Boston, Massachusetts

Located in the Northeastern portion of the United States, Boston is the most populated city of the New England states. It is the capital of Massachusetts. Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region. The city played an integral part in shaping American history.

Boston's colleges and universities are crucial to the city and region's economy. Not only are they major employers, but they also bring in high-tech industries to the city and surrounding region. The Boston area is home to technological companies such as EMC Corp. and Analog Devices as well as E-Commerce companies VistaPrint and CSN Stores. Boston is also a major center for biotechnology companies such as; Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Merck & Co., Millipore, Genzyme, and Biogen Idec. Students enrolled in Boston's colleges and universities contribute $4.8 billion annually to the city's economy, according to a 2003 report by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

History

Founded on September 17, 1630, Boston was colonized by English Puritans. The Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony are sometimes mistaken for Pilgrims, who founded Plymouth Colony ten years earlier in what is today known as Bristol County, Plymouth County, and Barnstable County, Massachusetts. The two groups, which differed in religious practice, are distinct. The separate colonies were not united until the formation of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1691.

Shortly after Boston's settlement, Puritans established America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635), and America's first college, Harvard College (1636). Boston was once the largest town in the British North American colonies until Philadelphia grew larger in the mid-1700s.

In the 1770s, British attempts to exercise more stringent control on the thirteen colonies - primarily through taxation - lighted the fire of the American Revolution. Historic events such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and several early battles - including the Battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston – took place in or near the city.

In 1822, Bostonians voted to change the official name from "the Town of Boston" to "the City of Boston." In the 1820s, Boston's population began to grow, and the city's ethnic make up changed dramatically with the first wave of European immigrants. Irish immigrants dominated the first wave of new arrivals during this period. About 35,000 Irish lived in Boston by 1850. In the late 1800s, the city saw increasing numbers of Irish, Germans, Lebanese, Syrians, French Canadians, and Russian and Polish Jews immigrants settle in the city.