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Revision 814903432 of "Massachusetts" on enwikiGucci Gang, ooh, yeah, Lil Pump, yeah, Gucci Gang, ooh
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang (Gucci gang!)
Spend ten racks on a new chain
My bitch love do cocaine, ooh
I fuck a bitch, I forgot her name
I can't buy a bitch no wedding ring
Rather go and buy Balmains
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang (Gucci gang!)
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang (Gucci gang!)
Spend ten racks on a new chain
My bitch love do cocaine, ooh
I fuck a bitch, I forgot her name, yeah
I can't buy no bitch no wedding ring
Rather go and buy Balmains, aye
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang
My lean cost more than your rent, ooh
Your mama still live in a tent, yeah
Still slanging dope in the jets, huh
Me and my grandma take meds, ooh
None of this shit be new to me
Fucking my teacher, call it tutory
Bought some red bottoms, cost hella Gs
Fuck your airline, fuck your company
Bitch, your breath smell like some cigarettes
I'd rather fuck a bitch from the projects
They kicked me out the plane off a Percocet
Now Lil Pump fly a private jet
Everybody screaming "fuck West Jet!"
Lil Pump still sell that meth
Hunnid on my wrist sippin on Tech
Fuck a lil bitch, make her pussy wet
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang (Gucci gang!)
Spend ten racks on a new chain
My bitch love do cocaine, ooh
I fuck a bitch, I forgot her name
I can't buy a bitch no wedding ring
Rather go and buy Balmains
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang (Gucci gang!)
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang (Gucci gang!)
Spend ten racks on a new chain
My bitch love do cocaine, ooh
I fuck a bitch, I forgot her name
I can't buy no bitch no wedding ring
Rather go and buy Balmains, aye
Gucci gang, Gucci gang, Gucci gang
Lil Pump, yeah, Lil Pump, ooh
{{About|the U.S. state}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2017}}
{{Infobox U.S. state
| Name = Massachusetts
| Fullname = Commonwealth of Massachusetts
| Flag = Flag_of_Massachusetts.svg
| Flaglink = [[Flag of Massachusetts|Flag]]
| Seal = Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg
| Map = Massachusetts in United States (zoom).svg
| Nickname = The Bay State
| Motto = ''[[Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem]]'' ([[Latin]])<br /><small>By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty</small>
| MottoEnglish = By the sword she seeks peace under liberty
| StateAnthem = [[All Hail to Massachusetts]]
| Demonym = Bay Stater (official)<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 2, Section 35: Designation of citizens of commonwealth |url=http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/mgl/2-35.htm |publisher=The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |accessdate=February 29, 2008}}</ref> Massachusite (traditional)<ref>{{cite journal |page=435 |title=Collections |publisher=[[Massachusetts Historical Society]] |place=Boston |year=1877 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rdbnCkXB2RwC |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jones |first=Thomas |page=465 |title=History of New York During the Revolutionary War |publisher=[[New-York Historical Society]] |editor-first=Edward Floyd |editor-last=DeLancey |place=New York |year=1879 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pbuXATAHXMEC |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref> Massachusettsian<ref>{{cite book |last=Hendrickson |first1=Robert |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yXY0yQnvmmUC&dq |title=The Facts on File Dictionary of American Regionalisms |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2000 |isbn=978-1438129921 |accessdate=April 21, 2017 }}</ref>
| Capital = [[Boston]]
| LargestCity = capital
| LargestMetro = [[Greater Boston]]
| Governor = [[Charlie Baker]] ([[Republican Party (United States)|R]])
| Lieutenant Governor = [[Karyn Polito]] (R)
| Legislature = [[Massachusetts General Court|General Court]]
| Upperhouse = [[Massachusetts Senate|Senate]]
| Lowerhouse = [[Massachusetts House of Representatives|House of Representatives]]
| Senators = [[Elizabeth Warren]] ([[Democratic Party (United States)|D]])<br />[[Ed Markey]] (D)
| Representative = 9 [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]
| PostalAbbreviation = MA
| TradAbbreviation = Mass.
| OfficialLang = [[English language|English]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Schwarz |first1=Hunter |title=States where English is the official language |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/08/12/states-where-english-is-the-official-language/ |accessdate=December 29, 2014 |work=[[The Washington Post]] |date=August 12, 2014}}</ref>
|Languages =
* [[English language|English]] 77.4%
* [[Spanish language|Spanish]] 8.6%
* [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] 2.8%
* [[Chinese language|Chinese]] 2.1%<ref>{{cite web |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/B16001/0400000US25 |title=Language spoken at home by ability to speak English for the population 5 years and over – 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates |publisher=[[American FactFinder]] |accessdate=February 6, 2016}}</ref>
| AreaRank = 44th
| TotalAreaUS = 10,565<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25000.html |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref><!-- To nearest sqmi., from USCensus web page -->
| TotalArea = 27,337 <!-- conversion to nearest km² -->
| LandAreaUS = 7,840
| LandArea = 20,306
| WaterAreaUS = 2,715
| WaterArea = 22,031
| PCWater = 25.7 <!-- calculation: Water area over Total area -->
| PopRank = 15th
|2010Pop = 6,811,779 (2016 est.)<ref name=PopHousingEst>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates |date=June 22, 2017 |accessdate=June 22, 2017|publisher=[[U.S. Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
| DensityRank = 3rd<ref name=worldAtlus>{{cite web |title=U. S. States by size |url=http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/usabysiz.htm |publisher=WorldAtlas.com |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref>
| 2000DensityUS = 840
| 2000Density = 324
| MedianHouseholdIncome = $67,861<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kff.org/other/state-indicator/median-annual-income/?currentTimeframe=0|publisher=The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation|title=Median Annual Household Income|accessdate=December 9, 2016}}</ref>
| IncomeRank = 7th
| Former = [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]]
| AdmittanceOrder = 6th
| AdmittanceDate = February 6, 1788
| TimeZone = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern]]: [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] [[Eastern Time Zone|-5]]/[[Eastern Daylight Time|-4]]
| Latitude = 41° 14′ N to 42° 53′ N
| Longitude = 69° 56′ W to 73° 30′ W
| LengthUS = 113
| Length = 182
| WidthUS = 183
| Width = 295
| HighestPoint = [[Mount Greylock]]<ref>{{cite ngs| name=Greylock RM 1 Reset| pid=MZ1957}}</ref><ref>Elevation adjusted to [[North American Vertical Datum of 1988]].</ref>
| HighestElevUS = 3,489
| HighestElev = 1063.4
| MeanElevUS = 500
| MeanElev = 150
| LowestPoint = Atlantic Ocean
| LowestElevUS = 0
| LowestElev = 0
| ISOCode = US-MA
| Website = http://www.mass.gov/
}}
{{Infobox U.S. state symbols
| Name = Massachusetts
| Flag = Flag_of_Massachusetts.svg
| Seal = Seal_of_Massachusetts.svg
| Bird = [[Black-capped chickadee]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Black-Capped Chickadee:Massachusetts State Bird |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-bird/black-capped-chickadee |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 17, 2015}}</ref> [[wild turkey]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Wild Turkey:Massachusetts State Game Bird |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-bird/wild-turkey |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 17, 2015}}</ref><ref name=MassFacts>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Facts |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm |publisher=Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref>
| Fish = [[Atlantic cod|Cod]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Cod: Massachusetts State Fish |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-fish-aquatic-life/cod |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Flower = [[Epigaea repens|Mayflower]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Mayflower: Massachusetts State Flower |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-flower/mayflower |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Insect = [[Coccinella septempunctata|Ladybug]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Ladybug: Massachusetts State Insect |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-insect/ladybug |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Mammal = [[Right whale]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Right Whale: Massachusetts State Marine Mammal |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-fish-aquatic-life-state-mammal/right-whale |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref> [[Morgan horse]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Morgan Horse: Massachusetts State Horse |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-horse-state-mammal/morgan-horse |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref> [[Tabby cat]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Tabby Cat: Massachusetts State Cat |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-dog-cat-state-mammal/tabby-cat |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref> [[Boston Terrier]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Terrier: Massachusetts State Dog |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-dog-cat-state-mammal/boston-terrier |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Reptile = [[Garter snake]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Garter Snake: Massachusetts State Reptile |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-reptile/garter-snake |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Tree = [[American elm]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=American Elm: Massachusetts State Tree |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-tree/american-elm |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Beverage = [[Cranberry juice]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Cranberry Juice: Massachusetts State Beverage |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-food-agriculture-symbol/cranberry-juice |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Colors = Blue, green, cranberry<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Blue – Green – Cranberry: Massachusetts State Colors |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-colors/blue-green-cranberry |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Dance = [[Square dance]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Square Dance: Massachusetts State Folk Dance |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-dance-music-symbol/square-dance |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Food = [[Cranberry]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Cranberry: Massachusetts State Berry |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-food-agriculture-symbol/cranberry |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref> corn [[muffin]],<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Corn Muffin: Massachusetts State Muffin |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-food-agriculture-symbol/corn-muffin |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref> [[navy bean]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Baked Navy Bean: Massachusetts State Bean |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-food-agriculture-symbol/baked-navy-bean |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref> [[Boston cream pie]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Creme Pie: Massachusetts State Dessert |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-food-agriculture-symbol/boston-cream-pie |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref> [[chocolate chip cookie]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Chocolate Chip Cookie: Massachusetts State Cookie |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-food-agriculture-symbol/chocolate-chip-cookie |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref> [[Boston cream doughnut]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Boston Cream Donut: Massachusetts State Donut |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-food-agriculture-symbol/boston-cream-donut |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 18, 2015}}</ref>
| Fossil = [[Dinosaur Footprints|Dinosaur Tracks]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Dinosaur Tracks: Massachusetts State Fossil |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-dinosaur-fossil/dinosaur-tracks |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref>
| Gemstone = [[Rhodonite]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Rhodonite: Massachusetts State Gem |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-gem-gemstone/rhodonite |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref>
| Mineral = [[Babingtonite]]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Babingtonite: Massachusetts State Mineral |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-mineral-rock/babingtonite |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref>
| Motto = [[Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem]] ''([[Latin]])''<br />By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty
| Poem = [http://www.masshome.com/mapoem.html "Blue Hills of Massachusetts"]<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Blue Hills of Massachusetts: Massachusetts State Poem |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-language-poetry/blue-hills-massachusetts |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref>
| Rock = Rolling Rock<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=Rolling Rock: Massachusetts State Glacial Rock
|url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-fish-aquatic-life/new-england-neptune |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 20, 2015}}</ref>
| Shell = [[Neptunea lyrata|New England Neptune]], ''Neptunea lyrata decemcostata''<ref name=MassFacts/><ref>{{cite web |title=New England Neptune: Massachusetts State Shell |url=http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol-official-item/massachusetts/state-fish-aquatic-life/new-england-neptune |publisher=StateSymbolsUSA.org |accessdate=April 23, 2015}}</ref>
| Ships = ''[[Schooner Ernestina]]'' <ref name=MassFacts/>
| Slogan = ''Make It Yours'',<br />''The Spirit of America''<ref>{{cite web |title=State Slogans |url=http://www.ereferencedesk.com/resources/state-slogans/ |publisher=Ereferencedesk.com |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref>
| Soil = [[Paxton (soil)|Paxton]]<ref name=MassFacts/>
| Song = "[[All Hail to Massachusetts]]"<ref name=MassFacts/>
| Sport = Basketball<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/08/09/can_you_guess_the_state_sport_of_massachusetts/ |title=Can you guess the state sport of Massachusetts? |first=Michael |last=Levenson |date=August 9, 2006 |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |accessdate=February 14, 2012}}</ref>
| Route Marker = MA Route 28.svg
| Quarter = 2000 MA Proof.png
| QuarterReleaseDate = 2000<ref>{{cite web |title=The Official Massachusetts State Quarter |url=http://www.theus50.com/massachusetts/quarter.php |publisher=theus50.com |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref>
}}
'''Massachusetts''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Massachusetts.ogg|ˌ|m|æ|s|ə|ˈ|tʃ|uː|s|ᵻ|t|s}} or {{IPAc-en|ˌ|m|æ|s|ə|ˈ|tʃ|uː|z|ᵻ|t|s}}), officially the '''Commonwealth of Massachusetts''', is the most populous [[U.S. state|state]] in the [[New England]] region of the [[northeastern United States]]. It is bordered by the [[Atlantic Ocean]] to the east, the states of [[Connecticut]] and [[Rhode Island]] to the south, [[New Hampshire]] and [[Vermont]] to the north, and [[New York (state)|New York]] to the west. The state is named for the [[Massachusett]] tribe, which once inhabited the area. The capital of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England is [[Boston]]. Over 80% of Massachusetts's population lives in the [[Greater Boston]] metropolitan area, a region influential upon American [[History of the United States|history]], [[academia]], and [[Economy of the United States|industry]].<ref name=GreaterBoston>{{cite web |last1=Douglas |first1=Craig |title=Greater Boston gains population, remains 10th-largest region in U.S. |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2010/03/22/daily22.html?page=all |publisher=bizjournals.com |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing and trade,<ref>{{cite web |title=Maritime Commerce |url=http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/commerce.htm |publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the [[Industrial Revolution]].<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Lowell, Massachusetts |url=http://www.lowell.com/city-of-lowell/lowell-history/ |publisher=City of Lowell |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> During the 20th century, Massachusetts's economy shifted from manufacturing to services.<ref>{{cite web |title=Staying Power: The Future of Manufacturing in Massachusetts |url=http://masstech.org/sites/mtc/files/documents/Staying_Power.pdf |publisher=The Center for Urban and Regional Policy School of Social Science, Urban Affairs, and Public Policy Northeastern University |accessdate=April 21, 2015 |format=PDF}}</ref> Modern Massachusetts is a global leader in [[biotechnology]], [[engineering]], [[List of colleges and universities in Massachusetts|higher education]], [[finance]], and [[maritime history|maritime trade]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Housing and Economic Development:Key Industries |url=http://www.mass.gov/hed/economic/industries/ |website=mass.gov |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref>
[[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]] was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the [[Pilgrim Fathers|Pilgrims]], passengers of the ''[[Mayflower]]''. In 1692, the town of [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]] and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of [[mass hysteria]], the [[Salem witch trials]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The 1692 Salem Witch Trials |url=http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education |publisher=Salem Witch Trials Museum |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> In 1777, General [[Henry Knox]] founded the [[Springfield Armory]], which during the [[Industrial Revolution]] catalyzed numerous important technological advances, including [[interchangeable parts]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Springfield Armory: Technology in Transition |url=http://www.nps.gov/spar/learn/education/upload/Springfield%20Technology%20Lesson.pdf |publisher=[[National Park Service]] [[United States Department of the Interior]] |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> In 1786, [[Shays' Rebellion]], a populist revolt led by disaffected [[American Revolutionary War]] veterans, influenced the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|United States Constitutional Convention]].<ref name=shay>{{cite web |title=Shays' Rebellion |url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/15a.asp |publisher=ushistory.org |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> In the 18th century, the Protestant [[First Great Awakening]], which swept the [[Atlantic World]], originated from the pulpit of [[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]] preacher [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The First Great Awakening – Jonathan Edwards |url=http://www.revival-library.org/pensketches/revivals/1st_edwards.html |archive-url=https://archive.is/20150422014428/http://www.revival-library.org/pensketches/revivals/1st_edwards.html |dead-url=yes |archive-date=April 22, 2015 |publisher=revival-library.org |accessdate=April 21, 2015 }}</ref> In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty"<ref>{{cite web |title=Faneuil Hall |url=http://www.celebrateboston.com/sites/faneuil-hall.htm |publisher=Celebrateboston.com |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> for the agitation there that led to the [[American Revolution]].
