Boston, MA
HistoryBoston was founded in 1630 by Puritan colonists from England. Boston's early European settlers first called the area Trimountaine, but later renamed the town after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, home to several prominent colonists. Boston is home to 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. During this period, Paul Revere made his famous midnight ride. After the Revolution, Boston became one of the world's wealthiest international trading ports because it was the closest major American port to Europe. 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. In the early twenty-first century the city has become an intellectual, technological, and political center.
Local Government
Boston’s current mayor is Thomas Menino. The mayor of Boston is elected to a four-year term and the city council is elected every two years. The president of the city council is elected by the city councilors and the school committee is appointed by the mayor. Boston’s State House, built in 1795 by Charles Bulfinch features a large gold dome, visible from the Boston Common which is overlooks. The State House located on Beacon Hill houses the offices of Massachusetts State Governor Deval Patrick and Mayor Thomas Menino.
Economy
Boston is home to prestigious universities including Harvard University, the nation’s first college. These schools have a major impact on the city and region's economy. Not only are they major employers, but they also attract high-tech and biotechnology companies, such as Millennium Pharmaceuticals, and Genzyme. 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. Another large contributor to Boston’s economy is tourism. In 2004, tourists spent $7.9 billion, making the city one of the ten most popular tourist locations in the country. Other important industries include financial services. 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. 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.
Education
Boston is home to the nation’s first college, Harvard University, located in Cambridge, next door to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University. The three are some of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the world. With over a dozen colleges and universities located in the heart of Boston, and 100 colleges and universities located in the greater Boston Area, Boston is an educational mecca. There are more than 250,000 students attending college in Boston and Cambridge alone. Boston University exudes a large presence as the city's fourth-largest employer. Colleges located in the Fenway district include: Simmons College, Massachusetts College of Art, Emmanuel College, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Northeastern University. 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. Emerson College, and Suffolk University are located nearby on Boston Common. Boston College, whose original campus was located in South Boston, moved its campus west to Brighton, MA. Boston is also home to several conservatories: the New England Conservatory of Music (the oldest independent conservatory in the United States) and Berklee College of Music. 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, including Boston Latin School (the oldest public school in the United States, established in 1635; 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 schools.
Culture
The culture of New England is strongly represented in the city of Boston including a dialect of the Eastern New England accent popularly known as Boston English. The city’s famous, unique slang, which has existed for many years, is an iconic trait of true Bostonians. A staple of New England culture, is its passion for seafood. Well-known dishes are New England clam chowder, fish and chips (usually with cod or scrod), baked beans, lobsters, steamed clams, and fried clams.
Chinatown has a variety of Asian restaurants, The North End of Boston is most famous for its variety of Italian restaurants and is home to many of Boston’s Italian-American residents. Boston was, and is still, a major destination for Irish immigrants. Irish-Americans are a major influence on Boston's political and religious institutions, and consequently, on the rest of Massachusetts.
The Theater District, south of Boston Common, contains a number of theatres, including The Oprah House, The Orpheum Theater, and The Wang Center for the Performing Arts. Local bands and National touring performers can be seen on any given night in any of Boston’s famous nightclubs and concert venues located on Landsdowne Street, located behind Fenway Park. There are many museums in Boston or Cambridge including: the Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute for Contemporary Art, and the National Museum of Afro-American Art. There are also many privately owned art galleries located on Newbury Street, Boston’s home of designer boutiques and a diverse array of cafes and restaurants.
Fenway Park, one of the nation’s oldest baseball parks, is home to the Boston Red Sox. The TD BankNorth Garden is home to the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins, and in suburban Foxboro, the New England Patriots can be seen playing at Gillette Stadium. Boston’s residents have very strong-rooted passion for their home teams, as they are an important element of Boston’s culture and history.
Population
According to the census of 2000, there were 589,141 people, (the population estimate of 2006 was 596,638 people) 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, only New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago have a greater population density than Boston. According to the 2000 census, the racial makeup of the city was 49% Non-Hispanic White, 24% African-American or Black, 8% Asian-American, 1% Native American, 3% from other races, and 3% from two or more races. 14% of the population was Hispanic or Latino who can be of any race. People of Irish descent form the largest single white ethnic group in the city, making up 15.8% of the population. Italians also form a significant segment of the city's population, accounting for 8.3% of the population.
Climate
Boston is famous for its continental climate that is very common in New England. Summers are typically hot and humid, while winters are cold, windy and snowy. It has been known to snow in May and October, but these events are rare. The city averages about 42 in (108 cm) of rainfall a year. It also coincidentally averages about 42 in (108 cm) of snowfall a year, although this increases dramatically as one goes inland away from the city. Massachusetts' geographic location's jutting out into the North Atlantic 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.
Weather averages for Boston, Massachusetts | |||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 36 (2) | 38 (3) | 45 (7) | 56 (13) | 67 (19) | 77 (25) | 82 (28) | 80 (27) | 73 (23) | 63 (17) | 52 (11) | 41 (5) | 59 (15) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 22 (-6) | 23 (-5) | 31 (-1) | 40 (4) | 50 (10) | 59 (15) | 65 (18) | 64 (18) | 57 (14) | 47 (8) | 38 (3) | 27 (-3) | 44 (7) |
| Precipitation inch (mm) | 3.8 (97) | 3.5 (89) | 4.0 (102) | 3.7 (94) | 3.4 (86) | 3.0 (76) | 2.8 (71) | 3.6 (91) | 3.3 (84) | 3.3 (84) | 4.4 (112) | 4.2 (107) | 42.9 (1,090) |
| Source: Weatherbase Feb 2007 | |||||||||||||
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