ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Derived from the name of the Massachusett Native American tribe that lived on Massachusetts Bay; the name is thought to mean “at or about the Great Hill.”

NICKNAME : The Bay State.

CAPITAL: Boston.

ENTERED UNION: 6 February 1788 (6th).

OFFICIAL SEAL: Same as the coat of arms, with the inscription Sigillum Reipublicæ Massachusettensis (Seal of the Republic of Massachusetts).

FLAG: The coat of arms on a white field.

COAT OF ARMS: On a blue shield, a Native American depicted in gold holds in his right hand a bow, in his left an arrow pointing downward. Above the bow is a five-pointed silver star. The crest shows a bent right arm holding a broadsword. Around the shield beneath the crest is a banner with the state motto in green.

MOTTO: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem (By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty).

SONG: “All Hail to Massachusetts;” “Massachusetts” (folksong).

FLOWER: Mayflower (ground laurel).

TREE: American elm.

ANIMAL: Right whale (marine mammal); morgan horse (horse).

BIRD: Chickadee.

FISH: Cod.

INSECT: Ladybug.

DOG: Boston terrier.

GEM: Rhodonite.

FOSSIL: Theropod dinosaur tracks.

MINERAL: Babingtonite.

ROCK OR STONE: Roxbury puddingstone; granite; Plymouth Rock (historical rock).

BEVERAGE: Cranberry juice.

LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Washington’s Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Patriots’ Day, 3rd Monday in April; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, appointed by the governor, customarily the 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. Legal holidays in Suffolk County include Evacuation Day, 17 March; and Bunker Hill Day, 17 June.

TIME: 7 AM EST = noon GMT.

1 Location and Size

Located in the northeastern United States, Massachusetts is the fourth largest of the six New England states. It ranks 45th in size among the 50 states. The total area of Massachusetts is 8,284 square miles (21,456 square kilometers), of which land comprises 7,824 square miles (20,265 square kilometers) and inland water occupies 460 square miles (1,191 square kilometers). Massachusetts extends about 190 miles (306 kilometers) east-west and 110 miles (177 kilometers) north-south. Two important islands lie south of the state’s fishhook-shaped Cape Cod peninsula: Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The Elizabeth Islands, southwest of Cape Cod and northwest of Martha’s Vineyard, consist of 16 small islands separating Buzzards Bay from Vineyard Sound. The total boundary length of Massachusetts is 515 miles (829 kilometers), including a general coastline of 192 miles (309 kilometers).

2 Topography

Massachusetts is divided into four topographical regions: coastal lowlands, interior lowlands, dissected uplands, and residuals of ancient mountains. The coastal lowlands extend about 30–50 miles (48–80 kilometers) inland from the Atlantic Ocean and include Cape Cod and the offshore islands. The northern shoreline of the state is characterized by rugged high slopes, but at the southern end, along Cape Cod, the ground is flatter and covered with grassy heaths.

The Connecticut River Valley, characterized by red sandstone, curved ridges, meadows, and good soil, is the main feature of west-central Massachusetts. East of the Connecticut River

Massachusetts Population Profile

Total population estimate in 2006:	6,437,193
Population change, 2000–06:	1.4%
Hispanic or Latino†:	7.9%
Population by race
One race:	98.6%
White:	83.4%
Black or African American:	5.9%
American Indian /Alaska Native:	0.2%
Asian:	4.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander:	0.0%
Some other race:	4.4%
Two or more races:	1.4%

Population by Age Group

Major Cities by Population
City	Population	% change 2000–05
Notes: †A person of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race. NA indicates that data are not available.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey and Population Estimates. www.census.gov/ (accessed March 2007).
Boston	559,034	-5.1
Worcester	175,898	1.9
Springfield	151,732	-0.2
Lowell	103,111	-2.0
Cambridge	100,135	-1.2
Brockton	94,632	0.3
New Bedford	93,102	-0.7
Fall River	91,802	-0.1
Quincy	90,250	2.5
Lynn	88,792	-0.3

Valley are the eastern uplands, an extension of the White Mountains of New Hampshire. In western Massachusetts, the Taconic Range and Berkshire Hills (which extend southward from the Green Mountains of Vermont) are characterized by numerous hills and valleys. Mt. Greylock, close to the New York border, is the highest point in the state, at 3,487 feet (1,064 meters).

There are more than 4,230 miles (6,808 kilometers) of rivers in the state. The Connecticut River, the longest, runs southward through west-central Massachusetts. The Deerfield, Westfield, Chicopee, and Millers rivers flow into it. Other rivers of note include the Charles, the Mystic, the Taunton, the Blackstone, the Housatonic, and the Merrimack. Over 1,100 lakes dot the state. The largest, the artificial Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts, covers 24,704 acres (9,997 hectares). The largest natural lake is Assawompset Pond in southern Massachusetts, occupying 2,656 acres (1,075 hectares).

Hilly Martha’s Vineyard is roughly triangular in shape, as is Nantucket Island to the east. The Elizabeth Islands are characterized by broad, grassy plains.

3 Climate

Although Massachusetts is a relatively small state, there are significant climatic differences between its eastern and western sections. The entire state has cold winters and moderately warm summers. The Berkshires in the west have both the coldest winters and the coolest summers. Normal temperatures for Pittsfield in the Berkshires are 21°f (-5°c) in January and 67°f (19°c) in July. The interior lowlands are several degrees warmer in both winter and summer. The coastal sections are the warmest areas of the state. Normal temperatures for Boston are 30°f (-1°c) in January and 74°f (23°c) in July. The record high temperature in the state was 107°f (42°c) registered at Chester and New Bedford ion 2 August 1975. The record low was -35°f (-37°c), registered at Chester on 12 January 1981. Precipitation ranges from 39 to 46 inches (99 to 117 centimeters) annually. The average snowfall for Boston is 40.9 inches (103 centimeters), with the range in the Berkshires considerably higher. Boston’s average wind speed is 13 miles per hour (21 kilometers per hour).

4 Plants and Animals

Maple, birch, beech, hemlock, larch, and other tree species cover the Massachusetts uplands. Common shrubs include rhodora, mountain laurel, and shadbush. Various ferns grow throughout the state. Typical wild flowers include several varieties of orchid, lily, and goldenrod. In 2006, the northeastern bulrush, sandplain gerardia, and small whorled pogonia were listed as threatened or endangered.

Common native mammals include the white-tailed deer, river otter, mink, and porcupine. Among the Bay State’s 336 resident bird species are the mallard, ring-necked pheasant, downy woodpecker, and song sparrow. Native inland fish include brook trout, chain pickerel, and yellow perch. Native amphibians include the Jefferson salamander, red-spotted newt, eastern American toad, gray tree frog, and bullfrog. Common reptiles are the snapping turtle and northern water snake. The Cape Cod coasts are rich in a variety of shellfish, including clams, mussels, shrimps, and oysters. As of 2006, some 20 animal species were classified as threatened or endangered, including the American burying

Massachusetts Population by Race

Census 2000 was the first national census in which the instructions to respondents said, “Mark one or more races.” This table shows the number of people who are of one, two, or three or more races. For those claiming two races, the number of people belonging to the various categories is listed. The U.S. government conducts a census of the population every ten years.

