Magnificent historic city of Boston is one of the
beautiful and unique cities in the United States. Boston is the capital and most populous city of
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and one of the oldest cities in
the United States. Being the most populous city in New England,
Boston is considered the economic and cultural center of the region
and is sometimes referred to as the "New England Capital"
unofficially. In 2008 the city had a population of 645 169
inhabitants, which makes it the twenty-first most populated city in
the country. Boston is also the nerve center of a large and populous
metropolitan area called Greater Boston, with a population of 4.5
million, the tenth largest metropolitan area in the nation, Greater
Boston, as a region to which many workers are displaced, including
seven counties in Massachusetts, all of Rhode Island and parts of
New Hampshire; with what totals 7.5 million inhabitants, so this
Combined Statistical Area is the fifth in the United States by
population.
In 1630, Puritan settlers from England founded
the city on the Shawmut peninsula, and during the late eighteenth
century, Boston was the site of several important events during the
American Revolution, such as the Boston Massacre and the Tea Party.
Several battles at the beginning of the Revolution, such as the
Battle of Bunker Hill and the Siege of Boston, occurred in the city
and surrounding areas. Through land reclamation and municipal
annexation, Boston has expanded beyond the peninsula. After the
independence of the United States, Boston became an important
seaport and manufacturing center, and its rich history now attracts
16.3 million visitors a year. The city hosted a number of firsts,
including the first public school of the United States, the Latin
School of Boston (1635) and the first university center, Harvard
University (1636), in neighboring Cambridge. Boston was also home to
the first subway network in the United States.
With a
multitude of faculties and universities within the city and its
surroundings, Boston is a center of higher education and, in turn, a
center for medicine.The economy is also based on research,
electronics, engineering, finance, technology and biotechnology,
mainly, Boston ranks first in the country in jobs per square mile,
ahead of New York City and Washington DC The city has experienced
gentrification and has one of the higher living costs of the United
States, and remains one of the cities with the best standard of
living in the world.
Greater Boston is notoriously provincial, and as
such, the surrounding area contains hundreds of small communities
that are closer than anywhere else in the United States. Even a
large city like Boston found it difficult to annex surrounding land
as it grew. After absorbing independent cities, they retained their
unique culture, of which today's inhabitants are extremely proud.
What does this mean for the traveler? You will find that almost
every district has more than one name, and the total number exceeds
110 different squares, circles and points. Don't worry about
remembering all the names; just remember that Boston is a very
compact city. When you're ready to move on, the next block is sure
to attack.
Downtown (Downtown, Chinatown, North End, West
End)
Downtown in many ways, downtown Boston is where it all
starts. Perennial tourist favorites Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market
are located here, and most of the Freedom Trail sights are nearby.
Back Bay-Beacon Hill
Classic Federalist architecture, The State
House, America's oldest city park, and one of the most photographed
streets await. Later, eat at some of the city's best restaurants to
recharge your tired legs.
Fenway-Kenmore
Perhaps best known as
the home of Fenway Park and the Boston Red Sox; Fenway also boasts
many top cultural institutions, including the Museum of Fine Arts.
Southend
Around the South End and SoWa Market, an upscale
shopping, dining and arts scene has united. The famous Victorian
bronze buildings and gas-lit cobblestone streets can delight you at
any time of the year.
South Boston
Don't be fooled by the
movies, South Boston is a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood that
still clings to its working-class Irish Catholic roots. The changing
times are best seen in the Seaport district, where the Institute of
Contemporary Art is located.
Charlestown
Located between the
Charles and Mystic Rivers, Charlestown is home to important
landmarks such as the U.S.S. Constitution and the Bunker Hill
Monument. Boston's oldest neighborhood, Charlestown, also has its
oldest tavern.
East Boston
This former shipbuilding center has
always been an immigrant neighborhood. Today, its population
consists mainly of Italian Americans and immigrants from Central and
South America and Southeast Asia. If you arrive by plane, this is
the first district you will visit.
Allston-Brighton
The
ever-changing Allston is best known for its student population and
the shops and restaurants that cater to them. The landscape becomes
more residential as you move west to Brighton.
Jamaica Plain -
Mission Hill
Jamaica Plain is home to the Arnold Arboretum and
Sam Adams Brewery, while Mission Hill houses a healthy collection of
students and physicians from many nearby colleges and hospitals.
Roxbury
The once farming community of Roxbury is the heart of
black culture in Boston. It is also home to the historic Shirley
Eustis House, built by the British Royal Colonial Governor. Franklin
Park is also here, considered the "crown jewel" of Frederick Law
Olmsted's Emerald Necklace park system.
