Greater Boston

Boston Combined Statistical Area Boston–Worcester–Providence
Metropolitan region
Boston
Coordinates: 42°21′29″N 71°03′49″W / 42.35817°N 71.06369°W / 42.35817; -71.06369Coordinates: 42°21′29″N 71°03′49″W / 42.35817°N 71.06369°W / 42.35817; -71.06369
Country	United States
State(s)	Massachusetts (MA)  Rhode Island (RI)  New Hampshire (NH)  Connecticut (CT)
Principal cities	Boston Worcester Providence Lowell Cambridge  Quincy
Population (2014)
• Total	4,732,161 (MSA) or 8,099,575 (CSA)
• Rank	Ranked 10th in the US for Metropolitan Statistical Areas Ranked 6th in the US for Combined Statistical Areas
Time zone	EST
Area code(s)	617, 781, 857, 339, 978, 508, 351, 774, 603, 401

Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the US state of Massachusetts, and the most populous city in New England, as well as its surrounding areas. The region forms the northern arc of the US northeast megalopolis and as such, Greater Boston can be described as either a metropolitan statistical area (MSA), or as a broader combined statistical area (CSA). The MSA consists of most of the eastern third of Massachusetts, excluding the South Coast region and Cape Cod; while the CSA additionally includes the municipalities of Manchester (the largest city in the US state of New Hampshire), Providence (the capital and largest city of the US state of Rhode Island), Worcester, Massachusetts (the second largest city in New England), as well as the South Coast region and Cape Cod in Massachusetts.

Some of Greater Boston's most well-known contributions to human civilization involve the region's higher education and medical institutions. Greater Boston has been influential upon American history and industry. The region and the state of Massachusetts are global leaders in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade.^[1]

Over 80% of Massachusetts' population lives in the Greater Boston metropolitan region. Greater Boston is ranked tenth in population among US metropolitan statistical areas, home to 4,732,161 people as of the 2014 US Census estimate, and sixth among combined statistical areas, with a population of 8,099,575.^[2] The area has hosted many people and sites significant to American culture and history, particularly American literature,^[3] politics, and the American Revolution.

Plymouth was the site of the first colony in New England, founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims, passengers of the Mayflower. In 1692, the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials.^[4] In the late 18th century, Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty"^[5] for the agitation there that led to the American Revolution.

The Greater Boston region has played a powerful commercial and cultural role in the history of the United States. Before the American Civil War, the region was a center for the abolitionist, temperance,^[6] and transcendentalist^[7] movements.^[8] In 2004, Massachusetts became the first US state to legally recognize same-sex marriage as a result of the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in Boston.^[9] Many prominent American political dynasties have hailed from the Boston region, including the Adams and Kennedy families.

Harvard University in Cambridge is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States,^[10] with the largest financial endowment of any university,^[11] and whose Law School has spawned a contemporaneous majority of United States Supreme Court Justices.^[12] Kendall Square in Cambridge has been called "the most innovative square mile on the planet", in reference to the high concentration of entrepreneurial start-ups and quality of innovation which have emerged in the vicinity of the square since 2010.^[13][14] Both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also in Cambridge, have been ranked among the most highly regarded academic institutions in the world.^[15]

Definitions

Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)

The most restrictive definition of the Greater Boston area is the region administered by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC).^[16] The MAPC is a regional planning organization created by the Massachusetts legislature to oversee transportation infrastructure and economic development concerns in the Boston area. The MAPC includes 101 cities and towns that are grouped into eight subregions. These include most of the area within the region's outer circumferential highway, I-495. In 2013, the population of the MAPC district was 3.2 million, which was 48% of the total population of Massachusetts,^[17] in an area of 1,422 square miles (3,680 km²),^[16] of which 39% is forested and an additional 11% is water, wetland, or other open space.^[18]

The eight subregions and their principal towns are: Inner Core (Boston), Minuteman (Route 2 corridor), MetroWest (Framingham), North Shore (Lynn), North Suburban (Woburn), South Shore (Route 3 corridor), SouthWest (Franklin), and Three Rivers (Norwood).

Notably excluded from the MAPC and its partner planning body, the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, are the Merrimack Valley cities of Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill, much of Plymouth County, and all of Bristol County; these areas have their own regional planning bodies. Northern Bristol County is part of the Greater Boston CSA, as part of the Providence MSA.

New England City and Town Area (NECTA)

The urbanized area surrounding Boston serves as the core of a definition used by the US Census Bureau known as the New England city and town area (NECTA). The set of towns containing the core urbanized area plus surrounding towns with strong social and economic ties to the core area is defined as the Boston–Cambridge–Nashua, MA–NH Metropolitan NECTA.^[19] The Boston NECTA is further subdivided into several NECTA divisions, which are listed below. The Boston, Framingham, and Peabody NECTA divisions together correspond roughly to the MAPC area. The total population of the Boston NECTA was 4,540,941 (as of 2000).

• Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA NECTA Division (92 towns)
• Framingham, MA NECTA Division (12 towns)
• Peabody–Salem–Beverly, MA NECTA Division (4 towns)
• Brockton–Bridgewater–Easton, MA NECTA Division (Old Colony region) (8 towns)
• Haverhill–Newburyport–Amesbury, MA–NH NECTA Division (Merrimack Valley region) (21 towns)
• Lawrence–Methuen–Salem, MA–NH NECTA Division (part of Merrimack Valley region) (4 towns)
• Lowell–Billerica–Chelmsford, MA–NH NECTA Division (Northern Middlesex region) (15 towns)
• Nashua, NH–MA NECTA Division (21 towns)
• Taunton–Middleborough–Norton, MA NECTA Division (part of Southeastern region) (9 towns)
• Lynn–Saugus–Marblehead, MA NECTA Division (5 towns)

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	650,357		—
1860	830,998		27.8%
1870	978,346		17.7%
1880	1,205,439		23.2%
1890	1,515,684		25.7%
1900	1,890,122		24.7%
1910	2,260,762		19.6%
1920	2,563,123		13.4%
1930	2,866,567		11.8%
1940	2,926,650		2.1%
1950	3,186,970		8.9%
1960	3,516,435		10.3%
1970	3,918,092		11.4%
1980	3,938,585		0.5%
1990	4,133,895		5.0%
2000	4,391,344		6.2%
2010	4,552,402		3.7%
Est. 2014	4,732,161		3.9%
US Decennial Census

An alternative definition defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, using counties as building blocks instead of towns, is the Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is further subdivided into four metropolitan divisions. The metropolitan statistical area had a total population of approximately 4,732,161 as of 2014 and is the tenth-largest in the United States. The components of the metropolitan area with their estimated 2012 populations are listed below.