	Number	Percent
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. Census 2000: Redistricting Data. Press release issued by the Redistricting Data Office. Washington, D.C., March, 2001. A dash (—) indicates that the percent is less than 0.1.
Total population	6,349,097	100.0
One race	6,203,092	97.7
Two races	138,177	2.2
White and Black or African American	19,459	0.3
White and American Indian/Alaska Native	12,754	0.2
White and Asian	15,769	0.2
White and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	1,664	—
White and some other race	48,948	0.8
Black or African American and American Indian/Alaska Native	3,747	0.1
Black or African American and Asian	1,469	—
Black or African American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	915	—
Black or African American and some other race	23,362	0.4
American Indian/Alaska Native and Asian	727	—
American Indian/Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	68	—
American Indian/Alaska Native and some other race	1,330	—
Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander	1,084	—
Asian and some other race	5,395	0.1
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and some other race	1,486	—
Three or more races	7,828	0.1

beetle, the bald eagle, puma, shortnose sturgeon, five species of whale, and four species of turtle.

5 Environmental Protection

All environmentally related programs are administered by the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) and its five agencies: the Department of Environmental Management (DEM); the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Environmental Law Enforcement (DFWELE); the Department of Food and Agriculture (DFA); and the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC).

Since disposal of treated sewage sludge in Boston Harbor was halted in 1991, and with improved sewage treatment, the harbor is now markedly cleaner. In 1988, 10% of the flounder caught in Boston Harbor had liver tumors caused by toxic chemicals. As of 1993, no flounder tested had tumors.

With the adoption of Massachusetts acid rain legislation in 1985, sulfur dioxide output from Massachusetts sources has been cut by 17%. In 2003, Massachusetts had 411 hazardous waste sites listed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s database, 31 of which were on the National Priorities List as of 2006.

6 Population

In 2005, Massachusetts ranked 13th in the United States in population with an estimated total of 6,437,193 residents. In 2004, the population density was 818.2 persons per square mile (315.9 persons per square kilometer), making Massachusetts the third most densely populated state. The median age in 2004 was 38.1. In 2005, about 13% of all residents were 65 or older while about 23% were 18 or younger.

The state’s largest city is Boston, which ranked 24th among the largest US cities in 2005 with a population of 559,034. Other large cities (with their 2005 populations) are Worcester, 175,898, and Springfield, 151,732. More than two-thirds of all state residents live in the Greater Boston area, which had an estimated metropolitan population of 4,424,649 in 2004.

7 Ethnic Groups

According to the 2000 census, there were 343,454 black Americans in Massachusetts, representing 5.4% of the population (that percentage stood at 5.9% in 2006). Blacks constituted more than 25% of Boston’s population. The state also had 428,729 Hispanics and Latinos, predominantly of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent. The total Asian population was estimated at 238,124. Of these, there were 84,392 Chinese, 33,962 Vietnamese, 19,696 Cambodians, 17,369 Koreans, and 10,539 Japanese. Pacific Islanders numbered 2,489. The Native American population, including Eskimos and Aleuts, totaled 15,015. Cape Cod has settlements of Portuguese fishermen, as does New Bedford. As of 2000, the largest groups of people claiming a single ancestry were the Irish (about 22.5% of the population), Italians (13.5%), English (11.4%), French (8%), Polish (5.1%), and Portuguese (4.4%). Also in 2000, about 772,983 residents, or 12.2% of the state’s population, were foreign-born.

8 Languages

Massachusetts English is generally classified as Northern, but early migration up the Connecticut River created special variations within the eastern half of the state. Eastern Massachusetts speakers are likely to have the /ah/ sound in the beginning of orange and to pronounce on and fog with the same vowel as in form. A few place-names—such as Massachusetts itself, Chicopee, and Naukeag—are borrowed from the Algonkian-speaking Native American tribes. In 2000, 81.3% of the population five years of age or older spoke only English at home. Other principal languages spoken at home, and number of speakers, were Spanish, 370,011; Portuguese, 159,809; French, 84,484; Chinese, 71,412; and Italian, 59,811.

9 Religions

Both the Pilgrims, who landed on Plymouth Rock in 1620, and the Puritans, who formed the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1629, came to the land to escape harassment by the Church of England. These early communities were based on strict religious principles and forbade the practice of differing religions. Religious tolerance was included in the Charter of 1692, to protect the Baptists, Anglicans, and Catholics who had arrived in the colony.

As of 2004, there were 3,033,367 Roman Catholics in Massachusetts, representing nearly half of the total population. The Roman Catholic Church faced a challenge in the early 2000s, and Cardinal Bernard F. Law, Archbishop of Boston, was among top church officials affected. Law stepped down as archbishop in December 2002 after widespread criticism of his handling of charges that priests sexually abused children and allegations of cover-ups.

The largest Protestant denominations were the United Church of Christ, with 89,264 adherents in 2005; the Episcopal Church, 98,963 in 2000; the American Baptists (USA), 52,716 (2000); and the United Methodist Church, 64,028 (2000). The second largest religious affiliation is Judaism, with about 275,000 adherents in 2000. The Muslim population the same year was about 41,497 people. There were about 57 Buddhist congregations and 20 Hindu congregations throughout the state. About 35% of the population did not specify a religious affiliation.

Although small, the Church of Christ, Scientist is significant to the state’s history. Its first house of worship was founded in 1879 in Boston by Mary Baker Eddy, who, four years earlier, had published the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In Boston, the church continues to publish an influential newspaper, the Christian Science Monitor.

10 Transportation

The first rail line in the United States, a three-mile (five-kilometer) stretch from the Neponset River to the granite quarries in Quincy, was built in 1826. The first steam railroad in New England, connecting Boston and Lowell, was completed seven years later. As of 2003, 10 railroads transported freight through Massachusetts. That year, the state had 1,255 rail miles (2,020 kilometers) of railroad. As of 2006, Boston was the northern terminus of Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, linking New England with Washington, DC, via New York City and Philadelphia. East–west service from Boston to Chicago is also provided by Amtrak.

Commuter service is coordinated by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), formed in 1964 to consolidate bus, commuter rail, high-speed trolley, and subway services to the 79 cities and towns in the Greater Boston area. The Boston subway, which began operation in 1897, is the oldest subway system in the United States. Boston also is one of the few cities in the country with an operating trolley system. About 40% of all Bostonians commute to work by public transportation, the second-highest percentage in the nation, following New York City.

