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Boston is the capital and biggest city of the United States’ Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Boston was also the county seat of Suffolk County until 1999, when Massachusetts abolished county government. The city proper is 48 square miles (124 km2) in size and has an estimated population of 667,137 in 2015, making it New England’s biggest city and the 23rd largest in the United States. The city serves as the economic and cultural core for a much larger metropolitan region known as Greater Boston, which is home to 4.7 million people and is the country’s tenth-largest metropolitan statistical area. Greater Boston as a commuter region is home to 8.1 million people, making it the country’s sixth-largest combined statistical area.
Boston, one of the country’s oldest cities, was established on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by English Puritan immigrants.
It was the site of numerous significant American Revolutionary War events, including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston. After the United States gained independence from Great Britain, the city retained its prominence as a port and industrial center, as well as a center for education and culture. Boston has extended beyond the original peninsula via land reclamation and municipal annexation. Its illustrious past draws a large number of tourists, with Faneuil Hall alone attracting over 20 million people annually. Among Boston’s several firsts include the first public school in the United States, Boston Latin School (1635), the first subway system (1897), and the first public park (1634).
The area’s many schools and institutions contribute to Boston’s worldwide reputation as a hub of higher education in fields including as law, medicine, engineering, and business, and the city is often regarded as a global leader in innovation and entrepreneurship. Additionally, banking, professional and commercial services, biotechnology, information technology, and government operations all contribute to Boston’s economic basis.
The city’s households have the highest average rate of giving in the nation; companies and institutions consistently rank among the best in the country for environmental sustainability and investment. The city has one of the highest cost of living in the country, yet maintaining a high place in global livability rankings.