• Boston–Cambridge–Newton, MA–NH Metropolitan Statistical Area (4,640,802)
  • Boston, MA Metropolitan Division (1,926,030)
    • Norfolk County, Massachusetts (681,845)
    • Plymouth County, Massachusetts (499,759)
    • Suffolk County, Massachusetts (744,426)
  • Cambridge–Newton–Framingham, MA Metropolitan Division (2,292,833)
    • Middlesex County, Massachusetts (1,537,215)
    • Essex County, Massachusetts (755,618)
  • Rockingham County–Strafford County, NH Metropolitan Division (421,939)
    • Rockingham County, New Hampshire (297,820)
    • Strafford County, New Hampshire (124,119)

Combined Statistical Area (CSA)

A wider functional metropolitan area based on commuting patterns is also defined by the Office of Management and Budget as the Boston–Worcester–Providence combined statistical area. This area consists of the metropolitan areas of Manchester, Worcester, Providence, as well as Cape Cod, in addition to greater Boston. The total population as of 2014 for the extended region was estimated at 8,099,575. The following areas, along with the above MSA, are included in the combined statistical area, with their estimated 2012 populations:

• Worcester, MA–CT, metropolitan statistical area (923,762)
  • Worcester County, Massachusetts (806,163)
  • Windham County, Connecticut (117,599)
• Providence–Warwick, RI–MA, metropolitan statistical area (1,601,374)
  • Bristol County, Massachusetts (551,082)
  • Bristol County, Rhode Island (49,144)
  • Kent County, Rhode Island (164,843)
  • Newport County, Rhode Island (82,036)
  • Providence County, Rhode Island (628,323)
  • Washington County, Rhode Island (125,946)
• Concord, NH, micropolitan statistical area (146,761)
  • Merrimack County, New Hampshire (146,761)
• Laconia, NH, micropolitan statistical area (60,327)
  • Belknap County, New Hampshire (60,327)
• Manchester–Nashua, NH, metropolitan statistical area (402,922)
  • Hillsborough County, New Hampshire (402,922)
• Barnstable Town, MA, metropolitan statistical area (215,423)
  • Barnstable County, Massachusetts (215,423)

Principal cities and towns

Cities and towns

Boston metropolitan area

The Census Bureau defines the following as principal cities in the Boston NECTA^[19] using criteria developed for what the Office of Management and Budget calls a Core Based Statistical Area:^[20]

• Boston
• Cambridge
• Lowell
• Providence
• Quincy
• Worcester

Largest cities and towns

Cities and towns in the Boston CSA with at least 50,000 residents:

Rank	City	2000 population	2010 population	2014 population[21]	% change (2010 to 2014)
1	Boston	589,141	617,594	655,884	7000619986593134000♠+6.20%
2	Worcester	172,648	181,045	183,016	7000108867961004170♠+1.09%
3	Providence	173,618	178,042	179,154	6999624571730265890♠+0.62%
4	Manchester	107,006	109,565	110,448	6999805914297449010♠+0.81%
5	Lowell	105,167	106,519	109,945	7000321632760352610♠+3.22%
6	Cambridge	101,355	105,162	109,694	7000430954146935210♠+4.31%
7	New Bedford	93,768	95,072	94,845	3000761233591383370♠−0.24%
8	Brockton	94,304	93,810	94,779	7000103293891909179♠+1.03%
9	Quincy	88,025	92,271	93,397	7000122031840990130♠+1.22%
10	Lynn	89,050	90,329	92,137	7000200157203113059♠+2.00%
11	Fall River	91,938	88,857	88,712	3000836816457904280♠−0.16%
12	Newton	83,829	85,146	88,287	7000368895779014870♠+3.69%
13	Nashua	86,605	86,494	87,259	6999884454413022870♠+0.88%
14	Warwick	85,808	82,672	81,963	3000142394039094249♠−0.86%
15	Cranston	79,269	80,387	81,037	6999808588453356900♠+0.81%
16	Somerville	77,478	75,754	78,901	7000415423607994300♠+4.15%
17	Lawrence	72,043	76,377	78,197	7000238291632297679♠+2.38%
18	Pawtucket	72,958	71,148	71,499	6999493337831000160♠+0.49%
19	Framingham	66,910	68,318	70,068	7000256155039667440♠+2.56%
20	Waltham	59,226	60,632	63,014	7000392861855126010♠+3.93%
21	Haverhill	58,969	60,879	62,488	7000264294748599680♠+2.64%
22	Malden	56,340	59,450	60,859	7000237005887300250♠+2.37%
23	Brookline	57,107	58,732	59,115	6999652114690458360♠+0.65%
24	Plymouth	51,701	56,468	57,463	7000176205992774670♠+1.76%
25	Medford	55,765	56,173	57,437	7000225019137307960♠+2.25%
26	Taunton	55,976	55,874	56,544	7000119912660629270♠+1.20%
27	Weymouth	53,988	53,743	55,643	7000353534413784120♠+3.54%
28	Revere	47,283	51,755	54,157	7000464109747850450♠+4.64%
29	Peabody	48,129	51,251	52,376	7000219507912040739♠+2.20%
30	Methuen	43,789	47,255	52,044	7001101343773145699♠+10.13%