In 2004, 35,783 miles (57,610 kilometers) of public roadways crisscrossed the state. The major highways, which extend from and through Boston like the spokes of a wheel, include I-95, the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90), I-93, State Highway 3 to Cape Cod, and State Highway 24 to Fall River. The other major road in the state is I-91, which runs north–south through the Connecticut River Valley. In 2004, about 5,532,000 motor vehicles were registered in the state, of which 3,486,000 were automobiles, approximately 1,898,000 were trucks, and 11,000 were buses. There also were 137,000 motorcycles. The state issued 4,645,857 driver’s licenses in 2004.

Because it is the major American city closest to Europe, Boston is an important shipping center for both domestic and foreign cargo. All port activity of the Port of Boston is under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Port Authority, which also operates Logan International Airport and Hanscom Field in Bedford. Other important ports are Fall River and Salem.

There were 76 airports and 137 heliports in Massachusetts in 2005. Logan International, near Boston, is the busiest airport in the state, with 12,758,020 passengers in 2004.

11 History

When English settlers arrived in present-day Massachusetts, they encountered five main Algonkian tribes: the Nauset, a fishing people on Cape Cod; the Wampanoag in the southeast; the Massachusetts in the northeast; the Nipmuc in the central hills; and the Pocumtuc in the west. In the wake of John and Sebastian Cabot’s voyages (1497 and following), fishermen from England, France, Portugal, and Spain began fishing off the Massachusetts coast. Within 50 years, fur trading with the Native Americans was established.

Permanent English settlement, which would ultimately destroy the Algonkian peoples, began in 1620 when a small band of Puritans left their temporary haven at Leiden in the Netherlands to start a colony in the northern part of Virginia lands, near the Hudson River. Their ship, the Mayflower, was blown off course by an Atlantic storm, and they landed on Cape Cod before settling in an abandoned Wampanoag village they called Plymouth. Ten years later, a much larger Puritan group settled the Massachusetts Bay Colony, to the north in Salem. Between 1630 and 1640, about 20,000 English people, chiefly Puritans, settled in Massachusetts with offshoots moving to Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Farming soon overtook fishing and fur trading in economic importance. After the trade in beaver skins was exhausted, the remaining Native American tribes were devastated in King Philip’s War (1675–76). Shipbuilding and Atlantic commerce brought added prosperity to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1692, Massachusetts and the colony of Plymouth were merged under a new charter.

During the 18th century, settlement spread across the entire colony. Boston, the capital, attained a population of 15,000 by 1730. Colonial government provided more advantages than drawbacks for commerce, and supply contracts during the French and Indian War enriched the colony’s economy. But the postwar recession after 1763 was accompanied by a new imperial policy that put pressure on Massachusetts as well as other colonies. From 1765, when Bostonians violently protested the Stamp Act, Massachusetts was in the forefront of the resistance.

By December 1773, when East India Company tea was dumped into Boston harbor to prevent its taxation, most of the colony was committed to resistance. When Parliament retaliated for the Tea Party by closing the port of Boston in 1774, Massachusetts was ready to rebel. Battle began at Lexington and Concord on 19 April 1775. By this time, Massachusetts had the backing of the Continental Congress. For Massachusetts, the battlefield experience of the Revolution was largely confined to 1775, after which the fighting shifted southward.

Statehood Massachusetts entered the Union on 6 February 1788. Federalist policies—supporting a strong central government—were dominant, and they were supported by the Whigs in the 1830s and the Republicans from the late 1850s. This political alignment reflected the importance to the state of national commercial and industrial development, as Massachusetts lacked the resources for strong agricultural development.

At Waltham, Lowell, and Lawrence the first large-scale factories in the United States were erected. Massachusetts became a leader in industries including textiles, metalworking, shoes and leather goods, and shipbuilding. By the 1850s, steam engines and clipper ships were both Bay State products. The industrial development of Massachusetts was accompanied by a literary and intellectual flowering centered in Concord, the home of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and a cluster of others who became known as transcendentalists. Abolitionism found some of its chief leaders in Massachusetts.

Post–Civil War In the years following the Civil War, Massachusetts emerged as an urban industrial state. Its population, fed by immigrants from England, Scotland, Germany, and especially Ireland, grew rapidly in the middle decades of the century. Later, between 1880 and 1920, another wave of immigrants came from French Canada, Italy, Russia, Poland, Scandinavia, Portugal, Greece, and Syria. Still later, between 1950 and 1970, black southerners and Puerto Ricans settled in the cities.

The Massachusetts economy, relatively stagnant between 1920 and 1950, revived in the second half of the 20th century through a combination of university talent, investment, a skilled

Massachusetts Governors: 1775–2007

Democratic/Greenbacker – Dem/Green
Democratic Republican – Dem-Rep
National Republican – Nat-Rep
1775–1780	Council of State
1780–1785	John Hancock
1785–1787	James Bowdoin
1787	Thomas Cushing
1787–1793	John Hancock	—
1793–1797	Samuel Adams	Dem-Rep
1797–1799	Increase Sumner	Federalist
1799–1800	Moses Gill	Federalist
1800–1807	Caleb Strong	—
1807–1808	James Sullivan	Dem-Rep
1808–1809	Levi Lincoln	Dem-Rep
1809–1810	Christopher Gore	Federalist
1810–1812	Elbridge Gerry	Dem-Rep
1812–1816	Caleb Strong	Federalist
1816–1823	John Brooks	Federalist
1823–1825	William Eustis	Republican
1825	Marcus Morton	Republican
1825–1834	Levi Lincoln, Jr.	Nat-Rep
1834–1835	John Davis	Whig
1835–1836	Samuel Turell Armstrong	Indep-Whig
1836–1840	Edward Everett	Whig
1840–1841	Marcus Morton	Democrat
1841–1843	John Davis	Whig
1843–1844	Marcus Morton	Democrat
1844–1851	George Nixon Briggs	Whig
1851–1853	George Sewel Boutwell	Democrat
1853–1854	John Henry Clifford	Whig
1854–1855	Emory Washburn	Whig
1855–1858	Henry Joseph Gardner	Know Nothing
1858–1861	Nathaniel Prentice Banks	Republican
1861–1866	John Albion Andrew	Republican
1866–1869	Alexander Hamilton Bullock	Republican
1869–1872	William Clafl in	Republican
1872–1874	William Barrett Washburn	Republican
1874–1875	Thomas Talbot	Republican
1875–1876	William Gaston	Democrat
1876–1879	Alexander Hamilton Rice	Republican
1879–1880	Thomas Talbot	Republican
1880–1883	John Davis Long	Republican
1883–1884	Benjamin Franklin Butler	Dem/Green
1884–1887	George Dexter Robinson	Republican
1887–1890	Oliver Ames	Republican
1890–1891	John Quincy Adams Brackett	Republican
1891–1894	William Eustis Russell	Democrat
1894–1896	Frederic Thomas Greenhalge	Republican
1896–1900	Roger Wolcott	Republican
1900–1903	Winthrop Murray Crane	Republican
1903–1905	John Lewis Bates	Republican
1905–1906	William Lewis Douglas	Democrat
1906–1909	Curtis Guild, Jr.	Republican
1909–1911	Eben Sumner Draper	Republican
1911–1914	Eugene Noble Foss	Democrat
1914–1916	David Ignatius Walsh	Democrat
1916–1919	Samuel Walker McCall	Republican
1919–1921	John Calvin Coolidge	Republican
1921–1925	Channing Harris Cox	Republican
1925–1929	Alvan Tufts Fuller	Republican
1929–1931	Frank G. Allen	Republican
1931–1935	Joseph Buell Ely	Democrat
1935–1937	James Michael Curley	Democrat
1937–1939	Charles Francis Hurley	Democrat
1939–1945	Leverett Saltonstall	Republican
1945–1947	Maurice Joseph Tobin	Democrat
1947–1949	Robert Fiske Bradford	Republican
1949–1953	Paul Andrew Dever	Democrat
1953–1957	Christian Archibald Herter	Republican
1957–1961	Foster Furcolo	Democrat
1961–1963	John Anthony Volpe	Republican
1963–1965	Endicott Peabody	Democrat
1965–1969	John Anthony Volpe	Republican
1969–1975	Francis Williams Sargent	Republican
1975–1979	Michael Stanley Dukakis	Democrat
1979–1983	Edward J. King	Democrat
1983–1991	Michael Stanley Dukakis	Democrat
1991–1996	William Floyd Weld	Republican
1996–2002	Argeo Paul Cellucci	Republican
2002–2006	Mitt Romney	Republican
2006–	Deval L. Patrick	Democrat

