Massachusetts is the fastest-growing state in New England and the 25th fastest-growing state in the United States. [380][381][382] Famous painters from Massachusetts include Winslow Homer and Norman Rockwell;[382] many of the latter's works are on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. MassGIS maintains this datalayer. [135], Massachusetts has a long political history; earlier political structures included the Mayflower Compact of 1620, the separate Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth colonies, and the combined colonial Province of Massachusetts. Several stations in western Massachusetts are also served by the Vermonter, which connects St. Albans, Vermont to Washington DC. Data on life expectancy show gaps along income, racial lines", "Here's how your life expectancy varies based on which state you're born in", "Annual total binge drinks consumed by US adults, 2015", "Booziest states in America: Who binge drinks most? Separated from Stoughton. Hull would assume office in January 1930. The area of Massachusetts was part of the original territory of the United States. [177] The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources also offers low-interest, fixed-rate financing with loan support for low-income residents. [45] Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing, and trade,[46] Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. To that end, average precipitation in the Northeast United States has risen by ten percent from 1895 to 2011, and the number of heavy precipitation events has increased by seventy percent during that time. The portions of the oceans and related large embayments (such as Chesapeake Bay and Puget Sound), the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea that belong to the United States and its territories are classified as coastal and territorial waters; the Great Lakes are treated as a separate water entity. [337][338], The Massachusetts House of Representatives and Massachusetts Senate comprise the legislature of Massachusetts, known as the Massachusetts General Court. Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, MassGIS (Bureau of Geographic Information), Historic Massachusetts Board of Harbor and Land Commissioners Atlases, Unincorporated and Unofficial Names of Massachusetts Communities, http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cispdf/City_Town_Map.pdf. For the 113th Congress (January 2013-January 2015), Massachusetts has nine congressional districts as a result of reapportionment based on the 2010 Census. [104] On the coast, Salem became a center for privateering. Opens and two Ryder Cups. The entire state is covered by town governments with the exception of the areas within cities. [353], Despite the state's Democratic-leaning tendency, Massachusetts has generally elected Republicans as Governor: only two Democrats (Deval Patrick and Maura Healey) have served as governor since 1991, and among gubernatorial election results from 2002 to 2022, Republican nominees garnered 48.4% of the vote compared to 45.7% for Democratic nominees. [390][391][392] Film events in the state include the Boston Film Festival, the Boston International Film Festival, and a number of smaller film festivals in various cities throughout Massachusetts.[393]. The name Springfield is often thought to be the only community name appearing in each of the 50 states, but at last count it was in only 34 states. Note that the 351 communities are the official municipal names, not including "villages" or other sections of towns. See the Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas page for a list of metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas and related statistical areas. More answers below Peter Wade Several large bays distinctly shape its coast. In 2004, Massachusetts senator John Kerry who won the Democratic nomination for President of the United States lost to incumbent George W. Bush. Rivers and bays that empty into these bodies of water are treated as inland water from the point beyond which they are narrower than 1 nautical mile across. The state is ranked 44thin terms of total area covering 10,565 sq. Other counties have been reorganized, and a few still retain county councils. [255], Sectors vital to the Massachusetts economy include higher education, biotechnology, information technology, finance, health care, tourism, manufacturing, and defense. [247] This wage was set to increase to a general minimum of $15.00 per hour and a tipped worker minimum of $6.75 per hour in January 2023, as part of a series of minimum wage amendments passed in 2018 that saw the minimum wage increase slowly every January up to 2023. [179] This rebate is available in addition to the tax credits offered by the United States Department of Energy for the purchase of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. 287. To that point, here are the largest cities in the U.S. by area. