified as a "[[Global_city#1999 global cities index|Gamma world city]]" by a study group at [[Loughborough University]] in England.
 
  
 
===Transportation===
 
===Transportation===
[[Image:MBTA Chinatown sign.JPG|thumb|An MBTA sign at the Chinatown stop.]]
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Logan International [[Airport]], located in the East Boston neighborhood, handles most of the scheduled passenger service for Boston.  
Logan International Airport, located in the East Boston neighborhood, handles most of the scheduled passenger service for Boston.  
 
  
Downtown Boston's streets are not organized on a grid, but grew in a meandering organic pattern beginning early in the seventeenth century. They were created as needed, and as wharves and landfill expanded the area of the small Boston peninsula. Along with several [[Roundabout|rotaries]], roads change names and lose and add lanes seemingly at random. On the other hand, streets in the Back Bay, East Boston, the South End, and South Boston do follow a grid system.
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Downtown Boston's streets are not organized on a grid but grew in a meandering organic pattern beginning early in the seventeenth century. They were created as needed, and as wharves and landfill expanded the area of the small Boston peninsula. Along with several rotaries, roads change names and lose and add lanes seemingly at random. On the other hand, streets in the Back Bay, East Boston, the South End, and South Boston do follow a grid system.
  
[[Image:Bostonhorseandcart.JPG|thumb|left|Many of Boston's roads were based upon horse and cart paths from the 17th century. A few horse carriages are still found in the city today.]]
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Boston is the eastern terminus of I-90. Interstate-95, which surrounds the city, is locally referred to as Route 128, its historical state route numbering. U.S. 1, I-93, and Massachusetts Route 3 run north to south through the city, forming the elevated Central Artery, which ran through downtown Boston and was constantly prone to heavy traffic until it was replaced with an underground tunnel through the "Big Dig."
Boston is the eastern terminus of [[Interstate 90|I-90]], which in Massachusetts runs along the [[Massachusetts Turnpike|Mass Pike]]. [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|I-95]], which surrounds the city, is locally referred to as [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128]], its historical state route numbering. [[U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts|U.S. 1]] and [[Interstate 93|I-93]] and [[Massachusetts Route 3]] run north to south through the city forming the elevated [[Central Artery]], which ran through downtown Boston and was constantly prone to heavy traffic, was replaced with an underground tunnel through the [[Big Dig (Boston, Massachusetts)|Big Dig]].
 
  
The [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA) operates what was the first underground [[rapid transit]] system in the United States and is now the [[List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership|fourth busiest rapid transit system in the country]],<ref name="first subway" /> having been expanded to 65.5&nbsp;miles (105&nbsp;km) of track,<ref name="light rail">{{cite web |url=http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_bos001.htm |title=Boston: Light Rail Transit Overview |publisher=Light Rail Progress |month=May |year=2003 |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> reaching as far north as [[Malden, Massachusetts|Malden]], as far south as [[Braintree, Massachusetts|Braintree]], and as far west as [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]] – collectively known as the "T." The MBTA also operates the nation's [[List of United States local bus agencies by ridership|sixth busiest]] [[MBTA Bus|bus network]], as well as water shuttles, and a [[MBTA Commuter Rail|commuter rail]] network totaling over 200&nbsp;miles (321&nbsp;km),<ref name="light rail" /> extending north to the [[Merrimack Valley]], west to [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], and south to [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]]. Nearly a third of Bostonians use public transit for their commute to work.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/1/gen/pio/cay961a2.pdf |format=pdf |title=Census and You |publisher=US Census Bureau |pages=12|month=January |year=1996 |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> Nicknamed "The Walking City," pedestrian commutes play a larger role than in comparably populated cities. Owing to factors such as the compactness of the city and large student population, 13% of the population commutes by foot, making it the [[List of U.S. cities with most pedestrian commuters|highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in the country]] out of the major American cities.<ref>Of cities over 250,000 {{cite web |url=http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/census-lookup.php?state_select=*&lower_pop=250000&upper_pop=999999999&sort_num=2&show_rows=25&first_row=0. |title=Carfree Database Results—Highest percentage (Cities over 250,000) |publisher=Bikes at Work Inc. |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-02-26}}</ref> In its March 2006 issue, ''Bicycling'' magazine named Boston as one of the worst cities in the U.S. for cycling;<ref>{{cite journal |author=MacLaughlin, Nina |year=2006 |title=[http://thephoenix.com/supplements/2006/bicyclebible/article.aspx?ID=Boston Boston Can Be Bike City...If You Fix These Five Big Problems] |journal=The Phoenix - Bicycle Bible 2006}}</ref> regardless, it has one of the highest rates of bicycle commuting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/handy/ESP178/Dill_bike_facilities.pdf |format=pdf |publisher=Dill bike facilities |title=Bicycle Commuting and Facilities in Major U.S. Cities: If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use Them—Another Look |pages=5 |year=2003 |accessdate=2007-04-04}}</ref>
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The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates what was the first underground [[rapid transit]] system in the United States and is now the fourth busiest rapid transit system in the country, having been expanded to 65.5 miles (105& km) of track, reaching as far north as Malden, as far south as Braintree, and as far west as Newton—collectively known as the "T." The MBTA also operates the nation's sixth busiest bus network, as well as water shuttles, and a commuter rail network totaling over 200 miles (321 km), extending north to the Merrimack Valley, west to Worcester, and south to [[Providence, Rhode Island]]. Nearly a third of Bostonians use public transit for their commute to work. Nicknamed "The Walking City," pedestrian commutes play a larger role than in comparably populated cities. Owing to factors such as the compactness of the city and large student population, 13 percent of the population commutes by foot, making it the highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in the country out of the major American cities. In its March 2006 issue, ''Bicycling'' magazine named Boston as one of the worst cities in the U.S. for cycling;<ref>Nina MacLaughlin, 2006, [http://thephoenix.com/supplements/2006/bicyclebible/article.aspx?ID=Boston Boston Can Be Bike City...If You Fix These Five Big Problems,] ''The Phoenix--Bicycle Bible''. Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref> regardless, it has one of the highest rates of bicycle commuting.<ref>Jennifer Dill and Theresa Carr, 2003, [http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/handy/ESP178/Dill_bike_facilities.pdf Bicycle Commuting and Facilities in Major U.S. Cities: If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use ThemAnother Look,] ''University of California, Davis''. Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref>
  
[[Image:SouthStation.agr.JPG|thumb|[[South Station]] is an intermodal station for Amtrak, commuter, and bus service.]]
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Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and Chicago lines originate at South Station and stop at Back Bay. Fast Northeast Corridor trains, which service [[New York City]], [[Washington, D.C.]], and points in between, also stop at Route 128 Station in the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Meanwhile, Amtrak's Downeaster service to [[Maine]] originates at North Station.
[[Amtrak|Amtrak's]] [[Northeast Corridor]] and Chicago lines originate at [[South Station (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority)|South Station]] and stop at [[Back Bay (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority)|Back Bay]]. Fast Northeast Corridor trains, which service New York City, [[Washington, D.C.]], and points in between, also stop at [[Route 128 (MBTA station)|Route 128 Station]] in the southwestern suburbs of Boston.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&c=am2Station&cid=1080080550818&ssid=93 |title=Westwood&mdash;Route 128 Station, MA (RTE) |publisher=Amtrak |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref> Meanwhile, Amtrak's [[Downeaster]] service to [[Maine]] originates at [[North Station (Boston)|North Station]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&c=am2Station&cid=1080080550772&ssid=93 |title=Boston&mdash;South Station, MA (BOS) |publisher=Amtrak |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref>
 
  
 
==Demographics==
 
==Demographics==
 
 
[[Image:Boston income donut.png|thumb|left|Per capita income in the greater Boston area, by U.S. Census block group, 2000. The dashed line shows the boundary of the city of Boston.]]
 
[[Image:Boston income donut.png|thumb|left|Per capita income in the greater Boston area, by U.S. Census block group, 2000. The dashed line shows the boundary of the city of Boston.]]
  
According to the census of 2000, there were 589,141 people, (the population estimate of 2006 was 596,638 people),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/archives/2000s/vintage_2005/05s_challenges.html |title=2005 challenges |date=February 16, 2007 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> 239,528 households, and 115,212 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 12,166 people per square mile (4,697/km²). Of major US cities,<ref>Includes only cities larger than 250,000</ref> only New York City, [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], and Chicago have a greater population density than Boston.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.demographia.com/db-us90city100kdens.htm|title=US Cities Over 100,000:
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According to the census of 2000, there were 589,141 people, (the population estimate of 2006 was 596,638 people),<ref>''U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division,'' Accepted Challenges to Vintage 2005 Population Estimates.</ref> 239,528 households, and 115,212 families residing in the city. The [[population density]] was 12,166 people per square mile (4,697/km²). Of major U.S. cities with populations in excess of 250,000, only [[New York City]], [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]], and [[Chicago]] have a greater population density than Boston.<ref>''Wendell Cox Consultancy,'' [http://www.demographia.com/db-us90city100kdens.htm US Cities Over 100,000: Ranked by Population Density: 1990.] Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref> There were 251,935 housing units at an average density of 5,203 per square mile (2,009/km²).
Ranked by Population Density: 1990|publisher=Wendell Cox Consultancy|accessdate=2007-10-01}}</ref> There were 251,935 housing units at an average density of 5,203 per square mile (2,009/km²).
 
  
However, the population of Boston can grow during the daytime to about 1.2&nbsp;million. This fluctuation of people is caused by suburban residents traveling to the city for work, education, medical purposes, and special events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/PDF/ResearchPublications//pdr96-1.pdf |format=pdf |title=Boston's Population Doubles—Every Day |publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority—Insight Reports |month=December |year=1996 |accessdate=2007-02-24}} </ref>
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However, the population of Boston can grow during the daytime to about 1.2&nbsp;million. This fluctuation of people is caused by suburban residents traveling to the city for work, education, medical purposes, and special events. Greater Boston as a commuting region includes parts of [[Rhode Island]] and [[New Hampshire]] and includes 7.4 million people, making it the fifth-largest Combined Statistical Area in the country.
  