work force, and political clout. As the old industries and the mill cities declined, new high-technology manufacturing developed in Boston’s suburbs, led by electronics and defense-related industries. White-collar employment and middle-class suburbs flourished, though run-down mill towns and Yankee dairy farms and orchards still dotted the landscape.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, a revolution in information technology and increased defense

spending fueled a high-technology boom which centered on new manufacturing firms outside Boston along Route 128. Unemployment dropped from 12% in 1978 to 4% in 1987. However, with the beginnings of a nationwide recession in 1989, the Massachusetts economy declined dramatically, losing 14% of its total jobs in three years. The state’s economic woes were increased by the collapse in the late 1980s of risky real estate ventures.

By the mid-1990s, the Massachusetts economy was in the midst of a vigorous upturn, due largely to the strength of its leading industries, including software and mutual funds. In 1998, the state’s per capita (per person) income was the third highest in the nation. In 2004, per capita income was $41,801, second highest in the nation behind Connecticut. Despite that record, the thriving economy came to an abrupt halt in 2001, as the United States entered a recession marked by a large increase in job losses. In 2003, Massachusetts had a $3 billion budget deficit.

In November 2003, the Massachusetts supreme court became the first state supreme court to rule that same-sex marriages were legal. Massachusetts became the first state to legally allow gay marriages to take place on 17 May 2004. A ban on smoking in the workplace, including in bars and restaurants—private clubs and cigar bars excepted—came into effect in July 2004.

Boston’s multibillion-dollar highway project, dubbed the “Big Dig,” was in its final stages in early 2007. However, in July 2006, a ceiling section of a tunnel segment under South Boston collapsed, killing a woman riding as a passenger in a car.

In early 2006, Governor Mitt Romney signed a law that will require all Massachusetts residents to purchase health insurance by 1 July 2007.

12 State Government

The Massachusetts constitution of 15 June 1780 is, according to the state, the oldest written constitution in the world still in effect. As of January 2005, it had been amended 120 times. The legislature of Massachusetts, known as the General Court, is composed of a 40-member senate and 160-member house of representatives, all of whom are elected every two years.

The governor and lieutenant governor are elected jointly every four years. The governor appoints all state and local judges, as well as the heads of the ten executive offices. Other elected officials include the attorney general, secretary of the commonwealth, and treasurer.

To win passage, a bill must gain a majority vote of both houses of the legislature. After a bill is passed, the governor has ten days in which to sign it, return it for reconsideration (usually with amendments), veto it, or refuse to sign it (“pocket veto”). A veto may be overridden by a two-thirds majority in both houses.

The governor’s salary as of December 2004 was $135,000, and the legislative salary was $53,379.93.

13 Political Parties

Democrats have, for the most part, dominated state politics in Massachusetts since 1928, when the state voted for Democratic presidential candidate Alfred E. Smith—the first time the Democrats won a majority in a Massachusetts presidential election. In 1960, John F. Kennedy, who had been a popular US senator from Massachusetts, became the first Roman Catholic president in US history. Since then the state has voted for all Democratic presidential candidates except Republican Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984. In 1972, it was the only state carried by Democrat George McGovern. Massachusetts chose its native son, Democratic Governor Michael Dukakis, for president in 1988 and voted again for a Democrat in the next four elections: in 1992 and 1996 Massachusetts elected Bill Clinton, in 2000 voted for Al Gore, and in 2004 state voters gave native son John Kerry 53.4% of the vote to incumbent President George W. Bush’s 44.6%.

In 2004 there were approximately 3,973,000 registered voters. In 1998, 37% of registered voters were Democratic, 13% Republican, and 50% unaffiliated or members of other parties. In 2006, Democrat Deval Patrick was elected governor, the first African-American elected governor of Massachusetts, and only the second in US history. The US Senate seats were held by Democrats Edward (“Ted”) Kennedy and John Kerry in 2006. The US House delegation following the 2006 elections consisted entirely of ten Democrats. Following those elections, the Massachusetts state senate had 35 Democrats and 5 Republicans while the state house of representatives had 141 Democrats and 19 Republicans.

Massachusetts Presidential Vote by Political Parties, 1948–2004

YEAR	MASSACHUSETTS WINNER	DEMOCRAT	REPUBLICAN	SOCIALIST LABOR	PROGRESSIVE
*Won US presidential election.
1948	*Truman (D)	1,151,788	909,370	5,535	38,157
1952	*Eisenhower (R)	1,083,525	1,292,325	1,957	4,636
1956	*Eisenhower (R)	948,190	1,393,197	5,573	—
1960	*Kennedy (D)	1,487,174	976,750	3,892	—
1964	*Johnson (D)	1,786,422	549,727	4,755	—
					AMERICAN IND.
1968	Humphrey (D)	1,469,218	766,844	6,180	87,088
				SOC. WORKERS	AMERICAN
1972	McGovern (D)	1,332,540	1,112,078	10,600	2,877
1976	*Carter (D)	1,429,475	1,030,276	8,138	7,555
				LIBERTARIAN
1980	*Reagan (R)	1,048,562	1,054,213	21,311	—
1984	*Reagan	1,239,600	1,310,936	—	—
					NEW ALLIANCE
1988	Dukakis (D)	1,401,415	1,194,635	24,251	9,561
					IND. (PEROT)
1992	*Clinton (D)	1,318,639	805,039	9,021	630,731
1996	*Clinton (D)	1,571,763	718,107	20,426	227,217
				LIBERTARIAN
2000	Gore (D)	1,616,487	878,502	16,366	173,564
2004	Kerry (D)	1,803,800	1,071,109	15,022	—

Fifty-one women were elected to the state legislature in 2006, or 25.5%.