Outer Districts
Once
considered a "garden suburb" of Boston, today's Roslindale residents
are still drawn to the area's natural beauty. Mattapan's population
is largely made up of African Americans and immigrants from the
Caribbean. West Roxbury in Southwest Boston is known for its civic
activism and youth programs. As the southernmost district of Boston,
Hyde Park offers immaterial urban life, as well as open space, more
often associated with the suburbs.
Many of the sights that
tourists expect to see are outside the city limits. Politically
distinct from Boston, the following three cities are connected to
Boston by shared borders, transit options, and cultural values.
Mayors often meet to plan and discuss long-term events, and citizens
travel between them on a daily basis. Random visitors may not even
realize they are leaving Boston.
Cambridge: The "People's
Republic of Cambridge" is best known for the prestigious Harvard
University and MIT. The many great museums, architecture and events
belonging to these schools are worth visiting. Cambridge also has
The Longfellow House among other colonial sites.
Somerville:
While it's mostly a residential area, you can find yourself here by
exploring Davis Square's many restaurants and quirky shops. In the
warmer months, independent musicians and artists host festivals
ahead of Union Square and beyond.
Brookline: By far the greenest
neighborhood, Brookline is home to Frederick Law Olmsted's Fairsted,
the first landscape design firm. Larz Anderson Park and the
Automobile Museum are also nearby. Additionally, many shopping and
dining options can be found in Coolidge Corner and Washington
Square.
Early settlement
The first European to settle in this area was
British settler William Blaxton in 1625. In 1629 he sold lands to
settlers. The Puritans, who arrived in June 1630, held title to the
whole colony and in turn gave Blaxton land to cultivate. The English
emigrants grouped in a settlement on a peninsula, first called the
Trimountaine (actually "three mountains") by the Native Americans
Shawmut and by the English. At that time, the peninsula surrounded by
Massachusetts Bay was only connected to the mainland by a very narrow
land connection. The second governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony,
John Winthrop, gave the settlement the name Boston and thus founded it
on September 7th. / September 17, 1630 greg. the city. The name goes
back to a town of the same name in Lincolnshire, England, from which
some of the Puritans came.
John Winthrop had given a sermon that
became famous as "A Model of Christian Charity", in which he described
the new city as City upon a Hill and expressed that the Puritans knew
they were connected to God in a special contract. The Puritan values,
especially work, education and godliness stabilized the society to a
large extent and are still part of the social model in Boston and New
England today. In 1635, just a few years after the settlement was
founded, the first Latin school, the Boston Latin School, and in 1636,
Harvard University, America's first university, were founded.
On
June 1, 1660, Quaker Mary Dyer was publicly executed under a 1658 law
outlawing her faith. She is considered the last religious martyr in
North America and the first martyr of Quakerism.
Smallpox broke
out in the city several times, epidemics occurred in 1721, 1730, 1752,
1764, 1776, 1778 and 1792.
On March 20, 1760, a town fire broke
out, destroying 174 houses and 175 shops. The fire destroyed about a
tenth of the city. No personal injuries were reported.
The city became known for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. At that time, protests against an increase in tea taxes by the British Parliament triggered the War of Independence. A four kilometer long red paved trail, the Freedom Trail, America's "Path of Freedom," leads to 16 historic sites around the city, including the Boston Common, the Massachusetts State House and the Old State House.
After the American Revolution, Boston became one of the wealthiest
trading ports in the world. The most important trade goods included
fish, rum, salt and tobacco. From the 1820s, due to increasing
immigration, the image of the population also began to change
significantly: up to now, Protestant descendants of English immigrants
have been the decisive factor, but now the proportion of Catholics,
especially Irish and later also Italian descent, has increased
significantly.
The city met the enormous need for space that
arose from the growing population in an unusual way: Between 1630 and
1890, the city area tripled not only through incorporations, but also
through land reclamation, especially in the shallow waters of the
Charles River and the Massachusetts bay The earth masses required for
this were gained mainly by the gradual erosion of the three mounds that
were originally on the peninsula (hence 'Trimountain'). Only in the
streets of Beacon Hill one can still guess the remains of the former
inclines. The local Massachusetts State House, the seat of the
Massachusetts governor, is located on top of the reduced hill.
In
1872 the city of Boston was hit by the worst fire in its history. The
extensive rubble of the burned buildings was then also used as fill
material for land reclamation.