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Maine to the east, Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. "On April 6, 1681, Randolph petitioned the king, informing him the colony was still pressing their own coins which he saw as high treason and believed it was enough to void the charter. Future work will consist of (1) improving the accuracy of boundaries identified as following a road right of way (see"Attributes"section below for description of BND_QUAL where attribute value = 2) and (2) adding offshore boundaries to the existing arc and polygon layers. Several routes connect the downtown area with Hingham, Hull, Winthrop, Salem, Logan Airport, Charlestown, and some of the islands located within the harbor. Wiki User. Ferry services are operated throughout different regions of the states. Springfield is the seat of Hampden County in western Massachusetts. [415][416][417], Massachusetts generally ranks highly among states in most health and disease prevention categories. Quabbin Reservoir is the largest artificial lake in Massachusetts. Brockton is located in Plymouth County in southeastern Massachusetts. [132] In Eastern Massachusetts, following World WarII, the economy was transformed from one based on heavy industry into a service-based economy. Key Facts. Land area measurements are originally recorded as whole square meters (to convert square meters to square kilometers, divide by 1,000,000; to convert square kilometers to square miles, divide by 2.58999; to convert square meters to square miles, divide by 2,589,988). It has an area of about 135 sq. [375], Massachusetts has contributed to American arts and culture. Massachusettsan (recommended by the U.S. GPO)[9], Massachusetts (/mstusts/ (listen), /-zts/; Massachusett: Muhsachuweesut /mhswatwist/), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,[b] is the most populous state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. [93], Currency was another issue in the colonies. [citation needed] Much of the town's land is protected as part of the Quabbin Reservation, a protected area surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir. Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - United States--States; and Puerto Rico, Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County by State; and Puerto Rico, Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - State--Place (and in selected states) County Subdivision. October 12, 2006: BND_QUAL values changed along Brookline-Boston border. Other major cities found on the Massachusetts map include Worcester, Springfield, Lowell, Cambridge, Brockton, New Bedford and Fall River. The ArcGIS-added fieldSHAPE_LENis the line's length in meters. [413] In addition, there are many community dailies and weeklies. [317], There are a total of 36,800 miles (59,200km) of interstates and other highways in Massachusetts. The smallest city is Palmer in Hampden County , with a population of 12,140 residents. This answer is: Massachusetts has 56 municipalities officially incorporated as cities. Largest Cities in Oklahoma By size and population. Suffolk County and Boston city are governmentally consolidated and have a single set of officials. Massachusetts has avoided many forms of racial strife seen elsewhere in the US, but examples such as the successful electoral showings of the nativist (mainly anti-Catholic) Know Nothings in the 1850s,[213] the controversial Sacco and Vanzetti executions in the 1920s,[214] and Boston's opposition to desegregation busing in the 1970s[215] show that the ethnic history of Massachusetts was not completely harmonious. [170] These costs are attributed to expected coastal home damage, roadway destruction, and existing utility infrastructure exposure. Boston [367], Massachusetts, along with the five other New England states, features the local governmental structure known as the New England town. [77], Massachusetts was originally inhabited by tribes of the Algonquian language family, including: Wampanoag, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Pocomtuc, Mahican, and Massachusett. [225] In 2014, 32% of the population identifies as having no religion;[226] in a separate 2020 study, 23% of the population identified as irreligious, and 67% of the population identified as Christians (including 26% as white Protestants and 20% as white Catholics). Land area measurements are originally recorded as whole square meters (to convert square meters to square kilometers, divide by 1,000,000; to convert square kilometers to square miles, divide by 2.58999; to convert square meters to square miles, divide by 2,589,988). [281], Massachusetts has 10 regional metropolitan planning organizations and three non-metropolitan planning organizations covering the remainder of the state;[285] statewide planning is handled by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. [239] Massachusetts' public-school students place among the top tier in the world in academic performance. A more fitting translation is lake divided by islands, according to anthropologist Ives Goddard. Other major cities found on the Maryland map include Baltimore, Columbia, Silver Spring, Dundalk, Wheaton-Glenmont, Ellicott City, Germantown, Bethesda and Frederick. Some municipalities, however, still refer to themselves as "towns" even though they have a city form of government. Boundaries for each community were created by adjusting the older USGS topo map town boundariesto connect the survey points (TOWNSSURVEY_PT) of a community. Some towns and cities were annexed to others; disincorporated; or ceded to another state in their entirety. The Springfield metropolitan area, also known as Greater Springfield, is also a major center of population. To the west lies the hilly, rural region of Central Massachusetts, and beyond that, the Connecticut River Valley. [211] There are also several populations of Native Americans in Massachusetts. What is the hottest city in Massachusetts? [267] Fruit cultivation is an important part of the state's agricultural revenues,[268] and Massachusetts is the second-largest cranberry-producing state after Wisconsin. Seuss". Silver Sands State ParkAccording to, No, an employer cant make you stay late with or without notice. Incorporated as Weymouth in 1635 by settlers from the Dorset, England town of the same name. [401] The Boston Marathon is