View source for Boston

{{About|the capital of Massachusetts|the English town|Boston, Lincolnshire|other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2012}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name = Boston
|official_name = City of Boston
|settlement_type = City
|image_skyline = Boston Montage.jpg
|imagesize = 300px
|image_caption = Clockwise: Skyline of [[Back Bay, Boston|Back Bay]] seen from the [[Charles River]], [[Fenway Park]], [[The First Church of Christ, Scientist|Church of Christ, Scientist]], [[Boston Common]] and the [[Downtown Crossing]] skyline, skyline of the [[Financial District, Boston|Financial District]] seen from the [[Boston Harbor]], and [[Massachusetts State House]]
|image_flag = Flag of Boston.svg
|image_seal = Seal of Boston.svg
|nickname = Beantown,<ref name="Nicknames1">{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/boston_nicknames/ |title=What's in a nickname? |accessdate=2009-04-08 |last=Dalager |first=Norman |work=The Boston Globe | date=2006-08-10}}</ref> The Hub,<ref name="Nicknames1"/> The Cradle of Liberty,{{sfn|Wechter|2009|p=14}} The Cradle of Modern America,<ref name="Nicknames1"/> The Athens of America,{{sfn|Wechter|2009|p=14}} The Walking City<ref name="Nicknames1"/>
|motto = ''Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis'' ([[Latin]]: "As God was with our fathers, so may He be with us")
|image_map                = Suffolk County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Boston highlighted.svg
|map_caption              = Location in [[Suffolk County, MA|Suffolk County]] and the state of [[Massachusetts]]
|coordinates_display = display=inline,title
|latd=42 |latm=21 |lats=29 |latNS=N
|longd=71 |longm=03 |longs=49 |longEW=W
|pushpin_map = USA
|pushpin_label_position = left
|pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
|coordinates_region = US-MA
|subdivision_type  = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name  = {{nowrap|{{flag|United States of America}}}}
|subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Massachusetts}}
|subdivision_type2 = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
|subdivision_name2 = {{noflag|[[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk]]}}
|subdivision_type3 = Historic countries
|subdivision_name3 = {{flag|Kingdom of England}}<br />{{flag|Kingdom of Great Britain}}
|subdivision_type4 = [[Colony|Historic colonies]]
|subdivision_name4 = [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]], [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]]
|established_title = Settled (town)
|established_date = September 7, 1630 (date of naming, [[Old Style and New Style dates|O.S.]])
|established_title2 = Incorporated (city)
|established_date2 = March 4, 1822
|government_type = [[Mayor–council government|Strong mayor – council]]
|leader_title = [[List of mayors of Boston|Mayor]]
|leader_name = [[Marty Walsh (politician)|Marty Walsh]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])
|leader_title1 = [[City council|Council]]
|leader_name1 = [[Boston City Council]]
|area_footnotes =
|unit_pref = US
|area_magnitude = 1 E+8|area_total_sq_mi = 89.63|area_total_km2 = 232.14
|area_land_sq_mi = 48.42|area_land_km2 = 125.41
|area_water_sq_mi = 41.21|area_water_km2 = 106.73
|area_urban_sq_mi = 1770|area_urban_km2 = 4600
|area_metro_sq_mi = 4500|area_metro_km2 = 11700
|area_blank1_title = [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]
|area_blank1_sq_mi = 10600|area_blank1_km2 = 27600
|elevation_ft = 141
|population_as_of = 2012 <!-- Given separately to each figure because of differences -->
|population_footnotes =<ref name="2010census"/><ref name="quickfacts"/><ref name="Urban population">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/geo/www/ua/ua2k.txt |title=Alphabetically sorted list of Census 2000 Urbanized Areas |accessdate=2009-04-11|publisher=United States Census Bureau, Geography Division |format=TXT}}</ref><ref name="Metro population"/><ref name="CSA population"/>
|population_total = 636,479 (US: [[List of United States cities by population|21st]])
|population_density_sq_mi = 12,900|population_density_km2 = 4980
|population_urban = 4,180,000 (US: [[List of United States urban areas|10th]])
|population_metro = 4,590,000 (US: [[List of Metropolitan Statistical Areas|10th]])
|population_blank1_title = [[Combined statistical area|CSA]]
|population_blank1 = 7,600,000 (US: [[List of Combined Statistical Areas|6th]])
|population_blank2_title = [[Demonym]]
|population_blank2 = Bostonian
|timezone = [[Eastern Time Zone|EST]]|utc_offset = -5
|timezone_DST = [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]]|utc_offset_DST = -4
|postal_code_type = [[ZIP code|ZIP code(s)]]|postal_code = {{Collapsible list |title=53 total ZIP codes:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/citytown.jsp |title=ZIP Code Lookup – Search By City |accessdate=2009-04-20|publisher=United States Postal Service}}</ref> |02108–02137, 02163, 02196, 02199, 02201, 02203, 02204, 02205, 02206, 02210, 02211, 02212, 02215, 02217, 02222, 02228, 02241, 02266, 02283, 02284, 02293, 02295, 02297, 02298, 02467
(02467 also includes parts of Newton and Brookline)}}
|area_code = [[Area codes 617 and 857|617 and 857]]
|blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]|blank_info = 25-07000
|blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID|blank1_info = 0617565
|website = [http://www.cityofboston.gov/ cityofboston.gov]
}}
'''Boston''' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Boston.ogg|ˈ|b|ɒ|s|t|ən}}) is the [[List of capitals in the United States|capital]] and [[List of U.S. states' largest cities by population|largest city]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - State -- County Subdivision 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File|url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST16&prodType=table|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|year=2010|accessdate=2013-03-04}}</ref> of the state of [[Massachusetts]] (officially the [[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|Commonwealth]] of Massachusetts), in the United States. Boston also serves as [[county seat]] of [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk County]]. The [[List of cities by population in New England|largest city]] in [[New England]], the [[New England town#Cities|city proper]], covering {{convert|48|mi2|0|abbr=out}}, had an estimated population of 636,000 in 2012,<ref name="quickfacts">{{cite web | url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2507000.html | title=State & County QuickFacts - Boston (city), Massachusetts | date=2013-01-10| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| accessdate=2013-02-05}}</ref> making it the [[List of United States cities by population|21st largest city in the United States]].<ref name="2010census">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST16&prodType=table |title=Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 – State – County Subdivision, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2011-03-23}}</ref> The city is the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called [[Greater Boston]], home to 4.5&nbsp;million people and the [[Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|tenth-largest metropolitan area]] in the country.<ref name="Metro population">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-01.csv |title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 (CBSA-EST2011-01) |accessdate=2013-01-18|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |format=[[Comma-separated values|CSV]]}}</ref> <!-- The following sentence concerns the Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-RI-NH Combined Statistical Area which is cited in the article and DOES ''not'' INCLUDE parts of Connecticut or Maine. --> Greater Boston as a commuting region<ref name="fta">{{cite web|url=http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Boston_Worchester_Manchester_DemographicProfile19.doc |title=Boston Worcester Manchester Demographic Profile: Region 19 |publisher=[[Federal Transit Administration]] |date=2007-01-31<!-- Last-Modified: Wed, January 31, 2007 13:19:13 GMT --> |accessdate=2010-08-30}}</ref> is home to 7.6&nbsp;million people, making it the [[Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas|sixth-largest Combined Statistical Area]] in the United States.<ref name="CSA population">{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/tables/CBSA-EST2011-02.csv |title=Table 2. Annual Estimates of the Population of Combined Statistical Areas: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 (CBSA-EST2011-02) |accessdate=2013-01-18|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]], Population Division |format=[[Comma-separated values|CSV]]}}</ref><ref name="CSA PDF map">{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/econ/census07/pdf/maps/ma/metro/33000us148m.pdf|title=Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-RI-NH Combined Statistical Area|year=2007|publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2009-06-20}} Included in the CSA: MA counties: Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk and Worcester; NH counties: Belknap, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham and Strafford; RI counties (entire state): Bristol, Kent, Newport, Providence and Washington (South County)</ref>

One of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded on the [[Shawmut Peninsula]] in 1630 by [[Puritan]] colonists from England.<ref name="history">{{cite web |last=Banner |first=David |title=Boston History – The History of Boston, Massachusetts |url=http://www.searchboston.com/articles/history.html |publisher=SearchBoston |accessdate=April 20, 2009}}</ref>{{sfn|Kennedy|1994|pp=11–12}} It was the scene of several key events of the [[American Revolution]], such as the [[Boston Massacre]], the [[Boston Tea Party]], the [[Battle of Bunker Hill]] and the [[Siege of Boston]]. Upon American independence from Great Britain, the city continued to be an important port and manufacturing hub, as well as a center for education and culture.{{sfn|Morris|2005|p=8}}  Through [[land reclamation]] and [[Municipal annexation in the United States|municipal annexation]], Boston has expanded beyond the original peninsula. Its rich history helps attract many tourists, with [[Faneuil Hall]] alone attracting over 20&nbsp;million visitors.<ref name="BostonTourism">{{cite web|url=http://www.thetravelerszone.com/travel-destinations/top-25-most-visited-tourist-destinations-in-america/|title= Top 25 Most Visited Tourist Destinations in America | date=2008-05-10|publisher=The Travelers Zone|accessdate=2013-02-14}}</ref> Boston's many "firsts" include the United States' first public school (1635),<ref name="BPS">{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.k12.ma.us/bps/bpsglance.asp#students |title=BPS at a Glance |publisher=Boston Public Schools |date=2007-03-14|accessdate=2007-04-28| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070403011648/http://boston.k12.ma.us/bps/bpsglance.asp| archivedate=2007-04-03}}</ref> and first [[rapid transit|subway system]] (1897).{{sfn|Hull|2011|p=42}}

The area's many colleges and universities make Boston an international center of higher education and medicine, and the city is considered to be a world leader in innovation for a variety of reasons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.searchboston.com/articles/college.html |title=Going to College in Boston |accessdate=April 5, 2009 |last=Banner |first=David |publisher=SearchBoston}}</ref><ref name="Kirsner">{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/business/technology/innoeco/2010/07/boston_is_1but_will_we_hold_on.html |title=Boston is #1&nbsp;... But will we hold on to the top spot? – Innovation Economy |work=The Boston Globe|date=2010-07-20|accessdate=2010-08-30| first=Scott | last=Kirsner}}</ref> Boston's economic base also includes finance,<ref name="zyen">{{cite web |author=Yeandle, Mark |year=2011 |url=http://www.zyen.com/GFCI/GFCI%209.pdf |format=PDF |title=The Global Financial Centres Index 9|date=March 2011|publisher=[[Z/Yen|The Z/Yen Group]] |page=4 |accessdate=2013-01-31}}</ref> professional and business services, and government activities.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/PDF/ResearchPublications/TheBostonEconomyin2010.pdf | title=The Boston Economy in 2010 | publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority | date=January 2011 | accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> The city has one of the highest [[Cost of living|costs of living]] in the United States,<ref name="Heudorfer">{{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 |page=6 |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> though it remains high on [[world's most livable cities|world livability rankings]].<ref name="quality of living">{{cite web| url=http://www.mercer.com/referencecontent.htm?idContent=1173105 | title = Quality of Living global city rankings 2010 – Mercer survey | publisher=[[Mercer (consulting firm)|Mercer]]| date=2010-05-26| accessdate=2011-08-20}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main| History of Boston}}
{{See also|Timeline of Boston}}
[[File:Boston, 1775bsmall1.png|thumb|left|upright|alt=Map of Boston in 1775|Map showing a British tactical evaluation of Boston in 1775]]
Boston's early European settlers had first called the area ''Trimountaine'' (after its "three mountains"&mdash;only traces of which remain today) but later renamed it ''Boston'' after [[Boston, Lincolnshire|Boston, Lincolnshire, England]], from which several prominent colonists had come. The renaming, on September 7, 1630 ([[Old Style and New Style dates|old style]]), was by [[Puritan]] colonists from England,{{sfn|Kennedy|1994|pp=11–12}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/archivesandrecords/guide/town.asp | title=Archives Guide ~ Town of Boston | publisher=City of Boston | year=2013 | accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref> who had moved over from [[Charlestown (Boston)|Charlestown]] earlier that year in quest of fresh water. Their settlement was initially limited to the [[Shawmut Peninsula]], at that time surrounded by the [[Massachusetts Bay]] and [[Charles River]] and connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. The peninsula is known to have been inhabited as early as 5000 BC.<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcexh/exhidx.htm |title=Archaeology of the Central Artery Project: Highway to the Past |publisher=Commonwealth Museum – Massachusetts Historical Commission |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-06}}</ref>

In 1629, the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]]'s first governor, [[John Winthrop]], led the signing of the [[Cambridge Agreement]], a key founding document of the city. Puritan ethics and their focus on education influenced its early history;{{sfn|Christopher|2006|p=46}} America's first public school was founded in Boston in 1635.<ref name="BPS"/> Over the next 130 years, the city participated in four [[French and Indian Wars]], until the British defeated the French and their native allies in North America. Boston was the largest town in [[British North America]] until [[Philadelphia]] grew larger in the mid 18th century.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bostonhistorycollaborative.com/pdf/Era2.pdf|title="Growth" to Boston in its Heyday, 1640s to 1730s|format=PDF |publisher=Boston History & Innovation Collaborative |year=2006 | page=2 | accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref>

Many of the crucial events of the [[American Revolution]]{{sfn|Morris|2005|p=7}}&mdash;the [[Boston Massacre]], the [[Boston Tea Party]], [[Paul Revere|Paul Revere's]] "midnight ride", the battles of [[Battle of Lexington and Concord|Lexington and Concord]] and [[Battle of Bunker Hill|Bunker Hill]], the [[Siege of Boston]], and many others—occurred in or near Boston. After the Revolution, Boston's long seafaring tradition helped make it one of the world's wealthiest international ports, with rum, fish, salt, and tobacco being particularly important.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.universityarchives.com/browse.asp?sn=39159-001&show=True&thumbnails=True |title=Colonial Boston |accessdate=2009-05-02|publisher=University Archives |archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20090207181331/http://www.universityarchives.com/browse.asp?sn=39159-001&amp;show=True&amp;thumbnails=True|archivedate=2009-02-07}}</ref>

[[File:Scollay1880s.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Black and white photo of a city square|[[Scollay Square]] in the 1880s]]
The [[Embargo Act of 1807]], adopted during the [[Napoleonic Wars]], and the [[War of 1812]] significantly curtailed Boston's harbor activity. Although foreign trade returned after these hostilities, Boston's merchants had found alternatives for their capital investments in the interim. Manufacturing became an important component of the city's economy, and by the mid-19th century, the city's industrial manufacturing overtook international trade in economic importance. Until the early 20th century, Boston remained one of the nation's largest manufacturing centers and was notable for its garment production and leather-goods industries.<ref name="economy"/> A network of small rivers bordering the city and connecting it to the surrounding region facilitated shipment of goods and led to a proliferation of mills and factories. Later, a dense network of railroads furthered the region's industry and commerce.{{sfn|Kennedy|1994|p=46}}

