Boston is the capital city of Massachusetts, and the largest city in Massachusetts. Boston is also one of the oldest cities in the United States. Several Native American archaeological sites were excavated in Boston, revealing that the area was inhabited as early as 5000 BC. In 2009, the estimated population was 645,169, which makes it the 20th largest city in America.
In 1630, 10 years after the Pilgrims founding Plymouth Colony, Puritans from England came to the Shawmut Peninsula and founded Boston. These two groups also had different religious practices and are historically distinct. These two colonies were united by the formation of the Province of Massachusetts Bay in 1691.
In the 1770’s Britain tried to control the 13 colonies by taxing just about everything that came into the city. The colonists had enough and started revolting to become separate from England, which led to the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and soon after, the American Revolution. The battle of Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston are all Revolutionary War battles that occurred in and around Boston. This is when Paul Revere made his famous ride at midnight through the city to warn the people of the British Red Coats.
After the Revolutionary war, Boston became a very important manufacturing center and shipping port. The city as a whole expanded beyond the Shawmut Peninsula through municipal annexation and land reclamation. Marshes were filled in, mud flats were filled in, and gaps between wharves on the waterfront will filled in and Boston tripled it’s size between 1631 and 1890.
Boston was first called Trimountaine, but was later renamed after Boston, Lincolnshire, England, the home of several prominent colonists. On March 4, 1822, the official name of Boston changed from “the Town of Boston”, to “the City of Boston”.
Many historical landmarks in Boston, mostly from the American Revolution, can be found by walking the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail is marked by a line of red bricks embedded in the ground. Visitors can walk the trail themselves, or take a guided tour.