also a popular event in the state drawing more than 30,000 runners and tens of thousands of spectators annually. [83], The first English colonizers in Massachusetts, the Puritans, arrived on the Mayflower[84] at Plymouth in 1620. This data is critical for government programs, policies, and decision-making. A lock icon ( [424][425][426] According to Business Insider, commonwealth residents have an average life expectancy of 80.41 years, the fifth-longest in the country. [151] The areas most affected by human development include the Greater Boston area in the east and the Springfield metropolitan area in the west, although the latter includes agricultural areas throughout the Connecticut River Valley. TIGER is an acronym for the digital (computer-readable) geographic database that automates the mapping and related geographic activities required to support the Census Bureau's census and survey programs. ", "Massachusetts Students Score among World Leaders on PISA Reading, Science and Math Tests", "East Squantum Street (Moswetuset Hummock)", "Why do we call Massachusetts a 'commonwealth'? Photo: Marcio Jose Bastos Silva / Shutterstock.com, New Bedford is located in Bristol County in southern Massachusetts. The largest cities in Massachusetts with a population of more than 100,000: Boston (675,000), Worcester (206,000), Springfield (156,000), Lowell (116,000), and Cambridge (118,000) Other cities and towns in Massachusetts Can An Employer Make You Stay Past Your Scheduled Time Massachusetts? [371] Most of the county governments were abolished by the state of Massachusetts beginning in 1997 including Middlesex County,[372] the largest county in the state by population. Many residents who have settled in Greater Springfield claim Puerto Rican descent. [97][98], Massachusetts was a center of the movement for independence from Great Britain; colonists in Massachusetts had long uneasy relations with the British monarchy, including open rebellion under the Dominion of New England in the 1680s. Nowadays, itsthe economic and cultural hub of Western Massachusetts. The water area figures include inland, coastal, Great Lakes, and territorial sea water. Joined with South Dedham (Norwood) to create Second Precinct in 1729. The U.S. National Park Service administers a number of natural and historical sites in Massachusetts. The population of all cities, towns and unincorporated places in Massachusetts with more than 15,000 inhabitants according to census results and latest official estimates. [142], Two pressure cooker bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, at around 2:49 pm EDT. Plimoth Plantation and Old Sturbridge Village are two open-air or "living" museums in Massachusetts, recreating life as it was in the 17th and early 19th centuries, respectively. The Associated Press maintains a bureau in Boston, and local news wire the State House News Service feeds coverage of state government to other Massachusetts media outlets. Land area is based on current information in the TIGER data base, calculated for use with Census 2010. Canals and railroads were used for transporting raw materials and finished goods. In 1692, the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials. This is a list of villages in Massachusetts, arranged alphabetically.Active. The Wampanoag tribe maintains reservations at Aquinnah on Martha's Vineyard and at Mashpee on Cape Codwith an ongoing native language revival project underway since 1993, while the Nipmuc maintain two state-recognized reservations in the central part of the state, including one at Grafton.[212]. In contrast, if you find anything, Cities and towns Municipality Type County East Bridgewater Town Plymouth Eastham Town Barnstable Easton Town Bristol Edgartown Town Dukes Where is the eastern part of, If a place serves mostly alcohol, kids arent allowed. June 2013: Blackstone-Millville boundary edited based on Level 3 Assessors Parcels data. [386][387] Tanglewood, in western Massachusetts, is a music venue that is home to both the Tanglewood Music Festival and Tanglewood Jazz Festival, as well as the summer host for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. For more information, please visit the 2021 5-year ACS Comparison Guidance page. The Census Bureau provides area measurement data for both land area and water area. June 2011: some pseudo nodes were removed along the Haverhill boundary, affecting the two polygon and one arc layers. [279] There is no inheritance tax and limited Massachusetts estate tax related to federal estate tax collection. [321] A massive undertaking to bring I-93 underground in downtown Boston, called the Big Dig, brought the city's highway system under public scrutiny for its high cost and construction quality. Municipalities in the state are classified as either towns or cities, distinguished by their form of government under state law. The licensed sale of recreational marijuana became legal on July 1, 2018; however, the lack of state-approved testing facilities prevented the sale of any product for several weeks. What is the second biggest town in Massachusetts? A witness mark point is an "on-land" representation of the next point along the boundary when that next point is in a river, wetland, or pond. [131], Massachusetts manufactured 3.4 percent of total United States military armaments produced during World WarII, ranking tenth among the 48 states. [182][183], At the 2020 U.S. census, Massachusetts had a population of over 7 million, a 7.4% increase since the 2010 United States census. Please let us know how we can improve this page. MassGIS staff collaborated closely with staff from the Survey Section