On January 15, 1919, another major accident occurred near North End Park, killing 21 and injuring another 150. A flawed molasses tank failed to withstand the pressure of its contents and burst, spilling 14,000 tons of molasses onto the streets of Boston and drowning 21 passers-by.
In the 1920s and 1930s, the city of Boston underwent a structural
change marked by the retreat of old industries related to the high wage
structure compared to other areas in the US. The production factor work
had become too expensive for many industrial companies, so that they had
to relocate. As a result, the city responded with various initiatives
that have come to be known as Urban Renewal. These initiatives included
various urban development programs implemented by the Boston
Redevelopment Authority (BRA) after initiation in 1957. A lot of credit
was wasted in the early projects, as in many cases urban renewal
activities were at the expense of below-average income groups. This
policy led to the displacement of large parts of the population from the
core city. In later projects, this policy was modified and the so-called
linkage principle was introduced as a kind of social balance. This
principle, which is continued to this day, is characterized by a
financial balance between structurally strong and structurally weak core
city areas. A levy is imposed on the developers of lucrative
construction projects, which is then used for the revitalization of
dilapidated residential and commercial areas.
With the onset of
economic growth in the 1970s, which was particularly supported by the
medical sector, economic momentum developed positively for the first
time in more than 30 years. During this time, Boston-based Massachusetts
General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and Brigham and
Women's Hospital were among the nation's leading medical institutions in
terms of medical innovation, among other things. But the general science
sector, which has always been important for economic growth in Boston,
was also able to attract more students during this time.
However,
the ever-increasing car traffic since the 1920s also led to new
problems. These were not easy to solve, especially in Boston, since the
city center was one of the oldest and most densely built-up in the whole
of the USA. At the end of the 1940s, however, the responsible local
politicians saw exactly this fact as part of the problem. In the years
that followed, a four-kilometer, six-lane city autobahn was laid right
through the heart of the city as an elevated elevated road. However,
this only solved the traffic problems for a short time and had also
caused the inner city to be fragmented. The Big Dig, the largest road
construction and revitalization project in the United States, was
initiated in the 1980s to mitigate the urban consequences of the road
breakthrough and at the same time solve the traffic problems. Due to its
scope, this project was not completed until 2007.
In the early
21st century, Boston finally grew into an international, intellectual
and technological center. The city also played a nationally important
role in the field of political science. However, there was also a loss
of importance of regional institutions in the financial sector and
within the journalistic sector. The Boston Globe newspaper was taken
over by the New York Times and the Boston-based insurance company
FleetBoston Financial was taken over by Bank of America. Other
problematic developments were gentrification processes, i.e. social
displacement from residential areas. Since the 1970s, these have been
accompanied by rising property and apartment prices. In 2004, the Boston
area had the highest cost of living in the country, and Massachusetts
was the only state with a declining population.
Another trend in
urban development since the beginning of the second half of the 20th
century is the revitalization of derelict harbor areas. Projects that
have been and are being promoted in Boston in this area are the
so-called Harborwalk, a continuous walkway along the so-called
waterfront in the North End, which also connects to the city center
through crossings, the revitalization of Kai Rowes Wharf through a
mixed-use complex, the revitalization of the Fort Point Channel area and
the construction of the Boston Exhibition and Convention Center as well
as the revitalization of the Charlestown Navy Yard (largest contiguous
revitalization area in the USA).
Boston is worth a visit at almost any time of the year. Spring is a time
for renewal. Especially in May, it blooms and fades, and the colors are
the brightest. Summer is, of course, summer, and June to September is
the peak of the tourist season. Daylight during the months of late
spring and early summer lasts from 5:00 am to 8:00 pm. Every corner of
the city benefits from the warm weather and is full of festivals and
special events. In autumn, Mother Nature is in full view. It gives such
a show in October and November, many visitors choose this time for
vacation than all others. If you are a snow lover, winter may be the
season for you. Most residents, however, fear the low temperatures and
scanty hours of daylight that occur from December to March, and
sometimes even into April.
Although far north for an American
city, the nearby Atlantic Ocean has a moderating effect. Winters are
slowly sticking, while spring is slowly taking root. One thing in the
North Atlantic, it never gets really warm. Never. No matter how hot it
is at the beach, you can bet the ocean will be cold! The Atlantic also
has the unlikely potential to produce a Nor'Easter, a type of less
powerful hurricane. Nor'easter generally occurs from September to April,
when the cold air of the Arctic meets the warmer air over the Atlantic.
