Map of Massachusetts State which lies in the northeastern part of the USA
| State | Massachusetts |
| State Capital | Boston |
| Largest City | Boston |
| Coordinates | 42.3°N 71.8°W |
| Nickname(s) | “The Bay State”, “The Pilgrim State”, “The Puritan State”, “The Old Colony State”, “The Baked Bean State” |
| Postal Abbreviation | MA |
| Area | 10,565 sq. mi (27,337 sq. km) |
| Highest Point | Mount Greylock, 3,489 ft (1,063.4 m) |
| Number of Counties | 14 |
| Neighboring States | New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Vermont |
| Population | 6,939,373 (2019) |
| Date of Entering the Union | February 6, 1788 |
| State Anthem | “All Hail to Massachusetts” |
| Governor | Charlie Baker (Republican) |
| Lieutenant Governor | Karyn Polito (Republican) |
| U.S. Senators | Elizabeth Warren (Democratic Party), Ed Markey (Democratic Party) |
| U.S. House Delegation | 9 Democrats |
| GDP (Millions of Dollars) | 569488 |
| Demonym | Bay Stater (official), Massachusite (traditional) |
| Time Zones | UTC-05:00 (Eastern), Summer (DST) UTC-04:00 (EDT) |
Massachusetts (the 6th state admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788) is located in the New England region of northeastern USA. It shares its border with New York to the west, Vermont and New Hampshire to the north, Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south. The Atlantic Ocean borders Massachusetts to the east.
Massachusetts (also called the Commonwealth of Massachusetts) is spread across a total area of 10,565 sq. mi (27,337 sq. km), making it the 44th largest state out of the 50 states in the US. While 7,800 sq. mi (20,202 sq. km) is land area, over 2,754 sq. mi (7,134 sq. km) is water area. Water bodies occupy 26.1 % of the total area.
Some of the longest rivers in the state are Connecticut River, Housatonic River, Merrimack River, Charles River, Deerfield River, Hoosic River, Quinebaug River, Westfield River, Millers River, and Blackstone River. The largest lakes in Massachusetts include Quabbin Reservoir, Wachusett Reservoir, Assawompset Pond, North Watuppa Pond, Long Pond, South Watuppa Pond, Lake Chaubunagungamaug, Otis Reservoir, Lake Quinsigamond, and Lake Cochituate.
The mean elevation of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is 500 ft (152.4 m) above sea level. While Mount Greylock is the highest point of the state at 3,487 ft (1,062.8 m) above sea level, the Atlantic Ocean is the lowest elevation point at 0 ft (0 m).
Some of the major mountains in Massachusetts are Mount Greylock, Saddle Ball Mountain, Greylock Range, Mount Fitch, Mount Williams, Crum Hill, Berlin Mountain, Blackpoll Mountain, Spruce Mountain, and Mount Prospect.
The terrain of Massachusetts characteristically has a jagged indented coast, starting from around Cape Cod. It starts rising upward as you move to the west. While stony upland pastures are found in the central part of Massachusetts, gentle hills are found in the west.
The state is just 190 mi (305.8 km) long and 50 mi (80.5 km) wide at its most distant points. Despite its relatively small size, six specific land regions can be found in Massachusetts.
The first major geographical region is the coastal lowland, located in the east along the Atlantic Ocean. It includes Nantucket Islands, Elizabeth Islands, and Martha’s Vineyard. Some of the characteristic features of this landscape include rounded hills, swamps, short and shallow streams or rivers, and small lakes and ponds.
The Eastern New England Upland form the second most important geographic region in the state. This region extends for 40-60 mi (64.4-96.6 km) from the Coastal Lowlands towards the west. It rises to around 1,000 ft (304.8 m) above sea level and then slopes downwards as you move towards the west, ultimately meeting the Connecticut Valley Lowland. The Eastern New England Upland is the extended part of New Hampshire’s the White Mountains.
The third region is called the Connecticut Valley Lowland, which is a long and narrow land, extending from northern Massachusetts to southern Connecticut along the banks of the Connecticut River. The river valley is around 20 mi (32.2 km) wide in the state.
The Western New England Upland is the fourth major geographic region in Massachusetts. It is an extension of Vermont’s Green Mountains, running through this state down into Connecticut. Starting from the Connecticut Valley, the land here rises to more than 2,000 ft (609.6 m) above sea level. This region is 20-30 mi (32.2-48.3 km) wide and houses the highest elevation point of the state. Berkshire Hills is also located here.
Berkshire Valley is the fifth major geographic region, which is located to the west of the Berkshire Hills as well as the Western New England Upland. This is a narrow valley that is less than 10 mi (16.1 km) wide. This narrow valley runs between the Berkshire Hills (located to its east) and the Taconic Mountains (located to its west). Green meadowlands cover the valley.
The Taconic Mountains, the sixth major region in Massachusetts, is less than six miles (9.7 km) wide and located on the state’s extreme western border. It includes a narrow band of hills stretching from northwest to the south, ultimately rising to Mount Everett at 2,602 ft (793.1 m) above sea level.