The entire Commonwealth of Massachusetts has played a powerful commercial and cultural role in the history of the [[United States]]. Before the [[American Civil War]], Massachusetts was a center for the [[abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]], [[temperance movement|temperance]],<ref>{{cite web |title=The Temperance Issue in the Election of 1840: Massachusetts |url=http://www.teachushistory.org/second-great-awakening-age-reform/articles/temperance-issue-election-1840-massachusetts |publisher=Teachushistory.org |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> and [[transcendentalism|transcendentalist]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Packer |first1=Barbara |title=The Transcendentalists |publisher=University of Georgia Press; First edition (April 25, 2007) |isbn=978-0820329581}}</ref> movements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Images of the Antislavery Movement in Massachusetts |url=http://www.masshist.org/online/abolition/index.php |publisher=Masshist.org |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> In the late 19th century, the sports of [[basketball]] and [[volleyball]] were invented in the western Massachusetts cities of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] and [[Holyoke, Massachusetts|Holyoke]], respectively.<ref name=basketball>{{cite web |title=Springfield College: The Birthplace of Basketball |url=http://www.springfieldcollege.edu/welcome/birthplace-of-basketball/#.VTa-7CFVhBc |publisher=Springfieldcollege.edu |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref><ref name=volleyball>{{cite web |title=The International Volleyball Hall of Fame |url=http://www.volleyhall.org/about-us.html |publisher=Volleyball.org |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legally recognize [[same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|same-sex marriage]] as a result of the decision in ''[[Goodridge v. Department of Public Health]]'' by the [[Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court]].<ref name=CNNmarriage>{{cite news |title=Massachusetts court strikes down ban on same-sex marriage |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/11/18/gay.marriage.reut/ |accessdate=April 21, 2015 |agency=Reuters |date=November 18, 2003}}</ref> Many prominent American political dynasties have hailed from the state, including the [[Adams political family|Adams]] and [[Kennedy family|Kennedy]] families. [[Harvard University]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]] is the oldest institution of [[colonial colleges|higher learning in the United States]],<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Harvard University |url=http://www.harvard.edu/history |publisher=[[Harvard University]] |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> with the largest [[financial endowment]] of any university,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/29/us/harvards-endowment-remains-biggest-of-all.html?_r=0 |title=Harvard's Endowment Remains Biggest of All |author=Tamar Lewin |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 28, 2015 |accessdate=March 6, 2015}}</ref> and [[Harvard Law School]] has educated a contemporaneous majority of Justices of the [[Supreme Court of the United States]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/16/merrick-garland-supreme-court-obama-nominee/81529760/ |title=Meet Merrick Garland, Obama's Supreme Court nominee |author=Richard Wolf |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=March 16, 2016 |accessdate=March 16, 2016}}</ref> [[Kendall Square]] in Cambridge has been called "the most innovative square mile on the planet", in reference to the high concentration of [[entrepreneurship|entrepreneurial]] [[startup company|start-ups]] and quality of innovation which have emerged in the vicinity of the square since 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kendallsquare.mit.edu/|title=Kendall Square Initiative|publisher=MIT|accessdate=December 1, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.boston.com/business/innovation/blogs/inside-the-hive/2013/05/02/when-neighborhood-crowned-the-most-innovative-square-mile-the-world-how-you-keep-that-way/B1QxCjswQZZuG21WBdyBWK/blog.html|title=When a neighborhood is crowned the most innovative square mile in the world, how do you keep it that way?|author=Lelund Cheung|work=Boston Globe|accessdate=December 3, 2016}}</ref> Both Harvard University and the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], also in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], have been ranked among the most highly regarded [[academic institution]]s in the world.<ref name=AcademicRanking2>[https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/2016/reputation-ranking#!/page/0/length/25/sort_by/rank_label/sort_order/asc/cols/rank_only] Times Higher Education. Accessed December 3, 2016.</ref> Massachusetts's public school students place among the top nations in the world in academic performance.<ref name=AcademicRanking3>[http://www.doe.mass.edu/news/news.aspx?id=24050] Accessed January 27, 2017.</ref>
==Etymology==
[[File:National-atlas-massachusetts.png|thumb|450px|Prominent roads and cities in Massachusetts]] The [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] was named after the indigenous population, the [[Massachusett]], likely derived from a Wôpanâak word ''muswach8sut'', segmented as ''mus(ây)'' "big" + ''wach8'' "mountain" + ''-s'' "diminutive" + -''ut'' "locative" (the '8' in these words refers to the 'oo' sound according to the Wôpanâak orthographic chart).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/8740|title=Introduction to Wampanoag Grammar|last=Fermino|first=Jessie Little Doe|date=|website=|access-date=}}</ref> It has been translated as "near the great hill",<ref>{{cite book| first=William Wallace| last=Tooker| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U5cqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA175| title=Algonquian Names of some Mountains and Hills| year=1904| accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref> "by the blue hills", "at the little big hill", or "at the range of hills", referring to the [[Blue Hills Reservation|Blue Hills]], or in particular the [[Great Blue Hill]] which is located on the boundary of [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]] and [[Canton, Massachusetts|Canton]].<ref>Salwen, Bert, 1978. ''Indians of Southern New England and Long Island: Early Period''. In "Northeast", ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of "Handbook of North American Indians", ed. William C. Sturtevant, pp. 160–76. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution. Quoted in: Campbell, Lyle. 1997. ''American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p. 401</ref><ref>Bright, William (2004). ''Native American Place Names of the United States''. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, p. 270</ref> Alternatively, Massachusett has been represented as ''Moswetuset''—from the name of the [[Moswetuset Hummock]] (meaning "hill shaped like an arrowhead") in [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], where [[Plymouth Colony]] commander [[Myles Standish]], hired English military officer, and [[Squanto]], part of the now disappeared [[Patuxet tribe|Patuxet band]] of the [[Wampanoag people]]s, met Chief [[Chickatawbut]] in 1621.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thomascranelibrary.org/htm/436.htm |title=East Squantum Street (Moswetuset Hummock) |year=1986 |work=Quincy, Mass. Historical and Architectural Survey |publisher=[[Thomas Crane Public Library]] |accessdate=June 24, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Neal |first=Daniel |title=The history of New-England |publisher=A. Ward |location=London |year=1747 |edition=2 |volume=2 |page=216 |chapter=XIV: The Present State of New England |oclc=8616817 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=u3opAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA216 |accessdate=June 24, 2009}}</ref>
The official name of the state is the "[[Commonwealth (U.S. state)|Commonwealth]] of Massachusetts".<ref>{{cite web |title=Part One: Concise Facts – Name |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |accessdate=May 22, 2010 |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm}}</ref> While this designation is part of the state's official name, it has no practical implications.<ref>{{cite web |title=Why is Massachusetts a Commonwealth? |url=http://www.mass.gov/anf/research-and-tech/legal-and-legislative-resources/why-is-massachusetts-a-commonwealth.html |publisher=mass.gov |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> Massachusetts has the same position and powers within the United States as other states.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kentucky as a Commonwealth |publisher=Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives |accessdate=May 22, 2010 |url=http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/kycommonwealth.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131061313/http://kdla.ky.gov/resources/kycommonwealth.htm |archivedate=January 31, 2011}}</ref>
==History==
{{Main article|History of Massachusetts}}
{{See also|Plymouth Colony|Massachusetts Bay Colony}}
[[File:MayflowerHarbor.jpg|thumb|The [[Mayflower]] ''in Plymouth Harbor'' by [[William Halsall]] (1882). The [[Pilgrim (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrims]] were a group of [[Puritans]] who founded [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]] in 1620.]]
===Pre-colonization===
Massachusetts was originally inhabited by tribes of the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian language family]] such as the [[Wampanoag people|Wampanoag]], [[Narragansett people|Narragansett]], [[Nipmuc]], [[Pocomtuc]], [[Mahican]], and [[Massachusett]].{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=6–7}}<ref name=Mohican>{{cite web |title=Origin & Early Mohican History |publisher=Stockbridge-Munsee Community — Band of Mohican Indians |accessdate=October 21, 2009 |url=http://mohican-nsn.gov/Departments/Library-Museum/Mohican_History/origin-and-early.htm |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912122346/http://mohican-nsn.gov/Departments/Library-Museum/Mohican_History/origin-and-early.htm |archivedate=September 12, 2009 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> While cultivation of crops like [[Cucurbita|squash]] and [[maize|corn]] supplemented their diets, these tribes were generally dependent on hunting, gathering and fishing for most of their food.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=6–7}} Villages consisted of lodges called [[wigwam]]s as well as [[longhouse]]s,<ref name=Mohican/> and tribes were led by male or female elders known as [[sachem]]s.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=7}}
===Colonial period===
In the early 1600s, after contact had been made with [[European diaspora|Europeans]], large numbers of the [[indigenous peoples]] in the northeast of what is now the United States were killed by [[virgin soil epidemic]]s such as [[smallpox]], [[measles]], [[influenza]], and perhaps [[leptospirosis]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Hoxie |first=Frederick E |title=Encyclopedia of North American Indians |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |year=1996 |location=Boston |page=164 |isbn=978-0-395-66921-1 |oclc=34669430 |url=https://books.google.com/?id=o-BNU7QuJkYC&pg=PA164 |accessdate=July 30, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.3201/e0di1602.090276 |last1=Marr |first1=JS |last2=Cathey |first2=JT |title=New hypothesis for cause of an epidemic among Native Americans, New England, 1616–1619 |journal=Emerging Infectious Diseases |date=February 2010 |volume=16 |pages=281–286}}</ref> Between 1617 and 1619, smallpox killed approximately 90% of the [[Massachusetts Bay]] [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]].{{sfn|Koplow|2004|p=13}}
The first English settlers in Massachusetts, the Pilgrims, arrived via the ''[[Mayflower]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=THE PILGRIMS |url=http://www.history.com/topics/pilgrims |publisher=History.com |accessdate=April 21, 2015}}</ref> at [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]] in 1620, and developed friendly relations with the native [[Wampanoag people]].{{Sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=29–30}} This was the second successful permanent [[British colonization of the Americas|English colony]] in the part of North America that later became the United States, after the [[Jamestown, Virginia|Jamestown Colony]]. The event known as the [[Thanksgiving (United States)|"First Thanksgiving"]] was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the [[New World]] which lasted for three days. The Pilgrims were soon followed by other Puritans, who established the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] at present-day Boston in 1630.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|p=30}}
The Puritans, who believed the [[Church of England]] needed to be purified and experienced harassment from English authority because of their beliefs,<ref name=puritans>{{cite web |title=The New England Colonies |url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/3.asp |publisher=ushistory.org |accessdate=April 24, 2015}}</ref> came to Massachusetts with the goal of establishing an ideal religious society.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|p=29}} Unlike the Plymouth colony, the bay colony was founded under a royal charter in 1629.<ref>{{cite web |title=Charter Of Massachusetts Bay 1629 |url=http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1600-1650/charter-of-massachusetts-bay-1629.php |publisher=let.rug.nl |accessdate=April 24, 2015}}</ref> Both religious dissent and expansionism resulted in several new colonies being founded shortly after Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay elsewhere in New England. The Massachusetts Bay banished dissenters such as [[Anne Hutchinson]] and [[Roger Williams]] due to religious and political disagreements. In 1636, Williams founded the colony of [[Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations|Rhode Island]] and Hutchinson joined him there several years later. Religious intolerance continued. Among those who objected to this later in the century were the English Quaker preachers [[Alice Curwen|Alice and Thomas Curwen]], who were publicly flogged and imprisoned in Boston in 1676.<ref>Michael Mullett: "Curwen, Thomas (c. 1610–1680)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004) [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/6968 Retrieved 17 November 2015]</ref>{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=30–32}}
[[Image:ModestEnquiry.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft'' by John Hale (Boston, 1697)]]
In 1641, Massachusetts expanded inland significantly, acquiring the [[Connecticut River|Connecticut River Valley]] settlement of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], which had recently disputed with, and defected from its original administrators, the [[Connecticut Colony]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Barrows |first=Charles Henry |title=The History of Springfield in Massachusetts for the Young: Being Also in Some Part the History of Other Towns and Cities in the County of Hampden |publisher=The Connecticut Valley Historical Society |year=1911 |pages=46–48 |id=US 13459.5.7}}</ref> This established Massachusetts's southern border in the west,<ref>[http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/pynchon.html William Pynchon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921185345/http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/pynchon.html |date=September 21, 2013 }}. Bio.umass.edu. Retrieved September 7, 2013.</ref> though surveying problems resulted in [[Southwick, Massachusetts|disputed territory]] until 1803–04.<ref>{{cite web |title=Connecticut's "Southwick Jog" |url=http://www.ctstatelibrary.org/subjectguides/connecticuts-southwick-jog |publisher=Connecticut State Library |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref>
In 1691, the colonies of Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth were united (along with present-day [[Maine]], which had previously been divided between Massachusetts and [[Province of New York|New York]]) into the [[Province of Massachusetts Bay]].{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|p=66}} Shortly after the arrival of the new province's first governor, [[William Phips]], the [[Salem witch trials]] took place, where a number of men and women were hanged for alleged [[witchcraft]].{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=50}}
The [[1755 Cape Ann earthquake|most destructive earthquake]] yet known in [[New England]] occurred in 1755, causing considerable damage across Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web|last=Perley |first=Sidney |agency=[[United States Geological Survey|USGS]] |title=Historic Earthquakes |publisher=Earthquake Hazards Program |date=April 18, 2014 |url=https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1755_11_18_hs.php |accessdate=February 7, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111110190706/http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/events/1755_11_18_hs.php |archivedate=November 10, 2011 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Memorandum |newspaper=[[Boston Gazette]] |date=November 24, 1755 |page=1}}</ref>
===The Revolutionary War===
[[File:Percy's Rescue at Lexington Detail.jpg|thumb|left|{{cite journal |title=Percy's Rescue at Lexington |author1-link=Ralph Earl |first1=Ralph |last1=Earl |first2=Amos |last2=Doolittle |year=1775 |type=illustration}}, about the [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]]]]
Massachusetts was a center of the movement for independence from [[Kingdom of Great Britain|Great Britain]]; colonists in Massachusetts had long uneasy relations with the British monarchy, including open rebellion under the [[Dominion of New England]] in the 1680s.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|p=66}} Protests against British attempts to tax the colonies after the [[French and Indian War]] ended in 1763 led to the [[Boston Massacre]] in 1770, and the 1773 [[Boston Tea Party]] escalated tensions.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=63–83}} In 1774, the [[Intolerable Acts]] targeted Massachusetts with punishments for the Boston Tea Party and further decreased local autonomy, increasing local dissent.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Intolerable Acts |url=http://www.ushistory.org/us/9g.asp |publisher=ushistory.org |accessdate=April 24, 2015}}</ref> Anti-Parliamentary activity by men such as [[Samuel Adams]] and [[John Hancock]], followed by reprisals by the British government, were a primary reason for the unity of the [[Thirteen Colonies]] and the outbreak of the [[American Revolution]] in 1775.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=88–90}}
The [[Battles of Lexington and Concord]] initiated the [[American Revolutionary War]] and were fought in the eponymous Massachusetts towns.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=95–96}} Future President [[George Washington]] took over what would become the Continental Army after the battle. His first victory was the [[Siege of Boston]] in the winter of 1775–76, after which the British were forced to evacuate the city.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=96–97}} The event is still celebrated in [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk County]] as [[Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)|Evacuation Day]].<ref>{{cite web| title=Massachusetts Legal Holidays| publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]]| accessdate=May 22, 2010| url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cishol/holidx.htm}}</ref> On the coast, Salem became a center for [[privateer]]ing. Although the documentation is incomplete, about 1700 [[letter of marque|letters of marque]], issued on a per-voyage basis, were granted during the American Revolution. Nearly 800 vessels were commissioned as privateers and are credited with capturing or destroying about 600 British ships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/revwar/about_the_revolution/privateers.html |title=John Fraylor. Salem Maritime National Historic Park |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=September 3, 2012}}</ref>
{{multiple image
| width = 150
| image1 = BenFranklinDuplessis.jpg
| alt1 = Benjamin Franklin
| image2 = Official Presidential portrait of John Adams (by John Trumbull, circa 1792).jpg
| alt2 = John Adams
| footer = Boston natives [[Benjamin Franklin]] and [[John Adams]] were both Founding Fathers of the United States.
}}
===Federal period===
Bostonian [[John Adams]], known as the "Atlas of Independence",<ref>{{cite web |title=The Declaration of Independence |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/adams/peopleevents/e_declaration.html |publisher=PBS |accessdate=April 25, 2015}}</ref> was an important figure in both the struggle for independence as well as the formation of the new United States. Adams was highly involved in the push for separation from Britain and the writing of the [[Constitution of Massachusetts]] in 1780 which, in the [[Elizabeth Freeman]] and [[Quock Walker]] cases, effectively made Massachusetts the first state to have a constitution that declared universal rights and, as interpreted by Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice [[William Cushing]], abolished slavery. David McCullough points out that an equally important feature was its placing for the first time the courts as a co-equal branch separate from the executive.<ref>{{cite book |last1=McCullough |first1=David |title=John Adams |date=September 3, 2002 |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-0743223133 |edition=1st}}</ref> (The [[Constitution of Vermont (1777)|Constitution of Vermont]], adopted in 1777, represented the first partial ban on slavery. Vermont became a state in 1791 but did not fully ban slavery until 1858 with the Vermont Personal Liberty Law. The Pennsylvania Gradual Abolition Act of 1780<ref>{{cite web |url=http://explorepahistory.com/odocument.php?docId=341 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004214250/http://explorepahistory.com/odocument.php?docId=341 |archivedate=October 4, 2013 |title=Pennsylvania's Gradual Abolition Act of 1780 |publisher=Explore PA history}}</ref> made Pennsylvania the first state to abolish slavery by statute.) Later, Adams was active in early American foreign affairs and succeeded Washington as the second United States President. His son [[John Quincy Adams]], also from Massachusetts,<ref>{{cite web |last=Rettig |first=Polly M. |title=John Quincy Adams Birthplace |url={{NHLS url|id=66000128}} |work=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=April 24, 2015 |date=April 3, 1978}}</ref> would go on to become the sixth United States President.
From 1786 to 1787, an armed uprising, known as [[Shays' Rebellion]] led by Revolutionary War veteran [[Daniel Shays]] wrought havoc throughout Massachusetts and ultimately attempted to seize the [[Springfield Armory|Federal armory]].<ref name=shay/> The rebellion was one of the major factors in the decision to draft a stronger national constitution to replace the [[Articles of Confederation]].<ref name=shay/> On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts became the sixth state to ratify the [[United States Constitution]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ratification of the U.S. Constitution in Massachusetts |publisher=[[Massachusetts Historical Society]] |accessdate=May 22, 2010 |url=http://www.masshist.org/objects/cabinet/february2003/february2003.htm}}</ref>
===19th century===
In 1820, [[Maine]] separated from Massachusetts and entered the Union as the 23rd state as a result of the ratification of the [[Missouri Compromise]].<ref>{{cite web |title=On this day in 1820 |url=http://www.massmoments.org/moment.cfm?mid=81 |publisher=Massmoments.org |accessdate=April 25, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Mill Building (now museum), Lowell, Massachusetts.JPG|thumb|[[textile manufacturing|Textile mills]] such as the Boott Mills in [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]] made Massachusetts a leader in the [[Industrial Revolution]] in the United States.]]
During the 19th century, Massachusetts became a national leader in the American [[Industrial Revolution]], with factories around cities such as [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]] and [[Boston]] producing textiles and shoes, and factories around Springfield producing tools, paper, and textiles.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=129}}{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=211}} The economy transformed from one based primarily on agriculture to an industrial one, initially making use of water-power and later the [[steam engine]] to power factories. Canals and railroads were used for transporting raw materials and finished goods.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=202}} At first, the new industries drew labor from [[Yankee]]s on nearby subsistence farms, and later relied upon [[immigration to the United States|immigrant labor]] from Europe and Canada.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=133–36}}{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=179}}
Although Massachusetts was the first slave-holding colony dating back to the early 1600s, in the years leading up to the [[American Civil War]], Massachusetts was a center of [[progressivism|progressivist]] and [[Abolitionism|abolitionist]] activity. [[Horace Mann]] made the state's school system a national model.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|p=251}} [[Henry David Thoreau]] and [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]] made major contributions to American philosophy.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|p=254}} Members of the [[transcendentalism|transcendentalist movement]] emphasized the importance of the natural world and emotion to humanity.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|p=254}}
Although significant opposition to abolitionism existed early on in Massachusetts, resulting in anti-abolitionist riots between 1835 and 1837,{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=185}} opposition to slavery gradually increased throughout the next few decades.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=183}}{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=187–93}} Abolitionists [[John Brown (abolitionist)|John Brown]] and [[Sojourner Truth]] lived in Springfield and Northampton, respectively, while [[Frederick Douglass]] lived in Boston and [[Susan B. Anthony]] in Adams, Massachusetts. The works of such abolitionists contributed to Massachusetts's actions during the Civil War. Massachusetts was the first state to recruit, train, and arm a [[African Americans|Black]] regiment with [[White people|White]] officers, the [[54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=October 19, 2009 |url=http://www.nps.gov/boaf/historyculture/shaw.htm}}</ref> In 1852, Massachusetts became the first state to pass [[compulsory education]] laws.<ref name=compschools>{{cite web |title=State Compulsory School Attendance Laws |url=http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0112617.html |publisher=infoplease.com |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref>
[[Alexander Graham Bell]] is commonly credited as the inventor of the first practical [[telephone]]. On March 10, 1876 at [[Boston University]], he was able to communicate with his assistant [[Thomas A. Watson]] in the next room.
===20th century===
[[File:Boston CAT Project-construction view from air.jpeg|thumb|upright|Part of the "[[Big Dig]]" construction project; this portion is over the [[Charles River]] in Boston.]]