Boston can achieve 0-2 of these events a year and is well prepared for
them. So just lie low for the day while the windy deluge passes.
When the snow comes, and it will, it changes the rhythm of life in the
city. Sidewalks become slippery and narrow. Daylight starts at 7am, only
for the sun to go down at 4pm. Mercury drops below zero and can stay
there for months. It can even dip below -18°C for several weeks.
However, for a few days each winter, warm Caribbean air bursts into Bay
State, bringing with it a welcome respite from the cold. This helps
prevent snow buildup, so you'll rarely see more than a foot of
accumulation. An amazing exception was the winter of 2014-15, when more
than 110 inches (2,800 mm) of snow fell on Boston in 18 days. The city
dropped it in piles 23 meters high and had to wait until July 14 for the
last one to finally melt. Boston is not well equipped to deal with
snowfall to such an extent, so expect similar extensive transit
disruptions if that number drops again.
Good Will
Hunting (Gus Van Sant, 1996). If you only watch one movie about Boston,
do it. While the story of Romeo and Juliet has been told many times,
this tale of "blue collar" and "ivory tower" lovers could only happen in
Boston. Robin Williams' powerful, Oscar-winning performance and
quoteable dialogue make this film unique. Good Will Hunting was a
breakout success for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and you'll hear some
great touches and see what the city was like before the current building
boom. How do you like these apples?!
Infiltration (Martin Scorsese,
2006). Loosely based on the exploits of Irish mobster Whitey Bulger and
corrupt FBI agent John Connolly. This star-studded tale of murder and
deception starring Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson won
four Oscars, including Best Picture. For a more biographical look at the
mobster, don't miss Black Mass directed by Scott Cooper in 2015.
Glory (Edward Zwick, 1989). Glory is based, among other things, on the
personal letters of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, commander of the first
all-black regiment during the Civil War. OK, so there's something like
the White Savior going on, and it's not happening in Boston; but it's
still a great movie and accurately depicts the feelings many Bostonians
had about slavery at the time.
Mystic River (Clint Eastwood, 2003).
This critically acclaimed film explores the horrific effects of the
child abuse that raged in Boston in the 1970s. Discovering where
people's loyalties really lie and the question of how far would you go
to protect what's yours. Principal photography took place in Boston.
City of Thieves (Ben Affleck, 2010) If the grittier side of Boston
intrigues you, this crime thriller from Boston's Ben Affleck will give
you an insight into the city's many unsavory and working-class
environments, peppered with ominous, thick Boston accents.
Ted (Seth
MacFarlane, 2012). On the other hand, this hilarious buddy comedy has
all the toilet humor and Boston twists you could shake a stick at.
Fenway Park obviously gets involved somehow, along with some original
(non-colored) songs.
Spotlight (Tom McCarthy, 2015). Following The
Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, this film continues its investigation
into widespread and systematic child sexual abuse in the Boston area by
numerous Roman Catholic priests. Based on a series of short stories that
won The Globe the Pulitzer Prize in 2003.
Patriots Day (Peter Berg,
2016). Filmed in Boston and Quincy, Patriot's Day deals with the 2013
Boston Marathon bombing and the subsequent manhunt for terrorists. While
the film was well received, it was criticized in Boston for being set
too early and captivating with the events on which it was based.
Often Boston is not at the center of the novel, but it makes
numerous memorable cameo appearances. Perhaps due to the academic magnet
effect that attracts bright minds here for a few short years. See
examples of David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest or Faulkner's The Sound
and the Fury. Another masterpiece, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's
Tale, is also set in Boston.
The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne,
1850). Exploring themes of legalism, sin, and guilt; the book tells the
story of Hester Prynne, who conceived a daughter through an affair and
struggles to create a new life in 17th-century Boston.
The Glass
Basket (Sylvia Plath, 1963). Esther Greenwood is a young woman from the
suburbs of Boston who suffers a series of setbacks and struggles with
depression as she tries to choose between doing what she expects and
what is in her heart. Semi-autobiographical.
Common Ground (J.
Anthony Lukas, 1985). Winning a Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction, this
novel follows three families who experience race relations in Boston in
the 1960s and 1970s. He briefly describes how each family settled in its
neighborhood before narrowing it down to racial and class conflicts.
The Rascal King (Jack Beatty, 2000). Hero or hooligan? Boston Mayor
James Michael Curley (1874-1958) certainly could be. For four terms he
built schools, playgrounds and beaches; even while in prison on a fraud
conviction.
