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MASSACHUSETTS FACTS & LINKS
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Basketball was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891. Peach baskets were used to catch the balls.
Massachusetts has a total of 351 cities and towns
History
This state was named after the Massachusetts Indians that lived in the Massachusetts Bay Region. Massachusetts means "large hill place."
The Pilgrims arrived here in 1620 and later, in the fall of 1621, they hosted the first Thanksgiving. Massachusetts remained prosperous with much business, trade, and manufacturing. The famous Boston Tea Party occurred here in 1773 as the people rebelled against the taxation from Great Britain. Massachusetts was greatly involved in the Revolutionary war and many great patriots came was the state. Massachusetts became a state in 1788. As of 2004, three Bay Staters have served as US Presidents, John Adams, John Quincy Adams and John F. Kennedy. Calvin Coolidge was governor of the state before going on to be president. Though born in Vermont, Massachusetts claims him as “theirs.”
Income:
Per
capita - $37,704 (2000)
households - $37,064 (1993)
Population:
2000
- 6,349,097, the 13th largest population among the states
Population
Density:
2000: 601.5 persons per square mile, the 4th most dense
state in population
Nicknames
If you are from Massachusetts, you might be called a Bay Stater. This term was used so often that it was made the official citizenry for the state
Also related to the above name is the nickname, the “Bay State” or “Old Bay State.” This is the most commonly used nickname and refers to the Massachusetts Bay Company that came into the Cape Cod area to form settlements. It also refers to Cape Cod Bay where the earliest settlers lived.
Some other nickname less frequently used are the “Baked Bean State” for the Puritan practice of brown bread and baked beans on Sundays. In fact, Boston is known for its baked beans. The “Pilgrim State” and the “Puritan State” both refer to the early settlers of the state. Lastly, it has been referred to as the “Old Colony State,” again, for the very early Plymouth Colony before the Massachusetts Bay Colony came along.
Geography
Longitude: 69° 57' W
to 73° 30' W
Latitude: 41° 10' N to 42° 53'
N
Geographic Center: in Rutland, in Worcester County at Longitude:
72° 1.9'W Latitude: 42° 20.4'N
Width: 50 miles
Length:
190 miles
Borders: on its northern border are found New Hampshire and Vermont. To the south there are Connecticut and Rhode Island. The western border connects with New York and on the east is the Atlantic Ocean.
Total land area: 7,838
square miles
Total water area: 2,717 square miles
Total area:
10,555 square miles, the 44th largest state in size
Average elevation: 500
feet above sea level
Highest point: 3,487 feet above sea level at
Mount Greylock
Lowest point: sea level at the Atlantic Ocean
Climate and Weather
Record high temperature:
107 degrees, F. on 2 August 1975 at Chester and New
Bedford
Record low temperature: -35 degrees, F. on 12 January 1981
at Chester
Average monthly high temperature: 81.8 degrees,
F.
Average monthly low temperature: 15.6 degrees, F.
LINKS
Cape
Cod Chamber
Visitor Center
Junction U.S. Route 6 &
Route 132
Offices: 307 Main St Suite 2/P.O. Box 790
Hyannis,
Cape Cod, Massachusetts 02601
Toll-free: 1-888-33CapeCod
Toll-free: 1-888-332-2732
Phone: 508-862-0700
South
Shore Chamber
36 Miller Stile Road, Box 690625,
Quincy,
Massachusetts 02269
Phone: 617-479-1111
FAX: 617-479-9274
Government
Links page for Massachusetts
Great links page for all levels
of government in Massachusetts
Find the weather for anyplace in the USA
This page was created 23 January 1999
This page was last updated 16 September 2006 at 10:10 pm
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