With the exodus of several manufacturing companies, the area's industrial economy began to decline during the early 20th century. By the 1920s, competition from the South and Midwest, followed by the [[Great Depression]], led to the collapse of the three main industries in Massachusetts: textiles, shoemaking, and precision mechanics.<ref>Brown and Tager, p. 246.</ref> This decline would continue into the later half of the century; between 1950 and 1979, the number of Massachusetts residents involved in textile manufacturing declined from 264,000 to 63,000.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=276}} The 1969 closure of the [[Springfield Armory]], in particular, spurred an exodus of high-paying jobs from Western Massachusetts, which suffered greatly as it de-industrialized during the last 40 years of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite journal |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Lowell]] |url=http://www.uml.edu/com/cita/05paperforrantmuckensturm.pdf |title=Job Loss, Shrinking Revenues, and Grinding Decline in Springfield, Massachusetts: Is A Finance Control Board the Answer? |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref>
Massachusetts manufactured 3.4 percent of total United States military armaments produced during [[World War II]], ranking tenth among the 48 states.<ref>[[Whiz Kids (Department of Defense)|Peck, Merton J.]] & [[Frederic M. Scherer|Scherer, Frederic M.]] ''The Weapons Acquisition Process: An Economic Analysis'' (1962) [[Harvard Business School]] p.111</ref> In Eastern Massachusetts, following World War II, the economy was transformed from one based on heavy industry into a service-based economy.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=275–83}} Government contracts, private investment, and research facilities led to a new and improved industrial climate, with reduced unemployment and increased per capita income. Suburbanization flourished, and by the 1970s, the [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128]] corridor was dotted with [[high tech|high-technology]] companies who recruited graduates of the area's many elite institutions of higher education.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=284}}
In 1987, the state received federal funding for the Central Artery/Tunnel Project. Commonly known as "the [[Big Dig]]", it was, at the time, the biggest federal highway project ever approved.<ref name=BigDig1>Grunwald, Michael. ''Dig the Big Dig'' [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/04/AR2006080401755.html] ''[[The Washington Post]]''. August 6, 2006. . Retrieved May 31, 2010.</ref> The project included making the [[Central Artery]] a tunnel under downtown Boston, in addition to the re-routing of several other major highways.<ref name=BigDig2>{{cite web |title=The Central Artery/Tunnel Project – The Big Dig |url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/highway/TheBigDig.aspx |publisher=[[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] – Highway Division |accessdate=April 26, 2015}}</ref> Often controversial, with numerous claims of graft and mismanagement, and with its initial price tag of $2.5 billion increasing to a final tally of over $15 billion, the Big Dig has nonetheless changed the face of Downtown Boston.<ref name=BigDig1/> It has connected areas that were once divided by elevated highway (much of the raised old Central Artery was replaced with the [[Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway]]), and improved traffic conditions along a number of routes.<ref name=BigDig1/><ref name=BigDig2/> Additionally, Massachusetts has had a diplomatic relationship with the Japanese prefecture of [[Hokkaido]] since 1988.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Hokkaido Association |url=http://www.masshokkaido.org/Default.aspx?pageId=151052 |accessdate=May 30, 2010}}</ref>
===Notable 20th century politicians===
[[File:Kennedy bros.jpg|thumb|left|Kennedy brothers [[John F. Kennedy|John]], [[Robert F. Kennedy|Robert]] (middle) and [[Ted Kennedy|Edward]] in July 1960.]]
The [[Kennedy family]] was prominent in Massachusetts politics in the 20th century. Children of businessman and ambassador [[Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.]] included [[John F. Kennedy]], who was a senator and US president before [[Assassination of John F. Kennedy|his assassination]] in 1963, [[Robert F. Kennedy]], who was a senator, US attorney general, and presidential candidate before [[Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|his assassination]] in 1968, [[Ted Kennedy]], a senator from 1962 until his death in 2009,<ref>{{cite web |title=Biography: Edward Moore Kennedy |work=[[American Experience]] |accessdate=May 28, 2010 |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/kennedys-bio-edward-kennedy/}}</ref> and [[Eunice Kennedy Shriver]], a co-founder of the [[Special Olympics]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Kennedys: A Family Tree |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |accessdate=May 28, 2010 |url=http://www.sptimes.com/News/111199/JFK/family-tree.shtml}}</ref> In 1966, Massachusetts became the first state to directly elect an African American to the US senate with [[Edward Brooke]].<ref>{{cite web |title=BROOKE, Edward William, III, |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=b000871 |website=[[Biographical Directory of the United States Congress]] |accessdate=April 25, 2015}}</ref> [[George H. W. Bush]], 41st President of the United States (1989–1993) was born in [[Milton, Massachusetts|Milton]] in 1924.<ref>{{cite web |title=George H.W. Bush Biography |url=http://www.biography.com/people/george-hw-bush-38066 |publisher=biography.com |accessdate=April 26, 2015}}</ref>
===21st century===
On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the U.S. to legalize [[Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|same-sex marriage]] after a Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in November 2003 determined that the exclusion of same-sex couples from the right to a civil marriage was unconstitutional.<ref name=CNNmarriage /> This decision was eventually superseded by the U.S. Supreme Court's affirmation of [[same-sex marriage in the United States]] in 2015.
[[File:1st Boston Marathon blast seen from 2nd floor and a half block away.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Boston Marathon bombing]]
Two [[pressure cooker bomb]]s exploded near the finish line of the [[Boston Marathon]] on April 15, 2013, at around 2:49 pm [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]. The explosions killed three civilians and injured an estimated 264 others. The [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) later identified the suspects as brothers [[Dzhokhar Tsarnaev]] and [[Tamerlan Tsarnaev]]. The ensuing [[manhunt (law enforcement)|manhunt]] ended on April 19 when thousands of law enforcement officers searched a 20-block area of nearby [[Watertown, Massachusetts|Watertown]]. Dzhokhar later said that he was motivated by extremist [[Islamism|Islamic]] beliefs and learned to build explosive devices from [[Inspire (magazine)|''Inspire'']], the online magazine of [[al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula]].
On November 8, 2016, Massachusetts voted in favor of The Massachusetts [[Legality of cannabis by U.S. jurisdiction|Marijuana Legalization Initiative]], also known as Question 4.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.courant.com/politics/elections/hc-legal-marijuana-referendums-20161108-story.html|title=Recreational Marijuana Passes In Massachusetts|first=RUSSELL|last=BLAIR|publisher=}}</ref> It was included in the [[United States presidential election, 2016]] ballot in Massachusetts as an indirectly initiated state statute.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Marijuana_Legalization,_Question_4_(2016)|title=Massachusetts Marijuana Legalization, Question 4 (2016) - Ballotpedia|publisher=}}</ref>
==Geography==
{{Main article|Geography of Massachusetts|Geology of New England}}
[[File:Pioneer Valley South From Mt. Sugarloaf.jpg|thumb|right|A portion of the north-central [[Pioneer Valley]] in [[Sunderland, Massachusetts|Sunderland]]]]
Massachusetts is the [[List of U.S. states and territories by area|7th-smallest state in the United States]]. It is located in the [[New England]] region of the northeastern United States and has an area of {{convert|10555|sqmi|km2}}, 25.7% of which is water. Several large [[headlands and bays|bays]] distinctly shape its coast. Boston is the largest city, at the inmost point of [[Massachusetts Bay]], and the mouth of the [[Charles River]].
Despite its small size, Massachusetts features numerous [[topography|topographically]] distinctive regions. The large [[coastal plain]] of the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern section of the state contains [[Greater Boston]], along with most of the state's population,<ref name=GreaterBoston /> as well as the distinctive [[Cape Cod]] [[peninsula]]. To the west lies the hilly, rural region of [[Central Massachusetts]], and beyond that, the [[Connecticut River|Connecticut River Valley]]. Along the western border of [[Western Massachusetts]] lies the highest elevated part of the state, [[the Berkshires]].
The U.S. [[National Park Service]] administers a number of natural and historical [[List of areas in the National Park System in Massachusetts|sites in Massachusetts]].<ref name=NPS1>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=May 26, 2010 |url=http://www.nps.gov/state/MA/}}</ref> Along with twelve national historic sites, areas, and corridors, the National Park Service also manages the [[Cape Cod National Seashore]] and the [[Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area]].<ref name=NPS1/> In addition, the [[Department of Conservation and Recreation]] maintains a number of [[List of Massachusetts state parks|parks]], trails, and beaches throughout Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mission |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/inside-our-agency/mission/ |publisher=mass.gov |accessdate=April 22, 2015}}</ref>
===Ecology===
[[File:Charadrius-melodus-004 edit.jpg|thumb|left|Many coastal areas in Massachusetts provide breeding areas for species such as the [[piping plover]].]]
The primary [[biome]] of inland Massachusetts is [[temperate deciduous forest]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Ricklefs |first1=Robert |title=The Economy of Nature |date=December 17, 2008 |publisher=W. H. Freeman |isbn=978-0716786979 |page=96 |edition=6th |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nqFLjZLwKxIC&pg=PA96 |accessdate=April 22, 2015}}</ref>
Although much of Massachusetts had been cleared for agriculture, leaving only traces of [[old-growth forest]] in isolated pockets, secondary growth has regenerated in many rural areas as farms have been abandoned.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stocker |first=Carol |title=Old growth, grand specimens drive big-tree hunters |url=http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2005/11/17/old_growth_grand_specimens_drive_big_tree_hunters/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=November 17, 2005 |accessdate=October 17, 2009}}</ref> Currently, forests cover around 62% of Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Current Research — Working Landscapes |publisher=The Center for Rural Massachusetts — The [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] |accessdate=March 19, 2009 |url=http://www.umass.edu/ruralmass/currentresearch.html}}</ref> The areas most affected by human development include the Greater Boston area in the east and the Springfield metropolitan area in the west, although the latter includes agricultural areas throughout the Connecticut River Valley.<ref>{{cite web |title=Northeastern Coastal Zone — Ecoregion Description |publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]] |accessdate=October 17, 2009 |url=http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/east/eco59Report.html}}</ref> There are currently 219 [[endangered species]] in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |title=MESA List Overview |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/natural-heritage/species-information-and-conservation/mesa-list/ |publisher=Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs |accessdate=April 22, 2015}}</ref>
A number of species are doing well in the increasingly urbanized Massachusetts. [[Peregrine falcon]]s utilize office towers in larger cities as nesting areas,<ref>{{cite web |title=Peregrine Falcon |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/docs/dfg/nhesp/species-and-conservation/nhfacts/falco-peregrinus.pdf |publisher=Commonwealth of Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife |accessdate=May 9, 2015}}</ref> and the population of [[coyote]]s, whose diet may include garbage and roadkill, has been increasing in recent decades.<ref>{{cite web |title=Eastern Coyote |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dfg/dfw/fish-wildlife-plants/mammals/eastern-coyote-in-massachusetts.html |publisher=[[Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs]] |accessdate=May 9, 2015}}</ref> [[White-tailed deer]], [[raccoon]]s, [[wild turkey]]s, and [[eastern gray squirrel]]s are also found throughout Massachusetts. In more rural areas in the western part of Massachusetts, larger mammals such as [[moose]] and [[American black bear|black bears]] have returned, largely due to reforestation following the regional decline in agriculture.<ref>{{cite web |title=Forests lure moose to Massachusetts |url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0214/p13s02-sten.html |website=Christian Science Monitor |accessdate=April 22, 2015}}</ref>
Massachusetts is located along the [[Atlantic Flyway]], a major route for migratory [[waterfowl]] along the eastern coast.<ref>{{cite web |title=Atlantic Flyway |url=http://www.audubon.org/atlantic-flyway |publisher=National Audubon Society |accessdate=May 9, 2015}}</ref> Lakes in central Massachusetts provide habitat for many species of fish and waterfowl, but some species such as the [[common loon]] are becoming rare.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chasing loons: Banding the elusive birds at night on the Quabbin Reservoir |url=http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/07/chasing_loons_banding_the_elus.html |publisher=masslive.com |accessdate=April 23, 2015}}</ref> A significant population of [[long-tailed duck]]s winter off [[Nantucket]]. Small offshore islands and beaches are home to [[roseate tern]]s and are important breeding areas for the locally threatened [[piping plover]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Coastal Waterbird Program |publisher=Mass Audubon |accessdate=May 28, 2010 |url=http://www.massaudubon.org/cwp/}}</ref> Protected areas such as the [[Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge]] provide critical breeding habitat for shorebirds and a variety of marine wildlife including a large population of [[grey seal]]s.
Freshwater fish species in Massachusetts include [[Bass (fish)|bass]], [[Common carp|carp]], [[catfish]], and [[trout]], while saltwater species such as [[Atlantic cod]], [[haddock]], and [[American lobster]] populate offshore waters.<ref>{{cite web |title=Commonly Caught Species |url=http://www.eregulations.com/massachusetts/fishing/saltwater/commonly-caught-species/ |website=eregulations.com |publisher=The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries |accessdate=May 9, 2015}}</ref> Other marine species include [[Harbor seal]]s, the endangered [[North Atlantic right whale]]s, as well as [[humpback whale]]s, [[fin whale]]s, [[minke whale]]s, and [[Atlantic white-sided dolphin]]s.
The European corn borer, a significant agricultural pest, was first found in North America near Boston, Massachusetts in 1917.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.108390|title=Details - A progress report on the investigations of the European corn borer / - Biodiversity Heritage Library|last=Caffrey|first=D. J.|last2=Worthley|first2=L. H.|language=en|doi=10.5962/bhl.title.108390}}</ref>
===Climate===
[[File:MA koppen.svg|300 px|thumb|Köppen climate types in Massachusetts]]
Most of Massachusetts has a [[humid continental climate|humid continental]], with cold winters and warm summers. Far southeast coastal areas are the broad transition zone to temperate climates (humid subtropical climate in some classifications). The warm to hot summers render the [[oceanic climate]] rare in this transition, only applying to exposed coastal areas such as on the peninsula of [[Barnstable County, Massachusetts|Barnstable County]]. The climate of [[Boston]] is quite representative for the commonwealth, characterized by summer highs of around {{convert|81|F|C}} and winter highs of {{convert|35|F|C}}, and is quite wet. Frosts are frequent all winter, even in coastal areas due to prevailing inland winds. Due to its location near the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]], Massachusetts is vulnerable to [[nor'easters]], [[tropical cyclone|hurricanes and tropical storms]].
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:auto;"
|+Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Massachusetts<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/city.php3?c=US&s=MA&statename=Massachusetts-United-States-of-America |title=Massachusetts climate averages |publisher=Weatherbase |accessdate=November 20, 2015}}</ref>
|-
!Location
!July (°F)
!July (°C)
!January (°F)
!January (°C)
|-
|[[Boston]] || 81/65 || 27/18 || 36/22 || 2/–5
|-
|[[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] || 79/61 || 26/16 || 31/17 || 0/–8
|-
|[[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] || 84/62 || 27/17 || 34/17 || 1/–8
|-
|[[New Bedford, Massachusetts|New Bedford]] || 80/65 || 26/18 || 37/23 || 3/–4
|-
|[[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]] || 80/61 || 26/16 || 33/18 || 1/–7
|-
|[[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]] || 80/61 || 27/16 || 38/20 || 3/–6
|}
{{Massachusetts rivers}}
{{Mountains of Massachusetts}}
{{Waterbodies of Massachusetts}}
{{Islands and Peninsulas of Massachusetts}}
==Demographics==
{{Main article|Demographics of Massachusetts|List of people from Massachusetts}}
[[File:Massachusetts population map.png|thumb|350px|Massachusetts population density map. The centers of high-density settlement, from east to west, are Boston, Worcester, Springfield, and [[Pittsfield, Massachusetts|Pittsfield]], respectively.]]
{{US Census population
| 1790= 378787
| 1800= 422845
| 1810= 472040
| 1820= 523287
| 1830= 610408
| 1840= 737699
| 1850= 994514
| 1860= 1231066
| 1870= 1457351
| 1880= 1783085
| 1890= 2238947
| 1900= 2805346
| 1910= 3366416
| 1920= 3852356
| 1930= 4249614
| 1940= 4316721
| 1950= 4690514
| 1960= 5148578
| 1970= 5689170
| 1980= 5737037
| 1990= 6016425
| 2000= 6349097
| 2010= 6547629
|estimate= 6811779
|estyear= 2016
|footnote=<ref name=qcensus>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2015/tables/NST-EST2015-01.csv |format=CSV |title=Table 1. Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2015 |date=December 23, 2015 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=January 24, 2016 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223235718/http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2015/tables/NST-EST2015-01.csv |archivedate=December 23, 2015 |df= }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/population/censusdata/table-16.pdf |title=Population: 1790 to 1990 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |location=US |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/tab02.txt |title=Resident Population of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |year=2000 |location=US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ |title=2010 Data |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |location=US |accessdate=February 1, 2011 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706203009/http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ |archivedate=July 6, 2011 |df= }}</ref>
}}
The [[United States Census Bureau]] estimated that the population of Massachusetts was 6,794,422 on July 1, 2015, a 3.77% increase since the [[2010 United States Census]].<ref name=qcensus/>
As of 2014, Massachusetts was estimated to be the [[List of U.S. states by population density|third-most densely populated U.S. state]], with 839.4 people per square mile,<ref name=qcensus/> behind [[New Jersey]] and [[Rhode Island]]. In 2014, Massachusetts had 1,011,811 foreign-born residents or 15% of the population.<ref name=qcensus/>
Most Bay State residents live within the Boston Metropolitan Area, also known as [[Greater Boston]], which includes Boston and its proximate surroundings but also extending to [[Greater Lowell]] and to [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]]. The [[Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts|Springfield metropolitan area]], also known as Greater Springfield, is also a major center of population. Demographically, the [[center of population]] of Massachusetts is located in the town of [[Natick, Massachusetts|Natick]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Centers of Population |url=http://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/cenpop2010/CenPop2010_Mean_ST.txt |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=April 26, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=State Centers of Population |url=http://www.howderfamily.com/blog/state-centers-population/ |publisher=howderfamily.com |accessdate=April 26, 2015|quote=I'll ... examine some individual state centers of population.}}</ref>
Like the rest of the [[northeastern United States]], the population of Massachusetts has continued to grow in the past few decades. Massachusetts is the fastest growing state in [[New England]] and the 25th fastest growing state in the United States.<ref name=GlobeTopgrowth>{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Joshua |title=Mass. population growth is tops in N.E. |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/01/01/massachusetts-population-growth-rate-ahead-other-new-england-states-but-still-slow/r7PLcdbKnD9HZY3fm97XGP/story.html |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |accessdate=April 26, 2015}}</ref> Population growth was largely due to a relatively high quality of life and a large higher education system in the state.<ref name=GlobeTopgrowth/>
Foreign immigration is also a factor in the state's population growth, causing the state's population to continue to grow as of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 Census]] (particularly in [[Massachusetts gateway cities]] where costs of living are lower).<ref name=GlobeDemographics1>{{cite news |last=Mishra |first=Raja |title=State's population growth on stagnant course |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/12/22/states_population_growth_on_stagnant_course/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=December 22, 2006 |accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref><ref name=USAToday1>{{cite news |last=Bayles |first=Fred |title=Minorities account for state population growth |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/census/ma.htm |work=[[USA Today]] |date=March 21, 2001 |accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref> 40% of foreign immigrants were from [[Central America|Central]] or [[South America]], according to a 2005 Census Bureau study, with many of the remainder from [[Asia]]. Many residents who have settled in Greater Springfield claim [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] descent.<ref name=GlobeDemographics1/> Many areas of Massachusetts showed relatively stable population trends between 2000 and 2010.<ref name=USAToday1/> [[Commuter town#Exurbs|Exurban]] Boston and coastal areas grew the most rapidly, while [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire County]] in far [[Western Massachusetts]] and Barnstable County on [[Cape Cod]] were the only counties to lose population as of the [[2010 United States Census|2010 Census]].<ref name=USAToday1/>
By gender, 48.4% were male and 51.6% were female in 2014. In terms of age, 79.2% were over 18 years old and 14.8% were over 65 years old.<ref name=qcensus/>
===Race and ancestry===
[[File:St. Patrick Day's Parade, Scituate MA.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Saint Patrick's Day]] parade in [[Scituate, Massachusetts|Scituate]], the municipality with the highest percentage identifying [[Irish diaspora|Irish]] ancestry in the United States, at 47.5% in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishcentral.com/news/the-most-irish-town-in-america-is-named-133427563-237789381.html|title=The most Irish town in America is named using US census data|author=Jane Walsh|publisher=IrishCentral|date=November 25, 2015|accessdate=May 8, 2016}}</ref> [[Irish Americans]] constitute the largest ethnicity in Massachusetts.]]