[[File:Boston-view-1841-Havell.jpeg|thumb|alt=Painting with a body of water with sailing ships in the foreground and a city in the background|View of Boston from [[Dorchester Heights]], 1841]]
During this period Boston flourished culturally as well, admired for its rarefied literary life and generous artistic patronage,<ref name=BosLitHist>{{cite web|title=Home page|url=http://www.bostonliteraryhistory.com |work=Forgotten Chapters of Boston's Literary History|publisher=The Trustees of Boston College|accessdate=2012-05-22|format=Exhibition at Boston Public Library and Massachusetts Historical Society|date=March 28 – July 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name="BosLitHistMap">{{cite web|title=An Interactive Map of Literary Boston: 1794–1862|url=http://bostonliteraryhistory.com/sites/default/files/bostonliteraryhistorymap.pdf|work=Forgotten Chapters of Boston's Literary History|publisher=The Trustees of Boston College|accessdate=2012-05-22|format=Exhibition|date=March 28 – July 30, 2012}}</ref> with members of old Boston families&mdash;eventually dubbed ''[[Boston Brahmin]]s''&mdash;coming to be regarded as the nation's social and cultural elites.{{sfn|Kennedy|1994|p=44}} Boston also became a center of the [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] movement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nps.gov/boaf/ |title=Boston African American National Historic Site|date=2007-04-28|publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> The city reacted strongly to the [[Fugitive Slave Law of 1850]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.masshist.org/longroad/01slavery/fsl.htm|title=Fugitive Slave Law|accessdate=2009-05-02|publisher=The Massachusetts Historical Society}}</ref> contributing to President [[Franklin Pierce]]'s attempt to make an example of Boston after the [[Anthony Burns]] Fugitive Slave Case.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.masshist.org/longroad/01slavery/burns.htm |title=The "Trial" of Anthony Burns |accessdate=2009-05-02|publisher=The Massachusetts Historical Society}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.suffolk.edu/16075.html |title=150th Anniversary of Anthony Burns Fugitive Slave Case |accessdate=2009-05-02|date=2004-04-24|publisher=Suffolk University}}</ref>

In 1822,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/visitors/about.asp |title=About Boston |publisher=City of Boston |year=2006 |accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> the citizens of Boston voted to change the official name from "the Town of Boston" to "the City of Boston", and on March 4, 1822, the people of Boston accepted the charter incorporating the City.<ref name="city charter">{{cite book |url=http://www.archive.org/stream/bostononehundred02stat/bostononehundred02stat_djvu.txt |title=Boston: one hundred years a city |accessdate=2009-04-20|format=TXT |author=State Street Trust Company; Walton Advertising and Printing Company |publisher=State Street Trust Company |location=Boston |volume=2 |year=1922}}</ref> At the time Boston was chartered as a city, the population was about 46,226, while the area of the city was only {{convert|4.7|sqmi|km2}}.<ref name="city charter"/>

In the 1820s, Boston's population grew rapidly, and the city's ethnic composition changed dramatically with the first wave of European [[Immigration to the United States|immigrants]]. Irish immigrants dominated the first wave of newcomers during this period, especially following the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Irish Potato Famine]]; by 1850, about 35,000 [[Irish in Boston|Irish lived in Boston]].<ref>
{{cite web |url=http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/murder/peopleevents/p_immigrants.html |title=People & Events: Boston's Immigrant Population |year=2003 |publisher=WGBH/PBS Online (American Experience) |accessdate=2007-05-04}}</ref> In the latter half of the 19th century, the city saw increasing numbers of Irish, Germans, [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]], Syrians,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/immigration/passenger-arrival.html |title=Immigration Records |publisher=The National Archives |accessdate=2009-01-07}}</ref> [[French Canadian]]s, and [[Jews in Russia|Russian]] and [[Jews in Poland|Polish Jews]] settled in the city. By the end of the 19th century, Boston's core neighborhoods had become enclaves of ethnically distinct immigrants—Italians inhabited the [[North End, Boston|North End]],<ref>{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/?id=jET-HIcybREC |title=The Boston Italians |accessdate=2009-05-16 |last=Puleo |first=Stephen |chapter=Epilogue: Today|chapterurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=jET-HIcybREC&printsec=frontcover#PPA281,M1 |publisher=Beacon Press |year=2007 |edition=illustrated |isbn=978-0-8070-5036-1}}</ref> Irish dominated [[South Boston, Boston|South Boston]] and [[Charlestown, Massachusetts|Charlestown]], and Russian Jews lived in the [[West End, Boston|West End]]. [[Irish American|Irish]] and [[Italian American|Italian]] immigrants brought with them Roman Catholicism. Currently, Catholics make up Boston's largest religious community,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/world-cities/Boston-People.html |title=Boston People |year=2007 |work=City-Data.com | publisher=Advameg Inc.|accessdate=2007-05-05}}</ref> and since the early 20th century, the Irish have played a major role in Boston politics—prominent figures include the [[Kennedy family|Kennedys]], [[Tip O'Neill]], and [[John F. Fitzgerald]].{{sfn|Bolino|2012|pp=285–286}}

[[File:1800 beacon hill.jpg|left|thumb|Cutting down Beacon Hill in 1811; a view from the north toward the [[Massachusetts State House]]<ref>{{cite book|last = Whitehill|first=Walter Muir|title=Boston: A Topographical History|year=1968|edition=Second|pages=81–84}}</ref>]]
Between 1631 and 1890, the city tripled its area through [[land reclamation]] by filling in marshes, mud flats, and gaps between wharves along the waterfront.<ref name="landfills">
{{cite web |url=http://www.iboston.org/rg/backbayImap.htm |title=The History of Land Fill in Boston |publisher=iBoston.org |year=2006 |accessdate=2006-01-09}}. Also see {{cite web |author=Howe, Jeffery |year=1996 |url=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/bos_fill2.html |title=Boston: History of the Landfills |publisher=Boston College |accessdate=2007-04-30}}</ref> The largest reclamation efforts took place during the 19th century; beginning in 1807, the crown of Beacon Hill was used to fill in a 50-acre (20&nbsp;ha) mill pond that later became the [[Haymarket Square (Boston)|Haymarket Square]] area. The present-day [[Massachusetts State House|State House]] sits atop this lowered Beacon Hill. Reclamation projects in the middle of the century created significant parts of the [[South End, Boston|South End]], the [[West End, Boston|West End]], the [[Financial District, Boston|Financial District]], and [[Chinatown, Boston|Chinatown]]. After [[Great Boston Fire of 1872|The Great Boston Fire of 1872]], workers used building rubble as landfill along the downtown waterfront. During the mid-to-late 19th century, workers filled almost 600&nbsp;acres (2.4&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) of brackish Charles River marshlands west of [[Boston Common]] with gravel brought by rail from the hills of Needham Heights. The city annexed the adjacent towns of [[South Boston]] (1804), [[East Boston]] (1836), [[Roxbury, Boston|Roxbury]] (1868), [[Dorchester, Boston|Dorchester]] (including present day [[Mattapan, Massachusetts|Mattapan]] and a portion of [[South Boston]]) (1870), [[Brighton, Massachusetts|Brighton]] (including present day [[Allston, Boston|Allston]]) (1874), [[West Roxbury, Massachusetts|West Roxbury]] (including present day [[Jamaica Plain, Boston|Jamaica Plain]] and [[Roslindale, Boston|Roslindale]]) (1874), [[Charlestown, Massachusetts|Charlestown]] (1874), and [[Hyde Park, Boston|Hyde Park]] (1912).<ref>{{cite book |title=Historical Atlas of Massachusetts |page=37 |year=1991 |publisher=University of Massachusetts}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Holleran |first1=Michael |authorlink1= |last2= |first2= |authorlink2= |editor1-first= |editor1-last= |editor1-link= |others= |title=Boston's Changeful Times: Origins of Preservation and Planning in America |url=http://books.google.com/?id=j_L08ikdUrkC |accessdate=2010-08-22|type= |edition= |series= |year=2001 |origyear= |publisher=[[The Johns Hopkins University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8018-6644-9 |oclc= |page=41 |at= |chapter=Problems with Change |chapterurl=http://books.google.com/books?id=j_L08ikdUrkC&lpg=PA41&pg=PA39#v=onepage&f=false |quote= |ref= |bibcode= |laysummary= |laydate= |separator= |postscript= |lastauthoramp=}}</ref> Other proposals, for the annexation of [[Brookline-Boston annexation debate of 1873|Brookline]], Cambridge,<ref>{{cite news |title=Boston's Annexation Schemes.; Proposal To Absorb Cambridge And Other Near-By Towns |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C05E1DC1F39E233A25754C2A9659C94639ED7CF |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |isbn= |issn= |pmid= |pmd= |bibcode= |date=1892-03-26 |page= 11 |at= |accessdate=2010-08-21|quote= |archiveurl=http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=9C05E1DC1F39E233A25754C2A9659C94639ED7CF |archivedate=1892-03-27|ref= }}</ref> and Chelsea,<ref>{{cite news |title=Has the time for Chelsea's annexation to Boston come? The Hub hasn't grown since 1912, and something has to follow that beleaguered community's receivership |first=Michael |last=Rezendes |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/access/59275776.html?FMT=ABS&date=Oct%2013,%201991 |work=The Boston Globe |isbn= |issn= |pmid= |pmd= |bibcode= |date=1991-10-13|page= 80 |at= |accessdate=2010-08-22|quote= |ref= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Flynn offers to annex Chelsea |first1=Andrea |last1=Estes |last2=Cafasso|first2=Ed |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/bostonherald/access/69025902.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+9%2C+1991&author=ANDREA+ESTES+and+ED+CAFASSO&pub=Boston+Herald&edition=&startpage=001&desc=Flynn+offers+to+annex+Chelsea |newspaper=[[Boston Herald]] |isbn= |issn= |pmid= |pmd= |bibcode= |date=1991-09-09|page= 1 |at= |accessdate=2010-08-22|quote= |ref= }}</ref> were unsuccessful.

[[File:Haymarket Square.JPG|thumb|alt=Colored print image of a city square in the 1900s|[[Haymarket Square (Boston)|Haymarket Square]], 1909]]
By the early and mid-20th century, the city was in decline as factories became old and obsolete, and businesses moved out of the region for cheaper labor elsewhere.{{sfn|Bluestone|Stevenson|2002|p=13}} Boston responded by initiating various urban renewal projects under the direction of the [[Boston Redevelopment Authority]] (BRA), which was established in 1957. In 1958, BRA initiated a project to improve the historic West End neighborhood. Extensive demolition was met with vociferous public opposition.<ref>

{{cite news |author=Collins, Monica |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/08/07/born_again/ |title=Born Again |work=The Boston Globe |date=2005-08-07|accessdate=2007-05-08}}</ref> The BRA subsequently reevaluated its approach to urban renewal in its future projects, including the construction of [[Government Center, Boston|Government Center]]. In 1965, the first [[Community health centers in the United States|Community Health Center in the United States]] opened, the Columbia Point Health Center, in the [[Dorchester, Boston|Dorchester]] neighborhood. It mostly served the massive [[Columbia Point (Boston)|Columbia Point]] public housing complex adjoining it, which was built in 1953. The health center is still in operation and was rededicated in 1990 as the Geiger-Gibson Community Health Center.<ref>{{cite book | last=Roessner | first=Jane | title=A Decent Place to Live: from Columbia Point to Harbor Point – A Community History | publisher=Northeastern University Press | location=Boston | year=2000 | page=80 | isbn=978-1-55553-436-3}}</ref> The Columbia Point complex itself was redeveloped and revitalized into a mixed-income community called Harbor Point Apartments from 1984 to 1990.<ref name="Roessner">Cf. Roessner, p.293. "The HOPE VI housing program, inspired in part by the success of Harbor Point, was created by legislation passed by Congress in 1992."</ref>
By the 1970s, the city's economy boomed after 30 years of economic downturn. A large number of high rises were constructed in the [[Financial District, Boston|Financial District]] and in Boston's [[Back Bay]] during this time period.{{sfn|Kennedy|1994|p=195}} This boom continued into the mid-1980s and later began again. Hospitals such as [[Massachusetts General Hospital]], [[Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center]], and [[Brigham and Women's Hospital]] lead the nation in medical innovation and patient care. Schools such as [[Boston College]], [[Boston University]], the [[Harvard Medical School]], [[Northeastern University]], [[Wentworth Institute of Technology]], [[Berklee College of Music]] and [[Boston Conservatory]] attract students to the area. Nevertheless, the city experienced conflict starting in 1974 over [[desegregation busing]], which resulted in unrest and violence around public schools throughout the mid-1970s.{{sfn|Kennedy|1994|pp=194–195}}

Boston is an intellectual, technological, and political center but has lost some important regional institutions,<ref>
{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/04/15/atlantic_148_year_institution_leaving_city/ |title=Atlantic, 148-year institution, leaving city |author=Feeney, Mark; Mehegan, David |date=2005-04-15|work=The Boston Globe |accessdate=2007-03-31}}</ref>
including the acquisition of ''[[The Boston Globe]]'' by ''[[The New York Times]]'',<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6IJIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Tm4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4346,4610151&dq=new+york+times+buys+boston+globe&hl=en | title=Largest Newspaper Deal in U.S. - N.Y. Times Buys Boston Globe for $1.1 Billion | last=Glaberson | first=William | date=1993-06-11 | page=B-12 | work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> and the loss to mergers and acquisitions of local financial institutions such as [[FleetBoston Financial]], which was acquired by [[Charlotte, North Carolina|Charlotte]]-based [[Bank of America]] in 2004.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2004/03/09/fleetboston_bank_of_america_merger_approved_by_fed/ | title=FleetBoston, Bank of America Merger Approved by Fed | date=2004-03-09 | work=The Boston Globe | accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> Boston-based department stores [[Jordan Marsh]] and [[Filene's]] have both been merged into the Cincinnati–based [[Macy's, Inc.|Macy's]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2005/07/29/its_official_filenes_brand_will_be_gone/ | last1=Abelson | first1=Jenn | last2=Palmer, Jr. | first2=Thomas C. | title=It's Official: Filene's Brand Will Be Gone | work=The Boston Globe | date=2005-07-29 | accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> Boston has experienced [[gentrification]] in the latter half of the 20th century,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-04-19-gentrification_x.htm |title=Studies: Gentrification a boost for everyone |accessdate=2009-05-02|last=Hampson |first=Rick |work=USA Today |date=2005-04-19}}</ref> with housing prices increasing sharply since the 1990s.<ref name="Heudorfer"/> Living expenses have risen, and Boston has one of the highest costs of living in the United States,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883960.html |title=Cost of Living Index for Selected U.S. Cities, 2005 |accessdate=2009-05-02|work=Information Please Database |publisher=Pearson Education |year=2007}}</ref> and was ranked the 129th most expensive major city in the world in a 2011 survey of 214 cities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/1420615 |title=Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2011 - City Ranking |accessdate=2013-02-21|date=2011-07-12|publisher=Mercer}}</ref> Despite cost of living issues, Boston ranks high on livability ratings, ranking 36th [[World's Most Livable Cities|worldwide in quality of living]] in 2011 in a survey of 221 major cities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mercer.com/press-releases/quality-of-living-report-2011 |publisher=Mercer | title=2011 Quality of Living worldwide city rankings – Mercer survey |date=2011-11-29|accessdate=2012-01-29}}</ref> On April 15, 2013, at approximately 2:50 p.m. EDT, two Chechen Islamist brothers [[Boston Marathon bombings|exploded two bombs]] near the finish line of the [[2013 Boston Marathon|Boston Marathon]], killing three people and injuring roughly 264.<ref name=260herald/>

