Entered Union February 6, 1788 (6th state)
Massachusetts (7,032,933), Boston (675,632)
The red brick capitol was originally completed in 1798 using the designs of Charles Bulfinch. It is located on Beacon Street at Bowdoin Street. Interstate Highway 93 is eight blocks east of the capitol. The Capitol is designed in Federal style. The only major supporting structure is the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals building in Boston. The state was officially created as the 6th state on February 6, 1788 from Native American lands and the Province of Massachusetts Bay. Boston has been the capital since 1630. The state’s name comes from the Native American word meaning “near the hill.” Boston is named for Boston, England. Mount Greylock in Berkshire County is the highest point and the lowest point is sea level at the Atlantic Ocean.
Massachusetts government, in the Executive, consists of a Governor, a Lieutenant Governor, an Eight-member Council, Attorney General, Commonwealth Secretary, Treasurer, and Auditor. There are 40 Senators and 160 Representatives in the Legislative. Seven Supreme Court Justices serve Massachusetts in the Judicial. Massachusetts is located in the northeast part of the United States. The geographic center is in Worcester County within the city limits of Worcester. The state is surrounded clockwise by Vermont, New Hampshire, the Atlantic Ocean, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York.
The area is 10554 square miles. It is 44th largest state in the country. It is the 15th most populated state in the country. It has a density of 666.4 persons per square mile making it 3rd in the country. Its major rivers are the Merrimack, the Mystic, the Charles, the Wareham, the Taunton, and the Connecticut. Boston is located in the eastern quarter of the state on the Atlantic Ocean.
Click here to link to the Massachusetts county slideshow
Click to link to a Massachusetts county page