According to the 2007 American Community Survey, the racial makeup of the city was 57.2% [[White American|White]], 23.1% [[African American|Black]], 9.0% [[Asian American]], 0.4% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]], 10.2% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 16.9% of the population was Hispanic of any race. 28.6% of the population was foreign born; of this, 48.2% came from Latin America, 25.7% from Asia, 14.2% from Europe, 9.8% from Africa and 2.0% from other parts of the world.<ref>[http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US2507000&-qr_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_DP5&-ds_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false 2007 ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: Boston<!-- Bot generated title —>]</ref>
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According to the 2007 American Community Survey, the racial makeup of the city was 57.2 percent white, 23.1 percent [[African American]], 9.0 percent [[Asia]]n, 0.4 percent [[Native American]], 10.2 percent from other races, and 2.9 percent from two or more races. 16.9 percent of the population was Hispanic of any race. 28.6 percent of the population was foreign born; of this, 48.2 percent came from [[Latin America]], 25.7 percent from Asia, 14.2 percent from [[Europe]], 9.8 percent from [[Africa]] and 2.0 percent from other parts of the world.<ref>''U.S. Census Bureau,'' [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ADPTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US2507000&-qr_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_DP5&-ds_name=ACS_2007_1YR_G00_&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false Boston city, Massachusetts ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates: 2007.] Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref>
  
According to a 2006 estimate, the White population comprises 53.5% of the population, while Hispanics make up 15.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Boston_MA-PEOPLE-52507000010.aspx |title=Boston, Massachusetts |publisher=Sperling's BestPlaces |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref> People of [[Irish ethnicity|Irish]] descent form the largest single [[American ancestry|ethnic group]] in the city, making up 15.8% of the population, followed by [[Italians]], accounting for 8.3% of the population. People of [[West Indian]] ancestry are another sizeable group, at 6.4%,<ref name="census2">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-context=qt&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-CONTEXT=qt&-tree_id=402&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-geo_id=16000US2507000&-search_results=01000US&-_sse=on&-format=&-_lang=en|title=Boston city, Massachusetts&mdash;DP-2, Profile of Selected Social Characteristics: 2000 |year=2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2007-05-04}}</ref> about half of whom are of [[Haiti]]an ancestry. Some neighborhoods, such as Dorchester, have received an influx of [[Vietnamese American|Vietnamese]] residents in recent decades. Neighborhoods such as Jamaica Plain and Roslindale have experienced a growing number of [[Dominican Americans]].
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According to a 2006 estimate, the White population comprises 53.5 percent of the population, while Hispanics make up 15.5 percent.<ref>''Sperling's Best Places,'' [http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Boston_MA-PEOPLE-52507000010.aspx Boston, Massachusetts.] Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref> People of Irish descent form the largest single ethnic group in the city, making up 15.8 percent of the population, followed by Italians, accounting for 8.3 percent of the population. People of West Indian ancestry are another sizable group, at 6.4 percent,<ref name="census2">''United States Census Bureau,'' [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-context=qt&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-CONTEXT=qt&-tree_id=402&-redoLog=true&-all_geo_types=N&-geo_id=16000US2507000&-search_results=01000US&-_sse=on&-format=&-_lang=en Boston city, Massachusetts Profile of Selected Social Characteristics: 2000.] Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref> about half of whom are of [[Haiti]]an ancestry. Some neighborhoods, such as Dorchester, have received an influx of [[Vietnam|Vietnamese]] residents in recent decades. Neighborhoods such as Jamaica Plain and Roslindale have experienced a growing number of Dominican Americans.
 
 
There were 239,528 households, out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 27.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 51.9% were non-families. 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 3.17.<ref name="census1">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US2507000&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on|title=Boston city, Massachusetts&mdash;DP-1, Profile of General Demographics Characteristics: 2000 |year=2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2007-05-04}}</ref>
 
 
 
In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 35.8% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65&nbsp;years of age or older. The median age was 31&nbsp;years. For every 100 females, there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.<ref name="census1" />
 
 
 
The [[median]] income for a household in the city was $39,629, and the median income for a family was $44,151. Males had a median income of $37,435 versus $32,421 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $23,353. 19.5% of the population and 15.3% of families are below the [[poverty line]]. Out of the total population, 25.6% of those under the age of 18 and 18.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.<ref name="census3">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/QTTable?_bm=y&-geo_id=16000US2507000&-qr_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP3&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-_lang=en&-redoLog=false&-_sse=on |title=Boston city, Massachusetts&mdash;DP-3. Profile of Selected Economic Characteristics: 2000 |year=2000 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2007-05-04}}</ref>
 
  
 
===Crime===
 
===Crime===
The city has seen a great reduction in violent [[crime]] since the early 1990s. Boston's low crime rate in the last years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first has been credited to its [[Boston Police Department|police department's]] collaboration with neighborhood groups and church parishes to prevent youths from joining gangs, as well as involvement from the [[United States Attorney]] and [[District Attorney]]'s offices. This helped lead in part to what has been touted as the "Boston Miracle." Murders in the city dropped from 152 in 1990 (for a murder rate of 26.5 per 100,000 people) to just 31—not one of them a juvenile—in 1999 (for a murder rate of 5.26 per 100,000). In more recent years, however, the annual murder count has fluctuated by as much as 50% compared to the year before, with 60 murders in 2002, followed by just 39 in 2003, 64 in 2004, and 75 in 2005. Though the figures are nowhere near the high-water mark set in 1990, the aberrations in the murder rate have been unsettling for many Bostonians and have prompted discussion over whether the Boston Police Department should reevaluate its approach to fighting crime.<ref>{{cite web |author=Winship, Christopher |month=March |year=2002 |url=http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/soc/faculty/winship/End_of_a_Miracle.pdf |format=pdf |title=End of a Miracle? |publisher=Harvard University |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/police/ore.asp |title=Boston Police Department's Monthly Crime Statistics |year=2005 |publisher=CityOfBoston.gov |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://boston.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm |title=Boston MA Crime Statistics (2004—New Crime Data) |year=2007 |publisher=areaConnect.com |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref>
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The city has seen a great reduction in violent [[crime]] since the early 1990s. Boston's low crime rate in the last years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first has been credited to its police department's collaboration with neighborhood groups and church parishes to prevent youths from joining [[gang]]s, as well as involvement from the United States Attorney and District Attorney's offices. This helped lead in part to what has been touted as the "Boston Miracle." [[Murder]]s in the city dropped from 152 in 1990 (for a murder rate of 26.5 per 100,000 people) to just 31—not one of them a juvenile—in 1999 (for a murder rate of 5.26 per 100,000). In more recent years, however, the annual murder count has fluctuated by as much as 50 percent compared to prior year, with 60 murders in 2002, followed by just 39 in 2003, 64 in 2004, and 75 in 2005. Though the figures are nowhere near the high-water mark set in 1990, the aberrations in the murder rate have been unsettling for many Bostonians and have prompted discussion over whether the Boston Police Department should reevaluate its approach to fighting crime.<ref>Christopher Winship, March 2002, [http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/soc/faculty/winship/End_of_a_Miracle.pdf End of a Miracle? Crime, Faith, and Partnership in Boston in the 1990s,]  ''Harvard University''. Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref>
  
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==Healthcare==
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[[Image:Boston college town map.png|thumb|225px|Partial map of colleges and universities within Boston's Inner Core]]
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[[Image:Harvard Yard, Dudesleeper.jpg|thumb|225px|Harvard Yard, Cambridge, heart of the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, [[Harvard University]], located just across the Charles River from Boston.]]
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The Longwood Medical Area is a region of Boston with a concentration of medical and research facilities. Many of Boston's major medical facilities are associated with [[university|universities]]. The facilities in the Longwood Medical Area and Massachusetts General Hospital are affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Tufts Medical Center, located in the southern portion of the Chinatown neighborhood, is affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine. Boston Medical Center, located in the South End neighborhood, is the primary teaching facility for the Boston University School of Medicine as well as the largest [[trauma center]] in the Boston area; it was formed by the merger of Boston University Hospital and Boston City Hospital, which was the first municipal [[hospital]] in the United States.
  
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==Education==
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===Elementary and secondary===
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Boston Public Schools, the oldest [[public school]] system in the [[United States]], enrolls 57,000 students. The system operates 145 schools, which includes Boston Latin School (the oldest public school in the United States, established in 1635), English High (the oldest public high school, established 1821), and the Mather School (the oldest public elementary school, established in 1639). The city also has private, parochial, and [[charter school]]s. Three thousand students of racial minorities attend participating suburban schools through the Metropolitan Educational Opportunity Council, or METCO.
  
==Media==
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In 2002, ''Forbes'' magazine ranked the Boston Public Schools as the best large city school system in the country, with a graduation rate of 82 percent. In 2005, the student population was 45.5 percent black or [[African American]], 31.2 percent Hispanic or Latino, 14 percent white, and 9 percent [[Asia]]n, as compared with 24 percent, 14 percent, 49 percent, and 8 percent, respectively, for the city as a whole.<ref>''Boston Globe,'' [http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/11/03/Boston_public_schools/ Boston public schools.] Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref>
{{main|Media in Boston}}
 
[[Image:CopleyNW07.JPG|thumb|[[Copley Square]] with the [[Boston Public Library]] designed by [[Charles Follen McKim]] on the left, and [[Old South Church]] designed by [[Charles Amos Cummings]] on the right.]]
 
