Massachusetts (English: Commonwealth of Massachusetts) is the most populous New England state in the northeastern United States. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, New Hampshire and Vermont to the north, and New York to the west.
The capital of Massachusetts and the most populated city in New England is Boston, a city of significant influence on American history, science and industry of the region. The easternmost point of the commonwealth is the Cape Cod peninsula.
Name
The name of the commonwealth comes from the name of the extinct Massachusetts Indian tribe, which inhabited the territory of Massachusetts until the 17th century.
History
The city of Plymouth was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrim Fathers, passengers on the Mayflower. In 1692, the town of Salem and the surrounding areas experienced one of America’s most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem Witch Hunt. In 1777, General Henry Knox founded the Springfield Arsenal, which catalyzed many important technological advances during the Industrial Revolution, including interchangeable parts. In 1786, Shay’s Rebellion, a rebellion by American Revolutionary War veterans, led to the Philadelphia Convention.. In the 18th century. Protestant The first great awakening that swept across the Atlantic world was born out of the activities of the Northampton preacher Jonathan Edwards. At the end of the 18th century. Boston became known as the “Cradle of Liberty” for the agitation that led to the American Revolution. Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Economy
Initially dependent on agriculture, fishing, and trade, Massachusetts became a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. In the 20th century the economy of Massachusetts switched from industry to the service sector. Today, Massachusetts is a world leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime commerce.
The commonwealth’s gross product for 1999 was $262,000,000,000, 11th in the United States. In 2002, the personal income per person in the state was about 40,000 dollars, the third highest in the country.
The main agricultural products of the commonwealth are seafood, landings, dairy products, cranberries and vegetables. The main industrial products are machine tools, electrical equipment, scientific instruments, printing and publishing, as well as tourism. Higher education, health care and financial services also play an important economic role.
Judicial system and crime
The Massachusetts court system consists of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Trial Court Executive Office, seven trial court departments, the Massachusetts Probation Service, and the Office of the Jury Commissioner.
In total, 200,523 crimes were registered in the state in 2019, which is 0.51% more than in 2018. 97,031 people were arrested.
Demographic information
The population of the Commonwealth (in 2003) was 6.4 million people.
More than 80% of the population of Massachusetts lives in the greater Boston area.
Religious affiliation of the population:
- Catholics — 54%
- Protestants — 27%
- Other Christians — 1%
- Other religions (mainly Jews) — 5%
- Atheists – 8%
Main Protestant groups: Baptists – 4% of the population of the commonwealth, Episcopal Church USA – 3%, Methodists and Congregationalists – 2% each
Famous people
- Whitney Smith
- Leonard Bernstein
- Nathaniel Hawthorne
- Emily Dickinson
- Sylvia Plath
- Edward Lee Thorndike
- Fred Allen
- Grenville Stanley Hall
- William Lloyd Garrison
Springfield, Massachusetts
| Springfield | |
| City in the United States | |
| Location | |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Hampden County |
| Coordinates | 42°6’45″NB, 72°32’51″WL |
| General | |
| Surface | 85,7 km² |
| – land | 82,6 km² |
| – water | 3,1 km² |
| Residents (April 1, 2020) |
155.929 (1890 inhabitants/km²) |
| Website | springfield-ma.gov |
| Photo’s | |
| Skyline van Springfield | |
According to COUNTRYAAH, Springfield is a city in the US state of Massachusetts with a population of 152,082. It is the third largest city in Massachusetts (after Boston and Worcester) and the 131st city in the United States (2000). Its surface area is 83.1 km², making it the 190th city.
The Springfield Armory was chosen by George Washington in 1777 to make firearms for the American Revolutionary War. It then served as a weapons factory for the United States Army. The presence of the Springfield Armory also led to the foundation of other arms factories in Springfield, such as Smith & Wesson. The Armory was closed in 1968. Now it is a museum managed by the National Park Service.
Springfield is also known as the city where James Naismith invented basketball and is home to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Demographics
12.4 % of the population is older than 65 and 30.2 % consists of single – person households. Unemployment is 4.4 % (census figures 2000).
About 27.2% of Springfield’s population is Hispanic and Hispanic, 21% of African origin and 1.9% of Asian origin.
The population decreased from 156,964 in 1990 to 152,082 in 2000.
Climate
In January the average temperature is -2.9 °C, in July it is 23.4 °C. Annual average rainfall is 1114.6 mm (data based on the measurement period 1961-1990).
Nearby places
The figure below shows nearby places within a 12 km radius of Springfield.
Springfield
Sherwood Manor (11 km)
I will go (9 km)
Chicopee (7 km)
Holyoke (12 km)
Longmeadow (7 km)
West Springfield (8 km)
Wilbraham (10 km)
Born in Springfield
- Joel Asaph Allen (1838-1921), zoologist and ornithologist
- Theodore Geisel Dr. Seuss (1904-1991), children’s author, poet and cartoonist
- Eleanor Powell (1912-1982), actress and dancer
- Creighton Abrams (1914-1974), generaal
- Timothy Leary (1920-1996), writer and psychologist
- Richard F. Heck (1931-2015), chemist and Nobel laureate (2010)
- Phil Woods (1931-2015), jazz musician
- Joe Arpaio (1932), sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona (1993-2016)
- Jerome Apt (1949), astronaut
- Kurt Russell (1951), actor
- Carol Fredericks (1952-2001), singer
- Chirlane McCray (1954), writer and poet; mayor of New York
- Mike Scully (1956), writer and producer of The Simpsons
- Tim Mayotte (1960), tennis player
- David Starzyk (1961), actor
- Edward Lu (1963), astronaut
- Paige Turco (1965), actress