==Geography==
[[File:Boston Massachusetts 2007 satellite photo.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Aerial view of the Boston area from space|Boston as seen from the International Space Station (ISS)]]
Boston has an area of {{convert|89.6|sqmi|1}}—{{convert|48.4|sqmi|1}} (54.0%) of land and {{convert|41.2|sqmi|1}} (46.0%) of water—and is the country's [[List of United States cities by population density|third most densely populated]] city that is not a part of a larger city's [[metropolitan area]].{{efn|After New York City and San Francisco. Many cities, such as [[Paterson, New Jersey]], are denser but are part of a larger city's metropolitan area.}} This is largely attributable to the [[History of Boston, Massachusetts#Geographic expansion|rarity of annexation]] by [[New England town]]s. The city's official elevation, as measured at [[Logan International Airport]], is 19&nbsp;ft (5.8&nbsp;m) [[Above mean sea level|above sea level]].<ref>{{cite web
|title=Elevation data – Boston
|url={{Gnis3|617565}}
|year=2007
|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey}}</ref> The highest point in Boston is [[Bellevue Hill, Boston|Bellevue Hill]] at {{convert|330|ft}} above sea level, and the lowest point is at sea level.<ref>{{cite peakbagger
| pid = 6759
| name = Bellevue Hill, Massachusetts}}</ref> Situated near the Atlantic Ocean, Boston is the only state capital in the [[contiguous United States]] with an ocean coastline.<ref>{{cite web|last=Univ. of Alabama geography dept.|title=US Map and State Capitals|url=http://www.csgnetwork.com/usamapstcap.html|publisher=CSGNetwork.com|accessdate=2012-07-06}}</ref>

Boston is surrounded by the "[[Greater Boston]]" region and is contiguously bordered by the [[New England town|cities and towns]] of [[Winthrop, Massachusetts|Winthrop]], [[Revere, Massachusetts|Revere]], [[Chelsea, Massachusetts|Chelsea]], [[Everett, Massachusetts|Everett]], [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]], [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]], [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]], [[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]], [[Dedham, Massachusetts|Dedham]], [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]], [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]], and [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]]. The [[Charles River]] separates Boston from [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]] and the majority of Cambridge, and the mass of Boston from its own Charlestown neighborhood. To the east lie [[Boston Harbor]] and the [[Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area]] (which includes part of the city's territory, specifically [[Calf Island (Massachusetts)|Calf Island]], [[Gallops Island]], [[Great Brewster Island]], [[Green Island (Massachusetts)|Green Island]], [[Little Brewster Island]], [[Little Calf Island]], [[Long Island]], [[Lovells Island]], [[Middle Brewster Island]], [[Nixes Mate]], [[Outer Brewster Island]], [[Rainsford Island]], [[Shag Rocks (Massachusetts)|Shag Rocks]], [[Spectacle Island (Massachusetts)|Spectacle Island]], [[The Graves (Massachusetts)|The Graves]], and [[Thompson Island (Massachusetts)|Thompson Island]]). The [[Neponset River]] forms the boundary between Boston's southern neighborhoods and the city of [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] and the town of [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]]. The [[Mystic River]] separates Charlestown from Chelsea and Everett, and Chelsea Creek and Boston Harbor separate East Boston from Boston proper.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=42.35833&lon=-71.06028
|title=Kings Chapel Burying Ground, USGS Boston South (MA) Topo Map
|publisher=TopoZone
|year=2006
|accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref>

The city's water supply, from the [[Quabbin Reservoir|Quabbin]] and [[Wachusett Reservoir]]s to the west,<ref>{{cite press release |title=Your Drinking Water: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, 2006 Drinking Water Report |publisher=Massachusetts Water Resources Authority |date=2007-06-19}}</ref> is one of the very few in the country so pure as to satisfy federal quality standards without filtration.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/07/22/pure_water_right_on_tap/|title=Pure water, right on Tap|author=Abraham, Yvonne | work=The Boston Globe | date=2007-07-22 | accessdate=2011-06-07}}</ref>

===Cityscape===
{{see also|Neighborhoods in Boston}}
[[File:Panoramic Boston.jpg|thumb|center|800px|Boston skyline from Student Village II at [[Boston University]].]]
[[File:Boston skyline at earlymorning.jpg|thumb|center|700px|alt=Boston skyline looking west with Boston Harbor in the foreground|Boston skyline from [[Logan International Airport]] in the early morning]]
Boston is sometimes called a "city of neighborhoods" because of the profusion of diverse subsections; the city government's Office of Neighborhood Services has officially designated 23 neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/neighborhoods/default.asp |title=Official list of Boston neighborhoods|publisher=Cityofboston.gov |date=2011-03-24|accessdate=2012-09-01}}</ref>

[[File:USA 09562 Boston Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Reflecting pool with highrises in the background|right|Reflecting pool of the headquarters of the [[Church of Christ, Scientist]]. The [[Prudential Tower]] and 111 Huntington Avenue are in the background.]]
[[File:USA-Boston-Night0.jpg|thumb|left|Former home of the [[Boston Society of Natural History|Museum of Natural History]], [[Back Bay, Boston|Back Bay]]]]
More than two-thirds of inner Boston's modern land area did not exist when the city was founded, but was created via the gradual filling in of the surrounding tidal areas over the centuries,<ref name="landfills"/> notably with earth from the leveling or lowering of Boston's three original hills (the "Trimountain", after which Tremont Street is named), and with gravel brought by train from Needham to fill the Back Bay.{{sfn|Morris|2005|p=8}} Downtown and its immediate surroundings consists largely of low-rise (often [[Federal architecture|Federal style]] and [[Greek Revival]]) masonry buildings, interspersed with modern highrises, notably in the Financial District, Government Center, and [[South Boston, Boston, Massachusetts|South Boston]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Built in Boston: City & Suburb, 1800–2000 | first=Douglass | last=Shand-Tucci | edition=2 | publisher=University of Massachusetts Press | year=1999 | isbn=978-1-55849-201-1 | pages=11, 294–299}}</ref> Back Bay includes many prominent landmarks, such as the [[Boston Public Library]], [[The First Church of Christ, Scientist (Boston, Massachusetts)|Christian Science Center]], [[Copley Square]], [[Newbury Street]], and New England's two tallest buildings—the [[John Hancock Tower]] and the [[Prudential Tower|Prudential Center]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/ci/?id=101045
|title=Boston Skyscrapers
|publisher=Emporis.com
|year=2005
|accessdate=2005-05-15}}</ref>
Near the John Hancock Tower is the [[Berkeley Building|old John Hancock Building]] with its prominent [[weather beacon|illuminated beacon]], the color of which forecasts the weather.{{sfn|Hull|2011|p=91}} Smaller commercial areas are interspersed among areas of single-family homes and wooden/brick multi-family row houses. The South End Historic District is the largest surviving contiguous Victorian-era neighborhood in the US.<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://www.southendhistoricalsociety.org/our-history/
|title=Our History
|publisher=South End Historical Society
|year=2013
|accessdate=2013-02-17}}</ref> The geography of downtown and South Boston was particularly impacted by the Central Artery/Tunnel Project (known unofficially as the "[[Big Dig]]"), which allowed for the removal of the unsightly elevated [[Central Artery]] and the incorporation of new green spaces and open areas.{{sfn|Morris|2005|pp=54, 102}}

=== Climate ===
Boston has a continental climate with some maritime influence, and using the {{convert|-3|°C|0|abbr=on}} coldest month (January) [[Isotherm (contour line)|isotherm]], the city lies within the transition zone from a [[humid subtropical climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Cfa'') to a [[humid continental climate]] (Köppen ''Dfa''),<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/climate_max.htm
|title=NOAA JetStream Max
|publisher=The National Weather Service
|date=2011-10-21
|accessdate=2013-01-26
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.eoearth.org/article/Moist_Mid-latitude_Climates_with_Mild_Winters_-_C_Climate_Type?topic=49664
|title=Mid-latitude Climates
|publisher=Eoearth
|date=2011-03-25
|accessdate=2011-01-26
}}</ref> although the suburbs north and west of the city are significantly colder in winter and solidly fall under the latter categorisation; the city lies at the transition between [[USDA]] plant [[hardiness zone]]s 6b (most of the city) and 7a (Downtown, South Boston, and East Boston neighborhoods).<ref>|source 1 = <USDA.gov= >{{cite web
 |url        = http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/#
 |title      = USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
 |last       = 
 |first      = Agricultural Research Center, PRISM Climate Group Oregon State University
 |year       = 2012
 |website    = USDA
 |publisher  = USDA
 |accessdate = 24 February 2014
}}</ref> Summers are typically warm to hot, rainy, and humid, while winters oscillate between periods of cold rain and snow, with cold temperatures. Spring and fall are usually mild, with varying conditions dependent on wind direction and jet stream positioning. Prevailing wind patterns that blow offshore minimize the influence of the Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/film/weather.asp | title=Weather | publisher=City of Boston | year=2013 | accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref>
[[File:USA Massachusetts Boston Foliage.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Autumn foliage with a city skyline in the distant background|Boston's skyline in the background, with [[Autumn leaf color|fall foliage]] in the foreground]]
The hottest month is July, with a mean temperature of {{convert|73.4|°F|1}}. The coldest month is January, with a mean of {{convert|29.0|°F|1}}. Periods exceeding {{convert|90|°F|0}} in summer and below {{convert|10|°F|0}} in winter are not uncommon but rarely extended, with about 13 days per year seeing the former extreme,<ref name = NOAA/> and the most recent sub-{{convert|0|°F|0}} reading occurring on January 24, 2011; several decades may pass between {{convert|100|°F|0}} readings, with the most recent such occurrence July 22, 2011.<ref name="NOAA " /> The city's average window for freezing temperatures is November 9 through April 5.<ref name="NOAA " />{{efn|The average number of days with a low at or below freezing is 94.}} Official temperature records have ranged from {{convert|−18|°F|0}} on February 9, 1934, up to {{convert|104|°F|0}} on July 4, 1911; the record cold daily maximum is {{convert|2|°F|0}} on December 30, 1917, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is {{convert|83|°F|0}} on August 2, 1975.<ref name = ThreadEx/>

Boston's coastal location on the North Atlantic moderates its temperature, but makes the city very prone to [[Nor'easter]] weather systems that can produce much snow and rain.<ref name="BostonWeather">{{cite web
|url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/film/weather.asp
|title=Weather
|year=2007
|publisher=City of Boston Film Bureau
|accessdate=2007-04-29
}}</ref> The city averages {{convert|43.8|in|mm|sigfig=3}} of [[Precipitation (meteorology)|precipitation]] a year, with {{convert|43.8|in|cm|0}} of snowfall per season.<ref name= NOAA/> Snowfall increases dramatically as one goes inland away from the city (especially north and west of the city)—away from the moderating influence of the ocean.<ref>

{{cite web
|url=http://www.city-data.com/states/Massachusetts-Climate.html
|title=Massachusetts – Climate
|year=2005
|work=City-Data.com
|publisher=Advameg Inc.
|accessdate=2007-04-29
}}</ref> Most snowfall occurs from December through March, as most years see no measurable snow in April and November, and snow is rare in May and October.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.intellicast.com/Almanac/Northeast/May/
|archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20070429165729/http://www.intellicast.com/Almanac/Northeast/May/
|archivedate=2007-04-29
|title=May in the Northeast
|year=2003
|publisher=Intellicast.com
|accessdate=2007-04-29
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2005/10/30/snowstorm_packs_october_surprise/
|author=Wangsness, Lisa
|title=Snowstorm packs October surprise
|date=October 30, 2005
|work=The Boston Globe
|accessdate=2007-04-29
}}</ref> There is also high year-to-year variability in snowfall; for instance, the winter of 2011−12 saw only {{convert|9.3|in|cm|1|abbr=on}} of accumulating snow, but the previous winter, the corresponding figure was {{convert|81.0|in|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="NOAA " />{{efn|They are, {{As of|2014|lc=y}}, the second ''least'' snowy and 7th snowiest winters, respectively. Seasonal snowfall accumulation has ranged from {{convert|9.0|in|cm|1|abbr=on}} in 1936−37 to {{convert|107.6|in|m|abbr=on}} in 1995−96.}}

Fog is fairly common, particularly in spring and early summer, and the occasional tropical storm or [[hurricane]] can threaten the region, especially in early autumn. Due to its situation along the North Atlantic, the city is often subjected to sea breezes, especially in the late spring, when water temperatures are still quite cold and temperatures at the coast can be more than {{convert|20|F-change|0|abbr=on}} colder than a few miles inland, sometimes dropping by that amount near midday.<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2007/07/sea_breeze_keep.html
|author=Ryan, Andrew
|title=Sea breeze keeps Boston 20 degrees cooler while others swelter
|date=2007-07-11
|work=The Boston Globe
|accessdate=2009-03-31
}}</ref><ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2008/06/boston_sea_bree.html
|author=Ryan, Andrew
|title=Boston sea breeze drops temperature 20 degrees in 20 minutes
|date=2008-06-09
|work=The Boston Globe
|accessdate=2009-03-31
}}</ref>
Thunderstorms occur from May to September, that are occasionally severe with large [[hail]], damaging winds and heavy downpours.<ref name="BostonWeather"/> Although downtown Boston has never been struck by a violent [[tornado]], the city itself has experienced many [[tornado warning]]s. Damaging storms are more common to areas north, west, and northwest of the city.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/Massachusetts | title=Tornadoes in Massachusetts | publisher=Tornado History Project | year=2013 | accessdate=2013-02-24}}</ref>
{{-}}

{{Boston, MA weatherbox}}

==Demographics==
[[File:Boston income donut.png|thumb|left|alt=Map of Boston and the surrounding area displaying per capita income distribution|Per capita income in the Greater Boston area, by US Census block group, 2000. The dashed line shows the boundary of the City of Boston.]]

