Facts about Massachusetts
Massachusetts, home to the Kennedy political dynasty, routinely votes for the Democratic Party in federal elections.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimated that Massachusetts's gross state product in 2005 was US $325 billion.
Massachusetts became a single colony in 1692, the largest in New England, and one where many American institutions and traditions were formed.
Sectors vital to Massachusetts' economy include plastics product manufacturing, higher education, biotechnology, aerospace/defense, health care, financial services and tourism.
Eastern Massachusetts is more urban than Western Massachusetts, which is primarily rural, save for the cities of Springfield, and Northampton, which serve as centers of population density in the Pioneer Valley.
Massachusetts has a humid continental climate, with warm summers and cold, snowy winters.
Thanks to Charles, the bishopric of Prague was promoted to an archbishopric in 1344.
The first Europeans to settle New England landed in present-day Massachusetts.
Massachusetts entered the twentieth century with a strong industrial economy, which prospered between 1900 and 1919.
The movement increased antagonism over the issues of slavery, resulting in anti-abolitionist riots in Massachusetts between 1835 and 1837.
Following a November 2003 decision of the state's Supreme Court, Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses, on May 17, 2004.
Massachusetts was the home of many of the largest computer companies such as Digital Equipment Corporation (now Hewlett-Packard), Data General, and Wang Laboratories situated around Route 128 and 495.
Massachusetts was among the first states to respond to President Lincoln's call for troops.
Boston, founded on September 17, 1630 by Puritan colonists from England, is the capital and largest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts was the first state to pass compulsory school attendance laws, and by 1918, all states required children to receive an education.
Krepalu and the Insight Meditation Center (Barre) are examples of non-western religious centers in Massachusetts.
The Puritans were from the River Thames region of England and established the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
The University of Massachusetts (nicknamed UMass) is the five-campus public university system of the Commonwealth.
The five largest reported ancestries - as of the 2000 census -in Massachusetts are: Irish (22.5 percent), Italian (13.5 percent), French/French Canadian (8 percent) English (11.4 percent), German (5.9 percent).
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, known as the Massachusett, part of the Wampanoag of the Algonquian peoples.
Massachusetts had an estimated 2006 population of 6,437,193, an increase of 3,826, or 0.1 percent, from the prior year and an increase of 88,088, or 1.4 percent, since the year 2000.
The governor is head of the executive branch and serves as chief administrative officer of the state and as commander-in-chief of the Massachusetts National Guard.
Massachusetts lies in the “prevailing westerlies,” the belt of generally eastward air movement, which encircles the globe in the mid-latitudes.
Massachusetts, like the entire eastern seaboard, is vulnerable to hurricanes.
Massachusetts has one of the highest populations of Swedish and Irish ancestry in the nation.
The Puritans, whose beliefs included exclusive understanding of the literal truth of the Bible, came to Massachusetts for religious freedom.
Massachusetts has had its share of destructive tornadoes, with the western part of the state slightly more vulnerable than coastal areas in the east.
Massachusetts was a center of the movement for independence from Great Britain.
Massachusetts has an extensive coastline with a declining commercial fishery out to the continental shelf.
A Massachusetts militia that had been raised as a private army defeated the main Shaysite force on February 3, 1787.
Dissenters such as Anne Hutchinson, Roger Williams, and Thomas Hooker left Massachusetts because of the Puritan society's lack of religious tolerance.
Common Loon are a relatively recent addition to the breeding bird list; their nests at the Wachusett Reservoir in central Massachusetts are considered the most southerly in the world population of this species.
Massachusetts is bordered on the north by New Hampshire and Vermont; on the west by New York; on the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island; and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean.
The Boston Tea Party caused the British government to pass the Intolerable Acts that brought stiff punishment upon Massachusetts.
Urbanization, particularly in the eastern half of the state, has affected much of Massachusetts.
The Pilgrims from the Humber region of England originally landed at what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts.
On March 15, 1820, Maine separated from Massachusetts, of which it had been a non-contiguous part, and entered the Union as the 23rd State, the result of the ratification of the Missouri Compromise.