Demographics

Population density

The most densely populated census tracts in the Boston CSA (2010):^[23]

Rank	City or neighborhood	Census tract	Population	Population density
				/sq mi	/km2
1	Fenway–Kenmore	10404	5,817	110,108	285,180
2	Fenway–Kenmore	10403	3,003	87,828	227,470
3	Fenway–Kenmore	10408	1,426	85,137	220,500
4	Beacon Hill	202	3,649	80,851	209,400
5	North End	301	1,954	66,288	171,690
6	North End	302	1,665	64,642	167,420
7	North End	304	2,451	58,435	151,350
8	Cambridge	3539	7,090	56,819	147,160
9	Back Bay	10801	2,783	56,534	146,420
10	East Boston	502	5,231	55,692	144,240

Race and ethnicity

The 40 most diverse Census tracts in the Boston CSA:^[23]

Rank	City or neighborhood	Census tract	Population	% White	% Black	% Hispanic	% Asian	% multiracial or other
1	Dorchester	916	3,138	12	32	15	26	14
2	Pawtucket	161	4,607	28	24	28	1	18
3	Pawtucket	151	4,472	24	24	29	1	23
4	Pawtucket	164	4,938	29	26	21	2	20
5	Dorchester	912	3,234	30	24	22	6	18
6	Dorchester	92101	6,451	30	22	11	31	6
7	Brockton	5115	4,308	21	32	13	2	32
8	Brockton	511	3,040	28	33	15	1	24
9	New Bedford	6519	1,942	26	11	33	1	29
10	Mission Hill	80801	3,885	32	20	35	10	2
11	Pawtucket	154	2,258	35	20	35	0	11
12	Brockton	5114	3,716	24	36	14	2	23
13	Brockton	5109	2,531	24	36	16	1	24
14	Brockton	5103	3,798	23	38	15	2	24
15	Brockton	5104	3,706	19	38	15	2	25
16	Dorchester	90901	3,730	38	18	21	20	4
17	Worcester	733	3,762	38	10	37	12	4
18	Providence	26	3,098	23	22	39	10	6
19	Malden	3415	4,780	39	23	14	19	5
20	Cambridge	3524	2,126	27	39	16	12	5
21	South End	71202	3,131	39	19	24	15	3
22	Brockton	511301	5,334	39	31	11	2	17
23	Providence	15	2,994	28	13	41	14	4
24	South Boston	61	3,098	41	15	29	11	4
25	Lynn	2072	2,939	30	12	42	13	2
26	Cambridge	3549	6,058	35	30	9	20	5
27	South Boston	61101	2,232	20	21	42	14	2
28	Brockton	5116	7,211	42	29	10	2	16
29	Roxbury	801	3,350	15	43	28	1	11
30	Lowell	3114	5,986	44	11	14	26	5
31	Brockton	5108	6,339	18	44	12	2	22
32	Mission Hill	81001	4,890	45	14	19	19	2
33	Malden	3418	6,554	46	20	13	16	5
34	South Boston	607	1,893	19	20	46	10	5
35	Brockton	5107	5,656	46	31	8	4	11
36	Brockton	5112	4,849	47	26	11	1	13
37	Somerville	351404	4,289	47	7	22	13	11
38	Lynn	2071	3,513	18	11	48	19	3
39	Framingham	383101	4,923	23	10	48	1	18
40	Mission Hill	811	4,091	48	21	15	13	2

The 40 census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Hispanic or Latino:^[23]

Rank	City or Neighborhood	Census Tract	Population	% Hispanic or Latino
1	Lawrence	2525	3,810	94
2	Lawrence	2509	2,193	93
3	Lawrence	2504	3,858	90
4	Lawrence	2503	2,101	89
5	Lawrence	2513	3,721	89
6	Lawrence	2512	1,356	86
7	Lawrence	2507	4,756	86
8	Lawrence	251	1,782	85
9	Chelsea	1602	4,043	83
10	Lawrence	2506	5,599	83
11	Lawrence	2514	5,053	77
12	Chelsea	160101	7,551	76
13	Lawrence	2501	2,329	75
14	Lawrence	2516	5,977	74
15	Lawrence	2511	2,937	73
16	Lawrence	2502	5,524	72
17	Chelsea	1604	2,716	71
18	Chelsea	160501	5,604	71
19	Providence	16	8,540	70
20	Lawrence	2515	6,149	70
21	Worcester	732001	3,327	67
22	East Boston	506	2,063	67
23	East Boston	502	5,231	66
24	East Boston	507	4,504	65
25	East Boston	50901	4,165	65
26	Providence	2	6,452	64
27	Providence	4	3,761	64
28	Providence	14	6,693	63
29	Providence	5	3,040	63
30	Central Falls	11	5,534	63
31	Lawrence	2508	6,932	63
32	Chelsea	160502	4,460	62
33	Methuen	2524	4,175	62
34	Providence	17	3,744	62
35	Providence	18	7,114	61
36	Central Falls	111	4,176	61
37	East Boston	50101	5,115	61
38	Lawrence	2517	5,145	61
39	Providence	3	7,714	60
40	Central Falls	108	4,763	59

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Black American:^[23]