As of 2014, in terms of race and ethnicity, Massachusetts was 83.2% White (73.7% [[Non-Hispanic White]]), 8.8% [[African American|Black]] or African American, 0.5% [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] and [[Alaska Native]], 6.3% Asian American, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 2.1% from Some Other Race, and 3.1% from Two or More Races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanics]] and Latinos of any race made up 11.2% of the population.<ref name=qcensus/>
The state's most populous ethnic group, non-Hispanic white, has declined from 95.4% in 1970 to 73.7% in 2014.<ref name=qcensus/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25000.html |title=Massachusetts QuickFacts |location=US |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref> As of 2011, non-Hispanic whites were involved in 63.6% of all the births,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot |last=Exner |first=Rich |date=June 3, 2012 |work=[[The Plain Dealer]]}}</ref> while 36.4% of the population of Massachusetts younger than age 1 was minorities (meaning that they had at least one parent who was not non-Hispanic white).<ref>{{cite web|last1=Exner|first1=Rich|title=Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot|url=http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |website=cleveland.com|publisher=Advance Ohio|accessdate=August 2, 2016|ref=June 3, 2012}}</ref>
As late as 1795, the population of Massachusetts was nearly 95% of English ancestry.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=173}} During the early and mid 19th century, immigrant groups began arriving in Massachusetts in large numbers; first from Ireland in the 1840s;{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=173–79}} today the Irish and part-Irish are the largest ancestry group in the state at nearly 25% of the total population. Others arrived later from Quebec as well as places in Europe such as Italy, Portugal, and Poland.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=203}} In the early 20th century, a number of [[Great Migration (African American)|African Americans migrated to Massachusetts]], although in somewhat fewer numbers than many other Northern states.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=301}} Later in the 20th century, immigration from Latin America increased considerably. Over 156,000 [[Chinese Americans in Boston|Chinese Americans]] made their home in Massachusetts in 2014,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/14_1YR/S0201/0400000US25/popgroup~016|title=SELECTED POPULATION PROFILE IN THE UNITED STATES 2014 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates – Chinese alone, Massachusetts|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=May 8, 2016}}</ref> and Boston hosts a growing [[Chinatown, Boston|Chinatown]] accommodating heavily traveled [[Chinatown bus lines|Chinese-owned bus lines]] to and from [[Chinatown, Manhattan]] in [[New York City]]. Massachusetts also has large [[Puerto Rican American|Puerto Rican]], [[Dominican American|Dominican]], [[Haitian Americans|Haitian]], [[Cape Verdean American|Cape Verdean]] and [[Brazilian American|Brazilian]] populations. Boston's [[South End, Boston|South End]] and [[Jamaica Plain]] are both [[gay village]]s, as is nearby [[Provincetown, Massachusetts]] on Cape Cod.
[[File:Boston Chinatown Paifang.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Chinatown, Boston|Boston's Chinatown]], with its [[paifang]] gate, is home to many [[Chinese Americans in Boston|Chinese]] and also [[Vietnamese Americans in Boston|Vietnamese]] restaurants.]]
[[File:Were_a_gay_and_happy_family_wagon.jpg|thumb|250px|Boston [[gay pride]] march, held annually in June. Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize [[same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|same-sex marriage]] in 2004.]]
The largest ancestry group in Massachusetts are the [[Irish Americans|Irish]] (22.5% of the population), who live in significant numbers throughout the state but form more than 40% of the population along the South Shore in Norfolk and Plymouth counties (in both counties overall, Irish-Americans comprise more than 30% of the population). [[Italian Americans|Italians]] form the second-largest ethnic group in the state (13.5%), but only form a plurality in some suburbs north of Boston and a few towns in the Berkshires. [[English Americans|English]] is the third-largest ancestry in Massachusetts (11.4%), and have lived in the region the longest but only form a plurality in some towns in western Massachusetts. [[French Americans|French]] people also form a significant part of the state's population (8%), and they primarily live in the hills of Worcester County.<ref name=citydata2000>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts – Ethnic groups |url=http://www.city-data.com/states/Massachusetts-Ethnic-groups.html |publisher=City-Data.com |accessdate=April 26, 2015}}</ref> [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]] is home to the second-largest [[Cambodian Americans|Cambodian]] community of the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schweitzer |first=Sarah |title=Lowell hopes to put 'Little Cambodia' on the map |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/02/15/lowell_hopes_to_put_little_cambodia_on_the_map/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=February 15, 2010 |accessdate=May 31, 2010}}</ref> There are also [[List of American Indian Reservations in Massachusetts|several populations]] of [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] in Massachusetts, the [[Wampanoag people|Wampanoag]] tribe maintains reservations at [[Aquinnah, Massachusetts|Aquinnah]] on Martha's Vineyard and at [[Mashpee, Massachusetts|Mashpee]] on Cape Cod—with an ongoing [[Massachusett language|native language revival project underway]] since 1993; while the [[Nipmuc]] maintain two state-recognized reservations in the central part of the state, including one at [[Grafton, Massachusetts|Grafton]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Indian Reservations in the Continental United States |url=http://www.nps.gov/nagpra/DOCUMENTS/ResMAP.HTM |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref>
Massachusetts has avoided many forms of racial strife seen elsewhere in the US, but examples such as the successful electoral showings of the [[Nativism (politics)|nativist]] (mainly [[Anti-Catholicism|anti-Catholic]]) [[Know Nothing]]s in the 1850s,{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=180–82}} the controversial [[Sacco and Vanzetti]] executions in the 1920s,{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=257–58}} and Boston's opposition to [[Boston busing desegregation|desegregation busing]] in the 1970s{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|pp=300–4}} show that the ethnic history of Massachusetts was not completely harmonious.
===Languages===
The most common varieties of [[American English]] spoken in Massachusetts, other than [[General American]], are the [[New England English#Southwestern New England|''cot-caught'' distinct, rhotic, western Massachusetts dialect]] and the [[Boston accent|''cot-caught'' merged, non-rhotic, eastern Massachusetts dialect]] (popularly known as a "Boston accent").<ref>{{cite web |last1=Irwin |first1=Patricia |last2=Nagy |first2=Naomi |title=Bostonians /r/ Speaking: A Quantitative Look at (R) in Boston |url=http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=pwpl |publisher=University of Pennsylvania |accessdate=April 26, 2015}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-left:1em; float:center"
|+ '''Top 11 Non-English Languages Spoken in Massachusetts'''
|-
! Language !! Percentage of population<br /><small>(as of 2010)</small><ref name="MLA Data"/>
|-
| [[Spanish language|Spanish]] || 7.50%
|-
| [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] || 2.97%
|-
| [[Chinese language|Chinese]] (including [[Cantonese]] and [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]) || 1.59%
|-
| [[French language|French]] (including [[New England French]]) || 1.11%
|-
| [[French-based creole languages|French Creole]] || 0.89%
|-
| [[Italian language|Italian]] || 0.72%
|-
| [[Russian language|Russian]] || 0.62%
|-
| [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] || 0.58%
|-
| [[Greek language|Greek]] || 0.41%
|-
| [[Arabic]] and [[Khmer language|Khmer (Cambodian)]] (including all [[Austroasiatic languages]]) (tied) || 0.37%
|-
|}
As of 2010, 78.93% (4,823,127) of Massachusetts residents age 5 and older spoke English at home as a [[first language]], while 7.50% (458,256) spoke Spanish, 2.97% (181,437) [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], 1.59% (96,690) Chinese (which includes [[Cantonese]] and [[Standard Chinese|Mandarin]]), 1.11% (67,788) French, 0.89% (54,456) [[French-based creole languages|French Creole]], 0.72% (43,798) Italian, 0.62% (37,865) Russian, and [[Vietnamese language|Vietnamese]] was spoken as a primary language by 0.58% (35,283) of the population over the age of five. In total, 21.07% (1,287,419) of Massachusetts's population aged 5 and older spoke a first language other than English.<ref name=qcensus/><ref name="MLA Data">{{cite web |url=http://www.mla.org/map_data |title=Massachusetts |publisher=[[Modern Language Association]] |accessdate=August 21, 2013}}</ref>[[File:OldShipEntrance.jpg|thumb|Built in 1681, the [[Old Ship Church]] in [[Hingham, Massachusetts|Hingham]] is the oldest church in America in continuous ecclesiastical use.<ref>{{cite news |last=Butterfield |first=Fox |title=The Perfect New England Town |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/14/travel/the-perfect-new-england-village.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 14, 1989 |accessdate=May 30, 2010}}</ref>]]
===Religion===
Massachusetts was founded and settled by [[Brownist]] [[Puritans]] in 1620<ref name=puritans/> and soon after by other groups of [[Ecclesiastical separatism|Separatists]]/[[English dissenters|Dissenters]], [[Nonconformist]]s and [[Independent (religion)|Independents]] from [[17th-century denominations in England|17th century England]].{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=29–30}} Most people in Massachusetts today remain [[Christian]]s.<ref name=qcensus/> The descendants of the Puritans belong to many different churches; in the direct line of inheritance are the various [[Congregational church]]es, the [[United Church of Christ]] and congregations of the [[Unitarian Universalist Association]]. The headquarters of the [[Unitarian Universalist Association]], long located on [[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]], is now located in [[South Boston]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uua.org/headquarters |title=Headquarters of the Unitarian Universalist Association |publisher=Unitarian Universalist Association |accessdate=April 27, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uua.org/news/press-release/uua-sell-its-beacon-hill-properties-move-innovation-district |title=The UUA to Sell its Beacon Hill Properties, Move to Innovation District |publisher=[[Unitarian Universalist Association]] |accessdate=April 10, 2015}}</ref> Many Puritan descendants also dispersed to other Protestant denominations. Some disaffiliated along with Roman Catholics and other Christian groups in the wake of modern [[secularization]].
[[File:CCHolyCross.JPG|thumb|Boston's [[Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Boston)|Cathedral of the Holy Cross]] was built in 1875 to serve the area's growing [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] population at the time. Having passed peak population, many Catholic parishes in Massachusetts have closed,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wwlp.com/2016/06/06/map-catholic-church-closings-in-the-past-10-years/|title=Map: Catholic Church closings in the past 10 years|date=June 7, 2016|publisher=}}</ref> with a major round in the [[Archdiocese of Boston]] beginning in 2004.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/specials/parishes/|title=Boston.com / News / Special reports / Closing parishes|website=archive.boston.com}}</ref> ]]
Today, Christians make up 57% of the state's population, with [[Protestantism|Protestants]] making up 21% of them. [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]] make up 34% and now predominate because of massive immigration from primarily Catholic countries and regions – chiefly Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Quebec, and Latin America. Both Protestant and Roman Catholic communities have been in decline since the late 20th century, due to the rise of [[irreligion]] in [[New England]]. It is the most irreligious region of the country, along with the [[Western United States]]. A significant Jewish population immigrated to the Boston and Springfield areas between 1880 and 1920. [[Jews]] currently make up 3% of the population. [[Mary Baker Eddy]] made the [[Christian Science Center|Boston Mother Church]] of [[Christian Science]] serve as the world headquarters of this [[new religious movement]]. [[Buddhism|Buddhists]], [[Paganism|Pagans]], [[Hindu]]s, [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventists]], [[Muslim]]s, and [[Mormons]] can also be found. [[Kripalu Center]] in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts|Stockbridge]], the Shaolin Meditation Temple in Springfield, and the Insight Meditation Center in [[Barre, Massachusetts|Barre]] are examples of non-Abrahamic religious centers in Massachusetts. According to 2010 data from The [[Association of Religion Data Archives]], (ARDA) the largest single denominations are the [[Catholic Church]] with 2,940,199 adherents; the [[United Church of Christ]] with 86,639 adherents; and the [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]] with 81,999 adherents.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/25/rcms2010_25_state_family_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report |publisher=[[Association of Religion Data Archives]] |accessdate=November 22, 2013}}</ref> 32% of the population identifies as having no religion.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/state/massachusetts/ |title=Adults in Massachusetts |date=May 11, 2015 |publisher=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project}}</ref>
==Economy==
{{See also|List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income|List of Massachusetts locations by unemployment rate|Category:Economy of Massachusetts}}
The United States [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] estimates that the Massachusetts [[gross state product]] in 2013 was US$446 billion.<ref>{{cite web |title=Total Gross Domestic Product by State for Massachusetts |url=https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/MANGSP |publisher=[[Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]] |accessdate=26 April 2015}}</ref> The [[Per capita personal income in the United States|per capita personal income]] in 2012 was $53,221, making it the third-highest state in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/regional/spi/2009/pdf/spi0309.pdf |title=State Personal Income 2008 |publisher=[[Bureau of Economic Analysis]] |accessdate=June 8, 2010}}</ref> As of January 2017, Massachusetts general [[minimum wage]] in the state was $11 per hour while the minimum wage for tipped workers is $3.75 an hour.<ref>{{cite news |last=Casteel |first=Kathryn |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-minimum-wage-movement-is-leaving-tipped-workers-behind/ |title=The Minimum Wage Movement Is Leaving Tipped Workers Behind |work=FiveThirtyEight |publisher=[[ESPN]] |date=February 7, 2017 |accessdate=February 8, 2017 }}</ref>
In 2015, twelve [[Fortune 500]] companies were located in Massachusetts: [[Liberty Mutual]], [[Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company]], [[TJX Companies]], [[EMC Corporation]], [[Raytheon]], [[Staples Inc.]], [[Global Partners]], [[Thermo Fisher Scientific]], [[State Street Corporation]], [[Biogen]], [[Eversource Energy]], and [[Boston Scientific]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.geolounge.com/fortune-500-list-by-state-for-2015/|title=Fortune 500 List by State for 2015 - Geolounge|date=July 28, 2015|publisher=}}</ref> CNBC's list of "Top States for Business for 2014" has recognized Massachusetts as the 25th-best state in the nation for business,<ref>{{cite web |title=America's Top States For Business |url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/101758236 |publisher=[[CNBC]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref> and for the second year in a row the state was ranked by Bloomberg as the most innovative state in America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-22/here-are-the-most-innovative-states-in-america-in-2016|title=Here are the Most Innovative States in America in 2016|date=December 22, 2016|publisher=|via=www.bloomberg.com}}</ref> According to a 2013 study by Phoenix Marketing International, Massachusetts had the sixth-largest number of millionaires per capita in the United States, with a ratio of 6.73 percent.<ref>{{cite web |last=Frank |first=Robert |title=Top states for millionaires per capita |url=https://www.cnbc.com/id/101338309 |publisher=[[CNBC]] |accessdate=January 25, 2014}}</ref> Billionaires living in the state include past and present leaders (and related family) of local companies such as [[Fidelity Investments]], [[New Balance]], [[Kraft Group]], [[Boston Scientific]], and the former [[Continental Cablevision]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2016/06/10/here-new-list-richest-people-mass/OaNMT5TILihKuLoyLNBwbL/story.html|title=Here’s a new list of the richest people in Mass. - The Boston Globe|publisher=}}</ref> [[Logan International Airport|Boston-Logan International Airport]] is the busiest airport in New England, serving 33.4 million total passengers in 2015, and witnessing rapid growth in international air traffic since 2010.<ref name=LoganTraffic>[https://www.massport.com/media/378708/1215-avstats-airport-traffic-summary.pdf] Accessed May 8, 2016.</ref>
Sectors vital to the Massachusetts economy include higher education, [[biotechnology]], [[information technology]], finance, health care, tourism, and defense. The [[Route 128 (Massachusetts)|Route 128 corridor]] and Greater Boston continue to be a major center for [[venture capital|venture capital investment]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nvca.org/research/venture-investment/ |title=Venture Investment – Regional Aggregate Data |publisher=National Venture Capital Association |accessdate=January 17, 2016}}</ref> and [[high technology]] remains an important sector. In recent years tourism has played an ever-important role in the state's economy, with Boston and [[Cape Cod]] being the leading destinations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2016/06/10/where-massachusetts-tourists-come-from/M7IXI2wbqxj0p0RFAxxhKO/story.html|date=June 11, 2016|title=Where do Massachusetts tourists come from?|author=Corlyn Voorhees}}</ref> Other popular tourist destinations include [[Salem, Massachusetts|Salem]], [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]], and [[the Berkshires]]. Massachusetts is the sixth-most popular tourist destination for foreign travelers.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tourism Statistics |url=http://www.statisticbrain.com/tourism-statistics/ |publisher=Statisticsbrain.com |accessdate=April 27, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Sunset on Cape Cod Bay.jpg|thumb|[[Cape Cod Bay]], a leading tourist destination in Massachusetts. Tourism is important to the state's economy.]]