''[[The Boston Globe]]'' (owned by [[The New York Times Company]]) and the ''[[Boston Herald]]'' are Boston's two major daily [[newspaper]]s. The ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]'', a third daily, is edited in Boston and printed in a series of regional presses across the U.S. The city is also served by other publications such as ''[[The Boston Phoenix]]'', ''[[Boston magazine]]'', ''[[The Improper Bostonian]]'', ''[[Boston's Weekly Dig]]'', and the Boston edition of [[Metro International|''Metro'']]. ''The Boston Globe'' also releases a teen publication to the city's public high schools. The newspaper ''Teens in Print'' or ''T.i.P.'' is written by the city's teens and delivered quarterly within the school year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/writeboston/TIP.asp |title=WriteBoston – T.i.P |publisher=City of Boston |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>
 
  
Boston has the largest broadcasting market in New England, with the Boston radio market being the eleventh largest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/mm001050.asp |title=Arbitron - Market Ranks and Schedule, 1–50 |publisher=Arbitron |year=Fall 2005 |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> Several major [[amplitude modulation|AM]] stations include [[talk radio]] [[WRKO|WRKO 680 AM]], [[sports radio|sports]]/talk station [[WEEI|WEEI 850 AM]], and news radio [[WBZ (AM)|WBZ 1030 AM]]. A variety of [[Frequency modulation|FM]] [[radio format]]s serve the area, as do [[National Public Radio|NPR]] stations [[WBUR]] and [[WGBH (FM)|WGBH]]. College and university radio stations include [[WERS]] (Emerson), [[WHRB]] (Harvard), [[WUMB]] (UMass Boston), [[WMBR]] (M.I.T.), [[WZBC]] (Boston College), [[WMFO]] (Tufts University), [[WBRS]] (Brandeis University), [[WTBU]] (Boston University, campus and web only), [[WRBB]] (Northeastern University) and [[WMLN-FM|WMLN]] (Curry College).
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===Colleges and universities===
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Boston's reputation as the ''Athens of America'' derives in large part from the teaching and research activities of more than 100 [[college]]s and [[university|universities]] located in the Greater Boston area, with more than 250,000 students attending college in Boston and Cambridge alone. Within the city, Boston University is the city's fourth-largest employer.  
  
The Boston television [[Designated market area|DMA]], which also includes [[Manchester, New Hampshire]], is the seventh largest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html |title=DMA Listing |year=2006 |publisher=Nielsen Media |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> The city is served by stations representing every major [[List of United States broadcast television networks|American network]] including [[WBZ-TV|WBZ 4]] ([[CBS]]), [[WCVB-TV|WCVB 5]] ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]), [[WHDH-TV|WHDH 7]] ([[NBC]]), [[WFXT-TV|WFXT 25]] ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]), [[WUNI-TV|WUNI 27]] ([[Univision]]), and [[WLVI-TV|WLVI 56]] ([[The CW Television Network|The CW]]). Boston is also home to [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] station [[WGBH-TV|WGBH 2]], a major producer of PBS programs, which also operates [[WGBX|WGBX 44]]. Most Boston television stations have their transmitters in nearby [[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]] and [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/route-128.html |title=The Route 128 tower complex |year=2007 |publisher=The Boston Radio Archives |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>
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Boston is also home to several conservatories and art schools, including the Art Institute of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art, and the New England Conservatory of Music (the oldest independent conservatory in the United States). Boston has one major public university, the University of Massachusetts, Boston, while Roxbury Community College and Bunker Hill Community College are the city's two [[community college]]s.
  
==Sports==
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==Culture==
[[Image:PruGoSox.jpg|thumb|Prudential Tower lit up for the 2007 [[World Series]].]]
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[[Image:Boston Symphony Hall from the south.jpg|thumb|225px|Symphony Hall]]
{{Main|Sports in Boston}}
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[[Image:CopleyNW07.JPG|thumb|225px|Copley Square with the Boston Public Library on the left and Old South Church on the right.]]
Boston's major league teams—The [[Boston Red Sox]], [[Boston Celtics]], [[Boston Bruins]] and [[New England Patriots]]—have won a greater percentage of championships per season played than the teams of any other four-sport city.{{Fact|date=November 2008}}
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[[Image:PruGoSox.jpg|thumb|225px|Prudential Tower lit up for the 2007 World Series.]]
The [[Boston Red Sox]] are a founding member of the [[American League]] of [[Major League Baseball]] and are the [[2007 World Series]] champions. The team plays its home games at [[Fenway Park]], near [[Kenmore Square]] in the [[Fenway-Kenmore|Fenway]] section. Built in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active use in the United States among the four major professional sports. Boston was also the site of the first game of the first modern [[World Series]], in 1903. The series was played between the Red Sox and the [[Pittsburgh Pirates]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_ws_recaps.jsp?feature=1903 |title=1903 World Series—Major League Baseball: World Series History |publisher=Major League Baseball at MLB.com |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> Persistent reports that the team was known in 1903 as the "Boston Pilgrims" appear to be unfounded.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/boston_pilgrims_story.shtml |title=The Boston Pilgrims Never Existed |author=Bill Nowlin |publisher=Baseball Almanac |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-04-03}}</ref> The [[Boston Braves]] were Boston's NL team (1871-1953) until they moved to [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin|Milwaukee]] in 1953, then later Atlanta in 1966 where they currently play as the [[Atlanta Braves]].
 
 
 
The [[TD Banknorth Garden]] (formerly called the Fleet Center, and the Shawmut Center) is adjoined to [[North Station (Boston)|North Station]] and is the home of two major league teams: the [[Boston Bruins]] [[ice hockey]] team of the [[National Hockey League]] and the 2008 [[National Basketball Association]] champions, the [[Boston Celtics]]. The stadium seats 18,624. The Bruins were the first American member of the National Hockey League and an [[Original Six]] franchise. The Boston Celtics were founding members of the [[Basketball Association of America]], one of the two leagues that merged to form the NBA. The Celtics have the distinction of having more national titles than any other NBA team with 17 championships from 1957 to 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/history/finals/champions.html |title=NBA Finals: All-Time Champions |publisher=NBA |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-02-20}}</ref>
 
 
 
[[Image:Fenway park.jpg|thumb|A Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park]]
 
Although the team has played in suburban [[Foxborough, Massachusetts|Foxboro]] since 1971, the [[New England Patriots]] are Boston's football team. The team was founded in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, a charter member of the [[American Football League]], and in 1970 the team joined the [[National Football League]]. The team has won three [[Super Bowl]] titles since the 2001 season (in 2001, 2003, and 2004).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.patriots.com/history/index.cfm?ac=History |title=The History of the New England Patriots |publisher=New England Patriots |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref> They share [[Gillette Stadium]] with the [[New England Revolution]] of [[Major League Soccer]]. There has also been talk of a possible [[Arena Football League]] expansion team coming to Boston sometime in the next few years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2007-02-28-arena-league-kickoff_x.htm |title=Arena Football League kicks off new season with business booming |publisher=USA Today |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-09-15}}</ref>
 
 
 
Boston's many colleges and universities are active in college athletics. There are four [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] Division I members in the city: [[Boston College]] (member of the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]]), [[Boston University]] ([[America East Conference]]), [[Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)|Northeastern University]] ([[Colonial Athletic Association]]), and [[Harvard University]] ([[Ivy League]]). All except Harvard, which belongs to [[ECAC Hockey]], belong to the [[Hockey East]] conference. The hockey teams of these four universities meet every year in a four-team tournament known as the "[[Beanpot]] Tournament," which is played at the TD Banknorth Garden over two Monday nights in February.<ref>{{cite web |author=Bertagna, Joe |url=http://www.beanpothockey.com/tradition.html |title=The Beanpot At 50{{ndash}} Still Inspiring and Still Growing |date=December 27, 2001 |publisher=Beanpot Hockey |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>
 
 
 
One of the most famous sporting events in the city is the [[Boston Marathon]], the 26.2&nbsp;mile (42.2&nbsp;km) run from [[Hopkinton, Massachusetts|Hopkinton]] to Copley Square in the Back Bay. The Marathon, the world's oldest, is popular and heavily attended.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonmarathon.org/BostonMarathon/RaceFacts.asp |title=B.A.A. Boston Marathon Race Facts |year=2007 |publisher=Boston Athletic Association |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref> It is run on [[Patriots' Day]] in April and always coincides with a Red Sox home baseball game that starts at 11:05 AM (10:05 beginning in 2007), the only MLB game all year to start before noon local time.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.redsoxconnection.com/patriotsday.html |title=Patriots’ Day and the Red Sox |year=2007 |publisher=Red Sox Connection |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref> Another major event held in the city is the [[Head of the Charles Regatta]] rowing competition on the Charles River.
 
