Boston

Boston (pop. 3,200,000), capital and largest city of Massachusetts, seaport on Massachusetts Bay. It is the most populous state capital, New England's largest city, and the nearest major U.S. seaport to Europe. It is also a major commercial, financial, manufacturing, and cultural center. Boston's industries include shipbuilding, electronics, chemicals, plastics, rubber products, and printing. The city's wool market is the nation's largest. Historic buildings include the Old State House, Paul Revere House, Christ Church, and Faneuil Hall. Boston has many notable educational institutions, and nearby Cambridge has Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Settled by English Puritans in 1630, Boston became the capital of Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party the city led colonial unrest that erupted into the Revolutionary War. Modern Boston shares the acute urban problems of most large U.S. cities.

See also: Massachusetts.