{{Historical populations|type=USA
| 1722|10600
| 1765|15500
| 1790|18300
| 1800|24900
| 1810|33800
| 1820|43300
| 1830|61400
| 1840|93400
| 1850|137000
| 1860|178000
| 1870|251000
| 1880|363000
| 1890|448000
| 1900|561000
| 1910|671000
| 1920|748000
| 1930|781000
| 1940|771000
| 1950|801000
| 1960|697000
| 1970|641000
| 1980|563000
| 1990|574000
| 2000|589000
| 2010|618000
| 2012|636000
| footnote=* = population estimate. {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}<ref name="1950_Census_Urban_populations_since_1790">{{cite journal | title=1950 Census of Population | volume=1: Number of Inhabitants | at=Section 6, Pages&nbsp;21–07 through 21-09, Massachusetts Table 4. Population of Urban Places of 10,000 or more from Earliest Census to 1920 | publisher=Bureau of the Census | accessdate=2011-07-12 | year=1952 | url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2011/tables/SUB-EST2011-03-25.csv|title=Table 3. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Massachusetts: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2011 (SUB-EST2011-03-25)|author=[[United States Census Bureau]]|accessdate=2013-01-18}}</ref>
}}
In 2010 Boston was estimated to have 618,000 residents (a density of 12,200 persons/sq mile, or 4,700/km<sup>2</sup>) living in 272,000 housing units&mdash;<ref name="2010census"/> a 5% population increase over 2000.
Some 1.2&nbsp;million persons may be within Boston's boundaries during work hours, and as many as 2&nbsp;million during special events. This fluctuation of people is caused by hundreds of thousands of suburban residents who travel to the city for work, education, health care, and special events.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/PDF/ResearchPublications//pdr96-1.pdf |format=PDF |title=Boston's Population Doubles – Every Day |publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority – Insight Reports |date=December 1996 |accessdate=2012-05-06}}</ref>

In the city, the population was spread out with 22% at age 19 and under, 14% from 20 to 24, 33% from 25 to 44, 20% from 45 to 64, and 10% who were 65&nbsp;years of age or older. The median age was 30.8&nbsp;years. For every 100 females, there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.<ref name="census1"/> There were 253,000 households, of which 20% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 26% were married couples living together, 16% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54% were non-families. 37% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 3.08.<ref name="census1">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk|title=Boston city, Massachusetts—DP02, Selected Social Characteristics in the United States 2007–2011 American Community Surver 5-Year Estimates|year=2011 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref>

The [[median]] income for a household in the city was $52,000, and the median income for a family was $61,000. Full-time year-round male workers had a median income of $53,000 versus $47,000 for full-time year-round female workers. The per capita income for the city was $33,000. 21% of the population and 16% of families are below the poverty line. Of the total population, 29% of those under the age of 18 and 20% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.<ref name="census3">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_11_5YR_DP03|title=Boston city, Massachusetts—DP03. Selected Economic Characteristics 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |year=2011 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref>

In 1950, whites represented 95% of Boston's population.<ref name="census4">{{cite web|title=Massachusetts - Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|url=http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0076/twps0076.html|accessdate=2012-04-20}}</ref> From the 1950s to the end of the 20th century, the proportion of non-Hispanic whites in the city declined; in 2000, non-Hispanic whites made up 50% of the city's population, making the city [[majority-minority]] for the first time. However, in recent years the city has experienced significant [[gentrification]], in which affluent whites have moved into formerly non-white areas. In 2006, the US Census Bureau estimated that non-Hispanic whites again formed a slight majority. But as of 2010, in part due to the housing crash, as well as increased efforts to make more affordable housing more available, the minority population has rebounded. This may also have to do with an increased Latino population and more clarity surrounding US Census statistics, which indicate a Non-Hispanic White population of 47 percent (some reports give slightly lower figures).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Boston_MA-PEOPLE-52507000010.aspx |archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20080418042907/http://www.bestplaces.net/city/Boston_MA-PEOPLE-52507000010.aspx |archivedate=2008-04-18 |title=Boston, Massachusetts |publisher=Sperling's BestPlaces |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-04-06}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/03/majority_minority_no_more/|work=The Boston Globe |title=Majority-minority no more?|accessdate=2009-11-30 | first=Michael | last=Jonas | date=2008-08-03}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthoritynews.org/2011/03/23/boston-census-facts-figures/ |title=Boston 2010 Census: Facts & Figures |publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority News |date=2011-03-23 |accessdate=2012-02-13}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|+ Race/Ethnicity Composition   
! Race/Ethnicity !! 2010 <ref name="quickfacts"/>!! 1990<ref name="census4"/> !! 1970<ref name="census4"/> !! 1940<ref name="census4"/>
|-
| [[White American|White]] (includes [[White Hispanic]]s)|| 54% || 63% || 82% || 97%
|-
| [[African American|Black or African American]] || 24% || 26% || 16.3% || 3.1%
|-
| Native American || 0.4% || 0.3% || 0.2% || -
|-
| [[Asian American|Asian]] || 8.9% || 5.3% || 1.3% || 0.2%
|-
| [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]] || 3.9% || - || - || -
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race) || 17.5% || 10.8% || 2.8% <ref name="fifteen">From 15% sample</ref> || 0.1%
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic Whites]] || 47% || 59% || 80% <ref name="fifteen"/>|| 97%

|}

People of [[Irish American|Irish]] descent form the largest single [[American ancestry|ethnic group]] in the city, making up 15.8% of the population, followed by [[Italian American|Italians]], accounting for 8.3% of the population. People of [[West Indies|West Indian]] ancestry are another sizable group, at 6.0%,<ref name="census2">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?src=bkmk|title=Boston city, Massachusetts—DP02, Selected Social Characteristics in the United States 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates |year=2011 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref> about half of whom are of [[Haitian American|Haitian]] ancestry. Some neighborhoods, such as Dorchester, have received an influx of people of [[Vietnamese American|Vietnamese]] ancestry in recent decades. Neighborhoods such as Jamaica Plain and Roslindale have experienced a growing number of [[Dominican American]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.pluralism.org/files/wrgb/civic/New_Bostonians_2009.pdf | title=New Bostonians 2009 | date=October 2009 | publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority/Research Division | accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref> The city and greater area also has a large immigration population of [[South Asians]], including the [[Indian American#US Metropolitan areas with the largest population of Indian Americans|tenth-largest Indian community in the country]].

The city has a sizable [[Jewish population]] with an estimated 25,000 Jews within the city and 227,000 within the Boston metro area; the number of congregations in Boston is estimated to be 22.<ref name=jewestimates>{{cite web|url=http://www.jewishdatabank.org/ajyb/ajy-2003.pdf|title=Jewish Population in the United States 2002|publisher=Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life|accessdate=2010-01-04}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/counties/25025_2000.asp|title=County Membership Report|publisher=The Association of Religion Data Archives|accessdate=2010-01-04}}</ref> The adjacent communities of [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]] and [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]] are both approximately one-third Jewish.<ref name=jewestimates/>

The city, especially the [[East Boston]] neighborhood, has a significant Hispanic community. Hispanics in Boston are mostly of [[Stateside Puerto Ricans|Puerto Rican]] (31,000 or 4.9% of total city population), [[Dominican American|Dominican]] (26,000 or 4.2% of total city population), [[Salvadoran American|Salvadoran]] (10,900 or 1.8% of city population), [[Colombian American|Colombian]] (6,600 or 1.1% of total city population),  [[Mexican American|Mexican]] (6,000 or 1% of total city population) and [[Guatemalan American|Guatemalan]] (4,500 or 0.7% of total city population) ethnic origin. When including all Hispanic national origins, they number 108,000. In Greater Boston, these numbers grow significantly with Puerto Ricans numbering 175,000+, Dominicans 95,000+, Salvadorans 40,000+, Guatemalans 31,000+ and Colombians numbering 22,000+.<ref name="census">[http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_SF1_QTP10&prodType=table US Census Bureau: Table QT-P10 Hispanic or Latino by Type: 2010]</ref>

The city is the anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area called [[Greater Boston]], home to 4.5&nbsp;million people and the [[Table of United States Metropolitan Statistical Areas|tenth-largest metropolitan area]] in the country.<ref name="Metro population"/> <!-- The following sentence concerns the Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-RI-NH Combined Statistical Area which is cited in the article and DOES ''not'' INCLUDE parts of Connecticut or Maine. --> Greater Boston as a commuting region<ref name="fta"/> is home to 7.6&nbsp;million people, making it the [[Table of United States Combined Statistical Areas|fifth-largest Combined Statistical Area]] in the United States.<ref name="CSA population"/><ref name="CSA PDF map"/>

===Crime===
[[File:Boston Police cruiser on Beacon Street.jpg|thumb|alt=White Boston Police car with blue and gray stripes down the middle|A Boston Police cruiser on Beacon Street]]
Like many major American cities, Boston has seen a great reduction in violent crime since the early 1990s. Boston's low crime rate since the 1990s has been credited to the [[Boston Police Department]]'s collaboration with neighborhood groups and church parishes to prevent youths from joining gangs, as well as involvement from the [[United States Attorney]] and [[District Attorney]]'s offices. This helped lead in part to what has been touted as the "Boston Miracle". Murders in the city dropped from 152 in 1990 (for a murder rate of 26.5 per 100,000 people) to just 31—not one of them a juvenile—in 1999 (for a murder rate of 5.26 per 100,000).<ref name="End of a Miracle">{{cite web |author=Winship, Christopher |date=March 2002 |url=http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/soc/faculty/winship/End_of_a_Miracle.pdf |format=PDF |title=End of a Miracle! |publisher=Harvard University |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref>

In the 2000s, however, the annual murder count has fluctuated by as much as 50% compared with the year before, with 60 murders in 2002, followed by just 39 in 2003, 61 in 2004, and 73 in 2005. In 2008 there were 62 reported homicides.<ref name="BostonCrimeStats">{{cite web | url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/Images_Documents/2008Crime%20Summary_tcm3-8952.pdf | title=2008 Crime Summary Report | publisher=The Boston Police Department Office Research and Development | year=2008| page=5 | accessdate=2013-02-20}}</ref> Although the figures are nowhere near the high-water mark set in 1990, the aberrations in the murder rate have been unsettling for many Bostonians and have prompted discussion over whether the Boston Police Department should reevaluate its approach to fighting crime.<ref name="End of a Miracle"/><ref name="BostonCrimeStats"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://boston.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm |title=Boston MA Crime Statistics (2004 – New Crime Data) |year=2007 |publisher=areaConnect.com |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref>

===Demographic breakdown by zip code===

====Income====
{{See also|List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income}}
Data is from the 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_DP03&prodType=table|title=SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau|accessdate=2014-03-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_DP05&prodType=table|title=ACS DEMOGRAPHIC AND HOUSING ESTIMATES 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=2014-03-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_S1101&prodType=table|title=HOUSEHOLDS AND FAMILIES 2008-2012 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |accessdate=2014-03-19}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|- valign=bottom
! Rank
! ZIP Code (ZCTA)
! Per capita<br>income
! Median<br>household<br>income
! Median<br>family<br>income
! Population
! Number of<br>households
|-
| 1
| 02110 ([[Financial District, Boston|Financial District]])
| $152,007
| $123,795
| $196,518
| 1,486
| 981
|-
| 2
| 02199 ([[Prudential Tower|Prudential Center]])
| $151,060
| $107,159
| $146,786
| 1,290
| 823
|-
| 3
| 02210 ([[Fort Point, Boston|Fort Point]])
| $93,078
| $111,061
| $223,411
| 1,905
| 1,088
|-
| 4
| 01749 (Hudson/[[North End, Boston|North End]])
| $88,921
| $128,022
| $162,045
| 4,277
| 2,190
|-
| 5
| 02116 ([[Back Bay, Boston|Back Bay]]/[[Bay Village, Boston|Bay Village]])
| $81,458
| $87,630
| $134,875
| 21,318
| 10,938
|-
| 6
| 02108 ([[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]]/Financial District)
| $78,569
| $95,753
| $153,618
| 4,155
| 2,337
|-
| 7
| 02114 (Beacon Hill/[[West End, Boston|West End]])
| $65,865
| $79,734
| $169,107
| 11,933
| 6,752
|-
| 8
| 02111 ([[Chinatown, Boston|Chinatown]]/Financial District/[[Leather District]])
| $56,716
| $44,758
| $88,333
| 7,616
| 3,390
|-
| 9
| 02129 ([[Charlestown, Boston|Charlestown]])
| $56,267
| $89,105
| $98,445
| 17,052
| 8,083
|-
| 10
| 02467 ([[Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts|Chestnut Hill]])
| $53,382
| $113,952
| $148,396
| 22,796
| 6,351
|-
| 11
| 02113 (North End)
| $52,905
| $64,413
| $112,589
| 7,276
| 4,329
|-
| 12
| 02132 ([[West Roxbury]])
| $44,306
| $82,421
| $110,219
| 27,163
| 11,013
|-
| 13
| 02118 ([[South End, Boston|South End]])
| $43,887
| $50,000
| $49,090
| 26,779
| 12,512
|-
| 14
| 02130 ([[Jamaica Plain]])
| $42,916
| $74,198
| $95,426
| 36,866
| 15,306
|-
| 15
| 02127 ([[South Boston]])
| $42,854
| $67,012
| $68,110
| 32,547
| 14,994
|-
| 
| ''[[Massachusetts]]''
| $35,485
| $66,658
| $84,380
| 6,560,595
| 2,525,694
|-
| 
| ''Boston''
| $33,589
| $53,136
| $63,230
| 619,662
| 248,704
|-
| 
| ''[[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk County]]''
| $32,429
| $52,700
| $61,796
| 724,502
| 287,442
|-
| 16
| 02135 ([[Brighton, Boston|Brighton]])
| $31,773
| $50,291
| $62,602
| 38,839
| 18,336
|-
| 17
| 02131 ([[Roslindale]])
| $29,486
| $61,099
| $70,598
| 30,370
| 11,282
|-
| 
| ''[[United States]]''
| $28,051
| $53,046
| $64,585
| 309,138,711
| 115,226,802
|-
| 18
| 02136 ([[Hyde Park, Boston|Hyde Park]])
| $28,009
| $57,080
| $74,734
| 29,219
| 10,650
|-
| 19
| 02134 ([[Allston]])
| $25,319
| $37,638
| $49,355
| 20,478
| 8,916
|-
| 20
| 02128 ([[East Boston]])
| $23,450
| $49,549
| $49,470
| 41,680
| 14,965
|-
| 21
| 02122 ([[Dorchester, Boston|Dorchester]]-[[Fields Corner]])
| $23,432
| $51,798
| $50,246
| 25,437
| 8,216
|-
| 22
| 02124 (Dorchester-[[Codman Square District|Codman Square]]-[[Ashmont, Boston|Ashmont]])
| $23,115
| $48,329
| $55,031
| 49,867
| 17,275
|-
| 23
| 02125 (Dorchester-[[Uphams Corner]]-[[Savin Hill]])
| $22,158
| $42,298
| $44,397
| 31,996
| 11,481
|-
| 24
| 02163 (Allston-[[Harvard Business School]])
| $21,915
| $43,889
| $91,190
| 1,842
| 562
|-
| 25
| 02115 (Back Bay/[[Fenway-Kenmore]])
| $21,654
| $23,677
| $50,303
| 29,178
| 9,958
|-
| 26
| 02126 ([[Mattapan]])
| $20,649
| $43,532
| $52,774
| 27,335
| 9,510
|-
| 27
| 02215 (Fenway-Kenmore)
| $19,082
| $30,823
| $72,583
| 23,719
| 7,995
|-
| 28
| 02119 ([[Roxbury, Boston|Roxbury]])
| $18,998
| $27,051
| $35,311
| 24,237
| 9,769
|-
| 29
| 02121 (Dorchester-Mount Baldwin)
| $18,226
| $30,419
| $35,439
| 26,801
| 9,739
|-
| 30
| 02120 ([[Mission Hill, Boston|Mission Hill]])
| $17,390
| $32,367
| $29,583
| 13,217
| 4,509
|-
|}

==Economy==
{{See also|Greater Boston#Major companies|l1=Major companies in Greater Boston}}
[[File:Boston economy chart.png|thumb|300px|Distribution of the Boston metropolitan [[New England city and town area|NECTA]] labor force, 2004 annual averages<ref name="economy">{{cite web |title=Boston Economy |publisher=Advameg Inc.|work=City-Data.com|year=2007|url=http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-Northeast/Boston-Economy.html|accessdate=2007-06-20}}</ref>]]
A [[global city]], Boston is placed among the top 30 most economically powerful cities in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2012/05/what-is-the-worlds-most-economically-powerful-city/256841/|title=What Is the World's Most Economically Powerful City?|author=Florida, Richard|publisher=The Atlantic Monthly Group|date=2012-05-08|accessdate=2013-02-21}}</ref> Encompassing $363&nbsp;billion, the [[Greater Boston]] metropolitan area has the [[List of cities by GDP|sixth-largest economy in the country and 12th-largest in the world]].<ref name="pricewater">{{cite web|url=https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=3421&NewsAreaID=2|title=Global city GDP rankings 2008–2025|publisher=Pricewaterhouse Coopers|accessdate=2009-11-20}}</ref>

