Boston, Massachusetts

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Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a state in the United States of America.[3] The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the unofficial capital of the New England region;[4] the City of Boston had an estimated population of 596,638 in 2005. However, the city lies at the center of America's eleventh-largest metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, which is home to 4.4 million people. Residents of the city are called Bostonians. In 1630, Puritan colonists from England founded the city on the Shawmut Peninsula [5]. During the late 1700s, Boston was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Several early battles of the American Revolution, such as the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston, occurred within the city and surrounding areas. After the revolution, Boston became a major shipping port and manufacturing center, and its rich history now attracts 16.3 million visitors annually.[6][5] The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635),[7] and college, Harvard College (1636) in neighboring Cambridge, as well as the first subway system in the U.S.[8] Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Boston has expanded throughout the peninsula. It has become one of the most culturally significant cities in the United States, and is recognized as a global city.[9] With many colleges and universities within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education[10] and a center for health care. The city's economy is also based on research, finance, and technology — principally biotechnology. Boston is also struggling with gentrification issues, and has one of the highest costs of living in the United States.[11]