Introduction to Geography of Boston
Boston, Massachusetts, the state capital, the seat of Suffolk County, and the largest city in New England. Boston lies on the Atlantic seaboard, north of Cape Cod, and fronts on Boston Harbor, an arm of Massachusetts Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.
Founded more than 350 years ago, Boston is the oldest large city in the nation and possesses a special charm and flavor. Its uniqueness stems partly from old buildings and streets and partly from tradition, prominent cultural and educational institutions, and a civic pride in the city's history and many distinguished citizens. Among the most celebrated Bostonians are the Puritan founders, patriots of the American Revolution, merchants and traders of the clipper ship era, literary giants of the 19th century, and many outstanding political leaders.
Boston is often associated with baked beans, cod, and early American history. It is also known for its ethnic groups, especially the Irish and Italians, and the socially prominent "proper" Bostonians, or Boston Brahmins. Boston is the site of a major sporting event—the Boston Marathon, held annually since 1897.
General Plan
Boston is an irregularly shaped city and relatively small in size, covering only 47 square miles (122 km2). Until the late 1950's much of it, including the downtown section, had undergone a long period of deterioration with little new construction. Urban renewal has since brought new office buildings, large housing developments, extensive restoration, and a vigor unknown for decades.
The downtown section, site of the original settlement, fronts on Boston Inner Harbor below the merged estuaries of the Charles, Mystic, and Chelsea rivers. In this area are the towering buildings of the main business district and a complex of federal, state, and local government buildings called Government Center. The Center is in the old Scollay Square area and is probably best known for the City Hall, noted for its contemporary architecture. Nearby are Boston Common, the oldest park in the nation; the Public Garden; and most of Boston's historic buildings.
Residential sections in this part of the city include Beacon Hill, with sedate homes of a bygone era; the North End, sometimes called "Little Italy"; the South End, a racially mixed area undergoing redevelopment; and Chinatown. Across the harbor are Charlestown, East Boston, and Logan International Airport.
Inland from downtown Boston is the section known as Back Bay, which stretches along the Charles River Basin opposite the city of Cambridge. Back Bay is an area of elegant streets and 19th-century homes, of prominent educational and cultural institutions, and of rapid redevelopment. Since the completion of the Prudential Center in the early 1960's it has developed into a major business section. Among the buildings here are the 52-story Prudential Tower: the 60-story John Hancock Tower, tallest building in the city; and a large municipal auditorium.
Other sections of Boston include Brighton, which is west of Back Bay, and Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury, and Hyde Park, which are south of Back Bay and the downtown area. These sections of Boston, which are predominantly residential, were acquired by annexation, mainly during the 19th century.
Boston's streets follow no consistent pattern and veer in many directions; according to tradition, they were originally cowpaths. Most of the principal thoroughfares, however, are relatively straight. Many converge on the downtown section, much like the spokes of a wheel. Among them are Commonwealth, Dorchester, and Huntington avenues; Beacon and Washington streets; and four expressways. Three tunnels under the harbor connect downtown Boston with East Boston and the airport. Numerous bridges span the rivers and estuaries.
Public transportation is furnished to Boston and surrounding communities by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). It operates the city's rapid transit network of subway, surface, and elevated lines and numerous bus lines. Railways also provide commuter service.
In addition to Cambridge, the chief cities that adjoin Boston are Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Watertown, Newton, Brookline, Needham, Dedham, Milton, and Quincy. Within the great semicircular metropolitan area are scores of other communities. Included are Salem, Lynn, Medford, Waltham, Wellesley, Framingham, Weymouth, and the historic towns of Lexington and Concord.
Economy
Boston is the center of commercial and industrial activity for the metropolitan area and for much of New England. Wholesaling and retailing together account for more than a fourth of the total employment and annual payroll. The banking, insurance, and investment industries are of major importance. Located in the city are the Federal Reserve Bank of New England, the Boston Stock Exchange, numerous large commercial banks, and the home or regional offices of many insurance companies.
Manufacturing, though important, is less significant in Boston than in virtually any other major American city. Land is scarce and costly, and taxes are extremely high, largely because more than half of the city's land area is exempt from taxation, being taken up by governmental, educational, and religious institutions, and by parks and cemeteries. Factories tend to be small and production diversified. Among the leading manufacturing groups, based on number of employees, are printing and publishing, clothing manufacturing, food processing, and the making of machinery.
The metropolitan area, in contrast, is a major center of manufacturing—especially in the field of electronics—and is also noted for its firms engaged in research. Along Route 128, a semicircular expressway that runs through the suburbs, is one of the largest concentrations of science-based industries in the nation.
