Boston

Boston^[a] is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It serves as the cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. Boston has an area of 48.4 sq mi (125 km²)^[9] and a population of 675,647 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the Northeastern United States after New York City and Philadelphia.^[4] The larger Greater Boston metropolitan statistical area had a population of 4.9 million in 2023, making it the largest metropolitan area in New England and the eleventh-largest in the United States.^[10][11][12]

Boston was founded on Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by English Puritan settlers, who named the city after the market town of Boston, Lincolnshire in England.^[13][14] During the American Revolution and Revolutionary War, Boston was home to several seminal events, including the Boston Massacre (1770), the Boston Tea Party (1773), Paul Revere's midnight ride (1775), the Battle of Bunker Hill (1775), and the Siege of Boston (1775–1776).

Following American independence from Great Britain, Boston played an important national role as a port, manufacturing hub, and education and culture center,^[15][16] and the city expanded significantly beyond the original peninsula by filling in land and annexing neighboring towns. Boston's many firsts include the nation's first public park (Boston Common, 1634),^[17] the first public school (Boston Latin School, 1635),^[18] and the first subway system (Tremont Street subway, 1897).^[19]

Boston later emerged as a global leader in higher education and research^[20] and is the largest biotechnology hub in the world as of 2023.^[21] The city is a national leader in scientific research, law, medicine, engineering, and business. With nearly 5,000 startup companies, the city is considered a global pioneer in innovation, entrepreneurship,^[22][23][24] and artificial intelligence.^[25] Boston's economy is led by finance,^[26] professional and business services, information technology, and government.^[27] Boston households provide the highest average rate of philanthropy in the nation as of 2013,^[28] and the city's businesses and institutions rank among the top in the nation for environmental sustainability and new investment.^[29]

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