 
 
Boston is also bidding for the [[2020 Summer Olympics]].<ref>[http://www.gamesbids.com/cgi-bin/news/viewnews.cgi?category=1&id=1194888323 Feasibility Studies For Boston 2020, Netherlands 2028 Summer Games]</ref>
 
{| class="wikitable"
 
|-
 
! scope="col" | Club
 
! scope="col" | League
 
! scope="col" | Sport
 
! scope="col" | Venue
 
! scope="col" | Established
 
! scope="col" | Championships
 
|-
 
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Boston Red Sox]]
 
| [[Major League Baseball|MLB]]
 
| Baseball
 
| [[Fenway Park]]
 
| 1901
 
| 7 World Series Titles<br/>12 AL Pennants
 
|-
 
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[New England Patriots]]
 
| [[National Football League|NFL]]
 
| Football
 
| [[Gillette Stadium]]
 
| 1960
 
| 3 Super Bowl Titles
 
|-
 
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Boston Celtics]]
 
| [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]
 
| Basketball
 
| [[TD Banknorth Garden]]
 
| 1946
 
| 17 NBA Titles
 
|-
 
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Boston Bruins]]
 
| [[National Hockey League|NHL]]
 
| Hockey
 
| TD Banknorth Garden
 
| 1924
 
| 5 Stanley Cups
 
|-
 
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[New England Revolution]]
 
| [[Major League Soccer|MLS]]
 
| Soccer
 
| Gillette Stadium
 
| 1995
 
| 1 U.S. Open Cup, 1 Superliga
 
|-
 
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Boston Cannons]]
 
| [[Major League Lacrosse|MLL]]
 
| Lacrosse (Outdoor)
 
| [[Harvard Stadium]]
 
| 2001
 
| None
 
|-
 
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[Boston Blazers]]
 
| [[National Lacrosse League|NLL]]
 
| Lacrosse (Indoor)
 
| TD Banknorth Garden
 
| 2008
 
| None
 
|-
 
! scope="row" style="font-weight: normal; text-align: center;" | [[New England Riptide]]
 
| [[National Pro Fastpitch|NPF]]
 
| Softball
 
| Martin Softball Field
 
| 2004
 
| 1 Cowles Cup
 
|}
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
==Healthcare==
 
  
[[Image:View-over-lma.jpg|thumb|Longwood Medical Area]]
+
Boston shares many cultural roots with greater [[New England]], including an accent known as Boston English and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on [[seafood]], [[rum]], [[salt]], and dairy products.  
The [[Longwood Medical Area]] is a region of Boston with a concentration of medical and research facilities, including [[Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center]], [[Brigham and Women's Hospital]], [[Children's Hospital Boston]], [[Dana-Farber Cancer Institute]], [[Harvard Medical School]], [[Harvard School of Public Health]] and [[Harvard School of Dental Medicine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.masco.org/index2.htm |title=Overview |publisher=MASCO—Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-02-21}}</ref> [[Massachusetts General Hospital]] (MGH) is near the Beacon Hill neighborhood, with the [[Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary]] and [[Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital]] nearby. Boston also has [[United States Department of Veterans Affairs|VA]] medical centers in the [[VA Boston Healthcare System|Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury]] neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/rpt_fac_list.cfm?isflash=0 |title=Facility Listing Report |year=2007 |publisher=United States Department of Veterans Affairs |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>
 
  
Many of Boston's major medical facilities are associated with universities. The facilities in the Longwood Medical Area and MGH are well-known{{Fact|date=August 2008}} research medical centers affiliated with Harvard Medical School. [[Tufts Medical Center]] (formerly Tufts-New England Medical Center), located in the southern portion of the Chinatown neighborhood, is affiliated with [[Tufts University School of Medicine]]. [[Boston Medical Center]], located in the South End neighborhood, is the primary teaching facility for the [[Boston University School of Medicine]] as well as the largest [[trauma center]] in the Boston area;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmc.org/about/facts06.pdf |format=pdf |title=Boston Medical Center—Facts |publisher=Boston Medical Center |month=November |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-02-21}}</ref> it was formed by the merger of Boston University Hospital and Boston City Hospital, which was the first municipal hospital in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.childrenshospital.org/bcrp/Site2213/mainpageS2213P2.html |title=Boston Medical Center |publisher=Children's Hospital Boston |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-11-14}}</ref>
+
Many consider Boston to have a strong sense of cultural identity, perhaps as a result of its intellectual reputation; much of Boston's [[culture]] originates at its universities.
  
Water supply and sewage-disposal services are provided by the [[Boston Water and Sewer Commission]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bwsc.org/tab_menus/6frameset1.htm |title=Background |year=2007 |publisher=Boston Water and Sewer Commission |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> The Commission in turn purchases wholesale water and sewage disposal from the [[Massachusetts Water Resources Authority]] (MWRA). The city's water comes from the [[Quabbin Reservoir]] and the [[Wachusett Reservoir]], which are about {{convert|65|mi|km|0}} and {{convert|35|mi|km|0}} west of the city respectively.<ref>{{cite press release
+
The city has several ornate [[theater]]s, including the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston Opera House, Citi Performing Arts Center, and the Orpheum Theatre. Renowned [[performing arts]] organizations include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Ballet, [[Boston Pops]], Celebrity Series of Boston, Boston Early Music Festival, Boston Lyric Opera Company, OperaBoston, Emmanuel Music, and the Handel and Haydn Society (one of the oldest choral companies in the United States).  
  |title=Your Drinking Water: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, 2006 Drinking Water Report
 
  |publisher=Massachusetts Water Resources Authority
 
  |date=2007-06-19
 
  |accessdate=2007-06-19 }}</ref> [[NSTAR]] is the exclusive ''distributor'' of [[electric power]] to the city, though due to deregulation, customers now have a choice of electric ''generation'' companies. [[Natural gas]] is distributed by [[KeySpan Corporation]] (the successor company to Boston Gas); only commercial and industrial customers may choose an alternate natural gas supplier.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neaap.ncat.org/news/manews3.htm |title=Massachusetts News and Analysis |month=September |year=2003 |publisher=US Department of Health and Human Services - National Energy Affordability and Accessibility Project |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>
 
  
[[Verizon]], successor to [[New England Telephone]], [[NYNEX]], [[Bell Atlantic]] and earlier, the [[Bell System]], is the primary wired telephone service provider for the area. Phone service is also available from various [[List of United States mobile phone companies|national wireless companies]]. [[Cable television]] is available from [[Comcast]] and [[RCN (company)|RCN]], with [[Broadband Internet access]] provided by the same companies in certain areas. A variety of [[digital subscriber line|DSL]] providers and resellers are able to provide broadband Internet over Verizon-owned phone lines.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostoncentral.com/towns/boston/utilities.php |title=Boston Utilities |year=2004 |publisher=Boston Central |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>
+
Because of the city's prominent role in the [[American Revolution]], several historic sites relating to that period are preserved as part of the Boston National Historical Park. Many are found along the Freedom Trail. The city is also home to several prominent [[art]] [[museum]]s, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The Boston Athenaeum (one of the oldest independent [[library|libraries]] in the United States), Boston Children's Museum, Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium are within the city.
==Education==
 
[[Image:Boston college town map.png|thumb|Partial map of colleges and universities within Boston's Inner Core]]
 
Boston's reputation as the ''Athens of America'' derives in large part from the teaching and research activities of more than 100 colleges and universities located in the [[Greater Boston]] Area,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bhcc.mass.edu/inside/54 |title=About Boston |year=2006 |publisher=Bunker Hill Community College |accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref> with more than 250,000 students attending college in Boston and Cambridge alone.<ref name = "boston_guide"/> Within the city, [[Boston University]] exudes a large presence as the city's fourth-largest employer,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/PDF/ResearchPublications/pdr509.pdf |format=PDF|title=Largest Employers in the City of Boston |publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority |year=1996-1997 |accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref> and maintains a campus along the Charles River on [[Commonwealth Avenue, Boston|Commonwealth Avenue]] and its medical campus in the [[South End, Boston, Massachusetts|South End]]. [[Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)|Northeastern University]], another large private university, is located in the [[Fenway-Kenmore|Fenway]] area, and is particularly known for its Business and Health Science schools and cooperative education program. [[Wheelock College]], [[MassArt|Massachusetts College of Art and Design]], [[Simmons College (Massachusetts)|Simmons College]], [[Emmanuel College]], [[Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences]], and [[Wentworth Institute of Technology]], founding members of the [[Colleges of the Fenway]], are adjacent to Northeastern University. [[Suffolk University]], a small private university known for its [[Suffolk University Law School|law school]], maintains a campus on Beacon Hill. [[New England School of Law]], a small private law school located in the theater district, was originally established as America's only all female law school.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nesl.edu/about/history.cfm |title=History of NESL |publisher=New England School of Law |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-03-21}}</ref> [[Emerson College]], a small private college with a strong reputation in the fields of performing arts, journalism, writing, and film, is located nearby on Boston Common. [[Boston College]], whose original campus was located in South Boston, moved its campus west to a site that straddles the Boston(Brighton)-Newton border. Boston College is expanding further into the Brighton neighborhood following the purchase of adjacent land from the [[Archdiocese of Boston|Boston Catholic Archdiocese]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Laczkoski, Michelle |url=http://media.www.dailyfreepress.com/media/storage/paper87/news/2006/02/27/News/Bc.Outlines.Move.Into.AllstonBrighton-1639148.shtml |title=BC outlines move into Allston-Brighton |date=February 27, 2006 |publisher=The Daily Free Press (Boston University) |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>
 
  
[[Image:Harvard Yard, Dudesleeper.jpg|thumb|right|Harvard Yard, [[Cambridge (Massachusetts)|Cambridge]], heart of the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, [[Harvard University]], and located just across the [[Charles River]] from the [[Allston, Massachusetts|Allston]] neighborhood of Boston.]]
+
===Media===
 +
''The Boston Globe'' (owned by the New York Times Company) and the ''Boston Herald'' are Boston's two major daily [[newspaper]]s.  
  
Boston is also home to several [[music school|conservatories]] and art schools, including the [[The Art Institute of Boston|Art Institute of Boston]], [[Massachusetts College of Art]], New England School of Art and Design (part of Suffolk University), and the [[New England Conservatory of Music]] (the oldest independent conservatory in the United States).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/reports_factsheets/briefhistory.html |title=A Brief History of New England Conservatory |year=2007 |publisher=New England Conservatory of Music |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> Other conservatories include the [[Boston Conservatory]], the [[School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|School of the Museum of Fine Arts]] and [[Berklee College of Music]]. Boston has one major public university, the [[University of Massachusetts Boston]], located on Columbia Point in [[Dorchester, Massachusetts|Dorchester]], while Roxbury Community College and [[Bunker Hill Community College]] are the city's two community colleges.
+
Boston has the largest broadcasting market in New England, with the Boston [[radio]] market being the eleventh largest in the United States.
  