Dark Tide (Stephen Puleo, 2003). In this book, Puelo
seeks to uncover the structural causes of the Great Boston Molasses
Flood of 1919. See this infobox for more information.
A Brief History
of Boston (Robert Allison, 2004). The chair of the Suffolk University's
history department brings Boston's history to life in 128 pages. Covers
everything from the Puritan Theocracy to the Great Excavations and
beyond.
Another Shitty Night in Suck City (Nick Flynn, 2004). A
memoir by playwright and poet Nick Flynn, describing his meeting with
his estranged father, Jonathan, an alcoholic who lived in a homeless
shelter where he was a social worker in the late 1980s.
City of
Anxiety (Dennis Lehane, 2008). A historical novel set in Boston at the
turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. One of the main characters in the
story is Aiden "Danny" Coughlin, an Irish police officer who patrols the
Boston Police Department. Lehane is also the author of other Boston
books, often made into films. You may have heard of Shutter Island,
Gone, Baby, Gone, Mystic River, and many others.
The Gardner Heist
(Ulrich Boser, 2009). On the night of March 18, 1990, two men committed
the largest art theft in history. More than a dozen masterpieces worth
more than $500 million have gone missing and remain at large to this
day. See this infobox for more information.
Smoking is not allowed in any restaurant or bar in the Boston metro area.
Often used in film and television as shorthand for "working
class" or "working class" stereotypes, the Boston accent remains mostly
alive and well in the region. Known for dropping the "R", the accent is
thought to be a continuation of the English accent imported by the first
colonists. Today, however, it operates on life support within the city
itself as long-time residents move out and younger transplants from
around the country and the world move in. Listen to the conversations of
the police, fire department or construction workers for the best chance
to hear it in the city. If you have time, visit the north or south shore
where you're much more likely to hear it in action.
Although they
mostly avoided the Boston accent, younger Bostonians augment their
speeches with plenty of local jargon, the word "wred" being particularly
popular. Also, young people in Massachusetts (as well as in New England)
speak much faster than other Americans.
The word "wicked" is
still heavily used, functioning as an intensifier instead of "very". You
will also hear "packie" for the liquor (package) store and "blinkers"
for your car's turn signals. And some of our English friends may
recognize a "spinner" as a roundel. There are many others, but these are
the most used today. Feel free to try "malicious" as often as you like,
it's a great way to learn about the culture. Try not to overdo it -
saying things like "Pahk tha cah w Hahvid Yahd" is a dead treat for
tourists. Avoid saying "pisser" - you'll see it printed on T-shirts, but
no one really says it anymore.
Hosting a very large Hispanic
population, Boston can be a great place to practice your Spanish.
Boston (area: 233.1 km²) is located in the northeast of the United
States on the North American east coast on Massachusetts Bay. Their
strong fragmentation made it possible to create natural harbors. The
Mystic River to the west, the Neponset River to the south, and the
Charles River to the north roughly delimit the city's territory. The
original hills in the city area have been eroded over time and deposited
in the Back Bay and South End areas to reclaim more land from the
adjacent bay to the east.
Greater Boston metropolitan area
The
central Boston area forms the core of the Greater Boston metropolitan
area of 4.4 million people, which includes the cities of Cambridge,
Brookline, Quincy and many suburban communities, as well as the Boston
CMSA (Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area), the seventh largest
in the United States (in tenth place according to other rankings).
Boston is bordered by the cities of Revere, Chelsea, Everett,
Somerville, Cambridge, Watertown, Newton, Quincy, Winthrop, Brookline,
Needham, Dedham, Canton and Milton.
Cambridge is home to the
world-famous Harvard University and the similarly important MIT.
Boston is part of Suffolk County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and is both capitals. On October 4, 2002, the Boston City Council
completed the redistricting of the borough, which is now divided into 23
neighborhoods: Allston, Back Bay, Bay Village, Beacon Hill, Brighton,
Charlestown, Chinatown, Dorchester, East Boston, Fenway-Kenmore, Hyde
Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Mid Dorchester, Mission Hill, North End,
Roslindale, Roxbury, South Boston, South End, West End, West Roxbury.
Boston is known for having one of the most attractive and livable
urban centers in the country. Each district has an individual
atmosphere, determined by the local residents and their social and
ethnic affiliation. Downtown is the seat of the financial district and
is also home to Chinatown and the municipal administration center and
city hall, Boston City Hall. Back Bay, west of the Boston Public Garden,
is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the United States. Beacon Hill
is no less prosperous with the seat of government of the state of
Massachusetts, the State House. South End was once home to a strong
middle class society of merchants and seafarers and their families.