Rank	City or Neighborhood	Census Tract	Population	% Black
1	Mattapan	101101	3,115	84
2	Mattapan	101102	4,396	84
3	Mattapan	101001	5,480	83
4	Mattapan	1003	3,303	80
5	Mattapan	1002	2,787	78
6	Mattapan	101002	4,979	77
7	Dorchester	923	2,893	77
8	Roxbury	82	2,815	74
9	Roxbury	817	3,820	71
10	Hyde Park	1404	7,650	71
11	Roxbury	901	4,571	71
12	Dorchester	919	3,860	70
13	Dorchester	1004	4,865	68
14	Roxbury	819	3,115	66
15	Roxbury	924	5,277	66
16	Roxbury	818	2,898	65
17	Mattapan	1001	5,510	64
18	Roxbury	815	2,134	62
19	Roxbury	821	5,025	62
20	Roxbury	803	1,769	60
21	Roxbury	903	3,179	58
22	Dorchester	1009	4,072	58
23	Dorchester	1005	5,909	55
24	Hyde Park	1403	6,382	54
25	Dorchester	92	4,945	54
26	Roxbury	902	2,233	53
27	Dorchester	918	3,452	52
28	Roxbury	904	3,659	52
29	Roxbury	814	3,003	50
30	Roxbury	80401	2,710	50
31	Roslindale	140106	1,901	49
32	Dorchester	917	3,069	47
33	Dorchester	914	2,741	46
34	Brockton	5108	6,339	44
35	Roxbury	805	3,096	44
36	Roxbury	801	3,350	43
37	Randolph	420302	7,703	42
38	Roxbury	813	4,760	42
39	Dorchester	922	3,349	42
40	Randolph	420202	6,303	40

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Asian American:^[23]

Rank	City or Neighborhood	Census Tract	Population	% Asian
1	South End	70402	1,723	70
2	Chinatown	702	5,218	58
3	Lowell	3112	3,267	55
4	Lowell	3118	3,513	54
5	Lowell	3117	5,098	47
6	Quincy	417502	4,639	45
7	Quincy	4172	8,182	44
8	Malden	3413	5,439	39
9	Lowell	3113	4,057	38
10	Westborough	742402	3,026	38
11	Quincy	417501	5,004	37
12	Cambridge	353102	5,040	36
13	Quincy	417802	3,150	35
14	Lowell	3111	2,410	34
15	Lowell	3115	2,974	33
16	Dorchester	92101	6,451	31
17	Quincy	417601	5,196	30
18	Fenway–Kenmore	10103	4,569	29
19	Quincy	4180002	7,020	28
20	Quincy	417602	5,155	28
21	Chinatown/Leather District/Downtown	70101	5,902	27
22	Cambridge	3539	7,090	27
23	Lowell	3114	5,986	26
24	Lowell	3116	5,295	26
25	Lowell	3107	4,441	26
26	Quincy	4171	4,264	26
27	Dorchester	916	3,138	26
28	Malden	3412	6,857	25
29	Malden	341102	4,564	25
30	Malden	341101	3,675	25
31	Acton	363102	5,909	25
32	Dorchester	911	4,861	25
33	Allston-Brighton	703	2,791	24
34	Lexington	3583	5,526	24
35	Quincy	418004	4,280	23
36	Brookline	4009	3,865	22
37	Cambridge	3532	4,897	22
38	Cambridge	352101	1,654	22
39	Shrewsbury	7391	9,557	22
40	Westborough	7612	5,780	22

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Irish American:^[24]

City or Neighborhood	Census Tract	Population	% Irish
South Boston	60101	3,106	68
Milton	416400	6,069	63
Charlestown	040401	2,439	63
Dorchester	1007	4,322	63
South Boston	608	3,964	62
South Boston	604	4,904	61
Milton	416101	5,724	58
Marshfield	506204	4,886	57
Weymouth	422100	5,293	57
Quincy	417801	5,443	55
Hull	500101	3,702	55
Scituate	505101	3,860	55
West Roxbury	130402	4,637	54
Quincy	417400	2,566	53
South Boston	60301	3,076	52
Abington	520100	6,458	52
Braintree	419200	5,002	52
Braintree	419600	6,766	52
Abington	520201	3,952	52
Pembroke	508200	6,031	52

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Italian American:^[25]

City or Neighborhood	Census Tract	Population	% Italian
Johnston	012402	2,486	63
Cranston	014501	5,179	58
Johnston	012500	5,490	57
Johnston	012200	7,187	57
Providence	011902	4,780	55
Cranston	014800	5,591	55
Saugus	208102	3,343	51
Cranston	014300	4,716	49
Cranston	014600	6,991	49
Cranston	014502	4,096	48
Johnston	012300	6,656	48
Johnston	012401	6,950	48
Stoneham	337102	5,042	45
Stoneham	337202	4,849	45
Revere	170200	4,564	45
Revere	170502	2,818	43
Cranston	013900	2,992	43
Revere	170300	9,040	43
North Providence	012103	2,965	43

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with the highest percentage of residents who identify as Portuguese American:^[26]

City or Neighborhood	Census Tract	Population	% Portuguese
New Bedford	652800	3,277	72
Fall River	640600	4,450	69
Dartmouth	653203	5,005	65
New Bedford	652400	2,664	64
New Bedford	652000	2,676	62
Fall River	640500	5,165	60
Fall River	641200	2,803	59
New Bedford	650500	3,141	58
Fall River	640901	5,071	58
New Bedford	650400	3,773	57
New Bedford	652500	2,589	56
East Providence	010400	6,661	55
New Bedford	652300	2,870	54
Fall River	641000	2,419	54
Fall River	640300	3,693	53
Westport	646101	7,356	53
Fall River	640700	2,900	53
Fall River	640400	2,682	53
New Bedford	650101	5,753	53
Fall River	640100	5,358	52

Census tracts in the Boston CSA with French or French Canadian listed as first ancestry:^[27]

City or Neighborhood	Census Tract	Population	% French
Woonsocket	018500	2,831	66
Woonsocket	017700	3,518	61
Woonsocket	017500	3,128	59
Woonsocket	017800	2,514	58
Burrillville	013001	3,479	56
North Smithfield	012802	2,391	54
North Smithfield	012803	4,776	53
Burrillville	013002	7,539	53
North Smithfield	012801	4,800	52
Manchester	002300	3,758	52
Woonsocket	017900	3,049	51
Burrillville	012900	4,937	50
Manchester	000202	2,297	49
Manchester	002100	4,782	49
Woonsocket	017600	2,560	49
Manchester	002600	5,746	48
Manchester	002200	3,232	47
Woonsocket	018400	6,527	47
Blackstone	747101	5,110	47
Woonsocket	018000	2,680	46

