Boston,
Massachusetts

Photo Courtesy of Hometown USA Scenes Collection Boston, Massachusetts The 18th-century Old State House in Boston is surrounded by tall buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries. Boston is the capital and largest city in Massachusetts in the United States. It is also the largest city in New England and the business and cultural center of the region. It is one of the oldest and wealthiest cities in the United States, and its economy is primarily based on education, health care, finance, and technology. Its nicknames include "Beantown" and "The Hub" (shortened from Oliver Wendell Holmes's phrase The Hub of the Universe), as well as The Athens of America, due to its educational and cultural institutions. As of the 2000 census, its population was 589,141. The Greater Boston metropolitan area, including nearby cities like Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline, has about 5.7 million residents. Boston is the county seat of Suffolk County. It is located at 42°20'N, 71°W. Climate The weather in Boston, like much of New England, changes rapidly. The summers are usually quite hot and humid while the winters are cold and windy. It has been known to snow in October and get quite warm in Febuary. Anything can happen climate-wise in Boston. The hottest month of the year is August with a high of 27°C and a low of 18°C. The coldest month of the year is January with a high of 2°C and a low of -6°C. The city averages 1,100 mm (42 in) of precipitation a year. Law and government The Massachusetts State HouseBoston has a "strong mayor" system in which the mayor is the dominant force in city government. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by plurality voting (see List of Mayors of Boston, Massachusetts). The City Council is elected every two years. There are nine ward, or neighborhood, seats, each elected by plurality voting by the residents of that ward. There are four at-large seats. Each voter casts up to four votes for at-large councillors, no more than one vote per candidate. The top four vote-getters are elected. The President of the City Council is elected by the Councillors from within themselves. The School Committee is appointed by the mayor, as are city department heads. In addition to city government, numerous state authorities and commissions play a role in the life of Bostonians, including the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (water and sewer) and the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation, formerly known as the Metropolitan District Commission (some parks and most beaches). The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority runs the "T", Boston's public transport system. The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) runs Boston's Logan International Airport. (See the article on Boston transportation for more information.) Colleges and universities The Boston area is well-known for its colleges and universities. The Boston area is home to 60 colleges. In addition to the schools in Boston proper, such as Boston University, Emerson College, and Berklee College of Music, surrounding cities host famous schools like Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston College, Wellesley College, and Tufts University. Newspapers and media The Boston Globe, owned by the New York Times Company, and The Boston Herald are Boston's two major daily newspapers. A local edition of The Metro, a free paper, is also available. The Boston Phoenix and the Weekly Dig are weekly newspapers. Spare Change is a bi-weekly paper. Boston in Film, Opera and Theatre Blown Away The Boondock Saints Fever Pitch Good Will Hunting Mystic River Still We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie Un Ballo in Maschera, Opera by Giuseppe Verdi What's the Worst That Could Happen? Crossing Jordan Ally McBeal Notable Bostonians Samuel Adams Crispus Attucks Benjamin C. Bradlee Bobby Brown Charles Bulfinch John Singleton Copley Norm Crosby Dick Dale Mary Dyer Ralph Waldo Emerson Benjamin Franklin Jack Haley Anthony Michael Hall Oliver Wendell Holmes Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. Bill Laimbeer Robert Lowell Cotton Mather Will McDonough Carl Mydans Leonard Nimoy George Patton IV Sylvia Plath Edgar Allan Poe Sumner Redstone Paul Revere Barbara Walters Professional sports franchises Boston Bruins (Ice Hockey - National Hockey League) Boston Celtics (Basketball - National Basketball Association) Boston Red Sox (Baseball - Major League Baseball) Boston Cannons (Lacrosse - Major League Lacrosse) Nearby Foxboro has the New England Patriots (National Football League) and the New England Revolution (Major League Soccer). Sites of interest Back Bay, Boston Beacon Hill Black Heritage Trail Boston Common Boston Opera House Boston Public Garden Boston Public Library Bunker Hill Monument Charles River Chinatown Christian Science Center Copley Square Downtown Crossing The Esplanade Faneuil Hall The Back Bay Fens Hostelling International-Boston Fenway Park Fleet Center Granary Burying Ground Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum John F. Kennedy Library Kenmore Square Massachusetts State House Museum of Science Newbury Street North End Old State House Old North Church Paul Revere's House Prudential Center South End South Boston Trinity Church USS Constitution The Wang Center for the Performing Arts Yearly events Fourth of July (fireworks and music) Boston Marathon Boston (LBGT) Pride (parade and festival) First Night (New Year's Eve) Head of the Charles Regatta Transportation Boston transportation Airports Logan International Airport in East Boston Hanscom Field in Lexington and Bedford T. F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island Manchester Airport in Manchester, New Hampshire Intercity Trains Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and Chicago lines originate at South Station and stop at Back Bay. Northeast Corridor trains, which service New York City, Washington, DC and points in between, also stop at Route 128 Station, in the southwestern suburbs of Boston. Amtrak's service to Maine originates at North Station Sister Cities Boston is a sister city of these municipalities: Kyoto, Japan Strasbourg, France Barcelona, Spain Hangzhou, People's Republic of China Melbourne, Australia Haifa, Israel Padua, Italy Taipei, Republic of China Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana The above article in gray is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License It is from Wikipedia article Boston, Massachusetts   New! 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