Boston

This article is about the American city. For other uses, see Boston (disambiguation).

Boston
State capital
Downtown Boston from the Boston Harbor
Downtown from Boston Harbor
Brick rowhouses along Acorn Street
Acorn Street on Beacon Hill
Old State House
Old State House
Massachusetts State House
Massachusetts State House
Fenway Park ballgame at night
Fenway Park during a Boston Red Sox game
Boston skyline from Charles River
Back Bay from the Charles River
Flag of Boston
Flag
Official seal of Boston
Seal
Official logo of Boston
Wordmark
Nickname(s): 
Bean Town, Title Town, others
Motto(s): 
Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis (Latin)
'As God was with our fathers, so may He be with us'
Map
Map
Map
Map
Boston is located in Greater Boston area
Boston
Boston
Boston is located in Massachusetts
Boston
Boston
Boston is located in the United States
Boston
Boston
Boston is located in Earth
Boston
Boston
Coordinates: 42°21′37″N 71°3′28″W / 42.36028°N 71.05778°W / 42.36028; -71.05778
CountryUnited States
RegionNew England
StateMassachusetts
CountySuffolk[1]
Historic countriesKingdom of England
Commonwealth of England
Kingdom of Great Britain
Historic coloniesMassachusetts Bay Colony, Dominion of New England, Province of Massachusetts Bay
Settled1625
Incorporated (town)
September 7, 1630 (date of naming, Old Style)

September 17, 1630 (date of naming, New Style)
Incorporated (city)March 19, 1822
Named forBoston, Lincolnshire
Government
 • TypeStrong mayor / Council
 • MayorMichelle Wu (D)
 • CouncilBoston City Council
 • Council PresidentRuthzee Louijeune (D)
Area
[2]
 • State capital89.61 sq mi (232.10 km2)
 • Land48.34 sq mi (125.20 km2)
 • Water41.27 sq mi (106.90 km2)
 • Urban
1,655.9 sq mi (4,288.7 km2)
 • Metro
4,500 sq mi (11,700 km2)
 • CSA10,600 sq mi (27,600 km2)
Elevation
[3]
46 ft (14 m)
Population
 (2020)[4]
 • State capital675,647
 • Estimate 
(2021)[4]
654,776
 • Rank66th in North America
25th in the United States
1st in Massachusetts
 • Density13,976.98/sq mi (5,396.51/km2)
 • Urban
[5]
4,382,009 (US: 10th)
 • Urban density2,646.3/sq mi (1,021.8/km2)
 • Metro
[6]
4,941,632 (US: 10th)
DemonymBostonian
GDP
[7]
 • Metro$571.6 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes
53 ZIP Codes[8]
  • 02108–02137, 02163, 02196, 02199, 02201, 02203–02206, 02210–02212, 02215, 02217, 02222, 02126, 02228, 02241, 02266, 02283–02284, 02293, 02295, 02297–02298, 02467 (also includes parts of Newton and Brookline)
Area codes617 and 857
FIPS code25-07000
GNIS feature ID617565
Websiteboston.gov

Boston[a] is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It has an area of 48.4 sq mi (125 km2)[9] and 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.[4] The larger Greater Boston metropolitan statistical area, which includes and surrounds the city, has a population of 4,919,179 as of 2023, making it the largest in New England and eleventh-largest in the country.[10][11][12]

Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers. The city was named after Boston, Lincolnshire, England.[13][14] 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.[15][16] The city also expanded significantly beyond the original peninsula by filling in land and annexing neighboring towns. Boston's many firsts include the United States' first public park (Boston Common, 1634),[17] the first public school (Boston Latin School, 1635),[18] and the first subway system (Tremont Street subway, 1897).[19]

Boston has emerged as a global leader in higher education and research[20] and the largest biotechnology hub in the world.[21] 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,[22][23][24] and more recently in artificial intelligence.[25] Boston's economy also includes finance,[26] professional and business services, information technology, and government activities.[27] Boston households provide the highest average rate of philanthropy in the nation,[28] and the city's businesses and institutions rank among the top in the nation for environmental sustainability and new investment.[29]

  1. ^ "List of intact or abandoned Massachusetts county governments". sec.state.ma.us. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  2. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  3. ^ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "QuickFacts: Boston city, Massachusetts". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  5. ^ "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  6. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  7. ^ "Total Real Gross Domestic Product for Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  8. ^ "ZIP Code Lookup – Search By City". United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on September 3, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  9. ^ "Boston by the Numbers: Land Area and Use". Boston Redevelopment Authority. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  10. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  11. ^ "OMB Bulletin No. 20-01: Revised Delineations of Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas, and Guidance on Uses of the Delineations of These Areas" (PDF). United States Office of Management and Budget. March 6, 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2016 Population Estimates Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT CSA". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  13. ^ Banner, David. "Boston History – The History of Boston, Massachusetts". SearchBoston. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2009.
  14. ^ Kennedy 1994, pp. 11–12.
  15. ^ "About Boston". City of Boston. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  16. ^ Morris 2005, p. 8.
  17. ^ "Boston Common | The Freedom Trail". www.thefreedomtrail.org. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
  18. ^ "BPS at a Glance". Boston Public Schools. March 14, 2007. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
  19. ^ Hull 2011, p. 42.
  20. ^ "World Reputation Rankings". April 21, 2016. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  21. ^ "Boston is Now the Largest Biotech Hub in the World". EPM Scientific. February 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  22. ^ "Venture Investment – Regional Aggregate Data". National Venture Capital Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  23. ^ Kirsner, Scott (July 20, 2010). "Boston is #1 ... But will we hold on to the top spot? – Innovation Economy". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2010.
  24. ^ Innovation that Matters 2016 (Report). US Chamber of Commerce. 2016. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  25. ^ "Why Boston Will Be the Star of The AI Revolution". VentureFizz. October 24, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2023. Boston startups are working to overcome some of the largest technical barriers holding AI back, and they're attracting attention across a wide variety of industries in the process.
  26. ^ [1] Archived August 5, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Accessed October 7, 2018.
  27. ^ "The Boston Economy in 2010" (PDF). Boston Redevelopment Authority. January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 30, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  28. ^ "Transfer of Wealth in Boston" (PDF). The Boston Foundation. March 2013. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  29. ^ "Boston Ranked Most Energy-Efficient City in the US". City Government of Boston. September 18, 2013. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2015.


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