Massachusetts At A Glance
Here are some general facts and important information to help your
group or escort get the most from your adventure in Massachusetts.
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Area
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| 8,257 square miles |
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Area Codes
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413, 508, 617, 781, 978
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Capital City
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| Boston |
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Climate
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| Massachusetts experiences a varying climate throughout the seasons, with the coastal areas slightly cooler than inland. Average seasonal temperatures range from 70-90°F in the summer to 50-70°F in the fall. Winter temperatures are cooler, usually staying around the freezing mark or lower. The average annual rainfall is between 40 and 50 inches. |
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Historical Dates
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1620 – Arrival of Pilgrims on the Mayflower
1639 – Royal charter granted to the Massachusetts Bay Company
1775 – Revolutionary War begins at Lexington & Concord with “the shot heard round the world”
1788 – Sixth state to adopt the U.S. Constitution |
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Major Industries
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Early industrial economy included woolen goods, cotton textiles, boot & shoe industry, leather and tanning, and machinery. Today’s industries, however, include biotechnology and biomedicine, farming, paper printing and publishing, marine sciences, polymer technology and, of course, tourism.
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Official State Name
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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Population
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Approximately 6.5 million
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State Parks
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107
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Tax Information
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Massachusetts levies a statewide sales tax of 5%.
Gasoline is taxed at 10%.
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Towns
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Massachusetts is made up of 49 cities and 302 towns.
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Famous People
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Massachusetts is the birthplace of many well-recognized names in the worlds of sports, science, politics, the arts and general celebrity. Among the long list are…
• Louisa May Alcott, author, Boston
• Emily Dickinson, poet, Amherst
• Theodore Geisel “Dr. Seuss”, author, Springfield
• Norman Rockwell, painter, Sturbridge
• Paul Revere, patriot, Boston
• Edgar Allan Poe, poet, Boston
• Alexander Graham Bell, inventor, Salem
• John Adams, 2nd U.S. President, Quincy
• John Quincy Adams, 6th U.S. President, Braintree
• John F. Kennedy, 35th U.S President, Brookline
• George H. W. Bush, president, Milton
• Barbara Walters, journalist, Boston
• Ben Afflect, actor, Cambridge
• Matt Damon, actor, Cambridge
• Jack Lemmon, actor, Boston
• Jay Leno, television personality, Andover
• Rocky Marciano, boxer, Brockton
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Massachusetts Fast Facts
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• The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in Plymouth in 1621.
• Harvard was the first American university, founded in Newtowne (now Cambridge) in 1636.
• The first American lighthouse was built in Boston Harbor in 1716.
• The first battle of the Revolution was fought in Lexington and Concord in 1775.
• Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber in Woburn in 1839.
• Elias Howe invented the sewing machine in Boston in 1845.
• Louis Prang printed the first American Christmas card in Boston in 1875.
• Basketball was invented in Springfield and played for the first time there in 1891.
• Volleyball was invented in Holyoke and played for the first time there in 1895.
• Boston was home to the first subway system in America, opened in 1898. |
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Professional Spectator Sports
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Boston Bruins
Tel: 617-624-BEAR
www.bostonbruins.com
Boston Celtics
Tel: 617-523-3030
www.celtics.com
New England Patriots
Tel: 1-800-543-1776
www.patriots.com
Boston Red Sox
Tel: 617-482-4SOX
www.redsox.com
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August, 2008
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