Other

Greater Boston has a sizable Jewish community, estimated at between 210,000 people,^[28][29] and 261,000^[30] or 5–6% of the Greater Boston metro population, compared with about 2% for the nation as a whole. Contrary to national trends, the number of Jews in Greater Boston has been growing, fueled by the fact that 60% of children in Jewish mixed-faith families are raised Jewish, compared with roughly one in three nationally.^[28]

The City of Boston also has one of the largest LGBT populations per capita. It ranks fifth of all major cities in the country (behind San Francisco, and slightly behind Seattle, Atlanta, and Minneapolis respectively), with 12.3% of the city identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.^[31]

Higher education

A long established center of higher education, the area includes many community colleges, two-year schools, and internationally prominent undergraduate and graduate institutions. The graduate schools include highly regarded schools of law, medicine, business, technology, international relations, public health, education, and religion. Greater Boston contains seven R1 Research Institutions as per the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This is, by far, the highest number of such institutions in a single Metropolitan Statistical Area in the United States.

Selected statistics

Changes in house prices for the Greater Boston area are publicly tracked on a regular basis using the Case–Shiller index; the statistic is published by Standard & Poor's and is also a component of S&P's 10-city composite index of the value of the residential real estate market.

Major companies

References:^{[32][33][34][35]}

• Companies along, inside or outside I-495:
  • Abbott Laboratories, in Worcester (pharmaceutical laboratory)
  • Advanced Cell Technology, in Worcester (research laboratory)
  • AMD, in Boxborough
  • Analog Devices, in Norwood
  • Atlantic Broadband, in Quincy
  • Atlantic Tele-Network, in Beverly
  • Avid Technology, Inc, in Burlington (headquarters)
  • Azimuth Systems, in Acton
  • Bain & Company, in Boston (headquarters)
  • Bain Capital, in Boston (headquarters)
  • Bertucci's Corporation, in Northborough (headquarters)
  • BJ's Wholesale Club, Inc., in Westborough (headquarters)
  • Bose Corporation, in Framingham (headquarters)
  • Boston Properties, Inc., in Boston (headquarters)
  • Boston Scientific Corporation, in Marlborough
  • Boston Scientific Corporation, in Natick (headquarters)
  • Charles River Laboratories, in Wilmington (headquarters)
  • Cisco Systems, in Boxborough
  • Converse, in North Andover (headquarters)
  • CommunityRoot, in Boston (headquarters)
  • David Clark Company, in Worcester (manufacturer of space suits)
  • Diebold, in Marlborough (regional headquarters)
  • EMC Corporation, in Hopkinton (headquarters)
  • Evergreen Solar, in Marlborough (headquarters)
  • Genzyme Corporation, in Framingham
  • Hewlett-Packard, in Marlborough

(regional headquarters)

• • Schneider Electric, in Andover, Massachusetts
  • HourlyNerd, in Boston
  • Innerscope Research, in Boston (headquarters)
  • Intel Corporation, in Hudson
  • Kronos Incorporated, in Chelmsford, Massachusetts (headquarters)
  • Marshalls, Inc, in Framingham (headquarters)
  • The MathWorks, in Natick
  • MITRE Corporation, in Bedford (headquarters)
  • Morgan Construction Company, in Worcester (rolling steel mill technology)
  • National Amusements, in Norwood (headquarters)
  • Novartis, headquartered in Cambridge, with locations worldwide (a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company based in Basel)
  • Philips Electronics North America, in Andover (regional headquarters)
  • Philips Healthcare, in Andover (global headquarters) and Framingham
  • Red Hat, in Westford (engineering headquarters)
  • Reed & Barton in Taunton (factory and headquarters)
  • Saint-Gobain, in Worcester
  • Sepracor, Inc., in Marlborough (headquarters)
  • Staples, Inc., in Framingham (headquarters)
  • Stop & Shop, in Quincy (headquarters)
  • TJX Corporation, in Framingham (headquarters)
  • Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc., in Boston (headquarters)
  • UniFirst, in Wilmington (headquarters)
  • WB Mason, in Brockton (headquarters)
  • Wyman-Gordon, in Grafton (complex metal components and products)
• Companies along or inside I-95 (Route 128), not including Boston:
  • Akamai Technologies, in Cambridge (headquarters)
  • AstraZeneca, in Waltham (R&D)
  • BBN Technologies, in Cambridge (headquarters)
  • Biocell Center, in Medford (North American headquarters)
  • Biogen Idec, in Weston (North American headquarters)
  • Carl Zeiss SMT, in Peabody (North American headquarters)
  • Constant Contact, in Walthem
  • Dunkin' Brands, in Canton (headquarters)
  • Facebook, in Cambridge
  • General Electric Aviation, in Lynn
  • Genzyme Corporation, in Cambridge (headquarters)
  • Genzyme Corporation, in Waltham (R&D)
  • Google Inc., in Cambridge
  • Haemonetics, in Braintree
  • IBM, in Waltham, Cambridge and Littleton
  • InterSystems Corporation, in Cambridge (headquarters)
  • iRobot Corporation, in Burlington (headquarters)
  • Keurig, in Reading (headquarters)
  • Meditech, in Westwood (headquarters)
  • Microsoft Corporation, in Cambridge
  • Millennium Pharmaceuticals, in Cambridge
  • National Amusements (Parent company of CBS and Viacom), in Dedham (headquarters)
  • National Grid, in Waltham (US headquarters)
  • NetApp Inc, in Waltham
  • NetBlazr, in Watertown
  • Nokia, in Burlington
  • Novartis AG, Inc, in Cambridge (research headquarters)
  • Novell, Inc., in Waltham
  • Nuance Communications, in Burlington
  • Oracle Corporation in Burlington
  • Osram Sylvania in Danvers (headquarters)
  • Parametric Technology Corporation in Needham (headquarters)
  • Philips Lighting in Burlington
  • Progress Software in Bedford (headquarters)
  • Raytheon, in Waltham (headquarters)
  • Reebok, in Canton (US headquarters)
  • SunSetter Products, LP, in Malden (headquarters)
  • Teradyne, in North Reading (headquarters)
  • Thermo Fisher Scientific, in Waltham (headquarters)
  • TripAdvisor, LLC, in Needham (headquarters)
  • Twitter, in Cambridge
  • Vistaprint, in Lexington (North American headquarters)^[36]
• Major companies inside Boston proper:
  • American Tower (headquarters)
  • Au Bon Pain (headquarters)
  • Bain & Company (headquarters)
  • Bentley Motors (US headquarters)
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (headquarters)
  • Boston Consulting Group (headquarters)
  • Fidelity Investments (headquarters)
  • General Electric (headquarters)
  • The Gillette Company, now owned by Procter & Gamble (headquarters)
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (headquarters)
  • John Hancock Financial Services, Inc, now the United States division of Canada's Manulife Financial
  • Liberty Mutual (headquarters)
  • LogMeIn (headquarters)
  • LPL Financial (headquarters)
  • New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. (headquarters)
  • Putnam Investments (headquarters)
  • Sapient Corporation (headquarters)
  • Sonesta International Hotels Corp. (headquarters)
  • State Street Corporation (headquarters)
  • Steward Health Care System (headquarters)
  • Toast, Inc. (headquarters)
  • Vertex Pharmaceuticals (headquarters)
  • Wayfair (headquarters)
  • Wellington Management Company (headquarters)
  • Zipcar (headquarters)