14 Local Government

As of 2005, Massachusetts had 14 counties, 45 cities, 306 townships, 349 public school districts, and 403 special districts. In most counties, executive authority is vested in commissioners elected to four-year terms. All Massachusetts cities are governed by mayors and city councils. Towns are governed by selectmen, who are usually elected to either one or two-year terms. Town meetings—a carryover from the colonial period—still take place regularly. By state law, to be designated a city, a place must have at least 12,000 residents. Towns with more than 6,000 inhabitants may hold representative town meetings that are limited to elected officials.

15 Judicial System

The supreme judicial court, composed of a chief justice and six other justices, is the highest court in the state. It has appeals jurisdiction in matters of law and also advises the governor and legislature on legal questions. The superior courts, actually the highest level of trial court, have a chief justice and 79 other justices. These courts hear law, equity, civil, and criminal cases, and make the final determination in matters of fact. The appeals court, consisting of a chief justice and 13 other justices, hears appeals of decisions by district and municipal courts.

Other court systems in the state include the land court, probate and family court, housing court, and juvenile court. Massachusetts had a total violent crime rate (murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) of 458.8 reported cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004. That year, crimes against property (burglary, larceny/ theft, and motor vehicle theft) totaled 2,459.7 reported incidents per 100,000 people. As of 31 December 2004, there were 10,144 prisoners in state and federal correctional institutions in Massachusetts. Massachusetts does not have a death penalty.

16 Migration

Massachusetts was founded by the migration of English religious groups to its shores and for over a century their descendants dominated all activity in the state. The first non-English to enter Massachusetts in significant numbers were the Irish, who migrated in vast numbers during the 1840s and 1850s. Other ethnic groups—such as the Scottish, Welsh, Germans, and Poles—were also entering the state at this time. During the late 1880s and 1890s, another wave of immigrants—from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Russia, and Greece—arrived. Irish and Italians continued to enter the state during the 20th century.

The only significant migration from other areas of the United States to Massachusetts has been the influx of southern blacks since World War II. According to census estimates, between 1990 and 1998, the black population grew from 300,000 to 395,000 persons, mostly in the Boston area.

Between 1990 and 1998, the state had a net loss of 237,000 in domestic migration and a net gain of 135,000 in international migration. In the period 2000–05, net international migration was 162,674 and net internal migration was -236,415, for a net loss of 73,741 people.

17 Economy

From its beginnings as a farming and seafaring colony, Massachusetts became one of the most industrialized states in the country in the late 19th century and, more recently, a leader in the manufacture of high-technology products. Fueled in part by a dramatic increase in the Pentagon’s budget that focused on sophisticated weaponry, as well as by significant advances in information technology, high-technology companies rose up around the outskirts of Boston in the 1970s and early 1980s. Wholesale and retail trade, transportation, and public utilities also prospered.

In the late 1980s, the boom ended. The minicomputer industry failed to innovate at the same pace as its competitors as the market became increasingly crowded, and defense contractors suffered from cuts in military spending. Between 1988 and 1991, jobs in both high-technology and non-high technology manufacturing declined by 17%. In addition, the early 1980s had also seen the rise of real estate ventures which collapsed at the end of the decade when the market became saturated. Unemployment rose to 9% in 1991. The economy recovered in the 1990s, as several banks started new lending programs; unemployment was 4% in 1997. Massachusetts benefited from the information technology (IT) and stock market booms of the 1990s. However, Massachusetts was the hardest hit among New England economies in the collapse of the “dot.com” bubble in the national recession of 2001.

As of 2004, real estate accounted for largest portion of gross state product (GSP), at 13.6% of GSP, followed by manufacturing (10.9% of GSP), and healthcare and social assistance (8.2% of GSP). GSP in 2004 was approximately $317.8 billion.

18 Income

In 2005, Massachusetts had a gross state product (GSP) of $329 billion, 13th highest in the nation. In 2004, Massachusetts ranked third among the 50 states and the District of Columbia with a per capita (per person) income of $42,176. The three-year average median household income for 2002–04 was $52,354, compared to the national average of $44,473. For the period 2002–04, an estimated 9.8% of the state’s residents lived below the federal poverty level, as compared to 12.4% nationwide.

19 Industry

Massachusetts is an important manufacturing center. Significant concentrations of industrial machinery employment are in Attleboro, Wilmington, Worcester, and the Springfield area. Much of the manufacturing industry is located along Route 128. This is a superhighway that circles Boston, from Gloucester in the north to Quincy in the south, and is unique in its concentration of high-technology enterprises.

The state’s future as a manufacturing center depends on its continued preeminence in the production of computers, optical equipment, and other sophisticated instruments. Among the major computer manufacturers in the state are Digital Equipment Corporation in Maynard, and Data General in Westboro.

In 2004, the value of all products manufactured in the state was $76.5 billion. Of that total, computer and electronic product manufacturing accounted for $20.7 billion, followed by chemical manufacturing at $9.25 billion, food manufacturing at $6.05 billion, and fabricated metal product manufacturing at $5.8 billion.

20 Labor

In April 2006, the civilian labor force in Massachusetts numbered 3,338,600, with approximately 163,900 workers unemployed, yielding an unemployment rate of 4.9%, compared to the national average of 4.7% for the same period. As of April 2006, 4.4% of the labor force was employed in construction; 9.4% in manufacturing; 17.7% in trade, transportation, and public utilities; 6.9% in financial activities; 14.5% in professional and business services; 18.4% in education and health services; 9.1% in leisure and hospitality services; and 12.7% in government.

Some of the earliest unionization efforts took place in Massachusetts in the early 1880s, particularly in the shipbuilding and construction trades. However, the most important trade unions to evolve were those in the state’s textile and shoe industries. After the turn of the century, the state suffered a severe decline in manufacturing, and employers sought to cut wages to make up for lost profits. This resulted in a number of strikes by both the United Textile Workers and the Boot and Shoe Workers Union. The largest strike of the era was at Lawrence in 1912, when textile workers (led by a radical labor group, the Industrial Workers of the World) closed the mills, and the mayor called in troops in an attempt to reopen them. Although the textile and shoe businesses are no longer major employers in the state, the United Shoe Workers of America, the Brotherhood of Shoe and Allied Craftsmen, the United Textile Workers, and the Leather Workers International Union of America have their headquarters in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts was one of the first states to enact child labor laws. Massachusetts was also the first state to enact minimum wage guidelines (1912). In 2005, some 402,000 of the state’s 2,886,000 employed wage and salary workers were members of unions. This represented 13.9% of those so employed. The national average was 12%.

