Boston (MA)

Boston. Officially the ‘City of Boston,’ is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the U.S. Northeast. It has a population of 675,647 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-largest city in the Northeast after New York City and Philadelphia.

Boston was founded in 1630 by Puritan settlers. During the American Revolution, Boston was home to several events that proved central to the revolution and subsequent Revolutionary War, including the Boston Massacre (1770), the Boston Tea Party (1773), Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride (1775), the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775), and the Siege of Boston (1775–1776).

Following American independence from Great Britain, the city continued to play an important role as a port, manufacturing hub, and center for education and culture.

It now attracts many tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing more than 20 million visitors per year. Boston’s many firsts include the first public park in the U.S. (Boston Common, 1634), the first public school (Boston Latin School, 1635), and the first subway system (Tremont Street subway, 1897).

Since the nation’s founding, Boston has been a national leader in higher education and research. Boston University and Northeastern University are both located within the city, with Boston College located in nearby Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Two of the world’s most prestigious and consistently highly ranked universities, Harvard University (the nation’s oldest university) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, are both located in neighboring Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Boston has emerged as the largest biotechnology hub in the world. The city is also a national leader in scientific research, law, medicine, engineering, and business. With nearly 5,000 startup companies, the city is considered a global pioneer in innovation and entrepreneurship, and more recently in artificial intelligence.

Cultural Institutions: Berklee Music Conservatory, Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston University, Northeastern University