Several major national universities located outside Boston have a major presence in the city. [[Harvard University]], the nation's oldest, and arguably best known, institution of higher learning, is located across the Charles River in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]. The [[Harvard Business School|business]] and [[Harvard Medical School|medical]] schools are in Boston, and there are plans for additional expansion into Boston's [[Allston, Boston, Massachusetts|Allston]] neighborhood.<ref>{{cite web |author=Kladko, Brian |url=http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2007/04/23/story2.html?i=79430&b=1177300800%5E1449823 |title=Crimson Tide |date=April 20, 2007 |publisher=Boston Business Journal |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> The [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT), which originated in Boston and was long known as "[[History of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology#Boston Tech (1865-1916)|Boston Tech]]," moved across the river to Cambridge in 1916. [[Tufts University]] administers its medical and dental school adjacent to the [[Tufts Medical Center]], a 451-bed academic medical institution that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and the Floating Hospital for Children. [[Eastern Nazarene College]] in [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], is the only [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] Christian college in metropolitan Boston and is active in [[Religious ministry (Christian)|Christian ministry]] in the City of Boston.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.enc.edu/downloads/viewbook2006.pdf |title=The 2006 ENC Viewbook (p. 61) |format=PDF |publisher=Eastern Nazarene College |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-06-01}}</ref>
+
The Boston [[television]] marketing area, which also includes Manchester, [[New Hampshire]], is the seventh largest in the United States. The city is served by stations representing every major American network.
  
Boston Public Schools, the oldest public school system in the U.S., enrolls 57,000 students from [[kindergarten]] to grade 12. The system operates 145 schools, which includes Boston Latin School (the oldest public school in the United States, established in 1635; which, along with Boston Latin Academy, is a highly prestigious public exam school admitting students in the 7th and 9th grades only and serving grades 7–12), English High (the oldest public high school, established 1821), and the Mather School (the oldest public elementary school, established in 1639). The city also has private, parochial, and [[charter school]]s. Three thousand students of racial minorities attend participating suburban schools through the Metropolitan Educational Opportunity Council, or METCO. In 2002, ''Forbes'' magazine ranked the Boston Public Schools as the best large city school system in the country, with a graduation rate of 82%. In 2005, the student population within the school system was 45.5% Black or African American, 31.2% Hispanic or Latino, 14% White, and 9% Asian, as compared with 24%, 14%, 49%, and 8% respectively for the city as a whole.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2005/11/03/Boston_public_schools/ |title=Boston public schools |publisher=Boston Globe |date=2005-11-03 |accessdate=2007-09-29}}</ref>
+
===Sports===
 +
Boston's major league teams—The [[Boston Red Sox]], [[Boston Celtics]], [[Boston Bruins]], and [[New England Patriots]]—have won a greater percentage of championships per season played than the teams of any other four-sport city. The Boston Red Sox are a founding member of the [[American League]] of [[Major League Baseball]] and were the 2007 World Series champions. The team plays its home games at Fenway Park. Built in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active use in the United States among the four major professional [[sports]]. Boston was also the site of the first game of the first modern [[World Series]], in 1903. The series was played between the Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates.  
  
 +
The Boston Celtics were founding members of the [[Basketball Association of America]], one of the two leagues that merged to form the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). The Celtics have the distinction of having more national titles than any other NBA team, with 17 championships from 1957 to 2008.
  
 +
Although the team has played in suburban Foxboro since 1971, the New England Patriots are Boston's football team. The team was founded in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, a charter member of the [[American Football League]], and in 1970 the team joined the [[National Football League]]. The team won Super Bowl titles in 2001, 2003, and 2004.
  
==Culture==
+
One of the most famous sporting events in the city is the [[Marathon|Boston Marathon]], the 26.2&nbsp;mile (42.2&nbsp;km) run from Hopkinton to Copley Square in the Back Bay. The Marathon, the world's oldest, is popular and heavily attended.  
[[Image:12-28-06 043.jpg|thumb|[[Quincy Market]] designed by [[Alexander Parris]]]]
 
Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-[[Rhotic accent|rhotic]] [[American English#Eastern New England|Eastern New England]] accent known as [[Boston accent|Boston English]], and a [[New England cuisine|regional cuisine]] with a large emphasis on seafood, rum, salt, and dairy products. [[Irish Americans]] are a major influence on Boston's politics and religious institutions. Boston also has its own collection of [[neologism]]s known as Boston slang.
 
  
Many consider Boston to have a strong sense of cultural identity, perhaps as a result of its intellectual reputation; much of Boston's culture originates at its universities.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Phelan, Joseph |month=November |year=2004 |title=[http://www.artcyclopedia.com/feature-2004-11.html Boston Marathon] |journal=Artcyclopedia}}</ref> The city has several ornate theatres, including the [[Cutler Majestic Theatre]], [[Boston Opera House]], [[Citi Performing Arts Center]], and the Orpheum Theatre. Renowned performing-arts organizations include the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]], [[Boston Ballet]], [[Boston Pops]], [[Celebrity Series of Boston]], [[Boston Early Music Festival]], [[Boston Lyric Opera|Boston Lyric Opera Company]], OperaBoston, [[Emmanuel Music]], and the [[Handel and Haydn Society]] (one of the oldest choral companies in the United States).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.handelandhaydn.org/learn/whoweare/whoweare_home.htm |title=Who We Are |year=2007 |publisher=Handel and Haydn Society |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> There are also many major annual events such as [[First Night]], which occurs on [[New Year's Eve]], the annual [[Boston Arts Festival]] at Chistopher Columbus Waterfront Park, Italian summer feasts in the North End honoring Catholic saints, and several events during the [[Independence Day (US)|Fourth of July]] period. These events include the week-long Harborfest festivities<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonharborfest.com/about/index.html |title=About Boston Harborfest! |publisher=Boston Harborfest |date=January 15, 2007 |accessdate=2007-03-31}}</ref> and a Boston Pops concert accompanied by fireworks on the banks of the [[Charles River]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.july4th.org/generaleventinfo/faqs/ |title=General Event Information—Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=Boston 4 Celebrations Foundation |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref>
+
Boston is bidding to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.
  
[[Image:Boston Symphony Hall from the south.jpg|thumb|[[Symphony Hall, Boston|Symphony Hall]] designed by [[McKim, Mead, and White]].]]
+
==Looking to the future==
Because of the city's prominent role in the [[American Revolution]], several historic sites relating to that period are preserved as part of the [[Boston National Historical Park]]. Many are found along the [[Freedom Trail]], which is marked by a red line of bricks embedded in the ground. The city is also home to several prominent art museums, including the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|Museum of Fine Arts]] and the [[Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]]. In December 2006, the [[Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston|Institute of Contemporary Art]] moved from its Back Bay location to a new contemporary building designed by [[Diller Scofidio + Renfro]] located in the Seaport District. The [[University of Massachusetts]] campus at Columbia Point houses the [[John F. Kennedy Library]]. The [[Boston Athenaeum]] (one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States), [[Boston Children's Museum]], [[Bull & Finch Pub]] (whose building is known from the television show ''[[Cheers]]''), [[Museum of Science, Boston|Museum of Science]], and the [[New England Aquarium]] are within the city.
+
[[Image:Fenway park.jpg|thumb|200px|A Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park]]
 
+
[[Mayor]] Thomas  Menino has indentified eight major goals for the city:<ref>''The City of Boston,'' [http://www.cityofboston.gov/mayor/priorities.asp Mayor's Priorities.] Retrieved January 12, 2009.</ref>  
Boston is also one of the birthplaces of the [[hardcore punk]] genre of music. Boston musicians have contributed greatly to this music scene over the years. Boston neighborhoods were home to one of the leading local [[third wave ska]] and [[ska punk]] scenes in the 1990s, led by bands such as [[The Mighty Mighty Bosstones]] and the [[The Allstonians]]. The 1980s' hardcore punk-rock compilation ''[[This Is Boston, Not L.A.]]'' highlights some of the bands that built the genre.
+
*Closing the academic achievement gap between white and Asian students and black and Hispanic students
 
+
*Reducing violent [[crime]]
==Sister Cities==
+
*Increasing the supply of affordable housing for working families in Boston, including programs aimed at helping first-time homebuyers, as well as educating homeowners about the dangers of predatory lending and foreclosure prevention
*{{flagicon|Japan}} [[Kyōto]], Japan (1959)
+
*Improving city services by, for example, utilizing new [[technology]] and service delivery methods to improve city services at the same or lower cost
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Strasbourg]], France (1960)
+
*Creating new jobs by creating and expanding partnerships and intensive marketing outreach to attract new businesses to the Boston area and expand existing ones
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Barcelona]], Spain (1980)
+
*Narrowing racial and ethnic disparities in health care; the city is implementing  recommendations of a task force in this area and has already coordinated more than $1 million in grants to dozens of local health organizations
*{{flagicon|PRC}} [[Hangzhou]], China (1982)
+
*Increasing diversity in government by recruiting, hiring, and training a diverse city workforce and creating a culturally welcoming environment
*{{flagicon|ITA}} [[Padua]], [[Italy]] (1983)
+
*Growing revenue by pursuing new revenue streams
*{{flagicon|AUS}} [[Melbourne]], Australia (1985)
 
*{{flagicon|ROC}} [[Taipei]], [[Taiwan]] (1996)
 
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Haifa]], [[Israel]] (1999)
 
*{{flagicon|GHA}} [[Sekondi-Takoradi]], [[Ghana]] (2001)
 
*{{flagicon|IRL}} [[Shannon]], [[Ireland]] (2006)
 
*{{flagicon|BRA}} [[Belo Horizonte]], [[Brazil]] (2007)
 
*{{flagicon|ESP}} [[Valladolid]], Spain (2007) <ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ava.es/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1136 |title=Boston and Valladolid, sister cities |publisher=AVA |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-09-18}}</ref>
 
 
 
==See also==
 
*[[Sister cities of Boston]]
 
*[[Notable Bostonians]]
 
*[[Boston nicknames]]
 
*[[List of television shows set in Boston]]
 