Massachusetts is home to many well-known preparatory schools, colleges, and universities.
Massachusetts has the oldest written Constitution now in use by any government in the world.
Massachusetts "Yankees," of colonial English ancestry, still have a strong presence.
More often, hurricanes weakened to tropical storm strength pass through Massachusetts.
Stung by New York City's control of western markets via the Erie Canal, Massachusetts turned to railroads.
Relative to most other sections of the country, a large number of such storms pass over or near to Massachusetts.
Massachusetts is the most populous of the six New England states, having the top two most populated cities (Boston and Worcester) and ranks third in overall population density among the 50 states.
During the 1972 election, Massachusetts was the only state to give its electoral votes to George McGovern, the Democratic nominee.
Massachusetts became a national and world leader in industrialization, with its mastery of machine tools and textiles.
Boating activities such as sailing and yachting are popular all along the Massachusetts coast and its offshore islands.
Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to abolish slavery, in a 1783 judicial interpretation of its 1780 constitution.
Massachusetts has a flat-rate personal income tax of 5.3 percent, with an exemption for income below a threshold that varies from year to year.
A century and a half later, Massachusetts became known as the 'Cradle of Liberty' for the revolutionary ferment in Boston that helped spawn the war of the Thirteen Colonies for independence.
When the English Revolution began in 1642, Massachusetts Bay Colony became a Puritan stronghold.
Bradstreet merged Massachusetts Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony in 1691, and the following year, Phips was appointed governor with a new colonial charter.
The 42-year internal armed conflict continued between the government and terrorist organizations, particularly the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army (ELN).
The net result of the economic and social turmoil in Massachusetts was the beginning of a change in the Commonwealth’s way of functioning.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.
The Pilgrims settled the Plymouth Colony, and Puritan settlers traveled to Salem and later to Boston in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Massachusetts was founded and settled by the Pilgrims in 1620 with the establishment of the Plymouth colony, and the Puritans in the seventeenth century.
Massachusetts' "highway" system for its first 200 years were actually waterways.
The Massachusetts Senate is said to be the second oldest democratic deliberative body in the world.
The first battles of the American Revolution were fought in the Massachusetts towns of Concord and Lexington in 1775.
The primary biome of inland Massachusetts is temperate deciduous forest.
On a white field is a blue shield emblazoned with the image of a Native American, Massachuset. He holds a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. The arrow is pointing downward representing peace. The white star represents Massachusetts as one of the original thirteen states.
One of the original 13 colonies and one of the six New England states, Massachusetts (officially called a commonwealth) is known for being the landing place of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims. English explorer and colonist John Smith named the state for the Massachuset tribe.
Massachusetts has the fifth-highest population density among U.S. states, territories, and DC (871 population / mi²). The top 10 U.S. states and territories by population density are: District of Columbia, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Guam, US Virgin Islands, Connecticut, American Samoa, Maryland.
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was named after the indigenous population, the Massachusett, likely derived from a Wôpanâak word muswach8sut, segmented as mus(ây) "big" + wach8 "mountain" + -s "diminutive" + -ut "locative" (the '8' in these words refers to the 'oo' sound according to the Wôpanâak orthographic chart).
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Bay Colony that preceded it were named after the area's indigenous people, the Massachusett. The tribe's name translates to "near the great hill," referring to the Blue Hills southwest of Boston.Oct 16, 2015
Coastal Massachusetts is known for its clams, haddock, and cranberries, and previously cod. Boston is known for, baked beans (hence the nickname "Beantown"), bulkie rolls, and various pastries.
Boston Cream Pie. Head on over to Mike's Pastry to eat a sweet slice of Boston cream pie. ... Samuel Adams. The pub known as Cheers was the inspiration behind the hit TV show and is also one of Boston's biggest attractions. ... Clam Chowder. ... Fenway Franks. ... Boston Baked Beans. ... Lobster.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Bay Colony that preceded it were named after the area's indigenous people, the Massachusett. The tribe's name translates to "near the great hill," referring to the Blue Hills southwest of Boston.Oct 16, 2015
It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west. The state is named after the Massachusett tribe, which once inhabited the east side of the area.