Boston's colleges and universities have a significant effect on the regional economy. Boston attracts more than 350,000 college students from around the world, who contribute more than $4.8&nbsp;billion annually to the city's economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2009/06/regrep.pdf |title=The prominence  of Boston area colleges and universities |author=McSweeney, Denis M. |accessdate=April 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/PDF/ResearchPublications//pdr_563.pdf |format=PDF |title=Leadership Through Innovation: The History of Boston's Economy |year=2003 |publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority |accessdate=2012-05-06}}</ref> The area's schools are major employers and attract industries to the city and surrounding region. The city is home to a number of technology companies and is a hub for [[biotechnology]], with the [[Milken Institute]] rating Boston as the top [[life sciences]] cluster in the country.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/business/ticker/2009/05/milken_report_h.html|title=Milken report: The Hub is still tops in life sciences|accessdate=2009-08-25|work=The Boston Globe | date=2009-05-19}}</ref> Boston receives the highest absolute amount of annual funding from the [[National Institutes of Health]] of all cities in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ssti.org/Digest/Tables/022006t.htm |title=Top 100 NIH Cities |year=2004 |publisher=SSTI.org |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> The city is also considered highly innovative for a variety of reasons that include the presence of academia, access to [[venture capital]], and the presence of many high-tech companies.<ref name="Kirsner"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.talentculture.com/feature/boston-the-city-of-innovation/ |title=Boston: The City of Innovation |publisher=TalentCulture |date=2010-08-02|accessdate=2010-08-30}}</ref>

Tourism comprises a large part of Boston's economy, with 21.2 million domestic and international visitors spending $8.3&nbsp;billion in 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bostonusa.com/partner/press/pr/statistics | title=Tourism Statistics & Reports | year=2009–2011 | publisher=Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau | accessdate=2013-02-20}}</ref> Because of Boston's status as a state capital and the regional home of federal agencies, law and government are another major component of the city's economy.<ref name="economy"/> The city is a major [[Port of Boston|seaport]] along the United States' East Coast and the oldest continuously operated industrial and fishing port in the [[Western Hemisphere]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.massport.com/ports/about_histo.html |title=About the Port – History|year=2007 |publisher=Massport |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>

Other important industries are [[financial services]], especially [[mutual fund]]s and insurance.<ref name="economy"/> Boston-based [[Fidelity Investments]] helped popularize the mutual fund in the 1980s and has made Boston one of the top financial cities in the United States.<ref name="zyen"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.investopedia.com/articles/financialcareers/top-10-financial-career-cities.asp|title=Top 10 Cities For A Career In Finance |publisher=Investopedia.com |accessdate=2010-05-13}}</ref> The city is home to the headquarters of [[Santander Bank]], and Boston is a center for [[venture capital]] firms. [[State Street Corporation]], which specializes in asset management and custody services, is based in the city. Boston is a printing and publishing center<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/PDF/ResearchPublications/pdr529.pdf | title=History of Boston's Economy - Growth and Transition 1970–1998 | publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority | date=November 1999 | page=9 | accessdate=2013-03-12}}</ref> — [[Houghton Mifflin]] is headquartered within the city, along with [[Bedford-St. Martin's|Bedford-St. Martin's Press]] and [[Beacon Press]]. [[Pearson PLC]] publishing units also employ several hundred people in Boston. The city is home to three major [[convention center]]s—the [[Hynes Convention Center]] in the Back Bay, and the [[Seaport Hotel and Seaport World Trade Center|Seaport World Trade Center]] and [[Boston Convention and Exhibition Center]] on the [[South Boston waterfront]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Frommer's Boston 2007 | last=Morris | first=Marie | edition=2 | publisher=John Wiley & Sons | year=2006 | page=59 | isbn=978-0-470-08401-4}}</ref>

Several major companies headquartered within Boston or nearby&mdash;especially along [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.city-data.com/world-cities/Boston-Economy.html |title=Cities of the World – Boston Economy |publisher=Advameg Inc.|work=City-Data.com |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> the center of the region's high-tech industry. In 2006 Boston and its metropolitan area ranked as the fourth-largest cybercity in the United States with 191,700 high-tech jobs.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2008/06/23/daily21.html?jst=b_ln_hl|title=AeA ranks Atlanta 10th-largest U.S. cybercity |work=Atlanta Business Chronicle|publisher=[[American City Business Journals]]|date=2008-06-24|accessdate=2010-05-13}}</ref>

==Culture==
{{Main|Culture in Boston}}
{{See also|Annual events in Boston|List of arts organizations in Boston|Sites of interest in Boston}}
[[File:Old State House Boston Massachusetts2.jpg|thumb|225px|upright|left|alt=Colonial style red brick building with a white cupola in an urban setting|The [[Old State House (Boston)|Old State House]], a museum on the [[Freedom Trail]] and the site of the [[Boston Massacre]]]]
Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the non-[[Rhotic accent|rhotic]] Eastern [[New England English|New England accent]] known as [[Boston accent|Boston English]],{{sfn|Vorhees|2009|p=52}} and a [[New England cuisine|regional cuisine]] with a large emphasis on seafood, salt, and dairy products.{{sfn|Vorhees|2009|pp=148–151}} Irish Americans are a major influence on Boston's politics and religious institutions. Boston also has its own collection of [[neologism]]s known as Boston slang.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/05/25/my_word/ |title=Wicked good Bostonisms come, and mostly go |accessdate=2009-05-02 |last=Baker |first=Billy |date=2008-05-25 |work=The Boston Globe }}</ref>

Several theatres are located in or near the [[Washington Street Theatre District|Theater District]] south of Boston Common, including the [[Cutler Majestic Theatre]], [[Citi Performing Arts Center]], the [[Colonial Theatre (Boston)|Colonial Theater]], and the [[Orpheum Theatre (Boston)|Orpheum Theatre]].{{sfn|Hull|2011|pp=53–55}} [[Symphony Hall, Boston|Symphony Hall]] (located west of Back Bay) is home to the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]], (and the related Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, which is one of the largest youth orchestras in the nation) and the [[Boston Pops Orchestra]], while the [[Boston Ballet]] performs at the [[Boston Opera House (1980)|Boston Opera House]]. Other performing-arts organizations located in the city include the [[Boston Lyric Opera|Boston Lyric Opera Company]], [[Opera Boston]], [[Boston Baroque]] (the first permanent Baroque orchestra in the US),{{sfn|Hull|2011|p=175}} and the [[Handel and Haydn Society]] (one of the oldest choral companies in the United States).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.handelandhaydn.org/learn/whoweare/whoweare_home.htm |title=Who We Are |year=2007 |publisher=Handel and Haydn Society |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> The city is a center for contemporary classical music with a number of performing groups, several of which are associated with the city's conservatories and universities. These include the [[Boston Modern Orchestra Project]] and [[Boston Musica Viva]].{{sfn|Hull|2011|p=175}}

There are several major annual events such as [[First Night]], which occurs on New Year's Eve, the [[Boston Early Music Festival]], the annual [[Boston Arts Festival]] at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, and Italian summer feasts in the North End honoring Catholic saints.{{sfn|Hull|2011|p=207}} The city is the site of several events during the [[Independence Day (US)|Fourth of July]] period. They include the week-long Harborfest festivities<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonharborfest.com/about.html |title=Boston Harborfest - About |publisher=Boston Harborfest Inc. |year=2013 |accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> and a Boston Pops concert accompanied by fireworks on the banks of the [[Charles River]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.july4th.org/Our_Story/About_Us/ |title=Our Story: About Us |publisher=Boston 4 Celebrations Foundation |year=2010 |accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref>

Boston is one of the birthplaces of the [[hardcore punk]] genre of music. The area's musicians have contributed significantly to this music scene over the years (''see also [[Boston hardcore]]''). The city's neighborhoods were home to one of the leading local [[third wave ska]] and [[ska punk]] scenes in the 1990s, led by bands such as [[The Mighty Mighty Bosstones]] and [[The Allstonians]]. The 1980s' hardcore punk-rock compilation ''[[This Is Boston, Not L.A.]]'' highlights some of the bands that built the genre. Several nightclubs, such as [[The Channel (nightclub)|The Channel]], Bunnratty's in [[Allston, Massachusetts|Allston]], and [[The Rathskeller]], were renowned for showcasing both local punk-rock bands and those from farther afield. All of these clubs are closed. Many were razed or converted during recent gentrification.<ref>{{cite news |author=Wardrop, Josh B. |url=http://www.panoramamagazine.com/panoramamagazine/articles/boston_rocks.aspx |title=A look at the Hub's place in rock 'n' roll history |date=2006-09-25 |work=Panorama Magazine|accessdate=2010-12-30}}</ref>

[[File:Mfa boston af.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Gray stone classical building with columns and art banners on the central façade|Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]]
Because of the city's prominent role in the [[American Revolution]], several historic sites relating to that period are preserved as part of the [[Boston National Historical Park]]. Many are found along the [[Freedom Trail]], which is marked by a red line of bricks embedded in the ground. The city is also home to several art museums, including the [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|Museum of Fine Arts]] and the [[Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum]].{{sfn|Hull|2011|pp=104–108}} The [[Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston|Institute of Contemporary Art]] is housed in a contemporary building designed by [[Diller Scofidio + Renfro]] in the [[Seaport District]].<ref>{{cite news | last=Ouroussoff | first=Nicolai | date=2006-12-08 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/08/arts/design/08ica.html | title=Expansive Vistas Both Inside and Out | work=The New York Times | accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> The [[University of Massachusetts Boston]] campus on Columbia Point houses the [[John F. Kennedy Library]]. The [[Boston Athenaeum]] (one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/node/38 |title=History of The Boston Athenaeum |publisher=Boston Athenæum |year=2012 |accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> [[Boston Children's Museum]], [[Bull & Finch Pub]] (whose building is known from the television show ''[[Cheers]]''),{{sfn|Hull|2011|p=164}} [[Museum of Science, Boston|Museum of Science]], and the [[New England Aquarium]] are within the city.

Boston has been a noted religious center from its earliest days. The [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston]] serves nearly 300 parishes and is based in the [[Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston)|Cathedral of the Holy Cross]] (1875) in the South End, while the [[Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts]], with the [[Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Boston|Cathedral Church of St. Paul]] (1819) as its episcopal seat, serves just under 200 congregations. [[Unitarian Universalist Association|Unitarian Universalism]] has its headquarters on Beacon Hill. The [[Church of Christ, Scientist|Christian Scientists]] are headquartered in Back Bay at the [[The First Church of Christ, Scientist|Mother Church]] (1894). The oldest church in Boston is [[First Church in Boston]], founded in 1630.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstchurchboston.org/about/history|title=First Church in Boston History|publisher=First Church in Boston|accessdate=12 November 2013}}</ref> [[King's Chapel]], the city's first Anglican church, was founded in 1686 and converted to Unitarianism in 1785. Other churches include Christ Church (better known as [[Old North Church]], 1723), the oldest church building in the city, [[Trinity Church, Boston|Trinity Church]] (1733), [[Park Street Church]] (1809), [[Old South Church]] (1874), [[Jubilee Christian Church]] and [[Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help]] on [[Mission Hill, Boston|Mission Hill]] (1878).<ref>{{cite book | title=The Spiritual Traveler: Boston and New England: A Guide to Sacred Sites and Peaceful Places | author=Riess, Jana | publisher=Hidden Spring | year=2002 | isbn=978-1-58768-008-3 | pages=64–125}}</ref>

==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in Boston}}
Boston has teams in [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|the four major North American professional sports leagues]] plus [[Major League Soccer]], and has won 34 championships in these leagues, as of 2013. It is one of five cities (along with New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit) to have won championships in all four major sports. It has been suggested<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/17/sports/boston-fans-savor-a-decade-of-sports-success.html?_r=0 |title=Long Memory or Short, Boston Fans Savor Success | author=Zezima, Katie | date=2011-06-16 | accessdate=2011-06-16 |work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/video/nfl/2012/02/04/020412.boston_sports_sml.SportsIllustrated/index.html |title= The New Title Town USA - Video - SI.com |date=2012-02-04 | accessdate=2012-02-04 |publisher=Sports Illustrated }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/sports-chart-of-the-day-boston-is-the-new-title-town-2011-6 |title= SPORTS CHART OF THE DAY: Boston Is The New "Title Town"|date=2011-06-16 |work=Business Insider |accessdate=2013-01-22}}</ref> that Boston is the new "TitleTown, USA", as the city's professional sports teams have won eight championships since 2001: Patriots (2001, 2003, and 2004), Red Sox (2004, 2007, and 2013), Celtics (2008), and Bruins (2011).  No other city has won major championships in the four current major American sports leagues in as short a time period; only New York has done so faster, in the days of the old [[American Basketball League (1925–55)|American Basketball League]].

[[File:Fenway from Legend's Box.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Baseball game in a professional league ballpark|Fenway Park]]
The [[Boston Red Sox]], a founding member of the [[American League]] of [[Major League Baseball]] in 1901, play their home games at [[Fenway Park]], near [[Kenmore Square]] in the city's [[Fenway-Kenmore|Fenway]] section. Built in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active use in the United States among the four major professional American sports leagues, encompassing [[Major League Baseball]], the [[National Football League]], [[National Basketball Association]], and the [[National Hockey League]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://espn.go.com/travel/stadium/_/s/mlb/id/2/fenway-park |title=Fenway Park |accessdate=2013-02-05 |publisher=ESPN | year=2013}}</ref> Boston was the site of the first game of the first modern [[World Series]], in 1903. The series was played between the AL Champion [[Boston Americans]]<!-- This is historically and internally accurate. Please go to the discussion. --> and the NL champion [[Pittsburgh Pirates]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070219&content_id=780&vkey=hof_news |title=Hall of Fame third baseman led Boston to first AL pennant |accessdate=2009-04-01 |last=Abrams |first=Roger I. |date=2007-02-19 |publisher=National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070902113322/http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070219&content_id=780&vkey=hof_news| archivedate = 2007-09-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/history/postseason/mlb_ws_recaps.jsp?feature=1903 |title=1903 World Series – Major League Baseball: World Series History |publisher=Major League Baseball at MLB.com |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-02-18}} Please note: This source, like many others, uses the erroneous "Pilgrims" name that is debunked by the Nowlin reference following.</ref> Persistent reports that the team was known in 1903 as the "Boston Pilgrims" appear to be unfounded.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baseball-almanac.com/articles/boston_pilgrims_story.shtml |title=The Boston Pilgrims Never Existed |author=Bill Nowlin |publisher=Baseball Almanac |year=2008 |accessdate=2008-04-03}}</ref> Boston's first professional baseball team was the Red Stockings, one of the charter members of the [[National Association of Professional Base Ball Players|National Association]] in 1871, and of the [[National League]] in 1876. The team played under that name until 1883, under the name Beaneaters until 1911, and under the name Braves from 1912 until they moved to [[Milwaukee]] after the 1952 season. Since 1966 they have played in [[Atlanta]] as the [[Atlanta Braves]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atlanta.braves.mlb.com/atl/history/ |title=Braves History |accessdate=2013-02-05| publisher=Atlanta Brave (MLB) | year=2013}}</ref>  Thanks to the heritage of the Braves, Boston can legitimately claim to be the longest active professional sports city in North America, two years longer than Toronto (whose [[Toronto Argonauts|Argonauts]] were founded in 1873), and three longer than Chicago (whose [[Chicago Cubs|Cubs]], while founded in the same year, took a two-year hiatus following the [[Great Chicago Fire]]).