Sports

Club	Sport	League	Stadium	Established	League titles
Boston Breakers	Soccer	National Women's Soccer League	Soldiers Field Soccer Stadium (Boston)	2008
Boston Bruins	Ice hockey	National Hockey League	TD Garden (Boston)	1924	6 Stanley Cups 7 Eastern Conference Titles
Boston Cannons	Lacrosse	Major League Lacrosse	Harvard Stadium (Boston)	2001	1 MLL Championship
Boston Celtics	Basketball	National Basketball Association	TD Garden (Boston)	1946	17 NBA Championships 21 Eastern Conference Titles
Boston Lobsters	Team tennis	World TeamTennis	Manchester Athletic Club (Manchester-by-the-Sea)	2005 (1974)
Boston Pride	Ice hockey	National Women's Hockey League	Bright Hockey Center (Boston)	2015	1 Isobel Cup
Boston Red Sox	Baseball	Major League Baseball (American League)	Fenway Park (Boston)	1901	8-time MLB World Series Champions 13 American League Pennants
New England Patriots	Football	National Football League (American Football Conference)	Gillette Stadium (Foxboro)	1960 (as Boston Patriots)	5-time Super Bowl Champions 9-time AFC Champions
New England Revolution	Soccer	Major League Soccer	Gillette Stadium (Foxboro)	1995	1 US Open Cup 1 SuperLiga

Annual sporting events include:

• The Boston Marathon, which follows a course from Hopkinton to Boston
• The Head of the Charles Regatta
• The Lenox Industrial Tools 301, Sylvania 300 and New Hampshire Indy 225 auto races at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway oval track.

Transportation

Interstates

• I‑90
• I‑93
• I‑95
• I‑190
• I‑195
• I‑290
• I‑293
• I‑295
• I-395
• I‑495

U.S. Routes

• US 1
• US 3
• US 6
• US 20
• US 44

State Highways

• Route 1A
• Route 2
• Route 2A
• Route 3
• Route 3A
• Route 4
• Route 9
• Route 16
• Route 18
• Route 24
• Route 25
• Route 27
• Route 28
• Route 30
• Route 38
• Route 53
• Route 58
• Route 60
• Route 62
• Route 97
• Route 106
• Route 109
• Route 110
• Route 113
• Route 114
• Route 115
• Route 117
• Route 122
• Route 123
• Route 125
• Route 126
• Route 128
• Route 129
• Route 133
• Route 135
• Route 138
• Route 139
• Route 140
• Route 146
• Route 213
• Route 225

Bridges and tunnels

• Callahan Tunnel, carrying Route 1A Northbound
• Charles M. Braga Jr. Memorial Bridge, carrying Interstate 195
• Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge, carrying Route 138
• Fore River Bridge, carrying Massachusetts Route 3A
• Sumner Tunnel, carrying Route 1A Southbound
• Ted Williams Tunnel, carrying I-90
• Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. Tunnel, carrying I-93 and Routes 1 and 3 concurrently
• Tobin Bridge, carrying Route 1
• Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, carrying Interstate 93, Route 1 and Route 3 concurrently

Airports

• Logan International Airport in Boston, 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast of downtown Boston, New England's largest transportation center
• Manchester-Boston Regional Airport in Manchester, New Hampshire
• T. F. Green Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island
• Hanscom Field in Bedford
• Norwood Memorial Airport
• Worcester Regional Airport
• Beverly Regional Airport
• Lawrence Municipal Airport

Rail and bus

• Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, generally known as the "T") rapid transit lines:
  • Red Line heavy rail: Cambridge–Braintree and Boston (Mattapan)
  • Orange Line heavy rail: Boston (Jamaica Plain)–Malden
  • Blue Line heavy rail: Boston–Revere
  • Green Line light rail/streetcar: Cambridge–Brookline and Newton
  • Ashmont–Mattapan High Speed Line streetcar: Ashmont-Milton-Mattapan
  • Silver Line Bus Rapid Transit South Station–Logan Airport and Downtown–Dudley Square
• MBTA Commuter Rail
  • Old Colony Lines serving Plymouth County
  • Providence/Stoughton Line serving northern Bristol County, western Norfolk County, Kent County, and Washington County, connecting to Providence, Rhode Island
  • Fairmount Line shuttle service from South Station
  • Franklin Line serving western Norfolk County
  • Greenbush Line serving Boston's South Shore
  • Needham Line serving Boston suburbs and Needham
  • Framingham/Worcester Line serving southwestern Middlesex County, connecting to Worcester
  • Fitchburg Line serving northwestern Middlesex County, connecting to Fitchburg
  • Lowell Line serving northern Middlesex County
  • Haverhill/Reading Line and Newburyport/Rockport Line serving Essex County & Boston's North Shore
• Amtrak service to New York City and Washington, D.C.
• Amtrak Downeaster service to Maine from North Station

The first railway line in the United States was in Quincy. See Neponset River.