Today, an LGBT population predominates alongside artists, yuppies,
African Americans and Latinos. The main attractions are the local
restaurants and the bohemian atmosphere. North End and East Boston have
a dominant Italian influence but are also home to other ethnicities.
Charlestown is an Irish district on the north bank of the Charles
River. This demographic is also found in South Boston. Allston and
Brighton are primarily inhabited by students from nearby Northeastern
University, Boston University and Boston College. Dorchester has the
greatest variety and ethnic diversity. Latinos and African Americans,
along with middle-class families displaced from neighborhoods that have
become more expensive, make up the largest proportion in Roxbury and
Mattapan, south of downtown.
The city's political system is characterized by a strong executive
system. The mayor, whose regular term of office is four years, has
far-reaching decision-making powers. Elections are held in two rounds:
an impartial primary election and a second November election between the
two primary election candidates with the most votes. Michelle Wu has
been the mayor of Boston since November 2021. She replaced Marty Walsh,
who had been in office since 2014 and who has been Secretary of Labor in
the Biden Cabinet since March 23, 2021.
The city parliament (City
Council) is composed every two years. One representative is sent from
each of the nine wards or neighborhoods. There are also four candidates
nominated by the entire city population. The school committee is
appointed by the mayor, as are the individual department heads in the
city administration.
In addition, other authorities have a major
influence on urban development. The Massachusetts Department of
Conservation and Recreation, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Masport)
and the Boston Redevelopment Authority should be mentioned here in
particular, which have a particularly large influence on life in the
city of Boston.
As the capital of the US state of Massachusetts,
Boston also has national government functions. Through numerous
politicians, including several US Presidents (for example, John F.
Kennedy was born in Boston's neighboring town of Brookline), Boston or
the state of Massachusetts also has a strong political weight in the
federal politics of the United States. This significant influence is
also expressed through various US governmental agencies in Boston. Among
other things, the John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building and the Thomas
P. O'Neill Federal Building and more recently the John Joseph Moakley
United States Courthouse, the headquarters of the United States Court of
Appeals for the First Circuit, are located here
In 2006, the
Massachusetts Secretary of the Interior reprimanded the City of Boston,
or its electoral agency, for not providing enough ballot boxes to
conduct an election properly.
The city of Boston has become known
for its very low crime rate in recent years. This is also attributed to
the close cooperation between the municipal police force and the local
action groups in the districts, which contributes significantly to
preventing young people from slipping into crime.
Boston is the seat of a Catholic Archbishop (Archdiocese of Boston).
The city seal was adopted in 1823. It is regulated by law that the seal should look like this: Round in shape, representing a part of the city, the motto: "SICUT PATRIBUS, SIT DEUS NOBIS" (God be with us as he was with our fathers) and the inscription " BOSTONIA CONDITA AD. 1630 CIVITATIS REGIMINE DONATA AD. 1822” (Boston founded 1630 AD city rights granted 1822 AD) including. The flag has a light blue background and bears the coat of arms of the city in the middle. A law protects the flag.
The population was 46.2 percent white and 24.7 percent African American, according to estimates by the United States Census Bureau in 2015; 9.1 percent were of Asian origin. 22.1 percent of the population were Hispanics. The median income per household in 2015 was US$55,777. 21.5 percent of the population lived below the poverty line.
The Boston metropolitan area generated economic output of $422.7
billion in 2016, ranking 9th among the metropolitan areas of the United
States and also one of the top performing economic regions in the world.
The unemployment rate was only 2.9 percent (as of May 2018).
According to a 2016 statistic, Boston was the US region with the highest
income inequality. The top 5% earned $266,224, while the bottom 20%
earned $14,942 on average. The difference between individual ethnic
groups is even more serious. The average white household is worth
$247,500 and the average black household is worth $8.
In a 2018
ranking of cities with the highest quality of life worldwide, Boston
ranked 35th out of 231 cities surveyed and second in the United States.
Boston's economic structure is largely shaped by the higher
educational institutions located here. These institutions are not only
among the city's largest employers, but are also a crystallization point
for the settlement of many high-tech companies, such as those in the IT
and biotechnology sectors. Many manufacturing companies from the defense
sector also play a major role in the greater Boston area.
According to a 2003 report by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, more
than 135,000 students are enrolled at the 32 colleges (including other
higher education institutions). These contribute 4.8 billion US dollars
a year to the economic growth of the city of Boston. At the same time,
the city of Boston ranks first among all US cities when it comes to
acquiring research funds in the healthcare sector.
