History of Boston, Massachusetts
Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Massachusetts|Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a state in the United States of America.{{cite web | url=http://www.city-data.com/city/Massachusetts.html | title=Massachusetts Bigger Cities (over 6000 residents) | year=2007 | publisher=City-Data.com | accessdate=2007-04-28}} The largest city in New England, Boston is considered the unofficial capital of the New England region;{{cite book | title=50 one day adventures in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine | author=Steinbicker, Earl | year=2000 | publisher=Hastingshouse/Daytrips
Publishers | id=ISBN 0803820089 | pages=7}} the city of Boston had an estimated population of 596,638 in 2005. However, the city lies at the center of America's United States metropolitan area|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.{{cite web | last=Banner | first=David | title=BOSTON HISTORY—The History of Boston, Massachusetts | url=http://www.searchboston.com/history.html | publisher=SearchBoston.com | year=2007 | accessdate=2007-04-28}} 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. The city was the site of several firsts, including America's first public school, Boston Latin School (1635),{{cite web | url=http://www.boston.k12.ma.us/bps/bpsglance.asp#students | title=BPS at a Glance | publisher=Boston Public Schools | date=March 14, 2007 | accessdate=2007-04-28}} and college, Harvard College (1636) in neighboring Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge, as well as the first rapid transit|subway system in the U.S.{{cite book | title=The Rough Guide to Boston | last=Fagundes | first=David | coauthors=Grant, Anthony | publisher=Rough Guides | date=April 28 2003 | id=ISBN 1-84353-044-9 }}
Through land reclamation and Municipal annexation in the United States|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.{{cite web | url=http://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/rb/rb146.html#tab11 | title=Leading World Cities: Empirical Evaluations of Urban Nodes in Multiple Networks | publisher=GaWC Research Bulletin 146 | year=2005 | accessdate=2007-02-18}} With many colleges and universities within the city and surrounding area, Boston is a center of higher education{{cite web | url=http://www.searchboston.com/guide.html | title=Visitors Guide to Boston | publisher=SearchBoston.com | year=2007 | accessdate=2007-02-19}} 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 Cost of living|costs of living in the United States.{{cite web | author=Heudorfer, Bonnie; Bluestone, Barry | year=2004 | url=http://www.tbf.org/uploadedFiles/Housing%20Report%20Card%202004.pdf | format = pdf | title=The Greater Boston Housing Report Card | publisher=Center for Urban and Regional Policy (CURP), Northeastern University | pages=6 | accessdate=2007-02-19}}
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