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Boston (US: / ˈ b ɔː s t ə n /), officially the City of Boston, is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the Northeastern United States .
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- Boston, Lincolnshire
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- Area of the colonial town
Boston, city, capital of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and seat of Suffolk county, in the northeastern United States. It lies on Massachusetts Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The city proper has an unusually small area for a major city, and more than one-fourth of the total—including part of the Charles River, Boston Harbor, and a portion o...
The area, the people, and the institutions within its political boundaries can only begin to define the essence of Boston. Its nickname “Beantown” has its origin in colonial times, when Boston, as a stop on a major trade route with the West Indies, had a steady supply of molasses from the Caribbean, thus leading to the creation of a popular dish th...
The Boston region’s topography was largely shaped by the glaciers that covered the land during the last ice age. The city and its sheltered deepwater harbour sit in a basin that extends to Lynn in the north and Quincy in the south and is ringed by modest hills: the Middlesex Fells (north) to the Blue Hills (south). There are harder, higher surface rocks (mostly granites) on those northern and southern edges, while inside the basin the lower-lying rocks—commonly known as pudding stone—are found mostly below the surface in such areas as Roxbury, Newton, Brookline, Mattapan, West Roxbury, and Dorchester. The land, enormously compressed by the vast accumulation of glacial ice on it, has since been rebounding (rising up) at an extremely gradual rate.
Numerous drumlins (mounds of glacial debris) form low hills in the city and islands that dot the harbour. At the beginning of English settlement in the 17th century, the Shawmut Peninsula was called Trimountain (or Tramount) because of its dominating three-topped hill on the northwest corner near the mouth of the Charles River. Beacon Hill is its only surviving, though greatly reduced, remnant. The other portions were leveled to become landfill that added to the city’s area in the 19th century.
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The hilly Shawmut Peninsula, upon which Boston was settled, originally was almost completely surrounded by water. It was connected with mainland Roxbury to the south by a narrow neck of land along the line of present-day Washington Street. To the west of the neck were great reaches of mudflats and salt marshes that were covered by water at high tide and known collectively as the Back Bay. The Charles River flowed through the Back Bay to Boston Harbor and separated the peninsula from the mainland to the north and west. To the east, Town Cove indented Boston’s harbour front and divided the city into the North End and the South End. The centre of the colonial town was at the Old State House (built 1711–47).
Although that original centre and the colonial South End have long been given over to offices and retail stores, a few 18th-century buildings remain: Faneuil Hall (1742–1805), the Old Corner Bookstore (1718), the Old South Meeting House (1729), and King’s Chapel (1750). The North End is the only part of the early town that has remained residential since the 1630 settlement. Colonial survivals such as the Paul Revere House (c. 1680) and Christ Church (1723)—the Old North Church from which lanterns revealed the route of the British march to Lexington in 1775—coexist with the busy life of a traditionally Italian American community.
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- Buy the Boston Go Card. The Boston Go Card is an all-inclusive pass that gets you into most attractions in the city and in nearby towns, like Plymouth, Lexington, and Concord.
- The Freedom Trail. If you do one thing in Boston it should be a walk on the Freedom Trail. The American Revolution began in Boston. The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile route that takes you to 16 historical sites that were important during this war.
- Fenway Park. Fenway Park is another must-see site in Boston. If you are here during the summer months, consider watching a game here. Even if you are not a baseball fan, a visit to Fenway Park is still well worth your time.
- Take in the View from the Skywalk Observatory. For an aerial view over the city, visit the Skywalk Observatory. Get 360° views over Boston. There are lots of included exhibits about the history of Boston.
Explore Boston holidays and discover the best time and places to visit. Boston's best sights and local secrets from travel experts you can trust. Boston city guide - Lonely Planet | Massachusetts, USA, North America
- Spring tulips framing the George Washington statue in Boston Public Garden.
- Watching fish swim at the New England Aquarium.
- Downtown skyline featuring the Custom House tower.
- Masterpiece paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts.
Mar 7, 2019 · Learn about the history of Boston, from its Puritan settlement to its role in the American Revolution and beyond. Explore the events, people and places that shaped this iconic American city.
Apr 10, 2023 · The 17 Best Things to Do in Boston. Aspire to the Ivies, discover new neighborhoods, and feast like a local. By Todd Plummer and Paul Rubio. April 10, 2023. Joe Daniel Price/Getty. Built on...