Boston's airport and seaport help make the city one of the principal transportation centers on the Atlantic coast. Boston is also a principal fishing port.
Government (federal, state, and local) and education (universities, colleges, and schools) are major employers. Boston's economy is also aided by its famed medical centers and by tourism and conventions.
Prominent Places
Boston has many historic buildings and places. More than a dozen lie along what is called the Freedom Trail, which runs mainly through narrow, crooked downtown streets. Among the chief attractions along the trail are the State House (1795), Park Street Church (1809), the Granary Burying Ground, King's Chapel (1754), Old Corner Book Store (1712), Old South Meeting House (1727), Old State House (1713), Faneuil Hall (1742), Paul Revere's House (about 1670), and the Old North Church (1723). A circle of cobblestones in the street near the Old State House marks the site of the Boston Massacre.
Across the Charles River, in Charlestown, rises the 221-foot (67-m) Bunker Hill Monument, commemorating the first major battle of the American Revolution. Nearby is berthed the USS Constitution, or "Old Ironsides," a 44-gun frigate that gained fame during the War of 1812.
On Beacon Hill and in Back Bay are the former homes of many of Boston's most celebrated and influential 18th- and 19th-century residents. Especially notable is Beacon Hill's Louisburg Square, with cobblestone streets, gaslights, and old brick homes.
Boston has numerous parks. Oldest and probably best known is the 50-acre (20-hectare) Boston Common, which began as public grazing land and a military training field in 1634. Adjoining the common is the Public Garden, with formal plantings, rare trees, and the famous swan boats in summer. Much used for strolling is the Esplanade, along the Charles River. The largest park in Boston—and the site of the city's zoo—is Franklin Park, in Jamaica Plain. Nearby is the Arnold Arboretum, a 265-acre (107-hectare) botanic garden operated by Harvard University.
The New England Aquarium is on the waterfront. Also on the waterfront is the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum, featuring a replica of an 18th-century brigantine. Fenway Park, near the Back Bay Fens, is the home of the Red Sox, an American League baseball team. The FleetCenter, a downtown sports arena, is the home of the Celtics of professional basketball and the Bruins of professional hockey. There is thoroughbred racing at Suffolk Downs.
Education and Culture
Because of its many outstanding educational and cultural institutions and achievements Boston is sometimes called "the Athens of America." In education the area claims several "firsts"—the first public secondary school in the United States (Boston Public Latin School, established in 1635), the first college (Harvard, 1636), and the first private secondary school (Roxbury Latin School, 1646).
More than two dozen universities and liberal arts colleges are found in the metropolitan area. Among those in the city are Boston, Northeastern, and Suffolk universities, the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts, the medical, dental, and business schools of Harvard University, and the medical and dental schools of Tufts University. Harvard's main campus, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Radcliffe College are across the Charles River in Cambridge. Boston College, Brandeis and Tufts universities, and Wellesley College are in other communities within the metropolitan area. There are also degree-granting schools for art, law, music, optometry, pharmacy, technology, theology, and other specialized fields.
The Museum of Fine Arts, in the Back Bay Fens, has a world-famous collection that includes Egyptian, Classical, Oriental, European, and American art. In the nearby Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, once a palatial residence, are works of old European masters. Other art museums include the Fogg Art Museum and the Busch-Reisinger Museum of Germanic Culture at Harvard and the Institute of Contemporary Art. The Science Museum, which includes the Charles Hayden Planetarium, is one of the finest, most modern science museums in the world. At the Christian Science Center, a complex of buildings centered on the First Church of Christ, Scientist, is the Mary Baker Eddy Museum. The Children's Museum, on Fort Point Channel, has varied educational exhibits. Nearby is the Computer Museum.
Boston's libraries, both public and private, are also outstanding. The Boston Public Library, on Copley Square, was the first major public library in the United States (1854) and is one of the nation's largest. Prominent among private libraries is the Boston Athenaeum, which began with George Washington's personal collection of books in 1807. The combined libraries of Harvard make up one of the largest collections in the world. The John F. Kennedy Library is on the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts.
The Boston Symphony, which performs in Symphony Hall, has been one of the foremost American orchestras since its founding in 1881. The Boston Pops Orchestra, made up of symphony orchestra members, presents popular concerts in Symphony Hall and, during summer, in the Hatch Memorial Shell on the Charles River.
Largest communities in the Boston areaNamePopulationBoston589,141Lowell105,167Cambridge101, 355Brockton94,304Lynn89,050Quincy88,025Newton83,829Somerville77,478Lawrence72,043Framingham66,910