during the development of this data layer. [52] On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the United States Constitution. In Massachusetts, towns and cities are usually the main providers of local government services. [143] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) later identified the suspects as brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. [264], In February 2017, U.S. News & World Report ranked Massachusetts the best state in the United States based upon 60 metrics including healthcare, education, crime, infrastructure, opportunity, economy, and government. The city is also home to the oldest and highly prestigious institution of higher education in the United States, Harvard University. [371] In this structure, incorporated townsas opposed to townships or countieshold many of the responsibilities and powers of local government. Edits made to the boundaries of Boxford-Topsfield and Berlin-Hudson as part of correcting miscoded coordinates of points in the TOWNSSURVEY_PT layer. There is no unincorporated land in Massachusetts; the land area of the state is completely divided up among the 351 municipalities. Another eight years later, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren was a frontrunner in the Democratic primaries for the 2020 Presidential Election, but suspended her campaign and then endorsed presumptive nominee Joe Biden. The Greater Boston area comprises the largest concentration of higher education, technology and research institutes in the whole world. ", "A Practical Guide to Living in the StateEducation", "National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings", "Apps Test | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)", "Map and List of Fortune 1000 Companies for 2018", "Here are the Most Innovative States in America in 2016", "Here's a new list of the richest people in Mass. In accordance with state statute, the secretary of the commonwealth administers elections, regulates lobbyists and the securities industry, registers corporations, serves as register of deeds for the entire state, and preserves public records as keeper of the state seal. [203] Later in the 20th century, immigration from Latin America increased considerably. State Plane meters, Easting coordinate in NAD83 Mass. Appliances such as water heaters, air conditioners, washers and driers, and heat pumps are eligible for rebates in order to incentivize change. The source for the coastal boundary was theMassDEP Wetlands (1:12,000)data layer, with the boundary being the upland-side boundaries of tidal flats and rocky inter-tidal zones. There were changes to the boundary between Connecticut and Massachusetts in 1804 and between Rhode Island and Massachusetts in 1862, and a resurvey of the latter boundary in 1897, resulting in generally the same boundary as the present state. Plantation Number One (Western Township of 1762). [277], Massachusetts's electricity generation market was made competitive in 1998, enabling retail customers to change suppliers without changing utility companies. [355] These have been considered to be among the most moderate Republican leaders in the nation;[356][357] they have received higher net favorability ratings from the state's Democrats than Republicans. [339], The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (a chief justice and six associates) are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Executive Council, as are all other judges in the state. The "First Thanksgiving" was celebrated by the Puritans after their first harvest in the "New World" and lasted for three days. The Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act of 1780[108] made Pennsylvania the first state to abolish slavery by statute) - the second English colony to do so; the first having been the Colony of Georgia in 1735. The Commonwealth acquired the Connecticut River Valley settlement of Springfield, which had recently disputed withand defected fromits original administrators, the Connecticut Colony. If theres a table service area in a bar where food is also available, kids are. Stunning natural beauty, fascinating arts and culture, quaint villages, home to over 45 lighthouses, academic excellence and innovation, local culinary experiences, the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball, and the birthplace of basketball and volleyball - Massachusetts is a four-season destination that has it all . This was in contrast to the monarchy the former American colonies were fighting against. Harvard University in Cambridge is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States,[61] with the largest financial endowment of any university. The climate of Boston is quite representative for the commonwealth, characterized by summer highs of around 81F (27C) and winter highs of 35F (2C), and is quite wet. The city was a site for many key events that unfolded during the course of the American Revolution, most notably the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Siege of Boston. [191], Foreign immigration is also a factor in the state's population growth, causing the state's population to continue to grow as of the 2010 census (particularly in Massachusetts gateway cities where costs of living are lower). [265] Greenhouse, floriculture, and sod products including the ornamental market make up more than one third of the state's agricultural output. Buddhists, Pagans, Hindus, Seventh-day Adventists, Muslims, and Mormons may also be found. The population data for 1790, 1800, and 1810 do not include the area of Maine.