As of 2012, there were 7,755 farms in Massachusetts encompassing a total of {{convert|523,517|acre|km2|-1}}, averaging {{convert|67.5|acre|km2}} apiece.<ref>{{cite web |title=Number of Farms Numbers Continue Slight Rise in 2012 |url=https://ag.umass.edu/ma-agricultural-data/number-of-farms/numbers-continue-slight-rise-in-2012 |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] Center for Agriculture, Food, and the environment |accessdate=April 27, 2015}}</ref> Particular agricultural products of note include green house products making up more than one third of the state's agricultural output, cranberries, sweet corn and apples are also large sectors of production.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources |url=http://www.nasda.org/9383/States/MA.aspx |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Agricultural |accessdate=April 27, 2015}}</ref> Massachusetts is the second-largest cranberry-producing state in the union after [[Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite web |date=January 26, 2007 |url=http://www.nass.usda.gov/nh/jan07cran.pdf |title=Massachusetts Cranberries |publisher=[[United States Department of Agriculture]] |accessdate=May 23, 2010}}</ref>
The more than 33,000 nonprofits in Massachusetts employ one-sixth of the state's workforce.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://waltham.wickedlocal.com/news/20170620/waltham-nonprofit-watch-cdc-recognized-at-statehouse|title=Waltham nonprofit WATCH CDC recognized at Statehouse|work=Wicked Local Waltham|access-date=2017-06-21|language=en}}</ref> In 2007, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a state holiday, Nonprofit Awareness Day.
In February 2017, ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' ranked Massachusetts the best state in the United States based upon 60 [[Performance metric|metrics]] including healthcare, education, crime, infrastructure, opportunity, economy, and government. The Bay State ranked number one in education, number two in healthcare, and number five in the handling of the economy.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings |title=Best States Overall Ranking |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |accessdate=February 28, 2017}}</ref>
===Job growth===
Massachusetts scored ninth among all other states in non-farm job growth in 2015 according to the [[Bureau of Labor Statistics]]. The state ranked 15th in percentage change with a two-percent increase.<ref>{{cite news |last=Thomas |first=G. Scott |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2016/11/18/where-does-mass-rank-in-job-growth-over-past-year.html |title=Where does Mass. rank in job growth over past year? BLS says ... |work=[[Boston Business Journal]] |date=November 18, 2016 |accessdate=November 21, 2016}}</ref>
===Taxation===
Depending on how it is calculated, state and local tax burden in Massachusetts has been estimated among U.S. states and Washington D.C. as 21st-highest (11.44% or $6,163 per year for a household with nationwide median income)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer/2416/#complete-rankings.|title=2016's States with the Highest & Lowest Tax Rates|accessdate=June 18, 2016}}</ref> or 25th-highest overall with below-average corporate taxes (39th-highest), above-average personal income taxes, (13th-highest), above-average sales tax (18th-highest), and below-average property taxes (46th-highest).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://taxfoundation.org/article/2016-state-business-tax-climate-index|title=2016 State Business Tax Climate Index|accessdate=June 18, 2016}}</ref> In the 1970s, the Commonwealth ranked as a relatively high-tax state, gaining the pejorative nickname "Taxachusetts". This was followed by a round of tax limitations during the 1980s—a conservative period in American politics—including [[Proposition 2½]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2014/03/28/taxachussetts-misnomer-least-for-now/JwFnatLJTZ2eoGxDYzT82J/story.html|title='Taxachusetts' is a misnomer, at least for now|work=Boston Globe|author=Tom Keane|date=March 28, 2014}}</ref>
As of January 1, 2016, Massachusetts has a flat-rate personal income tax of 5.1%,<ref>{{cite web |title=Taxes & Rates Income |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Revenue |accessdate=June 18, 2016 |url=http://www.mass.gov/dor/all-taxes/income/}}</ref> after a 2002 voter referendum to eventually lower the rate to 5.0%<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Implements Reduction in Personal Income Tax Rates |publisher=[[The Tax Foundation]] |accessdate=May 10, 2012 |url=http://taxfoundation.org/blog/show/27852.html}}</ref> as amended by the legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/12/31/income-tax-rate-fall-jan/0z4PxvHvtSxWOFja3EDZfO/story.html|title=Income tax rate to fall on Jan. 1 - The Boston Globe|publisher=}}</ref> There is a [[tax exemption]] for income below a threshold that varies from year to year. The corporate income tax rate is 8.8%,<ref name=MassTaxes1>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts |publisher=[[The Tax Foundation]] |accessdate=April 27, 2015 |url=http://taxfoundation.org/state-tax-climate/massachusetts}}</ref> and the short-term [[capital gains tax|capital gains]] tax rate is 12%.<ref name=MassTax2>{{cite web |title=Tax Rates |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Revenue |accessdate=April 27, 2015 |url=http://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/filing-and-payment-information/guide-to-personal-income-tax/tax-rates.html}}</ref> An unusual provision allows filers to voluntarily pay at the pre-referendum 5.85% income tax rate, which is done by between one and two thousand taxpayers per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cltg.org/cltg/clt2005/05-04-15.htm#Globe1|title=CLT Update: 05 Apr 15 - "We didn't need or want a tax cut -- but it's ours now!"|website=cltg.org}}</ref>
The state imposes a 6.25% [[sales tax]]<ref name=MassTaxes1/> on retail sales of tangible personal property—except for groceries, clothing (up to $175.00), and periodicals.<ref name=SalesTax1>{{cite web |title=A Guide to Sales and Use Tax |location=MA, US |publisher=Massachusetts Department of Revenue |accessdate=June 18, 2016 |url=http://www.mass.gov/dor/individuals/taxpayer-help-and-resources/tax-guides/salesuse-tax-guide.html}}</ref> The sales tax is charged on clothing that costs more than $175.00, for the amount exceeding $175.00.<ref name=SalesTax1/> Massachusetts also charges a [[use tax]] when goods are bought from other states and the vendor does not remit Massachusetts sales tax; taxpayers report and pay this on their income tax forms or dedicated forms, though there are "safe harbor" amounts that can be paid without tallying up actual purchases (except for purchases over $1000).<ref name=SalesTax1 /> There is no [[inheritance tax]] and limited Massachusetts [[estate tax]] related to federal estate tax collection.<ref name=MassTax2/>
===Energy===
Massachusetts's [[electricity generation]] market was made competitive in 1998, enabling retail customers to change suppliers without changing utility companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goodenergy.com/Energy-Procurement/massachusetts |title=Massachusetts Electricity deregulation |publisher=Good Energy}}</ref> In 2012, Massachusetts consumed 1374.4 trillion [[British Thermal Units|BTU]],<ref name=EIAmass>{{cite web |title=State Profile and Energy Estimates |url=http://www.eia.gov/state/?sid=MA#tabs-2 |publisher=[[Energy Information Administration]] |accessdate=April 28, 2015}}</ref> making it the fifth-lowest state in terms of consumption of energy per capita, and 63% of that energy came from [[natural gas]].<ref name=EIAmass/> In 2014 and 2015, Massachusetts was ranked as the most energy efficient state the United States<ref>{{cite web |title=State Scorecard Rank |url=http://database.aceee.org/state-scorecard-rank |publisher=[[American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy]] |accessdate=June 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2015 State Scorecard Rank – Massachusetts |url=http://aceee.org/sites/default/files/pdf/state-sheet/2015/massachusetts.pdf |publisher=[[American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy]] |accessdate=June 26, 2016}}</ref> while Boston is the most efficient city,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wood |first1=Elisa |title=Boston Takes Top Spot Again in City Energy Efficiency Scorecard |url=http://energyefficiencymarkets.com/whos-surprised-boston-takes-top-spot-again-in-city-energy-efficiency-scorecard/ |accessdate=June 13, 2015 |publisher=Energy Efficiency Markets.com |date=May 26, 2015}}</ref> but it had the third-highest electricity prices of any state.<ref name=EIAmass/>
{{further information|:Category:Energy in Massachusetts}}
==Transportation==
{{See also|Category:Transportation in Massachusetts}}
[[File:MBTA services sampling excluding MBTA Boat.jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]], serving [[Greater Boston]]]]
Massachusetts has 10 regional [[metropolitan planning organization]]s and three non-metropolitan planning organizations covering the remainder of the state;<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Regional Planning Agencies |url=http://www.apa-ma.org/resources/massachusetts-regional-planning-agencies |publisher=[[American Planning Association]] |accessdate=April 30, 2015}}</ref> statewide planning is handled by the [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]].
===Regional public transportation===
The [[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] (MBTA), also known as "The T",<ref>{{cite web |title=MBTA Website |url=http://www.mbta.com/index.asp |publisher=[[Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority]] |accessdate=May 2, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418012818/http://www.mbta.com/index.asp |archivedate=April 18, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> operates public transportation in the form of subway,<ref>{{cite web |title=Subway Map |publisher=[[Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority]] |accessdate=May 22, 2010 |url=http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/subway/}}</ref> bus,<ref>{{cite web |title=Bus Schedules & Maps |publisher=[[Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority]] |accessdate=May 22, 2010 |url=http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/bus/}}</ref> and ferry<ref>{{cite web |title=Boat Map and Schedules |publisher=[[Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority]] |accessdate=May 22, 2010 |url=http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/boats/}}</ref> systems in the [[Metro Boston]] area.
Fifteen other regional transit authorities provide public transportation in the form of bus services in the rest of the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Your Transit Authorities |publisher=Massachusetts Association of Regional Transit Authorities |accessdate=May 23, 2010 |url=http://www.matransit.com/}}</ref> Two [[heritage railway]]s are also in operation: the [[Cape Cod Central Railroad]] and the [[Berkshire Scenic Railway]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cape Cod Central Railroad |publisher=[[Cape Cod Central Railroad]] |accessdate=May 23, 2010 |url=http://www.capetrain.com/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=2010 Scenic Train Schedule |publisher=Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum |accessdate=May 23, 2010 |url=http://berkshirescenicrailroad.org/schedules.php}}</ref>
===Long-distance rail and bus===
[[Amtrak]] operates [[inter-city rail]], including the high-speed [[Acela]] service to cities such as [[Providence, Rhode Island|Providence]], [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], New York City, and Washington, DC from [[South Station]]. From [[North Station]] the Amtrak Downeaster serves [[Portland, Maine]] and [[Brunswick, Maine]].<ref>{{cite web |work=Routes |title=Acela Express |publisher=[[Amtrak]] |accessdate=May 22, 2010 |url=http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/AM_Route_C/1241245664867/1237405732511 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100523233021/http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/AM_Route_C/1241245664867/1237405732511 |archivedate=May 23, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Amtrak also runs east-west from Boston South Station to Worcester, Springfield, and eventually Chicago, Illinois; and north-south from the [[Pioneer Valley]] to New Haven, Connecticut via Hartford. Amtrak carries more passengers between Boston and New York than all airlines combined (about 54% of market share in 2012).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/16/business/hassles-of-air-travel-push-passengers-to-amtrak.html|title=Air Travel’s Hassles Drive Riders to Amtrak’s Acela|first=Ron|last=Nixon|date=August 15, 2012|publisher=|via=www.nytimes.com}}</ref> but has infrequent trips to other cities. There, more frequent intercity service is provided by private bus carriers, including [[Peter Pan Bus Lines]] (headquartered in Springfield), [[Greyhound Lines]], and [[BoltBus]]. Various [[Chinatown bus lines]] depart for New York from South Station in Boston.
[[MBTA Commuter Rail]] services run throughout the larger Greater Boston area, including service to [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]], and [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Commuter Rail Maps and Schedules |publisher=[[Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015 |url=http://www.mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/rail/}}</ref> This overlaps with the service areas of neighboring regional transportation authorities. As of the summer of 2013 the [[Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority]] in collaboration with the MBTA and the [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] (MassDOT) is operating the [[CapeFLYER]] providing passenger rail service between Boston and Cape Cod.<ref>{{cite web |title=CapeFlyer |accessdate=July 29, 2013 |url=http://capeflyer.com/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=T announces summer Cape Cod train service |publisher=[[WCVB-TV]] |accessdate=July 29, 2013 |url=http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/boston-south/T-announces-summer-Cape-Cod-train-service/-/9848842/19557134/-/f7pi02/-/index.html |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103130254/http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/boston-south/T-announces-summer-Cape-Cod-train-service/-/9848842/19557134/-/f7pi02/-/index.html |archivedate=November 3, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
[[Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail]] is expected to begin operation in 2018.
===Ferry===
[[The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority]] regulates freight and passenger ferry service to the islands of Massachusetts including [[Martha's Vineyard]] and [[Nantucket]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/about.cfm |title=Background |publisher=[[The Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority]] |accessdate=May 24, 2010}}</ref>
===Rail freight===
As of 2015, a number of [[Rail freight transport|freight railroads]] were operating in Massachusetts, with [[CSX Transportation|CSX]] being the largest carrier.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Passenger and Freight Rail |url=http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/planning/Main/MapsDataandReports/Maps/PassengerandFreightRail.aspx |publisher=[[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] |accessdate=May 2, 2015}}</ref> Massachusetts has a total of {{convert|892|mi|km}} of freight trackage in operation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rail Fast Facts For 2011 |url=https://www.aar.org/KeyIssues/Railroads-States/Massachusetts-2010.pdf |publisher=Association of American Railroads |accessdate=May 2, 2015}}</ref>
===Air service===
{{further information|List of airports in Massachusetts}}
[[File:Downtown Worcester, Massachusetts.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], second-largest city in the state, with [[Worcester Regional Airport]] tower in the background]]
The major airport in the state is [[Logan International Airport|Boston-Logan International Airport]]. The airport served 33.5 million passengers in 2015, up from 31.6 million in 2014,<ref name=LoganTraffic/> and is used by around 40 airlines with a total of 103 gates.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Logan |url=https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/about-logan/ |publisher=[[Massachusetts Port Authority]] |accessdate=May 2, 2015}}</ref> Logan International Airport has service to numerous cities throughout the United States, as well as international service to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.<ref name=massport>{{cite web |title=About Massport |url=https://www.massport.com/about-massport/about-massport/ |publisher=[[Massachusetts Port Authority]] |accessdate=May 2, 2015}}</ref> Logan, [[Hanscom Field]] in [[Bedford, Massachusetts|Bedford]], and [[Worcester Regional Airport]] are operated by [[Massport]], an independent state transportation agency.<ref name=massport/> Massachusetts has approximately 42 public-use airfields, and over 200 private landing spots.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mass Aeronautics |url=http://www.massaeronautics.org/default.asp?pgid=AeroAbout&sid=level2 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080505120625/http://www.massaeronautics.org/default.asp?pgid=AeroAbout&sid=level2 |archivedate=May 5, 2008 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Some airports receive funding from the Aeronautics Division of the [[Massachusetts Department of Transportation]] and the [[Federal Aviation Administration]]; the FAA is also the primary regulator of Massachusetts air travel.<ref>{{cite web |title=About FAA |url=https://www.faa.gov/about/ |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |accessdate=May 2, 2015}}</ref>
===Roads===
There are a total of {{convert|31300|mi|km}} of [[Interstate highway|interstates]] and other highways in Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/ciswel/weltomas.htm#trans |title=Transportation |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |accessdate=May 31, 2010}}</ref> [[Interstate 90 in Massachusetts|Interstate 90]] (I-90, also known as the [[Massachusetts Turnpike]]), is the longest interstate in Massachusetts. The route travels {{convert|136|mi|km|abbr=on}} generally west to east, entering Massachusetts at the New York state line in the town of [[West Stockbridge, Massachusetts|West Stockbridge]], and passes just north of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], just south of [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]] and through [[Framingham, Massachusetts|Framingham]] before terminating near Logan International Airport in Boston.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interstate 90 |url=http://www.interstate-guide.com/i-090.html |website=interstate-guide.com |publisher=AARoads |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref> Other major interstates include [[Interstate 91 in Massachusetts|I-91]], which travels generally north and south along the [[Connecticut River]]; [[Interstate 93 in Massachusetts|I-93]], which travels north and south through central Boston, then passes through [[Methuen, Massachusetts|Methuen]] before entering New Hampshire; and [[Interstate 95 in Massachusetts|I-95]], which connects [[Providence, Rhode Island]] with Greater Boston, forming a partial [[beltway|loop]] [[Concurrency (road)|concurrent]] with [[Massachusetts Route 128|Route 128]] around the more urbanized areas before continuing north along the coast into New Hampshire.
[[Interstate 495 (Massachusetts)|I-495]] forms a wide loop around the outer edge of Greater Boston. Other major interstates in Massachusetts include [[Interstate 291 (Massachusetts)|I-291]], [[Interstate 391 (Massachusetts)|I-391]], [[Interstate 84 in Massachusetts|I-84]], [[Interstate 195 in Massachusetts|I-195]], [[Interstate 395 in Massachusetts|I-395]], [[Interstate 290 (Massachusetts)|I-290]], and [[Interstate 190 (Massachusetts)|I-190]]. Major non-interstate highways in Massachusetts include [[United States Numbered Highways|U.S. Routes]] [[U.S. Route 1 in Massachusetts|1]], [[U.S. Route 3 in Massachusetts|3]], [[U.S. Route 6 in Massachusetts|6]], and [[U.S. Route 20 in Massachusetts|20]], and state routes [[Massachusetts Route 2|2]], [[Massachusetts Route 3|3]], 9, [[Massachusetts Route 24|24]], and 128. A great majority of interstates in Massachusetts were constructed during the mid 20th century, and at times were controversial, particularly the intent [[Southwest Corridor (Massachusetts)|to route I-95 northeastwards from Providence, Rhode Island, directly through central Boston]], first proposed in 1948. Opposition to continued construction grew, and in 1970 Governor [[Francis W. Sargent]] issued a general prohibition on most further freeway construction within the I-95/Route 128 loop in the Boston area.<ref>Brown and Tager, pp. 283–284.</ref> A massive undertaking to bring I-93 underground in downtown Boston, called the [[Big Dig]], brought the city's highway system under public scrutiny for its high cost and construction quality.<ref name=BigDig1/>
==Government and politics==
[[File:Mass statehouse eb1.jpg|thumb|The [[Massachusetts State House]], topped by its golden dome, faces [[Boston Common]] on [[Beacon Hill, Boston|Beacon Hill]].]]
Massachusetts has a long political history; earlier political structures included the [[Mayflower Compact]] of 1620, the separate [[Massachusetts Bay Colony|Massachusetts Bay]] and [[Plymouth Colony|Plymouth]] colonies, and the combined colonial [[Province of Massachusetts]]. The [[Massachusetts Constitution]] was ratified in 1780 while the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] was in progress, four years after the [[Articles of Confederation]] was drafted, and eight years before the present [[United States Constitution]] was ratified on June 21, 1788. Drafted by [[John Adams]], the Massachusetts Constitution is currently the oldest functioning written constitution in continuous effect in the world.<ref>{{cite book |last=Levy |first=Leonard |title=Seasoned Judgments: The American Constitution, Rights, and History |year=1995 |page=307 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-7lKq0dfs54C&pg=PA307 |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kemp |first=Roger |title=Documents of American Democracy |year=2010 |page=59 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JHawgM-WnlUC&pg=PA59}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Murrin |first=John |title=Liberty, Power, and Equality: A History |year=2011 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CADtJymgzk4C&pg=PT222}}</ref> It has been amended 120 times, most recently in 2000.