[[File:Celtics game versus the Timberwolves, Feburary, 1 2009.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Professional basketball game between the Celtics and Timberwolves in a crowded arena|Boston Celtics in a game at the [[TD Garden]]]]
The [[TD Garden]], formerly called the FleetCenter, is adjoined to [[North Station]] and is the home of three major league teams: the [[Boston Blazers]] of the [[National Lacrosse League]], the [[Boston Bruins]] of the [[National Hockey League]]; and the [[Boston Celtics]] of the [[National Basketball Association]]. The arena seats 18,624 for basketball games and 17,565 for ice hockey games. The Bruins were the first American member of the [[National Hockey League]] and an [[Original Six]] franchise.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rauzulusstreet.com/hockey/nhlhistory/nhlhistory.html |title=National Hockey League (NHL) Expansion History |year=2004|accessdate=2009-04-01|publisher=Rauzulu's Street}}</ref> The Boston Celtics were founding members of the [[Basketball Association of America]], one of the two leagues that merged to form the NBA.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.basketball.com/nba/history.shtml |title=NBA History – NBA Growth Timetable |accessdate=2009-04-01|publisher=Basketball.com}}</ref> The Celtics have the distinction of having won more championships than any other NBA team, with seventeen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/history/finals/champions.html |title=NBA Finals: All-Time Champions |publisher=NBA |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-02-20}}</ref>

While they have played in suburban [[Foxborough, Massachusetts|Foxborough]] since 1971, the [[New England Patriots]] of the [[National Football League]] were founded in 1960 as the Boston Patriots, changing their name in 1971 to better reflect its status as New England's team. The team won the [[Super Bowl]] in 2001, 2003, and 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.patriots.com/history/index.cfm?ac=History |title=The History of the New England Patriots |publisher=New England Patriots |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref> They share [[Gillette Stadium]] with the [[New England Revolution]] of [[Major League Soccer]]. The [[Boston Breakers (WPS)|Boston Breakers]] of [[Women's Professional Soccer]], which formed in 2009, play their home games at Dilboy Stadium in [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]].<ref name="breakers-wps">{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2009/04/11/breakers_shoot_for_foothold_in_local_market/|title=Breakers shoot for foothold in local market|last=Springer|first=Shira|date=2009-04-11|work=The Boston Globe|accessdate=2009-06-27}}</ref>
[[File:Gillette Stadium02.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Football game in a full professional league stadium|Gillette Stadium]]

The area's many colleges and universities are active in college athletics. Four [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] Division I members play their games in the city—[[Boston College]] ([[Atlantic Coast Conference]]), [[Boston University]] ([[Patriot League]]), [[Harvard University]] ([[Ivy League]]), and [[Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)|Northeastern University]] ([[Colonial Athletic Association]]). Of the four, only Boston College participates in college football at the highest level, the [[Football Bowl Subdivision]]. Harvard participates in the second-highest level, the [[Football Championship Subdivision]]. All but Harvard belong to the [[Hockey East]] conference; Harvard belongs to the [[Eastern College Athletic Conference|ECAC]] in hockey. The hockey teams of these four universities meet every year in a four-team tournament known as the "[[Beanpot]] Tournament", which is played at the TD Garden over two Monday nights in February.<ref>{{cite web |author=Bertagna, Joe |url=http://www.beanpothockey.com/tradition.html |title=The Beanpot At 50 – Still Inspiring and Still Growing |date=2001-12-27 |publisher=Beanpot Hockey |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>

One of the best known sporting events in the city is the [[Boston Marathon]], the {{convert|42.195|km|mi|adj=on}} run from [[Hopkinton, Massachusetts|Hopkinton]] to Copley Square in the Back Bay which is the world's oldest annual marathon,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonmarathon.org/BostonMarathon/RaceFacts.asp |title=B.A.A. Boston Marathon Race Facts |year=2007 |publisher=Boston Athletic Association |accessdate=2007-04-29}}</ref> run on [[Patriots' Day]] in April. On April 15, 2013, [[2013 Boston Marathon bombings|two explosions]] killed three people and injured hundreds at the marathon.<ref name=260herald>{{cite news|url=http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2013/04/marathon_injury_toll_jumps_to_260|title=Marathon injury toll jumps to 260|last=McConville|first=Christine|date=April 23, 2013|work=Boston Herald|accessdate=24 April 2013}}</ref>

Another major annual event is the [[Head of the Charles Regatta]],<ref name="hocr-harvard">{{cite web|url=http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mcrew-lw/2011-12/releases/20111024aapf79|title=Crimson Rules College Lightweights at Head of the Charles|date=2011-10-23|publisher=Harvard Athletic Communications|accessdate=2012-05-06}}</ref> held in October.

==Parks and recreation==
[[File:Boston common 20060619.jpg|thumb|alt=City skyline with a body of water in the background and a green park in the foreground|Boston Common seen from the [[Prudential Tower]]]]
[[Boston Common]], located near the Financial District and Beacon Hill, is the oldest public park in the United States.{{sfn|Morris|2005|p=61}} Along with the adjacent [[Boston Public Garden]], it is part of the [[Emerald Necklace]], a string of parks designed by [[Frederick Law Olmsted]] to encircle the city. The Emerald Necklace includes [[Jamaica Pond]], Boston's largest body of freshwater, and [[Franklin Park, Boston|Franklin Park]], the city's largest park and home of the [[Franklin Park Zoo]].<ref>{{cite web

|url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/emerald/Franklin_Park.asp
|title=Franklin Park
|year=2007
|publisher=City of Boston
|accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> Another major park is the Esplanade, located along the banks of the Charles River. The [[Hatch Shell]], an outdoor concert venue, is located adjacent to the Charles River Esplanade. Other parks are scattered throughout the city, with the major parks and beaches located near [[Castle Island (Massachusetts)|Castle Island]]; in Charlestown; and along the Dorchester, South Boston, and East Boston shorelines.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/parks/pdfs/OSP2010/OSP0814_3_CommunitySetting.pdf | title=Open Space Plan 2008–2014: Section 3 Community Setting | publisher=City of Boston Parks & Recreation | date=January 2008 | accessdate=2013-02-21}}</ref>

Boston's park system is well-reputed nationally. In its 2013 ParkScore ranking, [[Trust for Public Land|The Trust for Public Land]] reported that Boston was tied with [[Sacramento, California|Sacramento]] and [[San Francisco]] for having the third-best park system among the 50 most populous US cities.<ref>Randall, Eric. [http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2013/06/05/boston-has-one-of-the-best-parks-systems-in-the-country/ “Boston has one of the best park systems in the country”]. 5 June 2013. ''Boston Magazine''. Retrieved on 15 July 2013.</ref> ParkScore ranks city park systems by a formula that analyzes the city’s median park size, park acres as percent of city area, the percent of residents within a half-mile of a park, spending of park services per resident, and the number of playgrounds per 10,000 residents.

==Government==
{{See also|Boston City Hall|Boston Emergency Medical Services|Boston Finance Commission|Boston Fire Department|Boston Police Department|List of mayors of Boston|List of members of Boston City Council}}
[[File:Boston's City Hall.jpg|thumb|left|Boston City Hall, built in 1968]]
Boston has a [[Mayor–council government|strong mayor – council government]] system in which the mayor (elected every fourth year) has extensive executive power. [[Marty Walsh (politician)|Marty Walsh]] became Mayor in January 2014, his predecessor [[Thomas Menino]]'s twenty-year tenure having been the longest in the city's history.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-boss-of-boston-mayor-thomas-menino.html | title=The Boss of Boston: Mayor Thomas Menino | author=Patton, Zach | work=Governing | date=January 2012 | accessdate=2013-02-05}}</ref>
The [[Boston City Council]] is elected every two years; there are nine district seats, and four citywide "at-large" seats.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/Images_Documents/2007%20the%20charter%20draft20%20%28final%20draft1%20with%20jumps%29_tcm3-16428.pdf | title=Boston City Charter | publisher=City of Boston | date=July 2007 | page=59|accessdate=2013-02-05}}</ref> The School Committee, which oversees the [[Boston Public Schools]], is appointed by the mayor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://boston.k12.ma.us/bps/bpsglance.asp#leadership |title=The Boston Public Schools at a Glance: School Committee |publisher=Boston Public Schools |date=2007-03-14|accessdate=2007-04-28| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070403011648/http://boston.k12.ma.us/bps/bpsglance.asp| archivedate = 2007-04-03}}</ref>

[[File:Mass statehouse eb1.jpg|thumb|alt=Red brick building with white columns on the façade and a gold dome on the top|The [[Massachusetts State House]], seat of the Massachusetts state government, on Beacon Hill]]
In addition to city government, numerous commissions and state authorities—including the [[Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation]], the [[Boston Public Health Commission]], the [[Massachusetts Water Resources Authority|Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)]], and the [[Massachusetts Port Authority|Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)]]—play a role in the life of Bostonians. As the capital of Massachusetts, Boston plays a major role in [[Massachusetts#Politics|state politics]].

The city has several federal facilities, including the [[John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building]], the [[Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Building]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104959 |title=Massachusetts Real Estate Portfolio |publisher=United States General Services Administration |accessdate=March 11, 2014 }}</ref>
the [[United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit]], the [[United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts]], and the [[Federal Reserve Bank of Boston]].

Federally, Boston is split between two congressional districts. The northern three-fourths of the city is in the [[Massachusetts's 7th congressional district|7th district]], represented by [[Mike Capuano]] since 1998. The southern fourth is in the [[Massachusetts's 8th congressional district|8th district]], represented by [[Stephen Lynch (politician)|Stephen Lynch]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.govtrack.us/congress/findyourreps.xpd?state=MA |title=Massachusetts's Representatives – Congressional District Maps |year=2007 |publisher=GovTrack.us |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> Both are Democrats; a Republican has not represented a significant portion of Boston in over a century. The state's senior member of the [[United States Senate]] is Democrat [[Elizabeth Warren]], first elected in 2012. The state's junior member of the United States Senate is Democrat [[Ed Markey]], who was elected in 2013 to succeed [[John Kerry]] after Kerry's appointment and confirmation as the [[United States Secretary of State]].

{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 17, 2012<ref>{{cite web|title =The Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Enrollment Breakdown as of 10/17/2012 | publisher=Massachusetts Elections Division | format = PDF | date=2012-11-01 | accessdate=2013-03-07| page=16 | url = http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/ele12/06NOV2012_ST_Party_Enrollment_Stats_3.pdf}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of Voters
! Percentage
{{American politics/party colors/Democratic/row}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 211,257
| style="text-align:center;"| 54.58%
{{American politics/party colors/Republican/row}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 25,903
| style="text-align:center;"| 6.69%
{{American politics/party colors/Green/row}}
| [[Green-Rainbow Party|Green-Rainbow]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 686
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.17%
{{American politics/party colors/Independent/row}}
| Unaffiliated
| style="text-align:center;"| 147,813
| style="text-align:center;"| 38.19%

|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 387,040
! style="text-align:center;"| 100%
|}

==Education==

===Primary and secondary education===
[[File:Latin Public School.jpg|thumb|alt=Three-story brick building façade with three white columns surrounding a brown wooden door located on the ground floor|[[Boston Latin School]]]]

The [[Boston Public Schools]] enrolls 57,000 students attending 145 schools, including its prestigious "exam" secondary schools: [[Boston Latin Academy]], [[John D. O'Bryant School of Math & Science]], and [[Boston Latin School]]. The Boston Latin School, established 1635, is the oldest public high school in the US; Boston also operates the United States' second oldest public high school, and its oldest public elementary school.<ref name="BPS"/>

The system's students are 35% Black or African American, 42% Hispanic or Latino, 13% White, and 8% Asian.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/files/bps_at_a_glance_12-0419_0.pdf |title=Boston Public Schools at a Glance 2011–2012 |publisher=Boston Public Schools |date=April 2012|accessdate=2013-02-20}}</ref> There are private, parochial, and [[charter school]]s as well, and approximately 3,300 minority students attend participating suburban schools through the [[METCO|Metropolitan Educational Opportunity Council]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.doe.mass.edu/metco/ | title=Metco Program | publisher=Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education | date=2011-06-16| accessdate=2013-02-20}}</ref>

===Higher education===
{{See also|List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston}}

[[File:Marsh Chapel.jpg|thumb|alt=Brick square surrounded by gray and white stone buildings, with a chapel in the center background|Marsh Chapel at Boston University]]
Greater Boston has more than 100 colleges and universities, with 250,000 students enrolled in Boston and Cambridge alone.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bu.edu/metinternational/discover/city-of-boston/ |title=City of Boston |year=2014 |publisher=Boston University |accessdate=2014-02-09}}</ref> Its largest private universities include [[Boston University]] (the city's fourth-largest employer)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/PDF/ResearchPublications//pdr509.pdf |format=PDF|title=Largest Employers in the City of Boston |publisher=Boston Redevelopment Authority |year=1996–1997 |accessdate=2012-05-06}}</ref> with its main campus along [[Commonwealth Avenue, Boston|Commonwealth Avenue]] and a medical campus in the [[South End, Boston, Massachusetts|South End]]; [[Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)|Northeastern University]] in the [[Fenway-Kenmore|Fenway]] area;<ref>{{cite news |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/northeastern-university-2199|title=Northeastern University |work=U.S. News and World Reports |year=2013 |accessdate=2013-02-05}}</ref> [[Suffolk University]] near [[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]], which includes [[Suffolk University Law School|law school]] and [[Sawyer Business School|business school]];<ref>{{cite news |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/suffolk-university-2218 |title=Suffolk University |work=U.S. News and World Reports |year=2013 |accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref> and [[Boston College]], which straddles the Boston (Brighton)–Newton border.<ref>{{cite news |author=Laczkoski, Michelle |url=http://dailyfreepress.com/2006/02/27/bc-outlines-move-into-allston-brighton/ |title=BC outlines move into Allston-Brighton |date=2006-02-27|work=The Daily Free Press |publisher=Boston University |accessdate=2012-05-06}}</ref> Boston's only public university is the [[University of Massachusetts Boston]], on Columbia Point in [[Dorchester, Massachusetts|Dorchester]]. [[Roxbury Community College]] and [[Bunker Hill Community College]] are the city's two public community colleges. Altogether, Boston's colleges and universities employ over 42,600 people, accounting for nearly 7 percent of the city's workforce.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/getattachment/3488e768-1dd4-4446-a557-3892bb0445c6/ |title=Boston By The Numbers |publisher=City of Boston |accessdate=2014-06-09}}</ref>