[51] In 1786, Shays' Rebellion, a populist revolt led by disaffected American Revolutionary War veterans, influenced the United States Constitutional Convention. In Massachusetts, eleven Program Administrators, including Eversource, National Grid, Western Massachusetts Electric, Cape Light Compact, Until, and Berkshire Gas, jointly own the rights to this program, in conjunction with the MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC). What is the fastest shrinking city in Massachusetts? The headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association, long located on Beacon Hill, is now located in South Boston. [279] Massachusetts also charges a use tax when goods are bought from other states and the vendor does not remit Massachusetts sales tax; taxpayers report and pay this on their income tax forms or dedicated forms, though there are "safe harbor" amounts that can be paid without tallying up actual purchases (except for purchases over $1,000). [45] [296], Outside of Boston, Amtrak connects several cities across Massachusetts, along the aforementioned Acela, Northeast Regional, Lake Shore Limited, and Downeaster lines, as well as other routes in central and western Massachusetts. [432][433] There are currently a total of 143 hospitals in the state. [429] Massachusetts also ranks above average in the prevalence of binge drinking, which is the 20th-highest in the country. The Atlases also include detailed descriptions of each community's boundary and location maps for each of the original boundary marker locations. Boston's South Station serves as the terminus for three lines, namely the high-speed Acela Express, which links to cities such as Providence, New Haven, New York City, and eventually Washington DC; the Northeast Regional, which follows the same route but includes many more stops, and also continues further south to Newport News in Virginia; and the Lake Shore Limited, which runs westward to Worcester, Springfield, and eventually Chicago. This Atlas series, and updates since it was published, describes the legal boundary for each of the 351 municipalities in Massachusetts. [155] White-tailed deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, and eastern gray squirrels are also found throughout Massachusetts. What are the top 10 smallest towns in Massachusetts? It shares its official state game bird, the turkey, with Alabama, and, While many towns and cities throughout the commonwealth allow backyard pet burial, its not a hard yes or no across the State of Massachusetts. [191] Population growth was largely due to a relatively high quality of life and a large higher education system in the state. [169] As of August 2016, the EPA reports that Massachusetts has warmed by over two degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.1 degrees Celsius. Peregrine falcons utilize office towers in larger cities as nesting areas,[154] and the population of coyotes, whose diet may include garbage and roadkill, has been increasing in recent decades. [334] Leaders of the House and Senate are chosen by the members of those bodies; the leader of the House is known as the Speaker while the leader of the Senate is known as the President. Massachusetts has core based statistical areas based on both counties (metropolitan statistical areas, combined statistical areas, and metropolitan divisions) and county subdivisions (metropolitan New England city and town areas (NECTAs), micropolitan NECTAs, combined NECTAs, and NECTA divisions). The ensuing manhunt ended on April 19 when thousands of law enforcement officers searched a 20-block area of nearby Watertown. Living in same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+, 2017-2021. Most of these boundaries followed streams or rights-of-way that were either traced atop older imagery or not modified from the 1:25,000 mapping of community boundaries. [325], Massachusetts politics since the second half of the 20th century have generally been dominated by the Democratic Party, and the state has a reputation for being the most liberal state in the country. Children of businessman and ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. included John F. Kennedy, who was a senator and U.S. president before his assassination in 1963, and Ted Kennedy, a senator from 1962 until his death in 2009,[137] and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a co-founder of the Special Olympics. Routes 1, 3, 6, and 20, and state routes 2, 3, 9, 24, and 128. It has many sanctuaries such as the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy (Stockbridge, Massachusetts). The financial news and opinion site 24/7 . Source: Polygon is (1) / is NOT (0) an island - many towns are composed of many polygons, YES = Ocean or water polygon, within municipal limits, Codes (1,2,3,4) allowing shading of all towns using 4 symbols (based on four-color theorem, where no adjacent polygons have the same symbol), Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) State/County Code, Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Town Code, FIPS State & County & Census Town Code concatenated, YES = the boundary line has been adjusted from the 1:25,000 scale boundary layer, Not Applicable = boundary line is either part of the new imported coastline or was updated, Sequential unique whole numbers that are automatically generated while the data was in Microsoft Access, Northing coordinate in NAD83 Mass. The ArcGIS-addedSHAPE_AREAfield stores the polygon area in square meters;SHAPE_LENis the polygon perimeter in meters. In more rural areas in the western part of Massachusetts, larger mammals such as moose and black bears have returned, largely due to reforestation following the regional decline in agriculture.