In addition,
tourism now also plays a central role in the economic growth of the city
of Boston. In 2005, an estimated 17.6 million people visited the capital
of the state of Massachusetts. This large number of visitors was divided
into the types of classic tourism, business travelers and trade fair and
congress visitors. From this, an estimated 9.8 billion US dollars were
generated for hotel accommodation, meals, entertainment and leisure
activities and the use of transport.[33] Other important branches of the
economy are the financial sector, in particular the insurance sector,
printing and publishing (e.g. The Boston Globe). In addition, there are
now four exhibition and congress centers in Boston. These include the
Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay district and the newly built
World Trade Center Boston on the waterfront in the South Boston
district. Due to the seat of government of the state of Massachusetts,
services related to politics and business, such as corporate and
political consultants and lawyers, are also well represented in Boston.
Leading companies headquartered in Boston include Gillette, a
subsidiary of Procter & Gamble, and Teradyne, one of the world's leading
manufacturers of test systems for microprocessors and other electronic
components. In addition, the management consultancy The Boston
Consulting Group comes from Boston and still has its headquarters here
today, like the Wayfair e-commerce mail order company. Real estate REIT
American Tower, which owns cellular towers, is also headquartered in the
city. The pharmaceutical industry is represented by pharmaceutical
manufacturer Alexion Pharmaceuticals, which relocated its headquarters
to Boston in 2018. Other companies are located in the outskirts of the
city. In particular, the so-called Route 128 is referred to here.
The so-called FIRE sector (abbreviation for Finance, Insurance and
Real Estate) is of particular importance for the economic development of
the city of Boston in addition to the education sector. This influence
results in particular from the influence of the financial sector on
employment, education, economic development and housing construction.
The availability of capital within the region plays a special role for
these areas.
The financial sector employs an estimated 111,000
people in the city of Boston. This is considered one of the financial
centers in the north-east of the USA. Fidelity Investments, with 11,250
employees, was the city's top dog financial firm in 2001, followed by
John Hancock Insurance, which has 4,793 employees and has since been
acquired by Canadian group Manulife Financial.
The enormous
financial power of the city is also reflected in the architecture. The
Prudential Center was completely renovated several times during
construction and is now one of the most expensive and heaviest buildings
in the world.
In a ranking of the world's most important
financial centers, Boston ranks 10th and third in the United States
behind New York and San Francisco (as of 2018).
Boston is the site of an international airport. General Edward
Laurence Logan International Airport, Logan International Airport for
short, is number 19 of all US airports in terms of passenger numbers of
27.7 million, but number 1 in the New England states. The seaport is
number 12 on the Atlantic coast of the USA in terms of container
handling. Both the airport and the port are owned by the Massachusetts
Port Authority (massport), a corporation independent of the City of
Boston.
The public transit system is operated by the
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). The system consists
of suburban (commuter-rail) and four subway lines (subway - blue, green,
red, orange), the trolleybus Boston (which is integrated into the Silver
Line network of routes) as well as local omnibus lines and suburban
express buses. In common parlance among Bostonians, the public
transportation system is referred to simply as The T. Major train
stations in Boston are South Station and North Station. Among other
things, South Station is also served by the American railway company
Amtrak as the end point of the most lucrative route between Washington,
D.C., New York and Boston, the so-called Northeast Corridor. Among other
things, the Acela Express, a high-speed train based on the French TGV,
is used here.
Individual transport is served by several major
thoroughfares, and as part of the so-called "Big Dig" (one of the most
extensive civil engineering projects in the world), freeways that cut
through the city center were tunneled underground before 2007. The
so-called Massachusetts Turnpike, Interstate 90, leads west towards the
state border with the US state of New York. Interstate 95 connects
Boston with Portland in Maine (northbound) and New York and Washington,
D.C. as a north-south route. (to the south). There's also Interstate 93,
another north-south interstate highway that runs from the south end of
town to north into New Hampshire
Various well-known universities are located in Boston and the
surrounding area.