21 Agriculture

As of 2004, there were 6,100 farms in Massachusetts, covering 520,000 acres (210,000 hectares). Farming was mostly limited to the western Massachusetts counties of Hampshire, Franklin, and Berkshire, and southern Bristol County. Total agricultural income for 2005 was estimated at $390 million (47th of the 50 states), of which crops provided 76%. Although the state is not a major farming area, it is the second-largest producer of cranberries in the United States, after Wisconsin. Cranberry production for 2004 was 180.4 million pounds (81.8 million kilograms), about 28% of the US total. Other crops include corn for silage, hay, and tobacco.

22 Domesticated Animals

Massachusetts is not a major producer of livestock. The state had 48,000 cattle and calves, worth around $52.8 million in 2005, and an estimated 12,000 hogs and pigs worth $1.3 million in 2004. Also during 2003, poultry farmers sold 863,000 pounds (392,000 kilograms) of chickens, and the state produced an estimated 73 million eggs, worth around $4.8 million. An estimated 19,000 milk cows produced 332 million pounds (151 million kilograms) of milk in 2003. During 2003, the state produced around 1.8 million pounds (0.8 million kilograms) of turkeys worth $2.7 million.

23 Fishing

The early settlers earned much of their income from the sea. The first shipyard in Massachusetts opened at Salem Neck in 1637 and, during the years before independence, the towns of Salem, Newburyport, Plymouth, and Boston were among the colonies’ leading ports. For much of the 19th century, Nantucket and, later, New Bedford were the leading US whaling centers. Whaling declined in importance in the 1920s.

The fishing ports of New Bedford and Gloucester were among the busiest in the United States in 2004. New Bedford ranked first in the nation in catch value at $206.5 million and seventh in the nation for catch volume at 175.1 million pounds (79.6 million kilograms). Gloucester was 12th in the nation in catch value ($42.7 million) and 10th in volume (113.3 million pounds/51.5 million kilograms).

In 2004, Massachusetts ranked second in the nation for total commercial catch value at $326.1 million. The total catch volume that year was 336.9 million pounds (153.1 million kilograms). The quahog catch of 14.1 million pounds (6.4 million kilograms) was the second largest in the nation. The lobster catch was also the second largest with 11.3 million pounds (5.1 million kilograms), valued at $51.5 million. Massachusetts was the leading producer of sea scallops with 28.1 million pounds (12.8 million kilograms). In 2003, there were 232 fish processing and wholesale plants with an annual average of 4,504 employees in the state. The commercial fleet had about 5,235 boats and vessels in 2001.

The state’s long shoreline and many rivers make sport fishing a popular pastime for both deep-sea and freshwater fishermen. In 2004, there were 203,139 fishing license holders.

24 Forestry

Forestry is a minor industry in the state. Forested lands cover about 3,126,000 acres (1,265,000 hectares), 76% of which are private lands. Wooded areas lost to urbanization in recent years have been offset by the conversion of inactive agricultural areas into forests. Red oak and white ash are found in the west. Specialty products include maple syrup and Christmas trees. The wood and paper products industries require more pulp than the state currently produces.

Massachusetts has the sixth-largest state park system in the nation, with 38 state parks and 74 state forests totaling some 273,000 acres (110,000 hectares). There are no national forests in Massachusetts.

25 Mining

The value of nonfuel mineral production in Massachusetts 2003 was estimated at $186 million. Crushed stone and construction sand and gravel are the state’s two leading mineral commodities. According to preliminary figures, in 2003 there were an estimated 13.2 million metric tons of crushed stone and 111.4 million metric tons of sand and gravel produced. Other mineral commodities produced include common clay, lime, and peat; industrial sand and gravel; and dimension stone. Nationally, the state ranked fifth in dimension stone in 2003. Industrial minerals processed or manufactured in the state include abrasives, graphite, gypsum, perlite, and vermiculite.

26 Energy and Power

In 2000, the state’s total per capita energy consumption was 271 million Btu (68.3 million kilo-calories), ranking it 42nd among the 50 states. In 2003, about 48.38 billion kilowatt hours of electric power (utility and nonutility) were generated in state and total installed capacity was over 13.87 million kilowatts. Almost all generating capacity in the state is privately owned.

As of 2006, Massachusetts had one operating nuclear plant, the single-unit Pilgrim plant in Plymouth. There are also four pumped-storage hydroelectric plants and 45 conventional hydroelectric generators. Boston Edison supplies electricity to the city of Boston. The rest of the state is served by 13 other companies, although a few municipalities do generate their own power. Power companies are regulated by the Department of Public Utilities, which establishes rates and monitors complaints from customers.

Massachusetts has no proven oil or coal reserves. Oil exploration off the coast of Cape Cod began in 1979. The state consumes, but does not produce, natural gas. In 2004, about 373 billion cubic feet (10.5 billion cubic meters) of natural gas were delivered.

Private researchers and the state have established demonstration projects for solar energy systems and other alternatives to fossil fuels.

27 Commerce

The machinery and electrical goods industries are important components of the state’s wholesale

trade, along with motor vehicle and automotive equipment, and paper and paper products. State wholesale sales totaled $127.1 billion in 2002; retail sales were $73.9 billion. Foreign exports of Massachusetts products totaled $22.04 billion in 2005 (10th in the United States).

28 Public Finance

The Massachusetts budget is prepared by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance and is presented by the governor to the legislature for revision and approval. The fiscal year runs from 1 July to 30 June.

The estimated revenues for the 2004 fiscal year were $41.6 billion and expenses were $38.4 billion. The largest general expenditures were for public welfare ($10.5 billion), education ($7.58 billion), and highways ($3 billion). The total debt of the state government was more than $50.9 billion, or $7,957.10 per capita (per person).

29 Taxation

The state levies a 12% tax on interest, dividends, and short-term capital gains; a 5% tax rate on capital gains from assets held between one and two years; a 2% rate on capital gains from assets held longer than that, and a flat 5.3% rate in on all other taxable personal income. The corporate income tax rate is 9.5%. Commercial banks and other banking and trust companies pay a 10.5% tax on net income while savings and loans organizations pay 10.91%.

Sales tax is 5%, but such necessities as food, clothing, and home heating fuel are exempt. There is also a wide array of state and local selective (excise) taxes, including a room occupancy tax, a motor vehicle excise tax, taxes covering motor fuels, tobacco products, insurance premiums, alcoholic beverages, amusements, parimutuels, and other selected items. Other state taxes include various license fees, a deeds tax, and a small property tax. Most property taxes are collected at the local level.

The state collected $18.015 billion in taxes in 2005, of which 53.8% came from individual income taxes, 21.6% from the general sales tax, 10.5% from selective sales taxes, 7.4% from corporate income taxes, and 6.7% from other taxes. In 2005, Massachusetts ranked seventh among the states in terms of state and local tax burden, which amounted to $2,815 per person.

30 Health

As of October 2005, the infant mortality was 5 per 1,000 live births. The overall death rate was 8.8 per 1,000 population. The major causes of death were heart diseases, cancer, cerebrovascular diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases, diabetes, accidents and adverse effects, and suicide. Among persons ages 18 and older, 18.4% were smokers. The rate of HIV-related deaths stood at 3.6 per 100,000 population. In 2004, the reported AIDS case rate was about 8.8 per 100,000 population.