The following Regional Transit Authorities have bus service that connects with MBTA commuter rail stations:

• Brockton Area Transit Authority
• Cape Ann Transportation Authority
• Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority
• Lowell Regional Transit Authority
• Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority
• MetroWest Regional Transit Authority
• Montachusett Regional Transit Authority
• Rhode Island Public Transit Authority
• Worcester Regional Transit Authority

Ocean transportation

• Port of Boston (Massport)
• Cape Cod Canal

Geography

• Rivers
  • Charles River
  • Concord River
  • Ipswich River
  • Merrimack River
  • Mystic River
  • Neponset River
  • Sudbury River
  • Taunton River
  • Weymouth Fore River
• Hills
  • Bellevue Hill
  • Great Blue Hill

Climate

Climate data for Concord Municipal Airport, New Hampshire (1981−2010 normals,[lower-alpha 1] extremes 1903–present)[lower-alpha 2]
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	69 (21)	67 (19)	89 (32)	95 (35)	98 (37)	101 (38)	102 (39)	101 (38)	98 (37)	90 (32)	80 (27)	73 (23)	102 (39)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	50.8 (10.4)	53.7 (12.1)	66.6 (19.2)	81.5 (27.5)	88.7 (31.5)	92.0 (33.3)	93.1 (33.9)	91.8 (33.2)	87.7 (30.9)	78.5 (25.8)	68.7 (20.4)	56.0 (13.3)	95.5 (35.3)
Average high °F (°C)	30.8 (−0.7)	34.9 (1.6)	43.8 (6.6)	57.4 (14.1)	68.9 (20.5)	77.4 (25.2)	82.3 (27.9)	80.9 (27.2)	72.6 (22.6)	60.5 (15.8)	48.4 (9.1)	36.3 (2.4)	58.0 (14.4)
Average low °F (°C)	10.4 (−12)	13.8 (−10.1)	22.5 (−5.3)	32.7 (0.4)	42.6 (5.9)	52.5 (11.4)	57.7 (14.3)	56.1 (13.4)	47.4 (8.6)	35.8 (2.1)	28.2 (−2.1)	17.2 (−8.2)	34.8 (1.6)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	−11.2 (−24)	−8.2 (−22.3)	0.8 (−17.3)	19.4 (−7)	28.1 (−2.2)	37.9 (3.3)	45.4 (7.4)	42.0 (5.6)	31.8 (−0.1)	21.2 (−6)	11.1 (−11.6)	−2.8 (−19.3)	−14.6 (−25.9)
Record low °F (°C)	−33 (−36)	−37 (−38)	−16 (−27)	4 (−16)	21 (−6)	30 (−1)	35 (2)	29 (−2)	20 (−7)	10 (−12)	−5 (−21)	−22 (−30)	−37 (−38)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.70 (68.6)	2.62 (66.5)	3.27 (83.1)	3.41 (86.6)	3.66 (93)	3.69 (93.7)	3.74 (95)	3.18 (80.8)	3.38 (85.9)	4.04 (102.6)	3.72 (94.5)	3.20 (81.3)	40.61 (1,031.6)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	18.1 (46)	12.3 (31.2)	11.1 (28.2)	2.8 (7.1)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	trace	2.6 (6.6)	14.5 (36.8)	61.4 (156)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	10.8	9.5	11.5	11.8	12.4	12.7	10.9	9.8	9.3	10.1	11.2	10.9	130.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	8.2	6.5	5.3	1.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.9	6.6	29.7
Average relative humidity (%)	67.9	66.0	64.8	62.0	65.0	70.9	71.8	74.5	76.3	72.8	73.3	72.3	69.8
Mean monthly sunshine hours	162.8	171.8	210.5	223.2	258.4	274.3	295.8	261.9	214.7	183.4	127.8	134.8	2,519.4
Percent possible sunshine	56	58	57	56	57	60	64	61	57	54	44	48	56
Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990)[37][38][39]