In the city center these include the following:
Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology
Berklee with the
Berklee
College of Music and the
Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Boston
University
Emerson College
Emmanuel College
Forsyth Institute
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Massachusetts College of
Pharmacy and Health Sciences
New England Conservatory of Music
New
England School of Law
Northeastern University
Simmons College
Suffolk University
University of Mass. Boston
Wentworth Institute
of Technology
Wheelock College
Outside of the core city are:
Baben College
Bentley University
Boston College
Brandeis
University
Bridgewater State College
Cambridge College
Framingham State College
Franklin W Olin College of Engineering
Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary
Harvard University
Lesley
University
Longy School of Music
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
The Art Institute of Boston
Newbury College
Pine
Manor College
Regis College
Salem State College
Tufts
University
Wellesley College
Wheaton College
From a tourist point of view, Boston impresses above all with
historical and cultural attractions. In addition, there are beautiful
landscapes in the immediate vicinity and architecturally interesting
districts within the city. The latter include Back Bay and Beacon Hill.
Recreational areas further afield include Cape Cod (approx. 85 km
south-east) and the island of Martha's Vineyard (approx. 130 km south).
The Boston skyline also has many skyscrapers worth seeing.
Major
Tourist Attractions
Freedom Trail
A red line four kilometers long
along the sidewalk leads to sites of the US independence movement.
Beginning at Boston Common, the oldest public park in the USA, it leads
to Charlestown; all 16 important sites of this historical period are
passed through. One stop is the Old State House, from whose balcony John
Adams announced the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
Black
Heritage Trail
The Black Heritage Trail connects historically
significant sites of black American history for more than 2.5 km. Since
Memorial Day 2012, the tour begins at Faneuil Hall and travels through
Beacon Hill at more than 15 locations. The sites document important
stages of abolitionism and the Underground Railroad. Because of their
outstanding historical significance, some of the sites are grouped
together as a National Historic Site and form the Boston African
American National Historic Site.
Boston National Historical Park
The National Historical Park brings together sites of historical
importance that reflect the importance of the city of Boston during the
American Revolution. Sites include:
The Bunker Hill Monument
The
Charlestown Navy Yard (including the USS Constitution)
Faneuil Hall
The Old North Church
The Old South Meeting House
The Old State
House
The Paul Revere House in the NRHP with reference number
66000785
The Dorchester Heights Monument
The first seven
attractions are on the Freedom Trail.
Important museums
(selection)
Boston Athenaeum
One of the oldest cultural
institutions in Massachusetts with an important library and art
collections. In addition to historical documents and photographs,
testimonials from the first US presidents and numerous paintings by
American artists are on display here.
Isabella Stewart Gardner
Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was built around the turn
of the century using antique building materials in the historicist
Neo-Renaissance style imported from Europe.
Museum of Science
Many interactive exhibitions and experiments invite you to join in. Not
only children can playfully explore the natural sciences and engineering
here. Attached to the museum is the Hayden Planetarium with laser shows
and current presentations. There is also the "Mugar Omni Theatre", an
IMAX cinema and a butterfly garden, where visitors can also see the
breeding of butterflies. The museum also offers additional exhibition
areas where special exhibitions can be visited, such as Gunther von
Hagens' "Body Worlds 2" until the end of January 2007.
Museum of
Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is one of the most
important art museums in the USA. It houses an important collection of
Egyptian and Nubian antiquities and an important collection of Chinese
objects. Paintings by Rembrandt and El Greco are on display, as are
works by Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Édouard
Manet, Edvard Munch, Alberto Giacometti, Georges Rouault and Max
Beckmann.
New England Aquarium
Located directly by the sea,
there is a lot to see from penguins to sea lions to jellyfish that lives
in the sea. In a huge, cylindrical saltwater tank that can be seen from
all sides, an artificial reef is home to several hundred different
species of fish and turtles. As an "outpost" so to speak, the NEA
organizes a daily trip where humpback whales, dolphins and others can be
observed. From 1971 to 1985 the aquarium was home to the seal Hoover,
who became famous as a talking animal and became a scientific sensation.
Other
In 2012, the Armenian Heritage Park was opened to
commemorate the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.
Faneuil
Hall
This is one of the oldest buildings in the city of Boston. Built
from 1740 to 1742 with financial support from the merchant Peter
Faneuil.
Old South Meeting House
Dating back to 1729 (corner
of Washington and Milk Streets), the building has seen many historically
significant gatherings, culminating in the Boston Tea Party. A memorable
exhibition illustrates the events of that time.
Temple of the
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts
It is the oldest surviving Masonic
temple.
National Park Service
The National Park Service
designates Boston as a National Historical Park, Boston National
Historical Park, and as a National Historic Site, Boston African
American National Historic Site. There are a total of 52 National
Historic Landmarks in Boston. The city has 271 structures and sites
listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as of November
5, 2018.