[[File:Northeastern Shillman Hall.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Red brick building with a glass façade surrounded with white stone|Northeastern University]]
Smaller private schools include [[Emmanuel College (Massachusetts)|Emmanuel College]], [[Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences]], [[Simmons College (Massachusetts)|Simmons College]], [[Wheelock College]], [[Wentworth Institute of Technology]], [[New England School of Law]] (originally established as America's first all female law school),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nesl.edu/engaged/history.cfm |title=History of NESL |publisher=New England School of Law |year=2010|accessdate=2010-10-17}}</ref> and [[Emerson College]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/emerson-college-2146 |title=Emerson College |work=U.S. News and World Reports |year=2013 |accessdate=2013-02-06}}</ref>

Boston is home to several [[music school|conservatories]] and art schools, including [[Lesley University|Lesley University College of Art and Design]], [[Massachusetts College of Art]], [[New England Institute of Art]], [[New England School of Art and Design]] (Suffolk University), and the [[New England Conservatory]] (the oldest independent conservatory in the United States).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newenglandconservatory.edu/reports_factsheets/briefhistory.html |title=A Brief History of New England Conservatory |year=2007 |publisher=New England Conservatory of Music |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> Other conservatories include the [[Boston Conservatory]], the [[School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston|School of the Museum of Fine Arts]] and [[Berklee College of Music]].<ref>{{cite book |title=College Guide for Performing Arts Majors: The Real-World Admission Guide for Dance, Music, and Theater Majors |last=Everett |first=Carole J. |publisher=Peterson's |year=2009 |pages=199–200 |isbn=978-0-7689-2698-9}}</ref>

Several universities located outside Boston have a major presence in the city. [[Harvard University]], the nation's oldest, is located across the Charles River in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]. Its [[Harvard Business School|business]] and [[Harvard Medical School|medical]] schools are in Boston, and there are plans for additional expansion into Boston's [[Allston, Boston, Massachusetts|Allston]] neighborhood.<ref>{{cite news |author=Kladko, Brian |url=http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2007/04/23/story2.html?i=79430&b=1177300800%5E1449823 |title=Crimson Tide |date=2007-04-20|work=Boston Business Journal |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> The [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT), which originated in Boston and was long known as "[[History of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology#Boston Tech (1865–1916)|Boston Tech]]", moved across the river to Cambridge in 1916.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/when-mit-was-boston-tech |title=The MIT Press: When MIT Was "Boston Tech" |publisher=The MIT Press |year=2013 |accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> [[Tufts University]], whose main campus is north of the city in [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]] and [[Medford, Massachusetts|Medford]], administers its medical and dental school adjacent to the [[Tufts Medical Center]], a 451-bed academic medical institution that is home to both a full-service hospital for adults and the Floating Hospital for Children.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://campusmaps.tufts.edu/boston/ |title=Boston Campus Map |publisher=Tufts University |year=2013 |accessdate=2013-02-13}}</ref>

==Media==
{{Main|Media in Boston}}

===Newspapers===
''[[The Boston Globe]]'' and the ''[[Boston Herald]]'' are two of the city's major daily newspapers. The city is also served by other publications such as ''[[Boston (magazine)|Boston]] magazine'', ''[[The Improper Bostonian]]'', ''[[DigBoston]]'', and the Boston edition of ''[[Metro International|Metro]]''. ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'', headquartered in Boston, was formerly a worldwide daily newspaper but ended publication of daily print editions in 2009, switching to continuous online and weekly magazine format publications.<ref name="csm-media">{{cite web|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0327/p09s01-coop.html|title=Editor's message about changes at the Monitor|date=March 27, 2009|work=[[The Christian Science Monitor]]|accessdate=2009-07-13}}</ref> ''The Boston Globe'' also releases a teen publication to the city's public high schools, called ''Teens in Print'' or ''T.i.P.'', which is written by the city's teens and delivered quarterly within the school year.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/writeboston/TIP.asp |title=WriteBoston – T.i.P |publisher=City of Boston |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-04-28| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070207050847/http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/writeboston/TIP.asp| archivedate=2007-02-07}}</ref>

The city's growing [[Latino]] population has given rise to a number of local and regional [[Spanish-language]] newspapers. These include ''El Planeta'' (owned by the former publisher of ''[[The Boston Phoenix]]''), ''El Mundo'', and ''La Semana''. ''Siglo21'', with its main offices in nearby [[Lawrence, MA|Lawrence]], is also widely distributed.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/articles/2008/09/06/a_new_day_dawns_for_a_spanish_language_publication/ | title=A new day dawns for a Spanish-language publication | work=The Boston Globe | date=2008-09-06 | author=Diaz, Johnny | accessdate=2013-02-04}}</ref>

Various LGBT publications serve the city's large LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community such as ''The Rainbow Times'', the only minority and lesbian-owned LGBT newsmagazine. Founded in 2006, ''The Rainbow Times'' is now based out of Boston, but serves all of New England.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/01/26/bay_windows_acquires_monthly_paper/ | title=Bay Windows acquires monthly paper | author=Diaz, Johnny | date=2011-01-26 | work=The Boston Globe | accessdate=2013-02-04}}</ref>

===Radio and television===
Boston has the largest broadcasting market in New England, with the radio market being the eleventh largest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.arbitron.com/radio_stations/mm001050.asp |title=Arbitron – Market Ranks and Schedule, 1–50 |publisher=Arbitron |date=Fall 2005 |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> Several major [[AM broadcasting|AM]] stations include [[talk radio]] [[WRKO|WRKO 680 AM]], [[sports radio|sports]]/talk station [[WEEI|WEEI 850 AM]], and [[CBS Radio]] [[WBZ (AM)|WBZ 1030 AM]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.fcc.gov/encyclopedia/am-broadcast-station-classes-clear-regional-and-local-channels | title=AM Broadcast Classes; Clear, Regional, and Local Channels | date=2012-01-20 | publisher=Federal Communications Commission | accessdate=2013-02-20}}</ref> WBZ (AM) broadcasts a [[all-news radio|news radio]] format. A variety of [[FM broadcasting|FM]] [[radio format]]s serve the area, as do [[National Public Radio|NPR]] stations [[WBUR]] and [[WGBH (FM)|WGBH]]. College and university radio stations include [[WERS]] (Emerson), [[WHRB]] (Harvard), [[WUMB]] (UMass Boston), [[WMBR]] (MIT), [[WZBC]] (Boston College), [[WMFO]] (Tufts University), [[WBRS]] (Brandeis University), [[WTBU]] (Boston University, campus and web only), [[WRBB]] (Northeastern University) and [[WMLN-FM|WMLN]] (Curry College).

The Boston television [[Designated market area|DMA]], which also includes [[Manchester, New Hampshire]], is the seventh largest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html |archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20070217164310/http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html |archivedate=2007-02-17 |title=DMA Listing |year=2006 |publisher=Nielsen Media |accessdate=2007-02-18}}</ref> The city is served by stations representing every major [[List of United States broadcast television networks|American network]], including [[WBZ-TV|WBZ 4]] and its sister station [[WSBK-TV|WSBK 38]] (the former with [[CBS]], the latter an [[MyNetwork TV]] affiliate), [[WCVB-TV|WCVB 5]] ([[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]), [[WHDH-TV|WHDH 7]] ([[NBC]]), [[WFXT-TV|WFXT 25]] ([[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]), and [[WLVI-TV|WLVI 56]] ([[The CW Television Network|The CW]]). The city is also home to [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] station [[WGBH-TV|WGBH 2]], a major producer of PBS programs,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.wgbh.org/about/index.cfm | title=About Us: From our President | publisher=WGBH | year=2013 | accessdate=2013-03-05}}</ref> which also operates [[WGBX|WGBX 44]]. Spanish-language television networks, including [[MundoFox]] ([[WFXZ-CD|WFXZ 24]]), [[Univision]] ([[WUNI|WUNI 27]]), [[Telemundo]] ([[WNEU|WNEU 60]]), and [[Telefutura]] ([[WUTF-DT|WUTF 66]]), have a presence in the region. Most of the area's television stations have their transmitters in nearby [[Needham, Massachusetts|Needham]] and [[Newton, Massachusetts|Newton]] along the [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128 corridor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/route-128.html |title=The Route 128 tower complex |year=2007 |publisher=The Boston Radio Archives |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==

===Healthcare===
{{See also|List of hospitals in Massachusetts#Boston|l1=List of hospitals in Boston}}
[[File:View-over-lma.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Skyline of several white and beige stone buildings and highrises|Longwood Medical and Academic Area]]
The [[Longwood Medical and Academic Area]], adjacent to the Fenway district, is home to a large number of medical and research facilities, including [[Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center]], [[Brigham and Women's Hospital]], [[Children's Hospital Boston]], [[Dana-Farber Cancer Institute]], and the [[Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.masco.org/masco/about-masco |title=About MASCO |publisher=MASCO – Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization |year=2007 |accessdate=2012-05-06}}</ref>
A smaller cluster of prominent medical facilities, hard by Beacon Hill, includes [[Massachusetts General Hospital]], [[Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary]] and [[Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital]]. [[St. Elizabeth's Medical Center (Boston)|St. Elizabeth's Medical Center]] is in Brighton Center of the city's Brighton neighborhood. [[New England Baptist Hospital]] is in Mission Hill. [[VA Boston Healthcare System|The city has Veterans Affairs medical centers]] in the Jamaica Plain and West Roxbury neighborhoods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www1.va.gov/directory/guide/rpt_fac_list.cfm?isflash=0 |title=Facility Listing Report |year=2007 |publisher=United States Department of Veterans Affairs |accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> The [[Boston Public Health Commission]], an agency of the Massachusetts government, oversees health concerns for city residents.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bphc.org/about/Pages/Home.aspx |title=About BHC - The Nation's First Health Department | publisher=Boston Public Health Commission|year=2013|accessdate=2013-02-05}}</ref>

Many of Boston's medical facilities are associated with universities. The facilities in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area and in Massachusetts General Hospital are affiliated with [[Harvard Medical School]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massgeneral.org/about/overview.aspx |title=Hospital Overview | publisher=Massachusetts General Hospital | year=2013|accessdate=2013-02-05}}</ref> [[Tufts Medical Center]] (formerly Tufts-New England Medical Center), located in the southern portion of the Chinatown neighborhood, is affiliated with [[Tufts University School of Medicine]]. [[Boston Medical Center]], located in the South End neighborhood, is the primary teaching facility for the [[Boston University School of Medicine]] as well as the largest trauma center in the Boston area;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bmc.org/about/facts06.pdf |format=PDF |title=Boston Medical Center – Facts |publisher=Boston Medical Center |date=November 2006 |accessdate=2007-02-21| archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070203221200/http://www.bmc.org/about/facts06.pdf| archivedate=2007-02-03}}</ref> it was formed by the merger of Boston University Hospital and Boston City Hospital, which was the first municipal hospital in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.childrenshospital.org/bcrp/Site2213/mainpageS2213P2.html |title=Boston Medical Center |publisher=Children's Hospital Boston |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-11-14}}</ref>

===Transportation===
{{Main|Transportation in Boston}}
[[File:Logan Airport aerial view.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Aerial view of Logan Airport with Boston Harbor on the top of the image|Aerial view of Logan Airport]]
[[Logan International Airport|Logan Airport]], located in [[East Boston]] and operated by the [[Massachusetts Port Authority|Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)]], is Boston's principal airport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massport.com/logan/about.asp |title=About Logan |year=2007 |publisher=Massport |accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref> Nearby [[general aviation]] airports are [[Beverly Municipal Airport]] to the north, [[Hanscom Field]] to the west, and [[Norwood Memorial Airport]] to the south. Massport also operates several major facilities within the [[Port of Boston]], including a [[cruise ship]] terminal and facilities to handle bulk and container cargo in [[South Boston]], and other facilities in [[Charlestown, Boston|Charlestown]] and [[East Boston]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.massport.com/port-of-boston/About%20Port%20of%20Boston/AboutPortofBoston.aspx | title=About Port of Boston | publisher=Massport | year=2013 | accessdate=2013-03-03}}</ref>

Downtown Boston's streets grew organically, so they do not form a [[Grid plan|planned grid]],<ref>{{cite journal |author=Shurtleff, Arthur A. |title=The Street Plan of the Metropolitan District of Boston |journal=Landscape Architecture 1 |date=January 1911 |pages=71–83 |url=http://www.library.cornell.edu/Reps/DOCS/shurbos.htm}}</ref> unlike those in later-developed [[Back Bay, Boston|Back Bay]], [[East Boston]], the [[South End, Boston|South End]], and [[South Boston, Boston|South Boston]]. Boston is the eastern terminus of [[Interstate 90|I-90]], which in Massachusetts runs along the [[Massachusetts Turnpike]]. The elevated portion of the [[Central Artery]], which carried most of the through traffic in downtown Boston, was replaced with the [[Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel|O'Neill Tunnel]] during the [[Big Dig]], [[Construction management#Post-Construction|substantially completed]] in early 2006.

[[File:RedLineCharlesMGH.jpg|thumb|alt=A silver and red rapid transit train entering an above-ground station|An MBTA Red Line train on the [[Longfellow Bridge]]]]
With nearly a third of Bostonians using public transit for their commute to work, Boston has the [[List of U.S. cities with high transit ridership|fifth-highest rate of public transit usage in the country]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/prod/1/gen/pio/cay961a2.pdf |format=PDF |title=Census and You |publisher=US Census Bureau |page=12|date=January 1996 |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> The [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA—known as the "T") operates the oldest underground rapid transit system in the United States and is the [[List of United States rapid transit systems by ridership|fourth busiest rapid transit system in the country]],{{sfn|Hull|2011|p=42}} with {{convert|65.5|mi|0}} of track on four lines.<ref name="light rail">{{cite web |url=http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_bos001.htm |title=Boston: Light Rail Transit Overview |publisher=Light Rail Progress |date=May 2003 |accessdate=2007-02-19}}</ref> The MBTA also operates busy bus and commuter rail networks, and water shuttles.<ref name="light rail"/>

[[File:SouthStation.agr.JPG|thumb|left|alt=Beige stone building with columns on the façade and a clock at the top|South Station]]
[[Amtrak]]'s [[Northeast Corridor]] and Chicago lines originate at [[South Station]], which serves as a major [[Intermodal passenger transport|intermodal transportation]] hub, and stop at [[Back Bay (MBTA station)|Back Bay]]. Fast Northeast Corridor trains, which serve New York City, Washington, D.C., and points in between, also stop at [[Route 128 (MBTA station)|Route 128 Station]] in the southwestern suburbs of Boston.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&c=am2Station&cid=1080080550818&ssid=93 |title=Westwood—Route 128 Station, MA (RTE) |publisher=Amtrak |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref> Meanwhile, Amtrak's ''[[Downeaster]]'' service to [[Maine]] originates at [[North Station]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&c=am2Station&cid=1080080550772&ssid=93 |title=Boston—South Station, MA (BOS) |publisher=Amtrak |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-05-09}}</ref>