Climate data for Boston (Logan Airport), 1981−2010 normals,[lower-alpha 3] extremes 1872−present[lower-alpha 4]
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	72 (22)	73 (23)	89 (32)	94 (34)	97 (36)	100 (38)	104 (40)	102 (39)	102 (39)	90 (32)	83 (28)	76 (24)	104 (40)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	56.4 (13.6)	57.7 (14.3)	67.6 (19.8)	80.7 (27.1)	87.3 (30.7)	92.1 (33.4)	94.9 (34.9)	93.3 (34.1)	87.9 (31.1)	79.1 (26.2)	70.5 (21.4)	61.3 (16.3)	96.2 (35.7)
Average high °F (°C)	35.8 (2.1)	38.7 (3.7)	45.4 (7.4)	55.6 (13.1)	66.0 (18.9)	75.9 (24.4)	81.4 (27.4)	79.6 (26.4)	72.4 (22.4)	61.4 (16.3)	51.5 (10.8)	41.2 (5.1)	58.8 (14.9)
Daily mean °F (°C)	29.0 (−1.7)	31.7 (−0.2)	38.3 (3.5)	48.1 (8.9)	57.9 (14.4)	67.7 (19.8)	73.4 (23)	72.1 (22.3)	64.9 (18.3)	54.0 (12.2)	44.7 (7.1)	34.7 (1.5)	51.5 (10.8)
Average low °F (°C)	22.2 (−5.4)	24.7 (−4.1)	31.1 (−0.5)	40.6 (4.8)	49.9 (9.9)	59.5 (15.3)	65.4 (18.6)	64.6 (18.1)	57.4 (14.1)	46.5 (8.1)	38.0 (3.3)	28.2 (−2.1)	44.1 (6.7)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	4.1 (−15.5)	8.5 (−13.1)	14.7 (−9.6)	30.7 (−0.7)	40.8 (4.9)	49.6 (9.8)	57.3 (14.1)	55.4 (13)	45.8 (7.7)	34.9 (1.6)	24.2 (−4.3)	11.1 (−11.6)	2.3 (−16.5)
Record low °F (°C)	−13 (−25)	−18 (−28)	−8 (−22)	11 (−12)	31 (−1)	41 (5)	50 (10)	46 (8)	34 (1)	25 (−4)	−2 (−19)	−17 (−27)	−18 (−28)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.36 (85.3)	3.25 (82.6)	4.32 (109.7)	3.74 (95)	3.49 (88.6)	3.68 (93.5)	3.43 (87.1)	3.35 (85.1)	3.44 (87.4)	3.94 (100.1)	3.99 (101.3)	3.78 (96)	43.77 (1,111.8)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	12.9 (32.8)	10.9 (27.7)	7.8 (19.8)	1.9 (4.8)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	trace	1.3 (3.3)	9.0 (22.9)	43.8 (111.3)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	11.3	9.8	11.6	11.2	12.0	10.9	9.6	9.4	8.6	9.4	10.6	11.6	126.0
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	6.7	5.3	4.2	0.7	0	0	0	0	0	0.1	0.8	4.6	22.4
Average relative humidity (%)	62.3	62.0	63.1	63.0	66.7	68.5	68.4	70.8	71.8	68.5	67.5	65.4	66.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours	163.4	168.4	213.7	227.2	267.3	286.5	300.9	277.3	237.1	206.3	143.2	142.3	2,633.6
Percent possible sunshine	56	57	58	57	59	63	65	64	63	60	49	50	59
Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961−1990)[41][42][43]

Climate data for Providence, Rhode Island (T. F. Green Airport), 1981–2010 normals,[lower-alpha 5] extremes 1904–present[lower-alpha 6]
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Record high °F (°C)	69 (21)	72 (22)	90 (32)	98 (37)	96 (36)	98 (37)	102 (39)	104 (40)	100 (38)	88 (31)	81 (27)	77 (25)	104 (40)
Mean maximum °F (°C)	57.2 (14)	58.3 (14.6)	68.4 (20.2)	80.3 (26.8)	86.2 (30.1)	91.3 (32.9)	94.5 (34.7)	92.3 (33.5)	87.0 (30.6)	78.1 (25.6)	70.0 (21.1)	60.8 (16)	96.2 (35.7)
Average high °F (°C)	37.4 (3)	40.3 (4.6)	47.8 (8.8)	58.6 (14.8)	68.4 (20.2)	77.5 (25.3)	82.8 (28.2)	81.4 (27.4)	74.2 (23.4)	63.3 (17.4)	53.2 (11.8)	42.3 (5.7)	60.6 (15.9)
Average low °F (°C)	21.0 (−6.1)	23.6 (−4.7)	30.0 (−1.1)	39.6 (4.2)	48.6 (9.2)	58.4 (14.7)	64.2 (17.9)	63.2 (17.3)	55.3 (12.9)	43.9 (6.6)	35.7 (2.1)	26.3 (−3.2)	42.5 (5.8)
Mean minimum °F (°C)	2.9 (−16.2)	7.7 (−13.5)	14.7 (−9.6)	28.8 (−1.8)	36.9 (2.7)	47.1 (8.4)	55.0 (12.8)	52.4 (11.3)	42.2 (5.7)	31.2 (−0.4)	21.7 (−5.7)	10.4 (−12)	0.9 (−17.3)
Record low °F (°C)	−13 (−25)	−17 (−27)	1 (−17)	11 (−12)	29 (−2)	39 (4)	48 (9)	40 (4)	32 (0)	20 (−7)	6 (−14)	−12 (−24)	−17 (−27)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	3.86 (98)	3.29 (83.6)	5.01 (127.3)	4.36 (110.7)	3.55 (90.2)	3.64 (92.5)	3.29 (83.6)	3.60 (91.4)	3.92 (99.6)	3.93 (99.8)	4.51 (114.6)	4.22 (107.2)	47.18 (1,198.4)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	9.0 (22.9)	8.5 (21.6)	5.5 (14)	0.6 (1.5)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	1.5 (3.8)	8.7 (22.1)	33.8 (85.9)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	10.9	9.7	11.9	11.3	12.0	10.9	9.4	9.0	8.7	9.4	10.1	11.6	124.9
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	5.7	4.6	3.5	0.4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.6	3.9	18.7
Average relative humidity (%)	63.9	63.0	62.9	61.4	66.6	70.1	71.0	72.5	73.0	70.2	68.9	67.0	67.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours	171.7	172.6	215.6	225.1	254.9	274.1	290.6	262.8	233.0	208.7	148.0	148.6	2,605.7
Percent possible sunshine	58	58	58	56	57	60	63	61	62	61	50	52	58
Source: NOAA (relative humidity and sun 1961–1990),[45][46][47] The Weather Channel[48]

See also

• Greater Boston League, a high school athletic conference in Massachusetts

Notes

References

Further reading

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Greater Boston.

• Wilson, Susan (2005). The Literary Trail of Greater Boston: A Tour of Sites in Boston, Cambridge, and Concord, Revised Edition. Commonwealth Editions. ISBN 1-889833-67-3.  An informative guidebook, with facts and data about literary figures, publishers, bookstores, libraries, and other historic sites on the newly designated Literary Trail of Greater Boston.
• Warner, Sam, Jr. (2001). Greater Boston: Adapting Regional Traditions to the Present. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0-8122-1769-1.