Capital of Massachusetts, United States
State capital in New England, United States
Boston
Seal
Wordmark
Nickname(s): Motto(s): Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis (
Latin )
'As God was with our fathers, so may He be with us'
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Show map of the United States Coordinates: 42°21′37″N 71°3′28″W / 42.36028°N 71.05778°W / 42.36028; -71.05778 Country United States Region New England State Massachusetts County Suffolk [ 1]
Historic countries Kingdom of England Commonwealth of England Kingdom of Great Britain Historic colonies Massachusetts Bay Colony , Dominion of New England , Province of Massachusetts Bay Settled 1625 Incorporated (town) September 7, 1630 (date of naming,
Old Style )
September 17, 1630 (date of naming, New Style )Incorporated (city) March 19, 1822 Named for Boston, Lincolnshire • Type Strong mayor / Council • Mayor Michelle Wu (D ) • Council Boston City Council • Council President Ruthzee Louijeune (D)89.61 sq mi (232.10 km2 ) • Land 48.34 sq mi (125.20 km2 ) • Water 41.27 sq mi (106.90 km2 ) • Urban
1,655.9 sq mi (4,288.7 km2 ) • Metro
4,500 sq mi (11,700 km2 ) • CSA 10,600 sq mi (27,600 km2 ) Elevation 46 ft (14 m) 675,647 653,833 • Rank 66th in North America25th in the United States1st in Massachusetts • Density 13,976.98/sq mi (5,396.51/km2 ) • Urban 4,382,009 (US: 10th ) • Urban density 2,646.3/sq mi (1,021.8/km2 ) • Metro 4,941,632 (US: 10th ) Demonym Bostonian • Metro $610.486 billion (2023) Time zone UTC−5 (EST ) • Summer (DST ) UTC−4 (EDT )ZIP Codes
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 codes 617 and 857 FIPS code 25-07000 GNIS feature ID617565 Website boston .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 New England , a 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 Northeastern United States after New York and Philadelphia .[ 4] The larger Greater Boston metropolitan statistical area has a population of 4.9 million as of 2023, making it the largest in New England and the eleventh-largest in the country .[ 10] [ 11] [ 12]
Boston was founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by English Puritan settlers. They named the city after the market town of Boston, Lincolnshire in England.[ 13] 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] 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).
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]
^ "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 .
^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022 .
^ "Geographic Names Information System" . edits.nationalmap.gov . Retrieved May 5, 2023 .
^ a b c "QuickFacts: Boston city, Massachusetts" . census.gov . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 21, 2023 .
^ "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas" . census.gov . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2023 .
^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data" . United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on August 24, 2021. Retrieved August 22, 2021 .
^ "Total Real Gross Domestic Product for Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH (MSA)" . fred.stlouisfed.org .
^ "ZIP Code Lookup – Search By City" . United States Postal Service. Archived from the original on September 3, 2007. Retrieved April 20, 2009 .
^ "Boston by the Numbers: Land Area and Use" . Boston Redevelopment Authority. Archived from the original on August 25, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2021 .
^ "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 .
^ "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 .
^ "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 .
^ Banner, David. "Boston History – The History of Boston, Massachusetts" . SearchBoston. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2009 .
^ "About Boston" . City of Boston. Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved May 1, 2016 .
^ "Boston Common | The Freedom Trail" . www.thefreedomtrail.org . Retrieved February 8, 2024 .
^ "BPS at a Glance" . Boston Public Schools. March 14, 2007. Archived from the original on April 3, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007 .
^ "World Reputation Rankings" . April 21, 2016. Archived from the original on June 12, 2016. Retrieved May 12, 2016 .
^ "Boston is Now the Largest Biotech Hub in the World" . EPM Scientific. February 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2024 .
^ "Venture Investment – Regional Aggregate Data" . National Venture Capital Association and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016 .
^ 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 .
^ Innovation that Matters 2016 (Report). US Chamber of Commerce. 2016. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2016 .
^ "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.
^ [1] Archived August 5, 2019, at the Wayback Machine Accessed October 7, 2018.
^ "The Boston Economy in 2010" (PDF) . Boston Redevelopment Authority. January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 30, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013 .
^ "Transfer of Wealth in Boston" (PDF) . The Boston Foundation . March 2013. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2015 .
^ "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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