*[[List of films, operas, and plays set in Boston]]
 
*[[List of tallest buildings in Boston]]
 
*[[Boston in fiction]]
 
*[[Fictional people from Boston]]
 
*[[English place names in the United States]]
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
Line 334: Line 241:
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
*{{cite book |author=Winsor, Justin |title=[http://books.google.com/books?id=1z8OAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:0jkSXQveT0SxV7GZV0DYhMn#PPR3,M1 Memorial History of Boston, Vol.1] [http://books.google.com/books?id=U0AOAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:Memorial+intitle:History+intitle:of+intitle:Boston&lr=&num=50&as_brr=0&source=gbs_book_other_versions_r&cad=3_1 Vol.2 ] [http://books.google.com/books?id=_UAOAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:0cL_IGuEozgy2ftZpW5K4Kt Vol.3.] [http://books.google.com/books?id=eD8OAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=intitle:Memorial+intitle:History+intitle:of+intitle:Boston&lr=&num=50&as_brr=0 Vol.4.] |publisher=James R. Osgood Publisher.|year=1881}}
+
*City of Boston. [http://books.google.com/books?id=olMMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA98&dq=intitle:History+intitle:of+intitle:Boston&lr=&num=50&as_brr=0#PPP5,M1 ''Records Relating to the Early History of Boston - Selectmen Minutes 1818-1822.''] City of Boston Publishers. Digitized by Google, 1909. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
*{{cite book |author=Snow, Caleb H. |title=[http://books.google.com/books?id=7eovZyvw7S8C&pg=PA9&dq=editions:0tsIsk90aiMeVh&lr=&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=0_0#PPP13,M1 History of Boston] |publisher=Abel Bowen |year=1828 }}
+
*Dowst, Henry P. [http://kellscraft.com/NotesBoston/NotesBostoncontentpage.html ''Random Notes of Boston.''] Humphrey Publishing, 1916. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
*{{cite book |author=Boston |title=[http://books.google.com/books?id=olMMAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA98&dq=intitle:History+intitle:of+intitle:Boston&lr=&num=50&as_brr=0#PPP5,M1 Records Relating to the Early History of Boston - Selectmen Minutes 1818-1822.] |publisher=City of Boston |year=1909}}
+
*Gershkoff, Ira, and Richard Trachtman. ''The Boston Driver's Handbook: The Almost Post Big Dig Edition''. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2004. ISBN 0306813262
*{{cite book |author=Downst, Henry P. |title=[http://kellscraft.com/NotesBoston/NotesBostoncontentpage.html "Random Notes of Boston"] |publisher=Humphrey Publishing |year=1916}}
+
*Harris, Patricia, and David Lyon. ''Boston''. Oakland, CA: Compass American Guides, 1999. ISBN 0679002847
*{{cite book|first=Ira |last=Gershkoff |coauthors=Trachtman, Richard |title=The Boston Driver's Handbook |publisher=Da Capo Press |year=2004 |id=ISBN 0-306-81326-2 }}
+
*Jones, Howard Mumford, and Bessie Zaban Jones. ''The Many Voices of Boston: A Historical Anthology, 1630-1975.'' Boston: Little, Brown, 1975. ISBN 0316472824
*{{cite book|first=Patricia |last=Harris |coauthors=Lyon, David |title=Boston |location=Oakland, CA |publisher=Compass American Guides |year=1999 |id=ISBN 0-679-00284-7 }}
+
*Rambow, John D. 2003. ''Fodor's Boston''. New York: Fodor's Travel Publications. ISBN 1400010284.
*{{cite book|first=Howard Mumford |last=Jones |coauthors=Jones, Bessie Zaban |title=The Many Voices of Boston: A Historical Anthology 1630–1975 |location=Boston |publisher=Little, Brown and Company |year=1975 |id=ISBN 0-316-47282-4 }}
+
*Seasholes, Nancy S. ''Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston''. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003. ISBN 978-0262194945
*{{cite book|author=Rambow, John D. et. al |title=Fodor's Boston |location=New York |publisher=Fodors Travel Publication |year=2003 |id=ISBN 1-4000-1028-4 }}
+
*Snow, Caleb H. [http://books.google.com/books?id=7eovZyvw7S8C&pg=PA9&dq=editions:0tsIsk90aiMeVh&lr=&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=0_0#PPP13,M1 ''History of Boston.''] Abel Bowen Press. Digitized by Google, 1828. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
* {{cite book|author=Seasholes, Nancy S. |title=Gaining ground : a history of landmaking in Boston |location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |publisher=MIT Press |year=2003 }}
+
*Vanderwarker, Peter. ''Boston Then & Now: 59 Boston Sites Photographed in the Past and Present''. New York: Dover Publications, 1982. ISBN 0486243125
*{{cite book|author=Vanderwarker, Peter |title=Boston Then and Now |publisher=Courier Dover Publications |year=1982 |id=ISBN 0-486-24312-5 }}
+
*Winsor, Justin. ''[http://books.google.com/books?id=1z8OAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=editions:0jkSXQveT0SxV7GZV0DYhMn#PPR3,M1 Memorial History of Boston, Vol.1.]'' James R. Osgood Publisher, 1881. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
{{sisterlinks|Boston}}
+
All links retrieved November 20, 2023.
*{{wikitravelpar|Boston}}
+
 
 
*[http://www.cityofboston.gov City of Boston official website]
 
*[http://www.cityofboston.gov City of Boston official website]
 
*[http://www.bostonchamber.com/ Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce]
 
*[http://www.bostonchamber.com/ Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce]
*[http://www.mainstreetmaps.com/MA/Boston/ GIS Property Maps]
 
 
*[http://www.bostonusa.com/ Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau]
 
*[http://www.bostonusa.com/ Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau]
*[http://www.tbf.org/indicatorsProject/ The Boston Indicators Project]
 
*[http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/openspace_doc.asp Open Space Plan 2002–2006], City of Boston, maps and analyses
 
*[http://maps.bpl.org/tag/location:Boston+%28Mass.%29/ Historical Maps of Boston from the Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the Boston Public Library]
 
*[http://dca.tufts.edu/features/bostonstreets/ Boston Streets: Mapping Directory Data Project] – [[Tufts University]] and [http://www.bostonhistory.org/ The Bostonian Society].
 
*Maps of [http://www.radicalcartography.net/?bigboston Income], [http://www.radicalcartography.net/?boston-f-g Landfill, Growth], [http://www.radicalcartography.net/?bostonsquares Squares], and [http://www.radicalcartography.net/?bostonnow Public Transport], from [http://www.radicalcartography.net www.radicalcartography.net].
 
*[http://maps.bpl.org/ex/collection/ Historical maps of Boston in the Boston Public Library collection]
 
*[http://www.storyofboston.com A photographic atlas of historic sites throughout Boston]
 
 
 
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Latest revision as of 19:50, 20 November 2023

Boston
—  State Capital  —
City of Boston
Bostonstraight.jpg
Flag of Boston
Flag
Official seal of Boston
Seal
Nickname: 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]
Motto: Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis (Latin "As God was with our fathers, so may He be with us")
Location in Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Location in Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Coordinates: {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:42|21|28|N|71|03|42|W|type:city
name= }}
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]
 - State Capital 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]
 - State Capital 617,594 ('10 census)
 - Density 12,752/sq mi (4,924/km²)
 - Urban 4,032,484 ('00 census)
 - Metro 4,522,858 ('08 est.)
 - CSA 7,609,358 ('09 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 is one of the oldest cities in the United States. It is the capital and largest city in the state of Massachusetts and the largest city in New England. Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region. With a 2008 estimated population of 616,535, Boston is also the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called Greater Boston, home to 4.4 million people and the tenth-largest metropolitan area in the country.

Puritan colonists from England founded the city in 1630. During the late eighteenth century Boston was the location of several major events surrounding the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Battle of Bunker Hill. After independence from Great Britain was attained, Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing center. Its rich history now attracts 16.3 million visitors annually.

The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School in 1635. Boston was also home to the first subway system in the United States.

With many colleges and universities such as Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education and medicine. The city's economy is based on research, finance, and technology; principally biotechnology. Toward the beginning of the twenty first century, Boston began experiencing gentrification and obtained one of the highest costs of living in the United States, though it remains high on livability rankings.

Geography

The headquarters of the Church of Christ, Scientist in the Back Bay are dominated by a reflecting pool.

Owing to its early founding, Boston is very compact. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 89.6 square miles (232.1 km²)—nearly half of which is water. Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the peninsula where it started. Yet it is the fourth most densely populated city in the country not a part of a larger city's metropolitan area. Of United States cities with a population over 500,000, only San Francisco is smaller in land area. The highest point in Boston is Bellevue Hill at 330 feet (101 m) above sea level, while the lowest point is at sea level.

Much of the Back Bay and South End neighborhoods are built on reclaimed land—all the earth from two of Boston's three original hills was used as landfill material. Only Beacon Hill, the smallest of the three original hills, remains partially intact; just half of its height was cut down for landfill.

Climate

Boston has what may basically be described as something between a humid continental climate and a humid subtropical climate, which is common in New England. Summers are warm and humid, while winters are cold, windy, and snowy. Prevailing wind patterns that blow offshore affect Boston, minimizing the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.

Spring in Boston can be warm, with temperatures as high as the 90s when winds are offshore, though it is just as possible for a day in late May to remain in the lower 40s due to cool ocean waters. The hottest month is July, with an average high of 82°F (28°C) and average low of 66°F (18°C). The coldest month is January, with an average high of 36&°F (2&°C) and an average low of 22°F (-6°C).

The city averages about 43 inches (108 cm) of precipitation a year, with 40.9 inches (104 cm) of snowfall a year. Snowfall increases dramatically as one goes inland away from the city and the warming influence of the ocean.