Nicknamed "The Walking City", Boston hosts more pedestrian commuters than do other comparably populated cities. Owing to factors such as the compactness of the city and large student population, 13% of the population commutes by foot, making it the [[List of U.S. cities with most pedestrian commuters|highest percentage of pedestrian commuters in the country]] out of the major American cities.<ref>Of cities over 250,000 {{cite web |url=http://www.bikesatwork.com/carfree/census-lookup.php?state_select=*&lower_pop=250000&upper_pop=999999999&sort_num=2&show_rows=25&first_row=0. |title=Carfree Database Results – Highest percentage (Cities over 250,000) |publisher=Bikes at Work Inc. |year=2007 |accessdate=2007-02-26}}</ref> In 2011, [[Walk Score]] ranked Boston the third most walkable city in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/07/20/BUUK1KCC67.DTL&tsp=1 |title=S.F., Oakland in top 10 most walkable U.S. cities |work=San Francisco Chronicle |accessdate=2011-07-20|first=Carolyn |last=Said |date=2011-07-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-10-most-walkable-us-cities-2011-07-20?link=MW_popular |title=The 10 most walkable U.S. cities |publisher=MarketWatch |year=2011 |accessdate=2011-07-20}}</ref> {{As of|2013}}, Walk Score still ranks Boston as the third most walkable US city, with a Walk Score of 79, a Transit Score of 74, and a Bike Score of 68.<ref name=WalkScore>{{cite web|title=Boston|url=http://www.walkscore.com/MA/Boston|work=Walk Score|publisher=Walk Score|accessdate=2013-08-11}}</ref>

Between 1999 and 2006, ''[[Bicycling (magazine)|Bicycling]]'' magazine named Boston three times as one of the worst cities in the US for cycling;<ref>{{cite journal |author=MacLaughlin, Nina |year=2006 |title=Boston Can Be Bike City&nbsp;... If You Fix These Five Big Problems |journal=The Phoenix – Bicycle Bible 2006 |url=http://thephoenix.com/supplements/2006/bicyclebible/article.aspx?ID=Boston}}{{dead link|date=April 2014}}</ref> regardless, it has one of the highest rates of bicycle commuting.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.des.ucdavis.edu/faculty/handy/ESP178/Dill_bike_facilities.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=Dill bike facilities |title=Bicycle Commuting and Facilities in Major U.S. Cities: If You Build Them, Commuters Will Use Them – Another Look |page=5 |year=2003 |accessdate=2007-04-04}}</ref> In 2008, as a consequence of improvements made to bicycling conditions within the city, the same magazine put Boston on its "Five for the Future" list as a "Future Best City" for biking,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/us/09bike.html |title=Boston Tries to Shed Longtime Reputation as Cyclists' Minefield |accessdate=2009-08-16|author=Katie Zezima|work=The New York Times | date=2009-08-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-2-13-17078-1,00.html|title=A Future Best City: Boston|accessdate=2009-08-16|publisher=Rodale Inc|archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20100211195827/http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s1-2-13-17078-1,00.html|archivedate=2010-02-11}}</ref> and Boston's bicycle commuting percentage increased from 1% in 2000 to 2.1% in 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatlanticcities.com/commute/2011/09/substantial-increases-bike-ridership-across-nation/161/|title=Is Bicycle Commuting Really Catching On? And if So, Where?|accessdate=2011-12-28|publisher=The Atlantic Media Company}}</ref> The bikeshare program called [[Hubway]] launched in late July 2011,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/21/boston_set_to_launch_bike_share_program/|title=Hub set to launch bike-share program|work=The Boston Globe|author=Moskowitz, Eric|date=2011-04-21|accessdate=2013-02-05}}</ref> logging more than 140,000 rides before the close of its first season.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.boston.com/2012-03-29/yourtown/31255679_1_bike-stations-miles-of-bike-lane-new-bike-lines|title=Hubway bike system to be fully launched by April 1|author=Fox, Jeremy C. | publisher=''The Boston Globe''|date=2012-03-29|accessdate=2012-04-20 }}</ref> The neighboring municipalities of [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], [[Somerville, Massachusetts|Somerville]], and [[Brookline, Massachusetts|Brookline]] joined the Hubway program in summer 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/cambridge/2012/08/hubway_expands_to_brookline_so.html|title=Hubway expands to Brookline, Somerville, Cambridge|author=Franzini, Laura E.|publisher=''The Boston Globe''|date=2012-08-08|accessdate=2013-03-15}}</ref>

==Notable people==
{{Main|List of people from Boston}}

==Sister cities==
{{Main|Sister cities of Boston}}
Boston has nine official sister cities as recognized by [[Sister Cities International]].<ref name="Sister city">{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/sistercity.asp |title=Boston Sister Cities |accessdate=2009-04-05|publisher=The City of Boston |archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20090208224246/http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/sistercity.asp <!-- Last-Modified: Wed, January 31, 2007 13:19:13 GMT --> |archivedate=2009-02-08}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! City
! Country
! Since
! References
|-
| [[Kyoto]]
| [[Japan]]
| align=center | 1959
| align=center |<ref name="Kyoto twinnings">{{cite web | url = http://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/sogo/page/0000083407.html|title=Sister Cities of Kyoto City|accessdate=2014-01-21|publisher=City of Kyoto|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140121151906/http://www.city.kyoto.lg.jp/sogo/page/0000083407.html|archivedate=2014-01-21}}</ref>
|-
| [[Strasbourg]]
| [[France]]
| align=center | 1960
| align=center |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.en.strasbourg.eu/en/europe-international/partnerships-and-solidarity/strasbourg-twin-city/ |title=Strasbourg, twin city |accessdate=2013-02-17|publisher=City and Urban Community of Strasbourg}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://boston-strasbourg.webs.com/history.htm |title=Highlights of fifty years 1960–2010 |accessdate=2013-02-17| publisher=Boston/Strasbourg Sister City Association (BSSCA)}}</ref>
|-
| [[Barcelona]]
| [[Spain]]
| align=center | 1980
| align=center |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://w3.bcn.es/XMLServeis/XMLHomeLinkPl/0,4022,229724149_257218473_3,00.html |title=Twinning agreements – Boston |accessdate=2009-04-05|publisher=Barcelona City Council}}</ref><ref name="Barcelona">{{cite web|url=http://w3.bcn.es/XMLServeis/XMLHomeLinkPl/0,4022,229724149_257215678_1,00.html|title=Barcelona internacional – Ciutats agermanades|publisher=2006–2009 [http://www.bcn.es/catala/copyright/welcome2.htm Ajuntament de Barcelona]|language=Catalan|accessdate=2009-07-13}}</ref>
|-
| [[Hangzhou]]
| [[China|People's Republic of China]]
| align=center | 1982
| align=center |<ref name="Sister city"/>
|-
| [[Padua]]
| [[Italy]]
| align=center | 1983
| align=center |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.padovanet.it/dettaglio.jsp?id=2867 |title=The twin cities of Padua |accessdate=2009-04-05|date=2008-06-04|work=Padovanet |publisher=Comune di Padova|language=Italian}}</ref>
|-
| [[Melbourne]]
| [[Australia]]
| align=center | 1985
| align=center |
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/info.cfm?top=161&pa=2979&pg=1646 |title=Sister cities – Boston |accessdate=2009-04-05|publisher=City of Melbourne}}</ref>
|-
| [[Taipei]]
| [[Republic of China]] ([[Taiwan]])
| align=center | 1996
| align=center |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tcc.gov.tw/eng/sister_cities.htm |title=International Sister Cities |accessdate=2009-04-05|publisher=Taipei City Council}}</ref>
|-
| [[Sekondi-Takoradi]]
| [[Ghana]]
| align=center | 2001
| align=center |<ref name="Sister city"/>
|-
| [[Belfast]]
| [[Northern Ireland]]
| align=center | 2014
| align=center |<ref>{{cite news|last=Ellement|first=John|title=Boston signs sister city agreement with Belfast|url=http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/05/12/boston-inks-sister-city-agreement-with-belfast-home-titanic-and-game-thrones-series/hsCs7ou297cfFalfWCu9TM/story.html|accessdate=12 May 2014|newspaper=Boston Globe|date=12 May 2014}}</ref>
|}

Boston has less formal friendship or partnership relationships with three additional cities.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! City
! Country
! Since
! References
|-
| [[Boston, Lincolnshire]]
| [[United Kingdom]]
| align=center | 1999
| align=center |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=361&Itemid=3531 |title=Town twinning |accessdate=2009-04-05|publisher=Boston Borough Council|archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20110520160801/http://www.boston.gov.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=361&Itemid=3531|archivedate=2011-05-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historicbostons.com/ |title=Partnership of the Historic Bostons |accessdate=2009-04-05|publisher=Partnership of the Historic Bostons}}</ref><ref name="Strasbourg twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.en.strasbourg.eu/en/europe-international/partnerships-and-solidarity/strasbourg-twin-city/|title=Strasbourg, Twin City|accessdate=2013-08-21|work=Strasbourg.eu & Communauté Urbaine|archiveurl=//web.archive.org/web/20130728153619/http://www.en.strasbourg.eu/en/europe-international/partnerships-and-solidarity/strasbourg-twin-city/|archivedate= 2013-07-28}}</ref>
|-
| [[Haifa]]
| [[Israel]]
| align=center | 1999
| align=center |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.haifa.muni.il/haifa/pages/boston.aspx |title=Boston |accessdate=2009-04-05|publisher=Haifa Municipality |language=Hebrew}}</ref>
|-
| [[Valladolid]]
| Spain
| align=center | 2007
| align=center |<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ava.es/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1136 |title=Valladolid and Boston have signed a protocol of friendship between the two cities |accessdate=2009-04-05|date=2007-09-18|author=Press Office of the Municipality of Valladolid |publisher=Ayuntamiento de Valladolid |language=Spanish}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
{{portal|Boston|North America|United States|Massachusetts}}
* [[Boston–Halifax relations]]
* [[Boston nicknames]]
* [[List of diplomatic missions in Boston]]
* [[List of people from Boston]]
* [[List of tallest buildings in Boston]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Boston, Massachusetts]]
* [[2013 Boston Marathon bombings]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==

===Specific===
{{Reflist|30em}}

===General===
*{{Cite book | last1=Bluestone | first1=Barry | last2=Stevenson | first2=Mary Huff | title=The Boston Renaissance: Race, Space, and Economic Change in an American Metropolis | publisher=Russell Sage Foundation | year=2002 | isbn=978-1-61044-072-1 |ref=harv }}
*{{Cite book | last=Bolino | first=August C. | title=Men of Massachusetts: Bay State Contributors to American Society | publisher=iUniverse | year=2012 | isbn=978-1-4759-3376-5 |ref=harv }}
*{{Cite book | last=Christopher | first=Paul J.| title=50 Plus One Greatest Cities in the World You Should Visit | publisher=Encouragement Press, LLC. | year=2006 | isbn=978-1-933766-01-0 |ref=harv }}
*{{Cite book| last=Hull | first=Sarah | title=The Rough Guide to Boston | publisher=Penguin | edition=6 | year=2011 | isbn=978-1-4053-8247-2 |ref=harv }}
*{{Cite book | last=Kennedy | first=Lawrence W. | title=Planning the City Upon a Hill: Boston Since 1630 | publisher=University of Massachusetts Press | year=1994 | isbn=978-0-87023-923-6 |ref=harv }}
*{{Cite book| last=Morris | first=Jerry | title=The Boston Globe Guide to Boston | publisher=Globe Pequot | year=2005 | isbn=978-0-7627-3430-6 |ref=harv }}
*{{Cite book | last=Vorhees | first=Mara | title=Lonely Planet Boston City Guide | publisher=Lonely Planet | edition=4 | year=2009 | isbn=978-1-74179-178-5 |ref=harv }}
*{{Cite book|last=Wechter|first=Eric B. et al. |title=Fodor's Boston 2009 |publisher=Random House Digital, Inc. |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-4000-0699-1 |ref=harv }}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book | last1=Beagle | first=Jonathan M. | last2=Penn | first2=Elan | title=Boston: A Pictorial Celebration | year=2006 | publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. | isbn=978-1-4027-1977-6}}
*{{cite book | last=Brown | first=Robin | coauthor=''The Boston Globe'' | title=Boston's Secret Spaces: 50 Hidden Corners In and Around the Hub | year=2009 | publisher=Globe Pequot | edition=1 | isbn=978-0-7627-5062-7}}
*{{cite book | last1=Hantover | first1=Jeffrey | last2=King | first2=Gilbert | title=City in Time: Boston | year=2008 | publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. | isbn=978-1-4027-3300-0}}
*{{cite book | last=O'Connell | first=James C. | title=The Hub’s Metropolis: Greater Boston’s Development from Railroad Suburbs to Smart Growth | publisher=MIT Press | year=2013 | isbn=9780262018753 | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UY5SjKPbaGoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false}}
*{{cite book | last=O'Connor | first=Thomas H. | title=Boston: A to Z | year=2000 | publisher=Harvard University Press | isbn=978-0-674-00310-1}}
*{{cite book | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=RbMBOZux_JsC&printsec=frontcover | title=Boston's immigrants, 1840–1925 | year=2000 | last1=Price | first1=Michael | last2=Sammarco | first2=Anthony Mitchell | publisher=Arcadia Publishing | isbn=978-0-7524-0921-4}}
*{{cite book | editor1-last=Krieger | editor1-first=Alex | editor2-last=Cobb | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Turner | editor3-first=Amy | title=Mapping Boston | year=2001 | publisher=MIT Press | isbn=978-0-262-61173-2}}
*{{cite book | last=Seasholes | first=Nancy S. |title=Gaining Ground: A History of Landmaking in Boston|location=Cambridge, Massachusetts |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |year=2003|isbn=978-0-262-19494-5}}
*{{cite book| last=Shand-Tucci | first=Douglass | title=Built in Boston: City & Suburb, 1800–2000 | edition=2 |publisher=University of Massachusetts Press | year=1999| isbn=978-1-55849-201-1}}
*{{cite book | last1=Southworth | first1=Michael | last2=Southworth | first2=Susan | title=AIA Guide to Boston, 3rd Edition: Contemporary Landmarks, Urban Design, Parks, Historic Buildings and Neighborhoods | year=2008 | edition=3 | publisher=Globe Pequot | isbn=978-0-7627-4337-7}}
*{{cite book | last=Vrabel | first=Jim |author2=Bostonian Society | title=When in Boston: A Time Line & Almanac | year=2004 | publisher=Northeastern University Press | isbn=978-1-55553-620-6}}
*{{cite book | last1=Whitehill | first1=Walter Muir | last2=Kennedy | first2= Lawrence W. | title=Boston: A Topographical History | edition=3 | year=2000 | publisher=Belknap Press of Harvard University Press | isbn=978-0-674-00268-5}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Boston}}
*{{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Massachusetts/Localities/B/Boston}}
* [http://www.cityofboston.gov/ City of Boston official website]
* [http://maps.bpl.org/search/apachesolr_search/Boston?filters=tid%3A28750&solrsort=sort_ss_cck_field_order_by_date%20asc Historical Maps of Boston] from the [[Norman B. Leventhal Map Center]] at the [[Boston Public Library]]
* [http://dca.tufts.edu/features/bostonstreets/ Boston Streets: Mapping Directory Data] from [[Tufts University]], with support from the [[Institute of Museum and Library Services]] and [[The Bostonian Society]]
* Maps of [http://www.radicalcartography.net/?bigboston income], [http://www.radicalcartography.net/?boston-f-g landfill growth], [http://www.radicalcartography.net/?bostonnow public transport], and [http://www.radicalcartography.net/?bostonsquares squares] from Radical Cartography
* [http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=sArNgO4T4MoC ''Boston Evening Transcript,''] Google news archive. <small>—PDFs of 14,086 issues, dating from 1851 to 1915.</small>

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