According to ebizdir, Massachusetts is one of the smallest states in the USA, but it is still worth a visit. Because Massachusetts is located directly on the ocean, you can spend a wonderful beach holiday on wide sandy beaches here. Boston and Cambridge are among the largest and most famous cities in Massachusetts and are always worth a visit. In these cities you can clearly see why this area is known as New England, as English traditions and customs are much stronger here than in other parts of the United States. Last but not least, these cities are very important in terms of education, as some of the best schools and universities are located here that the USA has to offer.

The Massachusetts economy is partly dependent on the sea, with fishing being one of the most important industries. Therefore you can find numerous fishing boats on the coast, but above all some very beautiful and almost picturesque fishing villages that you should definitely get to know on a vacation in Massachusetts. You should also have seen the Valley of the Pioneers with its meadows, trees and a river. Wide plains and large forests, on the other hand, will be looked for in Massachusetts in vain, as this state is more oriented towards industry and has little natural space.

Massachusetts – key data

Land area: 27,336 sq km (ranked 44th of all US states)

Share of water surface: 25.7%

Population: 6.5 million people (2008 estimate, 15th place in all states in the United States)

Population density: 238 residents per square kilometer (3rd place in all states in the USA)

Member of the United States since: February 6, 1788

Capital: Boston (608,352 residents, 2007, metropolitan area 4.52 million residents)

Largest city: Boston

Highest point: 1,064 m, Mount Greylock

Lowest point: 0 m, Atlantic Ocean

Governor: Deval Patrick (Democrat)

Lieut. Governor: Tim Murray (Democrat)

Local time: CET -6 h. From the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November: CET -5 h.
The time difference to Central Europe is -6 h in both winter and summer.

Postal abbreviation: MA

Massachusetts geography and map

Massachusetts – the official name is The Commonwealth of Massachusetts – is located in the northeast of the United States and is assigned to the states that belong to New England. These states form the origin of the English colonization of North America. New England also includes Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and Vermont.

The state of Massachusetts covers a total of 27,336 square kilometers. A little more than 7,000 square kilometers are covered by water and around 62 percent by forest.
The capital and largest city of Massachusetts is Boston. About 6.6 million people live in the greater Boston area. Other major cities are Cambridge, Lowell, New Bedford, Springfield and Worcester. The highest point in Massachusetts is Mount Greylock. It rises 1,064 meters above sea level, while the average height of the national territory is around 150 meters. Boston, located in Massachusetts Bay at the mouth of the nearly 130-kilometer-long Charles River, also marks the lowest point in the state.
The Massachusetts Bay, with its approximately 100-kilometer coastline one of the largest bays on the US Atlantic coast. The bay is bounded in the north by Cape Ann, in the south it goes into Cape Cod Bay above. Boston is at the westernmost point of the bay.

Massachusetts borders New Hampshire and Vermont to the north. Neighbor to the west is New York and in the south Connecticut and Rhode Island meet the borders of Massachusetts. The Atlantic Ocean forms the eastern border. To the southeast of the coast are the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyuard.
Nantucket is best known for the whaling that began there in the 18th century and, in addition to the main island of around 125 square kilometers, also includes two smaller islands. Including the associated bodies of water, the area of ​​Nantucket covers an area of ​​around 273 square kilometers. Today the island is a seaside resort and popular resort. Martha’s Vineyard
Island is about 232 square kilometers and is colloquially often called The Vineyard. As on Nantucket, the islanders have primarily been whaling for centuries. Today Martha’s Vineyard is also a popular destination for tourists, especially in the summer months.

Massachusetts is mainly characterized by the highlands, which are interrupted along the Connecticut River by the wide Pioneer Valley and in the west of the state by the Housatonic Valley. The Connecticut River, roughly 660 kilometers long, is the longest river in New England. The Housatonic River is about 150 miles long, rises in western Massachusetts and finally flows into Long Island Sound. On the border with New York lies a number of smaller mountain ranges, the Berkshire Maountains and foothills of the Taconic and Hoosac Ranges.

Massachusetts Landmarks

Massachusetts is best known for its two famous universities, Havard and MIT. But a trip to Massachusetts is also extremely worthwhile for tourists, as the state has a large number of different sights and attractions on offer.

The Trinity Church in Boston should not be missed. It was built in 1877 by the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson. The architectural style of the church is already impressive, because the church was built in the French Romanesque style. Inside the church there are magnificent frescoes created by the American painter John La Farge.
The New Old South Church is a good three years older than the Trinity church. It was built in the neo-Gothic style.

You should also make a detour to the Freedom Trail. This is a five-kilometer line that runs along the sidewalks of Boston to various important sites of the independence movement (e.g. Boston Common, America’s oldest park, the Old House, etc.).

The Old State House is popular with tourists because it was here that John Adams read the Declaration of Independence on the balcony in 1776.

Museum lovers should check out the Museum of Fine Arts. Various works of art by well-known artists can be viewed here, such as Rembrandt, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gaugin, etc.
The Museum of Science is something very special. There is an interactive exhibition and experiments in natural and engineering sciences to be seen here. Among other things, the museum also houses the Hayden Planetarium with laser shows and various presentations. But the Mugar Omni Theater can also be found here.

The Boston Public Library is also worth seeing. The building was erected in 1888-95 according to the designs of the architect Charles McKim. It is so impressive because it was built in the Italian Renaissance style.

An absolutely unique collection can be seen in the Isabella Steward Gardner Museum. The building itself is interesting. It was built in 1899-1903 in the style of a Venetian palace with a covered inner courtyard. In the inner courtyard you can admire a Roman mosaic floor. In the house itself you can admire antique furniture, carpets and sculptures, as well as masterpieces from the Renaissance to Impressionism.

Also worth a visit is the Mayflower II. This is a replica of the original ship Mayflower used by the Pilgrim Fathers from England to sail to America in 1620.

The size of the John Hancock Tower is absolutely impressive. At 241 meters, the skyscraper is the tallest in the United States.