Programs for treatment and rehabilitation of alcoholics are administered by the Division of Alcoholism of the Department of Health, under the Executive Office of Human Services. The Division of Communicable Disease Control operates venereal disease clinics throughout the state and provides educational material to schools and other groups. The Division of Drug Rehabilitation administers drug treatment from a statewide network of hospital agencies and self-help groups. The state also runs a lead-poisoning prevention program.

The state’s 79 community hospitals had about 16,000 beds in 2003. That year, the average expense for community hospital care was $1,631 per inpatient day. In 2004, 11% of the population was uninsured; in 2006, the state passed requiring all residents to purchase health insurance by 1 July 2007.

In 2004, Massachusetts had 451 doctors per 100,000 people, and 1,201 nurses per 100,000 people in 2005; these rates are some of the highest healthcare worker-population rates in the nation. In 2004, there were a total of 5,143 dentists in the state. Four prominent medical schools are located in the state: Harvard Medical School, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, and the University of Massachusetts School of Medicine.

31 Housing

The state’s older housing stock reflects the state’s colonial heritage and its ties to English architectural traditions. Two major styles are common: the colonial style, typified by a wood frame, two stories, center hall entry, and center chimney; and the Cape Cod, one-story houses built by fishermen, with shallow basements, shingled roofs, clapboard fronts, and unpainted shingled sides weathered gray by the salt air. Many new houses are still built in these styles.

As of 2004, there were an estimated 2,672,061 housing units in the state, of which 2,435,421 were occupied; 64.6% were owner-occupied. About 52.5% of all housing units were single-family, detached homes. About 37.1% of all units were built before or during 1939. Nearly 42% of all units rely on utility gas for heating and 33.6% use fuel oil or kerosene. It was estimated that 50,724 units lacked telephone service, 7,775 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 10,402 lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.55 people.

In 2004, some 22,500 new housing units were authorized for construction. The median home value was $331,200, the fourth highest in the United States. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,645. Renters paid a median of $852 per month.

32 Education

Massachusetts has a long history of support for education. The Boston Latin School opened in 1635 as the first public school in the colonies. Harvard College was founded in 1636 as the first college in the United States. The drive for quality public education in the state was intensified through the efforts of educator Horace Mann, who during the 1830s and 1840s was also a leading force for the improvement of school systems throughout the United States. Today the state boasts some of the most highly regarded private secondary schools and colleges in the country.

In 2004, 86.9% of state residents age 25 or older were high school graduates and 36.7% had completed four or more years of college. Total public school enrollment was estimated at 983,000 in fall 2002 and was expected to drop to 919,000 by fall 2014. Expenditures for public education in 2003/04 were estimated at $11.7 billion, or $10,693 per student, the sixth highest among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The early years of statehood saw the development of private academies, where the students could learn more than the basic reading and writing skills that were taught in the town schools at the time. Some of these private preparatory schools remain, including such prestigious institutions as Andover, Deerfield, and Groton. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2003 totaled 134,708.

As of fall 2002, there were 431,224 students enrolled in college or graduate school. In 2005, Massachusetts had 122 degree-granting institutions. The major public university system is the University of Massachusetts, with campuses at Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell, and a medical school at Worcester. The state has a total of 15 public colleges and universities, while the Massachusetts Board of Regional Community Colleges has 16 campuses.

Harvard University, which was established in Cambridge originally as a college for clergymen and magistrates, has grown to become one of the country’s premier institutions. Also located in Cambridge is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. Mount Holyoke College, the first US college for women, was founded in 1837. Other prominent private schools are Amherst College, Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis University, Clark University, Hampshire College, the New England Conservatory of Music, Northeastern University, Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College, and Williams College.

33 Arts

Boston is the center of artistic activity in Massachusetts. The city is the home of several small theaters, some of which offer previews of shows bound for Broadway. Well-known local theater companies include the American Repertory Theatre and the Huntington Theatre. Of the regional theaters scattered throughout the state, the Williamstown Theater in the Berkshires and the Provincetown Theater on Cape Cod are especially noteworthy.

The Boston Symphony, one of the major orchestras in the United States, was founded in 1881. Emmanuel Church in Boston’s Back Bay is known for its early music concerts and chamber music by first-rate local and internationally known performers is presented at the New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall and other venues throughout the city. During the summer, the Boston Symphony is the main attraction of the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood in Lenox. An offshoot of the Boston Symphony, the Boston Pops Orchestra, gained fame under the conductorship of Arthur Fiedler. Its mixture of popular, jazz, and light symphonic music continued under the direction of Fiedler’s successors, John Williams and Keith Lockhart. Boston is also the headquarters of the Boston Lyric Opera. Prominent in the world of dance are the Boston Ballet Company and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in the Berkshires.

Ploughshares, a literary journal published through Emerson College in Boston, has become well known nationally as a showplace for new writers.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council provides grants and services to support public programs in the arts, sciences, and the humanities. The Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities was founded in 1974. In 1979, Massachusetts became the first state to establish a lottery solely for funding the arts.

34 Libraries and Museums

The first public library in the United States was established in Boston in 1653. As of the fiscal year ending June 2001, Massachusetts had 371 public library systems, with a total of 490 libraries, of which 119 were branches. The system served 351 towns and cities, and had over 30.4 million volumes. The major city libraries are in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield. The Boston Athenaeum, with 650,000 volumes, is the most noteworthy private library in the state. Harvard University’s library system is one of the largest in the world, with 14.3 million volumes in 1999. Other major academic libraries are those of Boston University, the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), Smith College, and Boston College.

In 2000, the state had over 344 museums. Boston houses a number of important museums, among them the Museum of Fine Arts with vast holdings of artwork. These include extensive Far East and French impressionist collections and American art and furniture; the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Museum of Science. Other museums of note are the Whaling Museum in New Bedford, the Bunker Hill Museum near Boston, and the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth is a recreation of life in the 17th century and Old Sturbridge Village, a working historical farm, displays 18th- and 19th-century artifacts.

35 Communications

The first American post office was established in Boston in 1639 and Alexander Graham Bell first demonstrated the telephone in Boston in 1876. As of 2004, 93.4% of the state’s occupied housing units had telephones. In addition, by June of that year, there were 3,919,139 mobile phone subscribers. As of 2003, 64.1% of Massachusetts households had a computer, and 58.1% had Internet access.

The state had 32 major AM stations and 64 major FM stations in 2005, as well as 10 major television stations. In Boston, WGBH is a major producer of programming for the Public Broadcasting Service. In 2000, the Boston metropolitan area had 2,210,580 television-owning households, 80% of which received cable.