Boston's coastal location on the North Atlantic, though it moderates temperatures, also makes the city very prone to Nor'easter weather systems that can produce much snow and rain. Fog is prevalent, particularly in spring and early summer, and the occasional tropical storm or hurricane can threaten the region, especially in early autumn.

Cityscape

The downtown area and immediate surroundings consist mostly of low-rise brick or stone buildings, with many older buildings in the Federal style. Several of these buildings mix in with modern high-rises, notably in the Financial District, Government Center, the South Boston waterfront, and Back Bay, which includes many prominent landmarks such as the Boston Public Library, Christian Science Center, Copley Square, Newbury Street, and New England's two tallest buildings: the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center. Smaller commercial areas are interspersed among single-family homes and wooden/brick multifamily row houses.

Boston Common, located near the Financial District and Beacon Hill, is the oldest public park in the U.S. Along with the adjacent Boston Public Garden, it is part of a string of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to encircle the city. Franklin Park is the city's largest park and houses a zoo. Another major park is the Esplanade located along the banks of the Charles River. Other parks are scattered throughout the city, with the major parks and beaches located near Castle Island, in Charlestown and along the Dorchester, South Boston, and East Boston shorelines.

The Charles River separates Boston proper from Cambridge, Watertown, and the neighborhood of Charlestown. To the east lies Boston Harbor and the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. The Neponset River forms the boundary between Boston's southern neighborhoods and the city of Quincy and the town of Milton. The Mystic River separates Charlestown from Chelsea and Everett, while Chelsea Creek and Boston Harbor separate East Boston from Boston proper.

Boston skyline from the north side of the Charles River.

History

View of Boston from Dorchester Heights, 1841.
Scollay Square in the 1880s
Trinity Church reflected in the facade of the John Hancock Tower

The Shawmut peninsula was connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, and surrounded by the waters of Massachusetts Bay and the Back Bay, an estuary of the Charles River. Several prehistoric Native American archaeological sites excavated in the city have shown that the peninsula was inhabited as early as 5000 B.C.E. 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.

Boston was founded on September 17, 1630, by Puritan colonists from England, who were distinct from the Pilgrims who had founded Plymouth Colony ten years earlier. The two groups differed in religious practice, and the separate colonies were not united until the Province of Massachusetts Bay was formed in 1691. Boston was the largest town in British North America until the mid-1700s.

Role in independence

In the 1770s, British attempts to exert more stringent control on the thirteen colonies, primarily via taxation, prompted Bostonians to initiate the American Revolution. The Boston Massacre of 1770 and several early battles occurred in or near the city, including the Battles of Lexington and Concord, Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston.

After the Revolution, Boston became one of the world's wealthiest international trading ports. Exports included rum, fish, salt, and tobacco. In 1822, Boston was chartered as a city.

Manufacturing center

By the mid-1800s, the city's industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance. Until the early 1900s, Boston remained one of the nation's largest manufacturing centers, and was notable for its garment production and leather goods industries. A network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region made for easy shipment of goods and allowed for a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a dense network of railroads facilitated the region's industry and commerce.

From the mid- to late nineteenth century, Boston flourished culturally; it became renowned for its literary culture and artistic patronage. It also became a center of the abolitionist movement.

In the 1820s, Boston's population began to swell and the city's ethnic composition changed dramatically with the first wave of European immigrants, especially from Ireland. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the city saw increasing numbers of Irish, Germans, Lebanese, Syrians, French Canadians, and Russian and Polish Jews settle in the city. By the end of the nineteenth century, Boston's neighborhoods had become enclaves of ethnically distinct immigrants. Italians inhabited the North End, the Irish dominated South Boston, and Russian Jews lived in the West End.

Irish and Italian immigrants brought with them Roman Catholicism. Catholics make up Boston's largest religious community, and since the early twentieth century the Irish have played a major role in Boston politics—prominent figures include the Kennedys, Tip O'Neill, and John F. Fitzgerald.

Urban renewal

By the mid-twentieth century, the city was in decline as factories became old and obsolete, and businesses moved out of the region for cheaper labor elsewhere. Boston responded by initiating various urban renewal projects under the direction of the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), which was established in 1957. By the 1970s, the city's economy boomed after thirty years of economic downturn. Hospitals such as Massachusetts General, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and Women's led the nation in medical innovation and patient care. Schools such as Harvard University, MIT, Boston University, Boston College, and Northeastern University attracted students to the area. Nevertheless, the city experienced conflict starting in 1974 over desegregation busing, which resulted in unrest and violence around public schools throughout the mid-1970s.

The Columbia Point housing projects, built in 1953 on the Dorchester peninsula, had gone through bad times until there were only 350 families residing there in 1988. It was run down and dangerous. In 1984, the city of Boston gave control of it to a private developer, Corcoran-Mullins-Jennison, who re-developed and revitalized the property into an attractive residential mixed-income community called Harbor Point Apartments which was opened in 1988 and completed by 1990. It is a very significant example of revitalization and re-development and was the first federal housing project to be converted to private, mixed-income housing in the United States.

By the early twenty-first century the city had become an intellectual, technological, and political center. It had, however, experienced a loss of regional institutions, which included the acquisition of the Boston Globe by the New York Times and the loss to mergers and acquisitions of local financial institutions such as FleetBoston Financial, which was acquired by Charlotte-based Bank of America in 2004. The city also had to tackle gentrification issues and rising living expenses, with housing prices increasing sharply since the 1990s.

Government

Boston has a strong mayor system in which the mayor is vested with extensive executive powers. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by plurality voting. The city council is elected every two years. There are nine district seats, each elected by the residents of that district through plurality voting, and four at-large seats. Each voter casts up to four votes for at-large councilors, with no more than one vote per candidate. The candidates with the four highest vote totals are elected. The president of the city council is elected by the councilors from within themselves. The school committee for the Boston Public Schools is appointed by the mayor. The Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Zoning Board of Appeals (a seven-person body appointed by the mayor) share responsibility for land-use planning.

As the capital of Massachusetts, Boston plays a major role in state politics. The city also has several properties relating to the federal government, including the John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building and the Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building. The city also serves as the home of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, as well as the headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The city is in the Eighth and Ninth Congressional Districts.

Economy

Hyatt in downtown Boston
Data from City-Data.com[9]
Many of Boston's roads were based upon horse and cart paths from the seventeenth century. A few horse carriages are still found in the city today.
South Station is an intermodal station for Amtrak, commuter, and bus service.

Boston's colleges and universities are not only major employers but they also attract high-tech industries to the city and surrounding region. Boston is also a major hub for biotechnology companies. According to a 2003 report by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, students enrolled in Boston's colleges and universities contribute $4.8 billion annually to the city's economy. Boston also receives the highest amount of annual funding from the National Institutes of Health of all cities in the United States.

Tourism comprises a large part of Boston's economy. In 2004 tourists spent $7.9 billion and made the city one of the ten most popular tourist locations in the country. Other important industries include financial services, especially mutual funds and insurance. The city is also the regional headquarters of major banks and a center for venture capital. Boston is also a printing and publishing center; Houghton Mifflin is headquartered within the city, along with Bedford-St. Martin's Press, Beacon Press, and Little, Brown and Company. The city is home to four major convention centers: The Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay, the Bayside Expo Center in Dorchester, and the World Trade Center Boston and Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on the South Boston waterfront. Because of its status as a state capital and the regional home of federal agencies, law and government is another major component of the city's economy.

Route 128 serves as the center of the region's high-tech industry. In 2006 Boston and its metropolitan area ranked as the fourth largest cybercity in the United States with 191,700 high-tech jobs. Only NYC Metro, DC Metro and Silicon Valley had bigger high-tech sectors.

The Port of Boston is a major seaport along the United States' East Coast, and is also the oldest continuously operated industrial and fishing port in the Western Hemisphere.

Transportation

Logan International Airport, located in the East Boston neighborhood, handles most of the scheduled passenger service for Boston.

Downtown Boston's streets are not organized on a grid but grew in a meandering organic pattern beginning early in the seventeenth century. They were created as needed, and as wharves and landfill expanded the area of the small Boston peninsula. Along with several rotaries, roads change names and lose and add lanes seemingly at random. On the other hand, streets in the Back Bay, East Boston, the South End, and South Boston do follow a grid system.

Boston is the eastern terminus of I-90. Interstate-95, which surrounds the city, is locally referred to as Route 128, its historical state route numbering. U.S. 1, I-93, and Massachusetts Route 3 run north to south through the city, forming the elevated Central Artery, which ran through downtown Boston and was constantly prone to heavy traffic until it was replaced with an underground tunnel through the "Big Dig."

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates what was the first underground rapid transit system in the United States and is now the fourth busiest rapid transit system in the country, having been expanded to 65.5 miles (105& km) of track, reaching as far north as Malden, as far south as Braintree, and as far west as Newton—collectively known as the "T." The MBTA also operates the nation's sixth busiest bus network, as well as water shuttles, and a commuter rail network totaling over 200 miles (321 km), extending north to the Merrimack Valley, west to Worcester, and south to Providence, Rhode Island. Nearly a third of Bostonians use public transit for their commute to work. Nicknamed "The Walking City," pedestrian commutes play a larger role than in comparably populated cities. Owing to factors such as the compactness of the city and large student population, 13 percent of the population commutes by foot, making it the highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in the country out of the major American cities. In its March 2006 issue, Bicycling magazine named Boston as one of the worst cities in the U.S. for cycling;[10] regardless, it has one of the highest rates of bicycle commuting.[11]

Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and Chicago lines originate at South Station and stop at Back Bay. Fast Northeast Corridor trains, which service New York City, Washington, D.C., and points in between, also stop at Route 128 Station in the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Meanwhile, Amtrak's Downeaster service to Maine originates at North Station.

Demographics

Per capita income in the greater Boston area, by U.S. Census block group, 2000. The dashed line shows the boundary of the city of Boston.