Massachusetts politics since the second half of the 20th century have generally been dominated by the [[United States Democratic Party|Democratic Party]], and the state has a reputation for being the most [[Modern liberalism|liberal]] state in the country.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hickey |first1=Walter |title=The Most Liberal States In America |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/most-liberal-states-2013-2#2-massachusetts--305-percent-liberal-9 |website=[[Business Insider]] |accessdate=May 4, 2015}}</ref> In 1974, [[Elaine Noble]] became [[List of the first LGBT holders of political offices|the first]] openly lesbian or gay candidate elected to a state legislature in US history.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gianoulis |first=Tina |title=Noble, Elaine |publisher=glbtq: An Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture |date=October 13, 2005 |url=http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/noble_e.html |accessdate=September 24, 2007 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030032157/http://www.glbtq.com/social-sciences/noble_e.html |archivedate=October 30, 2007 |df= }}</ref> The state housed the first openly gay member of the [[United States House of Representatives]], [[Gerry Studds]], in 1972<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cave |first1=Damien |title=Gerry Studds Dies at 69; First Openly Gay Congressman |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/15/us/15studds.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=April 26, 2015}}</ref> and in 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to allow [[same-sex marriage]].<ref name=CNNmarriage/>
===Government===
{{Main article|Government of Massachusetts}}
{{See also|Commonwealth (U.S. state)}}
[[File:Charlie Baker official portrait.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Charlie Baker (politician)|Charlie Baker]] ([[Republican Party (Massachusetts)|R]]), the 72nd and current [[Governor of Massachusetts]]]]
The [[Massachusetts government|Government of Massachusetts]] is divided into three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The [[governor of Massachusetts]] heads the executive branch; duties of the governor include signing or vetoing legislation, filling judicial and agency appointments, granting pardons, preparing an annual budget, and commanding the [[Massachusetts National Guard]].<ref name=MassPol1>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1b.htm |title=Massachusetts Facts: Politics |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |accessdate=June 1, 2010}}</ref> Massachusetts governors, unlike those of most other states, are addressed as His/Her Excellency.<ref name=MassPol1/> The current governor is [[Charlie Baker (politician)|Charlie Baker]],<ref name=2014electionboston>{{cite web |title=2014 General Election Results |url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/extra/election-results |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref> a Republican from [[Swampscott, Massachusetts|Swampscott]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sacchetti |first1=Maria |title=Swampscott celebrates neighbor turned governor |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/01/11/swampscott-greets-new-mass-governor-old-neighbor-charlie-baker/EausDP2rRRcKq7a77fAR8M/story.html |accessdate=May 5, 2015 |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=January 12, 2015}}</ref> The executive branch also includes the Executive Council, which is made up of eight elected councilors and the [[Lieutenant Governor]] seat,<ref name=MassPol1/> which is currently occupied by [[Karyn Polito]].<ref name=2014electionboston/>
Abilities of the Council include confirming gubernatorial appointments and certifying elections.<ref name=MassPol1 /> The [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] and [[Massachusetts Senate]] comprise the legislature of Massachusetts, known as the [[Massachusetts General Court]].<ref name=MassPol1/> The House consists of 160 members while the Senate has 40 members.<ref name=MassPol1 /> Leaders of the House and Senate are chosen by the members of those bodies; the leader of the House is known as the Speaker while the leader of the Senate is known as the President.<ref name=MassPol1/> Each branch consists of several committees.<ref name=MassPol1/> Members of both bodies are elected to two-year terms.<ref>{{cite web |title=Number of Legislators and Length of Terms in Years |url=http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/number-of-legislators-and-length-of-terms.aspx |publisher=[[National Conference of State Legislatures]] |accessdate=May 4, 2015}}</ref>
The Judicial branch is headed by the [[Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court]], which serves over a number of lower courts.<ref name=MassPol1 /> The Supreme Judicial Court is made up of a chief justice and six associate justices.<ref name=MassPol1 /> Judicial appointments are made by the governor and confirmed by the executive council.<ref name=MassPol1 />
The Congressional delegation from Massachusetts is entirely [[U.S. Democratic Party|Democratic]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm |title=Members of the 111th Congress |publisher=[[United States Senate]] |accessdate=October 18, 2009}}</ref> Currently, the [[United States Senate|US senators]] are Democrats [[Elizabeth Warren]] and [[Ed Markey]]. The members of the state's delegation to the [[US House of Representatives]] are [[Richard Neal]], [[Jim McGovern (congressman)|Jim McGovern]], [[Niki Tsongas]], [[Joseph Kennedy III]], [[Katherine Clark]], [[Seth Moulton]], [[Mike Capuano]], [[Stephen Lynch (politician)|Stephen Lynch]], and [[Bill Keating (politician)|Bill Keating]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Directory of Representatives |url=http://www.house.gov/representatives/#state_ma |publisher=[[United States House of Representatives]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref>
Federal court cases are heard in the [[United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts]], and appeals are heard by the [[United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit]].<ref>{{cite web |location=US |url=http://www.uscourts.gov/file/document/us-federal-courts-circuit-map |title=Geographic Boundaries of United States Courts of Appeals and United States District Courts |publisher=United States Courts |format=PDF |accessdate=May 12, 2015}}</ref> In U.S. presidential elections since 2012, Massachusetts has been allotted 11 votes in the [[United States Electoral College|electoral college]], out of a total of 538.<ref>{{cite web |series=Electoral College |title=Distribution of 2004 and 2008 Electoral Votes |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] |location=US |accessdate=June 2, 2010 |url=http://archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/2008/allocation.html}}</ref> Like most states, Massachusetts's electoral votes are granted in a winner-take-all system.<ref>{{cite web |location=US |series=Electoral College |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] |accessdate=June 2, 2010 |url=https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/faq.html}}</ref>
===Politics===
{{Main article|Politics of Massachusetts|Political party strength in Massachusetts}}
{{See also|Green-Rainbow Party|Massachusetts Democratic Party|Massachusetts Republican Party|United Independent Party}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Massachusetts vote|Gubernatorial election results<ref name="Leip, David">{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/|title=General Election Results – Oregon|publisher=[[Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]]|accessdate=November 18, 2016 |author=Leip, David}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (Massachusetts)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (Massachusetts)|Republican]]
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1958|1958]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''56.2%''' ''1,067,020''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|43.1% ''818,463''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1960|1960]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|46.8% ''1,130,810''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''52.5%''' ''1,269,295''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1962|1962]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''49.9%''' ''1,053,322''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|49.7% ''1,047,891''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1964|1964]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|49.3% ''1,153,416''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''50.3%''' ''1,176,462''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1966|1966]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|36.9% ''752,720''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''62.6%''' ''1,277,358''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1970|1970]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|42.8% ''799,269''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''56.7%''' ''1,058,623''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1974|1974]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''53.5%''' ''992,284''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|42.3% ''784,353''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1978|1978]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.2%''' ''1,030,294''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.0% ''926,072''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1982|1982]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''59.5%''' ''1,219,109''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|36.6% ''749,679''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1986|1986]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''68.7%''' ''1,157,786''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|31.2% ''525,364''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1990|1990]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|46.9% ''1,099,878''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''50.2%''' ''1,175,817''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1994|1994]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|28.3% ''611,650''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''70.8%''' ''1,533,390''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1998|1998]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|47.4% ''901,843''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''50.8%''' ''967,160''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2002|2002]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|44.9% ''985,981''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''49.8%''' ''1,091,988''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006|2006]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''55.6%''' ''1,234,984''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|35.3% ''784,342''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2010|2010]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''48.4%''' ''1,112,283''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|42.0% ''964,866''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2014|2014]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|46.5% ''1,004,408''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''48.4%''' ''1,044,573''
|-
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Massachusetts vote|Presidential election results<ref name="Leip, David"/>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
|-
| {{party shading/Republican}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1952|1952]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 45.5% ''1,083,525''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | '''54.2%''' ''1,292,325''
|-
| {{party shading/Republican}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1956|1956]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 40.4% ''948,190''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | '''59.3%''' ''1,393,197''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1960|1960]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''60.2%''' ''1,487,174''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 39.6% ''976,750''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1964|1964]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''76.2%''' ''1,786,422''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 23.4% ''549,727''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1968|1968]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''63.0%''' ''1,469,218''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 32.9% ''766,844''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1972|1972]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''54.2%''' ''1,332,540''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 45.2% ''1,112,078''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1976|1976]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''56.1%''' ''1,429,475''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 40.4% ''1,030,276''
|-
| {{party shading/Republican}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1980|1980]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 41.8% ''1,053,802''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | '''41.9%''' ''1,057,631''
|-
| {{party shading/Republican}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1984|1984]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 48.4% ''1,239,606''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | '''51.2%''' ''1,310,936''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1988|1988]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''53.2%''' ''1,401,416''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 45.4% ''1,194,644''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1992|1992]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''47.5%''' ''1,318,662''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 37.0% ''1,005,049''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 1996|1996]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''61.5%''' ''1,571,763''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 28.1% ''718,107''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 2000|2000]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''59.8%''' ''1,616,487''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 32.5% ''878,502''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 2004|2004]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''61.9%''' ''1,803,800''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 36.8% ''1,071,109''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 2008|2008]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''61.8%''' ''1,904,098''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 36.0% ''1,108,854''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 2012|2012]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''60.7%''' ''1,921,290''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 37.5% ''1,188,314''
|-
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | [[United States presidential election in Massachusetts, 2016|2016]]
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | '''60.0%''' ''1,995,196''
| {{party shading/Republican}} | 32.8% ''1,090,893''
|}
Throughout the mid 20th century, Massachusetts has gradually shifted from a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]-leaning state to one largely dominated by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]]; the [[United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 1952|1952 victory]] of [[John F. Kennedy]] over incumbent Senator [[Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.]] is seen as a watershed moment in this transformation. His younger brother [[Ted Kennedy|Edward M. Kennedy]] held that seat until his death from a brain tumor in 2009.{{sfn|Brown|Tager|2000|p=310}} Massachusetts has since gained a reputation as being a politically liberal state and is often used as an archetype of [[modern liberalism in the United States|modern liberalism]], hence the usage of the phrase "[[Massachusetts liberal]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-07-25-mass-liberal_x.htm |title=Does 'Massachusetts liberal' label still matter? |first1=Susan |last1=Page |first2=Jill |last2=Lawrence |publisher=[[USA Today]] |date=July 11, 2004 |accessdate=October 17, 2009}}</ref>
Massachusetts routinely votes for the Democratic Party, with the core concentrations in the Boston metro area, the Cape and Islands, and Western Massachusetts outside Hampden County. Pockets of Republican strength are in the central areas along the I-495 crescent, Hampden County, and communities on the south and north shores,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.r-bloggers.com/mapping-ma-election-results/ |publisher=R-bloggers |title=Mapping MA election results |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref> but the state as a whole has not given its [[Electoral College (United States)|Electoral College]] votes to a Republican in a [[United States presidential election|presidential election]] since [[Ronald Reagan]] carried it in [[United States presidential election, 1984|1984]]. Additionally, Massachusetts provided Reagan with his smallest margins of victory in both the [[United States presidential election, 1980|1980]]<ref>{{cite web |title=1980 Presidential General Election Results – Massachusetts |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=0&fips=25&year=1980 |publisher=[[Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref> and 1984 elections.<ref>{{cite web |title=1984 Presidential General Election Results – Massachusetts |url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=0&fips=25&year=1984 |publisher=[[Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref>
As of the 2014 election, the Democratic Party holds a significant majority over the Republican Party. Only 35 of the 160 seats in the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives|state house]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Members of the House of Representatives |url=https://malegislature.gov/People/House |publisher=[[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref> and 6 of the 40 seats in the [[Massachusetts state senate|state senate]] belong to the Republican Party.<ref>{{cite web |title=Members of the Senate |url=https://malegislature.gov/People/Senate |publisher=[[Massachusetts Senate]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref>
Although Republicans held the governor's office continuously from 1991 to 2007 and from 2015 onwards,<ref name=2014electionboston/> they have been among the most moderate Republican leaders in the nation.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gordon |first=Meryl |title=Weld at Heart |url=http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/politics/national/features/5574/ |newspaper=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=January 14, 2002 |accessdate=May 23, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Vennochi |first=Joan |title=Romney's liberal shadow |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2007/06/17/romneys_liberal_shadow/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=June 17, 2007 |accessdate=May 23, 2010}}</ref> In the [[United States presidential election, 2004|2004 election]], the state gave Massachusetts senator [[John Kerry]] 61.9% of the vote, his best showing in any state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Federal Elections 2004 |page=22 |publisher=[[Federal Election Commission]] |accessdate=October 17, 2009 |format=PDF |url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2004/federalelections2004.pdf}}</ref> In [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008]], President [[Barack Obama]] carried the state with 61.8% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |title=2008 Presidential Popular Vote Summary |format=PDF |publisher=[[Federal Election Commission]] |accessdate=October 17, 2009 |url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2008/tables2008.pdf}}</ref>
{| class=wikitable style="float:right; margin-left:1em"
! colspan = 4 | Massachusetts registered voters as of February 2016<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleenr/enridx.htm|title=Elections: Massachusetts Registered Voter Enrollment|website=www.sec.state.ma.us}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of Voters
! Percentage
|-
{{party color|Independent Party (United States)}}
| [[Independent politician#United States|Independent]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,424,979
| style="text-align:center;"| 54.04%
|-
{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Massachusetts Democratic Party|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 1,526,870
| style="text-align:center;"| 34.03%
|-
{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Massachusetts Republican Party|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 479,237
| style="text-align:center;"| 10.68%
|-
{{party color|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| [[Massachusetts Libertarian Party|Libertarian]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 8,587
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.19%
|-
| rowspan=1 colspan=2 align="left" | Political designations
| style="text-align:center;"| 47,176
| style="text-align:center;"| 1.05%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 4,486,849
! style="text-align:center;"| 100%
|-
|}
In the [[United States Senate special election in Massachusetts, 2010|2010 special election]] for the U.S. Senate, Republican [[Scott Brown (politician)|Scott Brown]] defeated Democrat [[Martha Coakley]] by a 52% to 47% margin only to lose the seat in the [[United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 2012|2012 Senate election]] to [[Elizabeth Warren]], the first female senator to represent Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite news |title=Interactive Map, Election Results and Analysis |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |last1=Bloch |first1=Matthew |last2=Cox |first2=Amanda |last3=Ericson |first3=Matthew |last4=Hossain |first4=Farhana |last5=Tse |first5=Archie |date=January 19, 2010 |accessdate=May 22, 2010 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/01/19/us/politics/massachusetts-election-map.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fiery consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren beats Scott Brown in Massachusetts Senate race |date=November 6, 2012 |accessdate=July 31, 2013 |url=http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/11/06/polls-close-mass-suspense-builds-race-for-senate/sBRjd1kjA1q5fiiQRA2xcL/story.html |publisher=[[Boston.com]]}}</ref>
