Description

Boston (pronounced Listeni/ˈbɒstən/boss-tin)is the capital and largest city of the CommonwealthofMassachusetts in the United States. Boston also served asthehistoric county seat of Suffolk County untilMassachusettsdisbanded county government in 1999. The city propercovers 48square miles (124 km2) with an estimated population of667,137 in2015, making it the largest city in New England and the24thlargest city in the United States. The city is the economicandcultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan areacalledGreater Boston, home to 4.7 million people and thetenth-largestmetropolitan statistical area in the country. GreaterBoston as acommuting region is home to 8.1 million people, makingit thesixth-largest combined statistical area in the UnitedStates.

One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was foundedonthe Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from England.Itwas the scene of several key events of the American Revolution,suchas the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle ofBunkerHill, and the Siege of Boston. Upon American independencefrom GreatBritain, the city continued to be an important portandmanufacturing hub, as well as a center for education andculture.Through land reclamation and municipal annexation, Bostonhasexpanded beyond the original peninsula. Its rich historyattractsmany tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone drawing over 20millionvisitors per year. Boston's many firsts include the UnitedStates'first public school, Boston Latin School (1635), firstsubwaysystem (1897), and first public park (1634).

The area's many colleges and universities make Bostonaninternational center of higher education,including law,medicine,engineering, and business, and the city is considered tobe a worldleader in innovation and entrepreneurship. Boston'seconomic basealso includes finance, professional and businessservices,biotechnology, information technology, and governmentactivities.Households in the city claim the highest average rateofphilanthropy in the United States; businesses and institutionsrankamong the top in the country for environmental sustainabilityandinvestment. The city has one of the highest costs of living intheUnited States, though it remains high on worldlivabilityrankings.