36 Press

Publishing milestones that occurred in the state include the first book printed in the English colonies (Cambridge, 1640); the first regularly issued American newspaper, the Boston News-Letter (1704); and the first published American novel, William Hill Brown’s The Power of Sympathy (Worcester, 1789). During the mid-1840s, two noted literary publications made their debut, the North American Review and the Dial, the latter under the editorial direction of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Margaret Fuller.

As of 2005, there were 32 daily newspapers in the state (including 14 morning, 18 evening). The Boston Globe, the most widely read newspaper in the state, has won numerous awards for journalistic excellence on the local and national levels. The Christian Science Monitor is highly respected for its coverage of national and international news.

Major newspapers and their average daily circulations in 2005 were the Boston Globe (451,471), the Boston Herald (240,759), and the Christian Science Monitor (60,723). The Atlantic (which began publishing in 1857), Harvard Law Review, Harvard Business Review, and New England Journal of Medicine are other influential publications. Massachusetts is also a center of book publishing, with more than 100 publishing houses, including Little, Brown and Company; Houghton Mifflin; Merriam-Webster; and Harvard University Press.

37 Tourism, Travel & Recreation

In 2004, there were over 31.2 million travelers to and within the state. The travel industry supports over 125,300 jobs.

The greater Boston area was the most popular area for tourists in 2006. A trip to the city might include visits to such old landmarks as the Old North Church, the USS Constitution, Paul Revere’s House, and such newer attractions as the John Hancock Observatory, the skywalk above the Prudential Tower, Quincy Market, Faneuil Hall, and Copley Place. Boston Common, one of the oldest public parks in the country, is the most noteworthy municipal park.

About 19% of all trips are made to Cape Cod (Barnstable County). Among its many attractions are beaches, fishing, good dining spots, artists’ colonies with arts and crafts fairs, antique shops, and summer theaters. Beaches, fishing, and quaint villages are also the charms of Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard.

The Berkshires are the summer home of the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Lee. Essex County on the North Shore of Massachusetts Bay offers many seaside towns and the art colony of Rockport. Its main city, Salem, contains the Witch House and Museum as well as Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of Seven Gables. Middlesex County, to the west of Boston, holds the university city of Cambridge as well as the battlegrounds of Lexington and Concord. In Concord are the homes of Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Louisa May Alcott. Norfolk County, south of Boston, has the homes of three US presidents: John Adams and John Quincy Adams in Quincy and John F. Kennedy in Brookline. Plymouth County offers Plymouth Rock, Plymouth Plantation, and a steam-train ride through some cranberry bogs.

Massachusetts has about 79 state parks.

38 Sports

There are five major league professional sports teams in Massachusetts: the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball, the New England Patriots of the National Football League, the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association, the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, and the New England Revolution of

Major League Soccer. The Celtics are the winningest team in NBA history. They have won the championship 16 times, including the seemingly unbeatable record of eight consecutive titles from 1959 to 1966. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup five times. Additionally, there are minor league hockey teams in Springfield, Worcester, and Lowell.

Suffolk Downs in East Boston features thoroughbred horse racing. Harness racing takes place at the New England Harness Raceway in Foxboro. Dog racing can be seen at Raynham Park in Raynham, Taunton Dog Track in North Dighton, and Wonderland Park in Revere.

Probably the most famous amateur athletic event in the state is the Boston Marathon, a race of more than 26 miles (42 kilometers) held every Patriots’ Day (third Monday in April). It attracts many of the world’s top long-distance runners. During the summer, a number of boat races are held. Rowing is also popular. Each October this traditional sport is celebrated in a regatta on the Charles River among college students in the Boston/Cambridge area.

In collegiate sports, the University of Massachusetts has become a nationally ranked basketball power; Boston College has appeared in 12 bowl games and the annual Harvard–Yale football game is one of the traditional rites of autumn.

39 Famous Bay Staters

Massachusetts has produced an extraordinary collection of public figures and leaders of thought. Its four US presidents were John Adams (1735–1826), a signer of the Declaration of Independence; his son John Quincy Adams (1767–1848); John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917–1963), and George Herbert Walker Bush (b.1924).

Great jurists influential in Massachusetts include US Supreme Court Justices Joseph Story (1779–1845); Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935); Louis D. Brandeis (b.Kentucky, 1856–1941); and Felix Frankfurter (b.Austria, 1882–1965). David Souter (b.1939), was appointed as a Supreme Court justice in 1990.

Literary genius has flourished in Massachusetts. In the 17th century, the colony was the home of poets Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672) and Edward Taylor (1645–1729) and of the theologian Cotton Mather (1663–1728). During the 1800s, Massachusetts was the home of novelists Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864), Louisa May Alcott (b.Pennsylvania, 1832–1888), and Henry James (b.New York, 1843–1916); essayists Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) and Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862); and poets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (b.Maine, 1807–1882) and Emily Dickinson (1830–1886). Among 20th-century notables are novelist and short-story writer John Cheever (1912–1982); and poets Robert Lowell (1917–1977), Anne Sexton (1928–1974), and Sylvia Plath (1932–1963). Henry James’s elder brother, William (b.New York, 1842–1910), pioneered psychology; and George Santayana (b.Spain, 1863–1952), philosopher and author, grew up in Boston. Mary Baker Eddy (b.New Hampshire, 1821–1910) founded the Church of Christ, Scientist, during the 1870s.

Reformers have abounded in Massachusetts, especially in the 19th century. William Lloyd

Garrison (1805–1879) was an outstanding abolitionist. Margaret Fuller (1810–1850), and Susan Brownell Anthony (1820–1906) were leading advocates of women’s rights. Horace Mann (1796–1859) led the fight for public education; and Mary Lyon (1797–1849) founded Mount Holyoke, the first women’s college in the United States. The 20th century reformer and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) leader William Edward Burghardt (W. E. B.) Du Bois (1868–1963) was born in Great Barrington.

Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) was a composer and conductor of worldwide fame. Arthur Fiedler (1894–1879) was the celebrated conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra. Composers include William Billings (1746–1800) and Alan Hovhaness (1911–2000). Louis Henri Sullivan (1856–1924) was an important architect. Painters include John Singleton Copley (1738–1815), James Whistler (1834–1903), and Winslow Homer (1836–1910).

Among the notable scientists associated with Massachusetts are Samuel F. B. Morse (1791–1872), inventor of the telegraph; Elias Howe (1819–1867), inventor of the sewing machine; and Robert Hutchins Goddard (1882–1945), a physicist and rocketry pioneer.

Massachusetts was the birthplace of television journalists Mike Wallace (b.1918) and Barbara Walters (b.1931). Massachusetts-born show business luminaries include director Cecil B. DeMille (1881–1959); actors Walter Brennan (1894–1974), Jack Haley (1901–1979), Bette Davis (1908–1984), and Jack Lemmon (1925–2001); and singers Donna Summer (b.1948) and James Taylor (b.1948). Outstanding among Massachusetts-born athletes was world heavyweight boxing champion Rocky Marciano (Rocco Francis Marchegiano, 1925–1969), who retired undefeated in 1956.