A number of contemporary national political issues have been influenced by events in Massachusetts, such as the decision in 2003 by the state Supreme Judicial Court [[Same-sex marriage in Massachusetts|allowing same-sex marriage]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Same-sex couples ready to make history in Massachusetts |publisher=[[CNN]] |date=May 17, 2004 |accessdate=July 31, 2013 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/LAW/05/17/mass.gay.marriage/}}</ref> and [[Massachusetts 2006 Health Reform Statute|a 2006 bill]] which mandated health insurance for all Bay Staters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11689698 |title=Massachusetts Makes Health Insurance Mandatory |publisher=[[NPR]] |date=July 3, 2007 |accessdate=October 18, 2009}}</ref> In 2008, Massachusetts voters passed [[Massachusetts Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative|an initiative]] decriminalizing possession of small amounts of [[marijuana]].<ref>{{cite web |format=PDF |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/2008%20Return%20of%20Votes%20Complete.pdf |title=2008 Return of Votes Complete |publisher=[[United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2008]] |date=December 17, 2008 |accessdate=October 18, 2009}}</ref> Voters in Massachusetts also approved a ballot measure in 2012 that legalized the medical use of marijuana.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.boston.com/metrodesk/2012/11/06/massachusetts-voters-approve-ballot-measure-legalize-medical-marijuana/EpDzgJGfBjnOAkoXpJwm1K/story.html |title=Massachusetts voters approve ballot measure to legalize medical marijuana |work=Boston Globe |accessdate=April 13, 2013}}</ref>
==Cities, towns, and counties==
{{Main article|Government of Massachusetts#Local_government|l1=Local Government}}
{{Largest cities
| name = Largest cities
| country = Massachusetts
| stat_ref = Source:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citypopulation.de/USA-Massachusetts.html |title=Massachusetts (USA): State, Major Cities, Towns & Places |date=February 19, 2011 |publisher=City Population |accessdate=December 1, 2014}}</ref>
| list_by_pop =
| class = nav
| div_name =
| div_link = Counties of Massachusetts{{!}}County
| city_1 = Boston, Massachusetts{{!}}Boston
| div_1 = Suffolk County, Massachusetts{{!}}Suffolk
| pop_1 = 645,966
| img_1 =
| city_2 = Worcester, Massachusetts{{!}}Worcester
| div_2 = Worcester County, Massachusetts{{!}}Worcester
| pop_2 = 182,544
| img_2 =
| city_3 = Springfield, Massachusetts{{!}}Springfield
| div_3 = Hampden County, Massachusetts{{!}}Hampden
| pop_3 = 153,703
| img_3 =
| city_4 = Lowell, Massachusetts{{!}}Lowell
| div_4 = Middlesex County, Massachusetts{{!}}Middlesex
| pop_4 = 108,861
| img_4 =
| city_5 = Cambridge, Massachusetts{{!}}Cambridge
| div_5 = Middlesex County, Massachusetts{{!}}Middlesex
| pop_5 = 107,289
| img_5 =
| city_6 = New Bedford, Massachusetts{{!}}New Bedford
| div_6 = Bristol County, Massachusetts{{!}}Bristol
| pop_6 = 95,078
| img_6 =
| city_7 = Brockton, Massachusetts{{!}}Brockton
| div_7 = Plymouth County, Massachusetts{{!}}Plymouth
| pop_7 = 94,089
| img_7 =
| city_8 = Quincy, Massachusetts{{!}}Quincy
| div_8 = Norfolk County, Massachusetts{{!}}Norfolk
| pop_8 = 93,494
| img_8 =
| city_9 = Lynn, Massachusetts{{!}}Lynn
| div_9 = Essex County, Massachusetts{{!}}Essex
| pop_9 = 91,589
| img_9 =
| city_10 = Fall River, Massachusetts{{!}}Fall River
| div_10 = Bristol County, Massachusetts{{!}}Bristol
| pop_10 = 88,697
| img_10 =
}}
There are [[List of municipalities in Massachusetts|50 cities and 301 towns]] in Massachusetts, grouped into [[List of Massachusetts counties|14 counties]].<ref name=MassCities1>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cisctlist/ctlistidx.htm |title=Information and Historical Data on Cities, Towns, and Counties in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |accessdate=June 8, 2010}}</ref> The fourteen counties, moving roughly from west to east, are [[Berkshire County, Massachusetts|Berkshire]], [[Franklin County, Massachusetts|Franklin]], [[Hampshire County, Massachusetts|Hampshire]], [[Hampden County, Massachusetts|Hampden]], [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester]], [[Middlesex County, Massachusetts|Middlesex]], [[Essex County, Massachusetts|Essex]], [[Suffolk County, Massachusetts|Suffolk]], [[Norfolk County, Massachusetts|Norfolk]], [[Bristol County, Massachusetts|Bristol]], [[Plymouth County, Massachusetts|Plymouth]], [[Barnstable County, Massachusetts|Barnstable]], [[Dukes County, Massachusetts|Dukes]], and [[Nantucket County, Massachusetts|Nantucket]]. Eleven communities which call themselves "towns" are, by law, cities since they have traded the [[town meeting]] form of government for a mayor-council or manager-council form.<ref>See [[Administrative divisions of Massachusetts#The city/town distinction]].</ref>
Boston is the state capital and largest city in Massachusetts. The population of the city proper is 645,966,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2507000.html |title=Boston (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=June 10, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203013517/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25/2507000.html |archivedate=December 3, 2012 |df= }}</ref> and [[Greater Boston]], with a population of 4,628,910, is the 10th largest [[metropolitan area]] in the nation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=G. Scott |title=Boston's population stays flat, but still ranks as 10th-largest in U.S. (BBJ DataCenter) |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bbj_research_alert/2012/11/bostons-population-stays-flat-but.html?page=all |website=[[American City Business Journals]] |accessdate=May 4, 2015}}</ref> Other cities with a population over 100,000 include [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], [[Lowell, Massachusetts|Lowell]], and [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]]. [[Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth]] is the largest municipality in the state by land area.<ref name=MassCities1 />
Massachusetts, along with the five other [[New England]] states, features the local governmental structure known as [[New England town|the New England town]].{{sfn|Sokolow|1997|pp=293–6}} In this structure, incorporated towns—as opposed to townships or counties—hold many of the responsibilities and powers of local government.{{Sfn|Sokolow|1997|pp=293–6}} Most of the county governments were abolished by the state of Massachusetts beginning in 1997 including [[Middlesex County, Massachusetts|Middlesex County]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Facts Part One: Concise Facts |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1b.htm |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |accessdate=May 4, 2015}}</ref> the largest county in the state by population.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Population by County |url=http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/united-states/quick-facts/massachusetts/population#map |publisher=indexmundi.com |accessdate=May 4, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Middlesex County, Massachusetts |url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/nav/jsf/pages/community_facts.xhtml |publisher=[[American FactFinder]] |accessdate=May 4, 2015}}</ref> The voters of these now defunct counties elect only Sheriffs and Registers of Deeds, who are part of the state government. Other counties have been reorganized, and a few still retain county councils.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lwvma.org/your-government/counties/ |title=Massachusetts Government: County Government |publisher=[[League of Women Voters]] |accessdate=October 2, 2014}}</ref>
==Education==
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| width = 180
| align = right
| footer = [[Harvard University]] and [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] are both widely regarded as in the top handful of universities worldwide for academic research in various disciplines.<ref name=AcademicRanking2/>
| image1 = HarvardWidenerLibrary.jpg
| image2 = MIT_Building_10_and_the_Great_Dome,_Cambridge_MA.jpg}}
[[File:MA Public High School District SAT by town.png|thumb|Towns in Massachusetts by combined mean SAT of their public high school district for the 2015–2016 academic year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/state_report/sat_perf.aspx|title=2015-16 SAT Performance Statewide Report|website=profiles.doe.mass.edu}}</ref>]]
Massachusetts was the first state in North America to require municipalities to appoint a teacher or establish a grammar school with the passage of the [[Massachusetts Education Laws|Massachusetts Education Law]] of 1647,{{sfn|Dejnozka|Gifford|Kapel|Kapel|1982|p=313}} and 19th century reforms pushed by [[Horace Mann]] laid much of the groundwork for contemporary universal public education{{sfn|Dejnozka|Gifford|Kapel|Kapel|1982|p=311}}{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|pp=251–52}} which was established in 1852.<ref name=compschools /> Massachusetts is home to the oldest school in continuous existence in North America ([[The Roxbury Latin School]], founded in 1645), as well as the country's oldest public elementary school ([[The Mather School]], founded in 1639),<ref>{{cite web |title=Mather Elementary School |url=http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/school/mather-elementary-school |publisher=Boston Public Schools |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref> its oldest high school ([[Boston Latin School]], founded in 1635),<ref>{{cite news|last=Ramírez |first=Eddy |title=The First Class State |url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2007/11/29/the-first-class-state.html |newspaper=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |date=November 29, 2007 |accessdate=June 5, 2010 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081219191828/http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/high-schools/2007/11/29/the-first-class-state.html |archivedate=December 19, 2008 |df= }}</ref> its oldest continuously operating boarding school ([[The Governor's Academy]], founded in 1763),<ref>{{cite web |title=#26 The Governors Academy, Byfield, Mass. |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/most-expensive-private-schools-2011-4#26-the-governors-academy-byfield-mass-3 |website=[[Business Insider]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref> its oldest college ([[Harvard University]], founded in 1636),<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rimer |first1=Sara |last2=Finder |first2=Alan |title=Harvard Plans to Name First Female President |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/10/education/10harvard.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 10, 2007 |accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref> and its oldest women's college ([[Mount Holyoke College]], founded in 1837).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.studypoint.com/admissions/mount-holyoke/ |title=Mount Holyoke Admissions Information |publisher=[[StudyPoint]] |accessdate=June 10, 2015}}</ref>
Massachusetts's per-student public expenditure for elementary and secondary schools was eighth in the nation in 2012, at $14,844.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bidwell |first1=Allie |title=How States Are Spending Money in Education |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/01/29/how-states-are-spending-money-in-education |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150505044339/http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/01/29/how-states-are-spending-money-in-education |archivedate=May 5, 2015 |df= }}</ref> In 2013, Massachusetts scored highest of all the states in math and third-highest in reading on the [[National Assessment of Educational Progress]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Are the nation's twelfth-graders making progress in mathematics and reading? |url=http://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading_math_g12_2013/#/ |publisher=[[National Assessment of Educational Progress]] |accessdate=May 5, 2015}}</ref>
Massachusetts is home to 121 institutions of higher education.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/ciswel/weltomas.htm#edu |title=A Practical Guide to Living in the State – Education |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |location=MA, US |accessdate=June 2, 2010}}</ref> [[Harvard University]] and the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]], both located in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts|Cambridge]], consistently rank among the world's best private universities and universities in general.<ref>{{cite web |title=World's Best Universities:Top 400 |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |accessdate=May 25, 2010 |date=February 25, 2010 |url=https://www.usnews.com/articles/education/worlds-best-universities/2010/02/25/worlds-best-universities-top-400.html}}</ref> In addition to Harvard and MIT, several other Massachusetts universities currently rank in the top 50 at the undergraduate level nationally in the [[College and university rankings#United States|widely cited rankings]] of ''[[U.S. News and World Report]]'': [[Tufts University]] (#27), [[Boston College]] (#32), [[Brandeis University]] (#34), [[Boston University]] (#37) and [[Northeastern University]] (#40). Massachusetts is also home to three of the top five ''U.S. News and World Report''{{'}}s best Liberal Arts Colleges: [[Williams College]] (#1), [[Amherst College]] (#2), and [[Wellesley College]] (#4).<ref>{{cite web|title=National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings |url=http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges |work=[[U.S. News & World Report]] |accessdate=May 10, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160821213346/http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/national-liberal-arts-colleges |archivedate=August 21, 2016 |df= }}</ref> The public [[University of Massachusetts]] (nicknamed ''UMass'') features five campuses in the state, with its flagship campus in [[Amherst, Massachusetts|Amherst]] that enrolls over 25,000 students.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massachusetts.edu/system/about.html |title=The UMass System |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] |accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.umassp.edu/massedu/ir/facts2009-10.pdf |title=UMass – Facts 2009–2010 |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] |format=PDF |accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref>
{{Further information| List of colleges and universities in Massachusetts|List of engineering schools in Massachusetts|List of high schools in Massachusetts|List of school districts in Massachusetts}}
==Arts, culture, and recreation==
[[File:Site of Thoreau's cabin.JPG|thumb|left|The site of [[Henry David Thoreau]]'s cabin at [[Walden Pond]] in [[Concord, Massachusetts|Concord]]]]
Massachusetts has contributed to American arts and culture. Drawing from its [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] and [[Yankee]] roots, along with later immigrant groups, Massachusetts has produced a number of writers, artists, and musicians. A number of major museums and important historical sites are also located there, and events and festivals throughout the year celebrate the state's history and heritage.<ref>{{cite web |title=History Museums |url=http://www.massvacation.com/explore/history/history-museums/ |publisher=Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism |accessdate=May 6, 2015}}</ref>
Massachusetts was an early center of the [[Transcendentalism|Transcendentalist]] movement, which emphasized intuition, emotion, human individuality and a deeper connection with nature.{{sfn|Goldfield|Abbott|Anderson|Argersinger|1998|p=254}} [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]], who was born in Boston but spent much of his later life in [[Concord, Massachusetts|Concord]], largely created the philosophy with his 1836 work [[Nature (essay)|''Nature'']], and continued to be a key figure in the movement for the remainder of his life. Emerson's friend, [[Henry David Thoreau]], who was also involved in Transcendentalism, recorded his year spent alone in a small cabin at nearby [[Walden Pond]] in the 1854 work ''[[Walden; or, Life in the Woods]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Walden Pond State Reservation |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-north/walden-pond-state-reservation.html |publisher=[[Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs]] |accessdate=May 6, 2015}}</ref>
Other famous authors and poets born or strongly associated with Massachusetts include [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]], [[John Updike]], [[Emily Dickinson]], [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]], [[E.E. Cummings]], [[Sylvia Plath]], [[H.P. Lovecraft]], [[Edgar Allan Poe]], and [[Dr. Seuss|Theodor Seuss Geisel]], better known as "Dr. Seuss".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/long/historyculture/henry-wadsworth-longfellow.htm |title=Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=May 30, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Details – Sunday – Massachusetts |publisher=[[Academy of American Poets]] |accessdate=May 29, 2010 |url=http://www.poets.org/state.php/varState/MA}}</ref><ref name=MassMisc>{{cite web |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf4.htm |title=Miscellaneous Massachusetts Facts |publisher=[[Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth]] |accessdate=May 30, 2010}}</ref> Famous painters from Massachusetts include [[Winslow Homer]] and [[Norman Rockwell]];<ref name=MassMisc/> many of the latter's works are on display at the [[Norman Rockwell Museum]] in [[Stockbridge, Massachusetts|Stockbridge]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Norman Rockewell Museum of Vermont |url=http://www.normanrockwellvt.com/ |publisher=Norman Rockwell Museum of Vermont |accessdate=May 6, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503193330/http://normanrockwellvt.com/ |archivedate=May 3, 2015 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
[[File:InsideOutStage.jpg|thumb|An outdoor dance performance at [[Jacob's Pillow Dance|Jacob's Pillow]] in [[Becket, Massachusetts|Becket]]]]
Massachusetts is also an important center for the performing arts. Both the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]] and [[Boston Pops Orchestra]] are based in Massachusetts.<ref name=BostonArts1>{{cite web |url=http://www.massvacation.com/arts/music.php |title=Music |publisher=Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism |accessdate=May 29, 2010}}</ref> Other orchestras in Massachusetts include the [[Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra]] in [[Barnstable, Massachusetts|Barnstable]] and the [[Springfield Symphony Orchestra]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.capesymphony.org/cape-symphony-orchestra-the-ccso.asp |title=About the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra |publisher=[[Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra]] |accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.springfieldsymphony.org/about/history.shtml |title=Our History |publisher=[[Springfield Symphony Orchestra]] |accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref> [[Tanglewood]], in western Massachusetts, is a music venue that is home to both the [[Tanglewood Music Festival]] and [[Tanglewood Jazz Festival]], as well as the summer host for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massvacation.com/westernMass/arts.php |title=Arts |location=MA, US |publisher=Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism |accessdate=May 30, 2010}}</ref>
Other performing arts and theater organizations in Massachusetts include the [[Boston Ballet]], the [[Boston Lyric Opera]],<ref name=BostonArts1/> and the [[Lenox, Massachusetts|Lenox]]-based [[Shakespeare & Company (Massachusetts)|Shakespeare & Company]]. In addition to classical and folk music, Massachusetts has produced musicians and bands spanning a number of contemporary genres, such as the [[classic rock]] band [[Aerosmith]], the proto-punk band [[The Modern Lovers]], the [[New wave music|new wave]] band [[The Cars]], and the [[alternative rock]] band [[Pixies]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Leddy |first=Charles 'Chuck' |title=Rocking history lesson shows city was in a class by itself |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2008/01/10/rocking_history_lesson_shows_city_was_in_a_class_by_itself/ |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=January 10, 2008 |accessdate=May 29, 2010}}</ref> Film events in the state include the [[Boston Film Festival]], the [[Boston International Film Festival]], and a number of smaller film festivals in various cities throughout Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massvacation.com/arts/filmfestivals.php |title=Film Festivals |location=MA, US |publisher=Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism |accessdate=May 29, 2010}}</ref>
[[File:USS Constitution salutes Bataan 2005.jpg|thumb|left|[[USS Constitution|USS ''Constitution'']] fires a salute during its annual Fourth of July turnaround cruise.]]
Massachusetts is home to a large number of museums and historical sites. The [[Museum of Fine Arts, Boston]], the [[Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston]], and the [[DeCordova Museum|DeCordova]] contemporary art and sculpture museum in [[Lincoln, Massachusetts|Lincoln]] are all located within Massachusetts,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cityofboston.gov/visitors/museums.asp |title=Museums |publisher=City of [[Boston]] |accessdate=May 29, 2010}}</ref> and the [[Maria Mitchell Association]] in [[Nantucket]] includes several observatories, museums, and an aquarium.<ref>{{cite web |title=Art Museums |publisher=Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism |accessdate=May 29, 2010 |url=http://www.massvacation.com/arts/art-museums.php}}</ref> Historically themed museums and sites such as the [[Springfield Armory National Historic Site]] in [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]],<ref name=NPS1/> Boston's [[Freedom Trail]] and nearby [[Minute Man National Historical Park]], both of which preserve a number of sites important during the [[American Revolution]],<ref name=NPS1/><ref>{{cite web |title=Places To Go |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |accessdate=December 30, 2009 |url=http://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/placestogo.htm}}</ref> the [[Lowell National Historical Park]], which focuses on some of the earliest mills and canals of the [[industrial revolution]] in the US,<ref name=NPS1/> the [[Black Heritage Trail]] in Boston, which includes important African-American and abolitionist sites in Boston,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afroammuseum.org/trail.htm |title=Black Heritage Trail |publisher=[[African Meeting House|Museum of African American History]] |accessdate=May 29, 2010}}</ref> and the [[New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park]]<ref name=NPS1/> all showcase various periods of Massachusetts's history.