According to the census of 2000, there were 589,141 people, (the population estimate of 2006 was 596,638 people),[12] 239,528 households, and 115,212 families residing in the city. The population density was 12,166 people per square mile (4,697/km²). Of major U.S. cities with populations in excess of 250,000, only New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago have a greater population density than Boston.[13] There were 251,935 housing units at an average density of 5,203 per square mile (2,009/km²).

However, the population of Boston can grow during the daytime to about 1.2 million. This fluctuation of people is caused by suburban residents traveling to the city for work, education, medical purposes, and special events. Greater Boston as a commuting region includes parts of Rhode Island and New Hampshire and includes 7.4 million people, making it the fifth-largest Combined Statistical Area in the country.

According to the 2007 American Community Survey, the racial makeup of the city was 57.2 percent white, 23.1 percent African American, 9.0 percent Asian, 0.4 percent Native American, 10.2 percent from other races, and 2.9 percent from two or more races. 16.9 percent of the population was Hispanic of any race. 28.6 percent of the population was foreign born; of this, 48.2 percent came from Latin America, 25.7 percent from Asia, 14.2 percent from Europe, 9.8 percent from Africa and 2.0 percent from other parts of the world.[14]

According to a 2006 estimate, the White population comprises 53.5 percent of the population, while Hispanics make up 15.5 percent.[15] People of Irish descent form the largest single ethnic group in the city, making up 15.8 percent of the population, followed by Italians, accounting for 8.3 percent of the population. People of West Indian ancestry are another sizable group, at 6.4 percent,[16] about half of whom are of Haitian ancestry. Some neighborhoods, such as Dorchester, have received an influx of Vietnamese residents in recent decades. Neighborhoods such as Jamaica Plain and Roslindale have experienced a growing number of Dominican Americans.

Crime

The city has seen a great reduction in violent crime since the early 1990s. Boston's low crime rate in the last years of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first has been credited to its police department's collaboration with neighborhood groups and church parishes to prevent youths from joining gangs, as well as involvement from the United States Attorney and District Attorney's offices. This helped lead in part to what has been touted as the "Boston Miracle." Murders in the city dropped from 152 in 1990 (for a murder rate of 26.5 per 100,000 people) to just 31—not one of them a juvenile—in 1999 (for a murder rate of 5.26 per 100,000). In more recent years, however, the annual murder count has fluctuated by as much as 50 percent compared to prior year, with 60 murders in 2002, followed by just 39 in 2003, 64 in 2004, and 75 in 2005. Though the figures are nowhere near the high-water mark set in 1990, the aberrations in the murder rate have been unsettling for many Bostonians and have prompted discussion over whether the Boston Police Department should reevaluate its approach to fighting crime.[17]

Healthcare

Partial map of colleges and universities within Boston's Inner Core
Harvard Yard, Cambridge, heart of the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, Harvard University, located just across the Charles River from Boston.

The Longwood Medical Area is a region of Boston with a concentration of medical and research facilities. Many of Boston's major medical facilities are associated with universities. The facilities in the Longwood Medical Area and Massachusetts General Hospital are affiliated with Harvard Medical School. Tufts Medical Center, located in the southern portion of the Chinatown neighborhood, is affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine. Boston Medical Center, located in the South End neighborhood, is the primary teaching facility for the Boston University School of Medicine as well as the largest trauma center in the Boston area; it was formed by the merger of Boston University Hospital and Boston City Hospital, which was the first municipal hospital in the United States.

Education

Elementary and secondary

Boston Public Schools, the oldest public school system in the United States, enrolls 57,000 students. The system operates 145 schools, which includes Boston Latin School (the oldest public school in the United States, established in 1635), English High (the oldest public high school, established 1821), and the Mather School (the oldest public elementary school, established in 1639). The city also has private, parochial, and charter schools. Three thousand students of racial minorities attend participating suburban schools through the Metropolitan Educational Opportunity Council, or METCO.

In 2002, Forbes magazine ranked the Boston Public Schools as the best large city school system in the country, with a graduation rate of 82 percent. In 2005, the student population was 45.5 percent black or African American, 31.2 percent Hispanic or Latino, 14 percent white, and 9 percent Asian, as compared with 24 percent, 14 percent, 49 percent, and 8 percent, respectively, for the city as a whole.[18]

Colleges and universities

Boston's reputation as the Athens of America derives in large part from the teaching and research activities of more than 100 colleges and universities located in the Greater Boston area, with more than 250,000 students attending college in Boston and Cambridge alone. Within the city, Boston University is the city's fourth-largest employer.

Boston is also home to several conservatories and art schools, including the Art Institute of Boston, Massachusetts College of Art, and the New England Conservatory of Music (the oldest independent conservatory in the United States). Boston has one major public university, the University of Massachusetts, Boston, while Roxbury Community College and Bunker Hill Community College are the city's two community colleges.

Culture

Symphony Hall
Copley Square with the Boston Public Library on the left and Old South Church on the right.
Prudential Tower lit up for the 2007 World Series.

Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including an accent known as Boston English and a regional cuisine with a large emphasis on seafood, rum, salt, and dairy products.

Many consider Boston to have a strong sense of cultural identity, perhaps as a result of its intellectual reputation; much of Boston's culture originates at its universities.

The city has several ornate theaters, including the Cutler Majestic Theatre, Boston Opera House, Citi Performing Arts Center, and the Orpheum Theatre. Renowned performing arts organizations include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Ballet, Boston Pops, Celebrity Series of Boston, Boston Early Music Festival, Boston Lyric Opera Company, OperaBoston, Emmanuel Music, and the Handel and Haydn Society (one of the oldest choral companies in the United States).

Because of the city's prominent role in the American Revolution, several historic sites relating to that period are preserved as part of the Boston National Historical Park. Many are found along the Freedom Trail. The city is also home to several prominent art museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The Boston Athenaeum (one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States), Boston Children's Museum, Museum of Science, and the New England Aquarium are within the city.

Media

The Boston Globe (owned by the New York Times Company) and the Boston Herald are Boston's two major daily newspapers.

Boston has the largest broadcasting market in New England, with the Boston radio market being the eleventh largest in the United States.

The Boston television marketing area, which also includes Manchester, New Hampshire, is the seventh largest in the United States. The city is served by stations representing every major American network.

Sports

Boston's major league teams—The Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, and New England Patriots—have won a greater percentage of championships per season played than the teams of any other four-sport city. The Boston Red Sox are a founding member of the American League of Major League Baseball and were the 2007 World Series champions. The team plays its home games at Fenway Park. Built in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active use in the United States among the four major professional sports. Boston was also the site of the first game of the first modern World Series, in 1903. The series was played between the Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Boston Celtics were founding members of the Basketball Association of America, one of the two leagues that merged to form the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Celtics have the distinction of having more national titles than any other NBA team, with 17 championships from 1957 to 2008.

Although the team has played in suburban Foxboro since 1971, the New England Patriots are Boston's football team. The team was founded in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, a charter member of the American Football League, and in 1970 the team joined the National Football League. The team won Super Bowl titles in 2001, 2003, and 2004.

One of the most famous sporting events in the city is the Boston Marathon, the 26.2 mile (42.2 km) run from Hopkinton to Copley Square in the Back Bay. The Marathon, the world's oldest, is popular and heavily attended.

Boston is bidding to host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Looking to the future

A Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park

Mayor Thomas Menino has indentified eight major goals for the city:[19]

  • Closing the academic achievement gap between white and Asian students and black and Hispanic students
  • Reducing violent crime
  • Increasing the supply of affordable housing for working families in Boston, including programs aimed at helping first-time homebuyers, as well as educating homeowners about the dangers of predatory lending and foreclosure prevention
  • Improving city services by, for example, utilizing new technology and service delivery methods to improve city services at the same or lower cost
  • Creating new jobs by creating and expanding partnerships and intensive marketing outreach to attract new businesses to the Boston area and expand existing ones
  • Narrowing racial and ethnic disparities in health care; the city is implementing recommendations of a task force in this area and has already coordinated more than $1 million in grants to dozens of local health organizations
  • Increasing diversity in government by recruiting, hiring, and training a diverse city workforce and creating a culturally welcoming environment
  • Growing revenue by pursuing new revenue streams

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dalager, Norman, "What's in a nickname?", Boston Globe, August 10, 2006. Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Boston Travel & Vacations. Britannia.com (2006). Retrieved April 8, 2009.
  3. Massachusetts by Place and County Subdivision. American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
  4. United States by Urbanized Area; and for Puerto Rico. American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau, Census 2000 Summary File 1. Retrieved April 29, 2009.
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References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • City of Boston. Records Relating to the Early History of Boston - Selectmen Minutes 1818-1822. City of Boston Publishers. Digitized by Google, 1909. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  • Dowst, Henry P. Random Notes of Boston. Humphrey Publishing, 1916. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  • Gershkoff, Ira, and Richard Trachtman. The Boston Driver's Handbook: The Almost Post Big Dig Edition. Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2004. ISBN 0306813262
  • Harris, Patricia, and David Lyon. Boston. Oakland, CA: Compass American Guides, 1999. ISBN 0679002847
  • Jones, Howard Mumford, and Bessie Zaban Jones. The Many Voices of Boston: A Historical Anthology, 1630-1975. Boston: Little, Brown, 1975. ISBN 0316472824
  • Rambow, John D. 2003. Fodor's Boston. New York: Fodor's Travel Publications. ISBN 1400010284.
  • Seasholes, Nancy S. Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2003. ISBN 978-0262194945
  • Snow, Caleb H. History of Boston. Abel Bowen Press. Digitized by Google, 1828. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  • Vanderwarker, Peter. Boston Then & Now: 59 Boston Sites Photographed in the Past and Present. New York: Dover Publications, 1982. ISBN 0486243125
  • Winsor, Justin. Memorial History of Boston, Vol.1. James R. Osgood Publisher, 1881. Retrieved April 28, 2020.

External links

All links retrieved November 20, 2023.

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