[[Plimoth Plantation]] and [[Old Sturbridge Village]] are two [[open-air museum|open-air]] or "living" museums in Massachusetts, recreating life as it was in the 17th and early 19th centuries, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=About Plimoth Plantation |publisher=[[Plimoth Plantation]] |accessdate=May 29, 2010 |url=http://www.plimoth.org/about/ |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100526084752/http://www.plimoth.org/about/ |archivedate=May 26, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Old Sturbridge Village |url=https://www.osv.org/ |publisher=[[Old Sturbridge Village]] |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref>
Boston's annual [[St. Patrick's Day]] parade and "Harborfest", a week-long [[Fourth of July]] celebration featuring a fireworks display and concert by the Boston Pops as well as a turnaround cruise in Boston Harbor by the [[USS Constitution|USS ''Constitution'']], are popular events.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Siddiqui |first1=Faiz |last2=Ellement |first2=John R. |last3=Finucane |first3=Martin |title=Boston plans to hold Fourth of July celebrations Thursday |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/07/02/organizers-meet-today-decide-whether-hold-rehearsal-concert-esplanade/hAEMRvOxUOfuSGYQPNkqYO/story.html |accessdate=May 7, 2015 |work=[[The Boston Globe]] |date=July 2, 2014}}</ref> The [[New England Summer Nationals]], an [[auto show]] in Worcester, draws tens of thousands of attendees every year.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kush |first=Bronislaus B |url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20100703/NEWS/7030347/1003/NEWS03 |title=Summer Nationals Weekend Revs Up |accessdate=March 15, 2011 |work=[[Telegram & Gazette|Worcester Telegram]]}}</ref> The [[Boston Marathon]] is also a popular event in the state drawing more than 30,000 runners and tens of thousands of spectators annually.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Spectator's Guide To The 2015 Boston Marathon |url=http://www.wbur.org/2015/04/18/spectators-guide-boston-marathon |publisher=[[WBUR-FM]] |accessdate=May 8, 2015}}</ref>
Long-distance hiking trails in Massachusetts include the [[Appalachian Trail]], the [[New England National Scenic Trail]], the [[Metacomet-Monadnock Trail]], the [[Midstate Trail (Massachusetts)|Midstate Trail]], and the Bay Circuit Trail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.outdoors.org/conservation/wherewework/southernnewengland/index.cfm |title=Southern New England |publisher=[[Appalachian Mountain Club]] |accessdate=June 2, 2010}}</ref> Other outdoor recreational activities in Massachusetts include sailing and yachting, freshwater and deep-sea fishing,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massvacation.com/outdoor/fishing.php |title=Fishing & charters |publisher=Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism |accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref> [[whale watching]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massvacation.com/outdoor/whale-watching.php |title=Whale watching |publisher=Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism |accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref> downhill and cross-country skiing,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.massvacation.com/outdoor/skiing-snowboarding.php |title=Skiing/snowboarding |publisher=Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism |accessdate=June 5, 2010}}</ref> and hunting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Hunting |url=http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/recreational-activities/hunting.html |publisher=[[Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs]] |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref>
==Media==
{{See also|List of television stations in Massachusetts|List of newspapers in Massachusetts|List of radio stations in Massachusetts}}
There are two major television media markets located in Massachusetts. The Boston/Manchester market is the fifth-largest in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |year=2005 |url=http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html |title=Nielson Media Research Local Universe Estimates (US) |accessdate=May 27, 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060517010320/http://www.nielsenmedia.com/DMAs.html |archivedate=May 17, 2006}}</ref> The other market surrounds the Springfield area.<ref>{{cite web |title=Springfield – Holyoke TV Channels |url=http://www.stationindex.com/tv/markets/springfield-holyoke |publisher=Station Index |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref> [[WGBH-TV]] in Boston is a major public television station and produces national programs such as [[Nova (TV series)|''Nova'']], [[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|''Frontline'']], and ''[[American Experience]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wgbh.org/about/index.cfm |title=WGBH – About Us |publisher=[[WGBH-TV]] |accessdate=May 27, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wgbh.org/programs/programDetail.cfm?programid=97 |title=American Experience |publisher=[[WGBH-TV]] |accessdate=May 27, 2010}}</ref>
''[[The Boston Globe]]'', ''[[Boston Herald]]'', ''[[Springfield Republican]]'', and the ''[[Worcester Telegram & Gazette]]'' are Massachusetts's largest daily newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://abcas3.accessabc.com/ecirc/newsform.asp |title=US Newspaper – Search Results (Massachusetts) |publisher=[[Alliance for Audited Media|Audit Bureau of Circulations]] |accessdate=May 25, 2010}}</ref> In addition, there are many community dailies and weeklies. There are a number of major [[AM broadcasting|AM]] and [[FM broadcasting|FM]] stations which serve Massachusetts,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?state=MA&call=&city=&arn=&serv=&vac=&freq=0.0&fre2=107.9&facid=&class=&dkt=&list=1&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9 |title=FM Query Results (Massachusetts) |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |accessdate=May 27, 2010}}</ref> along with many more regional and community-based stations. Some colleges and universities also operate campus television and radio stations, and print their own newspapers.<ref>{{cite web |title=General |publisher=[[WZBC]] |accessdate=May 27, 2010 |url=http://www.wzbc.org/about.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About |newspaper=[[Harvard Crimson]] |accessdate=May 27, 2010 |url=http://www.thecrimson.com/about/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=About the BU Literary Society and Clarion |publisher=[[Boston University]] |accessdate=May 27, 2010 |url=http://www.bu.edu/clarion/about.htm |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100508003510/http://www.bu.edu/clarion/about.htm |archivedate=May 8, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
==Health==
{{See also|List of hospitals in Massachusetts|Massachusetts health care reform|Governorship of Mitt Romney#Health care}}
Massachusetts generally ranks highly among states in most health and disease prevention categories. In 2014, the [[United Health Foundation]] ranked the state as third-healthiest overall.<ref>{{cite web |title=2014 Annual Report |url=http://www.americashealthrankings.org/reports/annual |publisher=[[America's Health Rankings]] |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref> Massachusetts has the most doctors per 100,000 residents,<ref>{{cite web |title=Doctors per 100,000 Resident Population, 2007 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=October 24, 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/ranks/rank18.html}}</ref> the second-lowest [[infant mortality rate]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Infant Mortality Rate, 2006 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=October 24, 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/ranks/rank17.html}}</ref> and the lowest percentage of uninsured residents (for both children as well as the total population).<ref>{{cite web |title=Persons With and Without Health Insurance Coverage by State: 2007 |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=October 24, 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/tables/10s0150.pdf}}</ref> According to ''[[Businessweek]]'', commonwealth residents have an average life expectancy of 80.41 years, the fifth-longest in the country.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/us-states-with-the-highest-and-lowest-life-expectancy-2017-5|title=Here's how your life expectancy varies based on which state you're born in|work=Business Insider|access-date=2017-12-10|language=en}}</ref> 37.2% of the population is overweight and 21.7% is obese,<ref name=CDC1>{{cite web |title=Overweight and Obesity (BMI) – 2007 |publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] |accessdate=October 24, 2010 |url=http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/BRFSS/list.asp?cat=OB&yr=2007&qkey=4409&state=MA}}</ref> and Massachusetts ranks sixth-highest in the percentage of residents who are considered neither obese nor overweight (41.1%).<ref name=CDC1/> Massachusetts also ranks above average in the prevalence of [[binge drinking]], which is the 20th-highest in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=Booziest states in America: Who binge drinks most? |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/booziest-states-in-america-who-binge-drinks-most/7/ |publisher=[[CBS News]] |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Healthcare Costs in Massachusetts - Averaged by Medicare Reimbursements per Enrollee.png|thumb|Map showing the average medicare reimbursement per enrollee for the counties in the state of Massachusetts. Data from the 2016 report published by the [[University of Wisconsin System|University of Wisconsin]] [http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/about-project County Health Rankings & Roadmaps].]]
The nation's first [[Marine Hospital Service|Marine Hospital]] was erected by federal order in Boston in 1799.<ref>{{cite journal |title=The United States Public Health and Marine-Hospital Service |journal=Journal of the American Medical Association |date=July 30, 1904 |volume=43 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FlXlAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA326 |accessdate=February 20, 2011|doi=10.1001/jama.1904.92500050002|pages=326}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Marine Hospital |url=http://www.olgp.net/chs/hospital/marine.htm |publisher=Chelsea Historical Society |accessdate=February 20, 2011}}</ref> There are currently a total of 143 hospitals in the state.<ref>{{cite web |title=Massachusetts Hospitals: Directory |url=https://www.mhalink.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Hospital_Directory |publisher=Massachusetts Hospital Association |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref> According to 2015 rankings by ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'', [[Massachusetts General Hospital]] the hospital ranked in the top three in two specialties.<ref>{{cite web|title=U.S. News Best Hospitals 2014–15 |url=http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings |work=U.S. News & World Report |accessdate=June 10, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301113005/http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/rankings |archivedate=March 1, 2012 |df= }}</ref> Massachusetts General was founded in 1811 and serves as the largest teaching hospital for nearby [[Harvard University]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Hospital Overview |publisher=[[Massachusetts General Hospital]] |accessdate=October 24, 2010 |url=http://www.massgeneral.org/about/overview.aspx}}</ref>
The state of Massachusetts is a center for medical education and research including Harvard's [[Brigham and Women's Hospital]], [[Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center]], and [[Dana-Farber Cancer Institute]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Facts and Figures: 2009–2010 |publisher=[[Harvard Medical School]] |accessdate=October 25, 2010 |url=http://hms.harvard.edu/hms/facts.asp}}</ref> as well as the [[New England Baptist Hospital]], [[Tufts Medical Center]], and [[Boston Medical Center]] which is the primary teaching hospital for [[Boston University]].<ref>{{cite web|title=About Us |publisher=[[Boston University School of Medicine]] |accessdate=October 25, 2010 |url=http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/BUSM-About.html |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414101335/http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/BUSM-About.html |archivedate=April 14, 2010 |df= }}</ref> The [[University of Massachusetts Medical School]] is located in [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]].<ref>{{cite web |title=An Introduction to UMass Medical School |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Medical School]] |accessdate=October 25, 2010 |url=http://www.umassmed.edu/about/index.aspx}}</ref> The [[Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences]] has two of its three campuses in Boston and Worcester.<ref>{{cite web |title=Campuses |url=https://www.mcphs.edu/Campuses |publisher=MCPHS University |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref>
==Sports==
{{Main article|Sports in Massachusetts}}
[[File:131023-F-PR861-033 Hanscom participates in World Series pregame events.jpg|thumb|upright|Fenway Park|275px]]
[[File:Gillette Stadium Foxboro.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Gillette Stadium]]
Massachusetts is home to five major league professional sports teams: seventeen-time [[NBA Finals|NBA Champions]] [[Boston Celtics]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Celtics History — Championship Wins |publisher=[[National Basketball Association]] |accessdate=May 7, 2015 |url=http://www.nba.com/celtics/history/ChampionshipWins.html}}</ref> eight-time [[World Series]] winners [[Boston Red Sox]],<ref>{{cite web|title=MLB World Series Winners |publisher=[[ESPN]] |accessdate=May 7, 2015 |url=http://espn.go.com/mlb/worldseries/history/winners |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/5tP2qUQgm?url=http://espn.go.com/mlb/worldseries/history/winners |archivedate=October 11, 2010 |df= }}</ref> six-time [[Stanley Cup]] winners [[Boston Bruins]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Stanley Cup Winners |publisher=[[Hockey Hall of Fame]] |accessdate=May 7, 2015 |url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinners.jsp?tro=STC}}</ref> and five-time [[Super Bowl]] winners [[New England Patriots]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Super Bowl History |publisher=National Football League |accessdate=May 7, 2015 |url=http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history}}</ref> The [[New England Revolution]] is the [[Major League Soccer]] team for Massachusetts and the [[Boston Cannons]] are the [[Major League Lacrosse]] team.<ref>{{cite web |title=MLL Standings |publisher=Major League Lacrosse |accessdate=October 21, 2009 |url=http://mll-boston.stats.pointstreak.com/standings.html?leagueid=323&seasonid=3806}}</ref> The [[Boston Breakers (WPS)|Boston Breakers]] are the [[Women's Professional Soccer]] in Massachusetts. Massachusetts is also the home of the [[Cape Cod Baseball League]].
In the late 19th century, the [[Olympics|Olympic]] sports of basketball<ref name=basketball/> and volleyball<ref name=volleyball/> were invented in the Western Massachusetts cities of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]]<ref name=basketball/> and [[Holyoke]],<ref name=volleyball/> respectively. The [[Basketball Hall of Fame]], is a major tourist destination in the City of Springfield and the [[Volleyball Hall of Fame]] is located in Holyoke.<ref name=volleyball/> The [[American Hockey League]] (AHL), the NHL's development league, is headquartered in Springfield.<ref>{{cite web |title=AHL Staff Directory |url=http://theahl.com/staff-directory-p137544 |publisher=American Hockey League |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref>
Several universities in Massachusetts are notable for their collegiate athletics. The state is home to two [[NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision|Division 1 FBS]] teams, [[Boston College]] of the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]], and FBS [[NCAA Division I FBS independent schools|Independent]] [[University of Massachusetts Amherst|University of Massachusetts at Amherst]]. [[NCAA Division I#Football Championship Subdivision|FCS]] play includes [[Harvard University]], which competes in the famed [[Ivy League]], and [[College of the Holy Cross]] of the [[Patriot League]]. [[Boston University]], [[Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)|Northeastern University]], [[University of Massachusetts Lowell|UMASS Lowell]], and [[Merrimack College]] also participate in Division I athletics.<ref>{{cite web |title=College Football Teams (FBS and FCS) |publisher=[[ESPN]] |accessdate=October 18, 2009 |url=http://espn.go.com/college-football/teams}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=College Basketball Teams — Division I Teams |publisher=[[ESPN]] |accessdate=October 18, 2009 |url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/teams}}</ref> Many other Massachusetts colleges compete in lower divisions such as [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]], where [[MIT]], [[Tufts University]], [[Amherst College]], [[Williams College]], and others field competitive teams.
Massachusetts is also the home of rowing events such as the [[Eastern Sprints]] on [[Lake Quinsigamond]] and the [[Head of the Charles Regatta]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cornell Rowing Excels at Eastern Sprints |publisher=Cornell University |accessdate=June 6, 2010 |url=http://cornellbigred.com/news/2010/5/16/MROW_0516105419.aspx}}</ref> A number of major golf events have taken place in Massachusetts, including nine [[U.S. Open (golf)|U.S. Opens]] and two [[Ryder Cup]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=2009 U.S. Open — Past Champions |publisher=[[United States Golf Association]] |accessdate=October 21, 2009 |url=http://usga.usopen.com/2009/history/past-champions.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Deutsche Bank Championship |publisher=[[Professional Golfers' Association of America]] |accessdate=October 21, 2009 |url=http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/r505/}}</ref>
Massachusetts has produced several successful Olympians including [[Butch Johnson]], [[Todd Richards (snowboarder)|Todd Richards]], [[Albina Osipowich]], [[Aly Raisman]], and [[Susan Rojcewicz]].<ref>{{cite web |title=25 Olympians from Massachusetts |url=http://www.golocalworcester.com/sports/top-25-olympic-athletes-from-massachusetts |publisher=GoLocalWorcester |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref>
{{Clear}}
==See also==
{{portal|Massachusetts|New England|North America}}
===Ecology===
* [[Climate change in Massachusetts]]
* [[Climate of Massachusetts]]
* [[Geology of Massachusetts]]
* [[List of amphibians of Massachusetts]]
* [[List of birds of Massachusetts]]
* [[List of mammals of Massachusetts]]
* [[List of mammals of New England]]
* [[List of reptiles of Massachusetts]]
===Government===
* [[General Laws of Massachusetts]]
* [[Government of Massachusetts]]
* [[Governor of Massachusetts]]
* [[List of colonial governors of Massachusetts]]
* [[List of counties in Massachusetts]]
* [[List of municipalities in Massachusetts]]
* [[Politics of Massachusetts]]
* [[Massachusetts Governor's Council]]
===History and archives===
* [[History of Massachusetts|General history of Massachusetts]]
* [[Historical outline of Massachusetts|History of Massachusetts by periods, settlements, or subject]]
* [[History of New England]]
* [[Massachusetts Archives]]
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |title=New England's Outpost: Acadia Before the Conquest of Canada |last1=Brebner |first1=John Bartlet |year=1927 |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=0-7812-6367-0}}
* {{cite book |title= Anthropology and Migration:Essays on Transnational Ethnicity and Identity |last1=Brettell |first1=Caroline |year=2003 |publisher=[[AltaMira Press]] |location=Walnut Creek, CA |isbn=0-7591-0320-8}}
* {{cite book |title=Massachusetts: A Concise History |last1=Brown |first1=Richard D |last2=Tager |first2=Jack |year=2000 |publisher=[[University of Massachusetts Press]] |location=Amherst, MA |isbn=1-55849-248-8|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last1=Dejnozka |first1=Edward L |last2=Gifford |first2=Charles S |last3=Kapel |first3=David E |last4=Kapel |first4=Marilyn B |year= 1982 |title= American Educators' Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Greenwood Press]] |location=Westport, CT |isbn=0-313-20954-5}}
* {{cite book |last1=Goldfield |first1=David |last2=Abbott |first2=Carl |last3=Anderson |first3=Virginia DeJohn |last4=Argersinger |first4=Jo Ann E |last5=Argersinger |first5=Peter H |last6=Barney |first6=William L |last7=Weir |first7=Robert M |year=1998 |title=The American Journey – A History of the United States |publisher=[[Prentice Hall]] |location=Upper Saddle River, NJ |isbn=0-13-656562-X}}
* {{cite book |title=Smallpox: The Fight to Eradicate a Global Scourge |last1=Koplow |first1=David A |year=2004 |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |location=Berkeley, CA |isbn=0-520-24220-3}}
* {{cite book |title=Handbook of Local Government Administration |last1=Sokolow |first1=Alvin D |year=1997 |publisher=Marcel Dekker |chapter=Town and Township Government: Serving Rural and Suburban Communities |location=New York, NY |isbn=0-8247-9782-5}}
==Further reading==
===Overviews and surveys===
* Hall, Donald. ed. ''The Encyclopedia of New England'' (2005)
* [[Works Progress Administration]]. ''Guide to Massachusetts'' (1939)
===Secondary sources===
* Abrams, Richard M. ''Conservatism in a Progressive Era: Massachusetts Politics, 1900–1912'' (1964)
* Adams, James Truslow. ''Revolutionary New England, 1691–1776'' (1923)
* Adams, James Truslow. ''New England in the Republic, 1776–1850'' (1926)
* Andrews, Charles M. ''The Fathers of New England: A Chronicle of the Puritan Commonwealths'' (1919), short survey
* Conforti, Joseph A. ''Imagining New England: Explorations of Regional Identity from the Pilgrims to the Mid-Twentieth Century'' (2001)
* Cumbler, John T. ''Reasonable Use: The People, the Environment, and the State, New England, 1790–1930'' (1930), environmental history
* Fischer, David Hackett. ''Paul Revere's Ride'' (1994), 1775 in depth
* Flagg, Charles Allcott, [https://books.google.com/books?id=0Atgy_Y0lRwC&printsec=frontcover ''A Guide to Massachusetts local history''], Salem : Salem Press Company, 1907.
* Green, James R., William F. Hartford, and Tom Juravich. ''Commonwealth of Toil: Chapters in the History of Massachusetts Workers and Their Unions'' (1996)
* Huthmacher, J. Joseph. ''Massachusetts People and Politics, 1919–1933'' (1958)
* Labaree, Benjamin Woods. ''Colonial Massachusetts: A History'' (1979)
* Morison, Samuel Eliot. ''The Maritime History of Massachusetts, 1783–1860'' (1921)
* Peirce, Neal R. ''The New England States: People, Politics, and Power in the Six New England States'' (1976), 1960–75 era
* Porter, Susan L. ''Women of the Commonwealth: Work, Family, and Social Change in Nineteenth-Century Massachusetts'' (1996)
* Sletcher, Michael. ''New England'' (2004).
* Starkey, Marion L. ''The Devil in Massachusetts'' (1949), Salem witches
* Tager, Jack, and John W. Ifkovic, eds. ''Massachusetts in the Gilded Age: Selected Essays'' (1985), ethnic groups
* Zimmerman, Joseph F. ''[https://www.questia.com/library/book/the-new-england-town-meeting-democracy-in-action-by-joseph-f-zimmerman.jsp The New England Town Meeting: Democracy in Action]'' (1999)
==External links==
{{Sister project links|voy=Massachusetts}}
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* {{Official website|http://www.mass.gov/}}
* [http://www.massvacation.com/ Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism]
* [http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/massachusetts/index.html Massachusetts State Guide] from the Library of Congress
* {{dmoz|Regional/North_America/United_States/Massachusetts}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Connecticut]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union]]|years=Ratified [[United States Constitution|Constitution]] on February 6, 1788 (6th)}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Maryland]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Geographic location
| Northwest ={{flag|Vermont}}
| North = {{flag|New Hampshire}}
| Northeast = {{flag|New Hampshire}}<br>{{flag|Maine}} ({{convert|15|mi|km}} away)
| West = {{flag|New York}}
| Centre = {{flag|Massachusetts}}: [[Outline of Massachusetts|Outline]] • [[Index of Massachusetts-related articles|Index]]
| East = Atlantic Ocean
| Southwest = {{flag|New Jersey}}
| South = {{flag|Connecticut}} and {{flag|Rhode Island}}
| Southeast = [[Cape Cod]]<br />[[Martha's Vineyard]] and [[Nantucket Island]]
}}
{{Massachusetts|expanded}}
{{Government of Massachusetts}}
{{Massachusetts cities and mayors of 100,000 population}}
{{Protected areas of Massachusetts}}
{{New England}}
{{Northeast US}}
{{United States political divisions}}
{{Coord|display=title|42.3|N|71.8|W|region:US-MA_type:adm1st_scale:3000000}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Massachusetts}}
[[Category:Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:New England]]
[[Category:Northeastern United States]]
[[Category:States and territories established in 1788]]
[[Category:States of the United States]]
[[Category:States of the East Coast of the United States]]
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