A humid continental climate is found in Massachusetts, which is characterized by warm or humid summers and cold or snowy winters. A humid subtropical climate having relatively mild winters is found in the southeastern coastal areas. Various air masses regularly interact with each other because the state is located in the belt of prevailing westerlies.
A significant temperature difference is witnessed on a daily and annual basis. In July, the temperature ranges within 70 °F (21.1 °C) and 85 °F (29.4 °C). The temperature becomes more than 90 °F (32.2 °C) for just 5-to-15 days in summer. However, mild temperature prevails in the night. The offshore islands, as well as the coastal Cape Cod region, remain colder than interior Massachusetts.
Subzero temperatures in the western mountains remain for just 5-to-15 days. Spring season witnesses the transition of temperature from cold to warm. It stays wet during spring. Autumn continues to be temperate, and frosty as ice is visible at the end of the season.
While the coastal areas get 40 inches (1,016 mm), the western division gets 50 inches (1,270 mm) of annual rainfall. The rainfall distribution remains even across the year.
May-to-October is the best time to visit Massachusetts.
Technological research and development along with the service sector are the two main pillars of the Massachusetts economy. The leading manufactured products are computer and electronic products, communication equipment, automation control devices, fabricated metal products, etc.
Other important economic agents of the economy are mining (sand and gravel, crushed stone, clays, and granite), fishing, tourism, and agriculture. The principal livestock and agricultural products produced by Massachusetts are dairy products (accounting to around 12% of the income from livestock), cattle, aquaculture, flowers, ornamental shrubs, cranberries, sweet corn, apples, hay, etc.
The total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for Massachusetts has increased from US$388,583.2 million in 2008 to US$569,488 million in 2018. The Median Household Income has increased from US$60,320 to US$86,345 during 2008-2018. The Per Capita Personal Income in the state has also increased sharply from US$51,916 in 2008 to US$71,683 in 2018.
In 2018, the value of exports and imports of the state were US$27,157,976,781 and US$35,644,359,825 respectively, resulting in a trade balance of -US$8,486,383,044. Its ranking among the 50 US states in terms of export, import, and trade balance were 18, 18, and 34 respectively.
The major export items were Precision Instruments, Industrial Machinery, Electrical Machinery, Precious Stones and Metals, Pharmaceuticals, Plastics, Chemical Products, Aircraft, Seafood, Iron and Steel, etc. The major imports of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are Precision Instruments, Electrical Machinery, Industrial Machinery, Seafood, Oil and Mineral Fuels, Pharmaceuticals, Precious Stones and Metals, Plastics, Motor Vehicles and Parts, etc.
The unemployment rate increased rapidly from 4.6% in January 2008 to 8.8% in December 2009. However, it has come down to 2.9% in November 2019. The rate of poverty in Massachusetts was 10.5% in 2018. Out of the total population of 6,622,444, the number of people in poverty was 692,201.
The US highways present in Massachusetts are US 1, US 3, US 5, US 6, US 7, US 20, US 40, and US 202. The primary and auxiliary highways passing through the state are I-90, I-91, I-93, I-95, I-84, I-86, I-195, I-190, I-290, I-291, I-495, I-395, I-391, I-295, etc. The state-numbered routes include Route 1A to Route 295. There are many unnumbered state roads too such as John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, Plimoth Plantation Highway, Soldiers Field Road, Sandwich Road, etc.
The major airports in Massachusetts are Gen. Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (in Boston), Nantucket Memorial Airport (in Nantucket), Worcester Regional Airport (in Worcester), Martha’s Vineyard Airport (in Vineyard Haven), Barnstable Municipal Airport (in Hyannis), Provincetown Municipal Airport (in Provincetown), New Bedford Regional Airport (in New Bedford), etc.
The most popular ports in Massachusetts are Port of Boston (in Boston), Port of Fall River (on Fall River), Port of New Bedford (in New Bedford), Beverly Harbor (in Beverly), Cuttyhunk Harbor (in Cuttyhunk Island), etc.
“The Bay State” is the most common nickname of Massachusetts. The early settlements in this state took place in the Cape Cod Bay. A royal charter was given to the Massachusetts Bay Company in 1629 for promoting settlement in this region “from sea to shining sea”. This royal charter became the foundation of the government in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. On December 18, 1990, the Massachusetts legislature made it official to call residents of the state as the “Bay Staters”.
Other nicknames of Massachusetts are “The Baked Bean State”, “The Old Colony State”, “The Pilgrim State”, “The Puritan State”, etc.
Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, Freedom Trail, Cape Cod Beaches, Minute Man National Historical Park and Lexington Green, Faneuil Hall, Mayflower II and Plimoth Plantation, Salem’s Historic Houses, Whale Watch at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Old Sturbridge Village, Tanglewood Concerts, Island Life on Martha’s Vineyard, Harvard Square and Museums, Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Norman Rockwell Museum, Historic Deerfield
1) Massachusetts is nicknamed “The Bay State”.
2) The capital of Massachusetts is Boston and it is also the biggest city of the state.
3) The state of MA was admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788 and became the sixth state of the U.S.
4) The Norfolk County is the hometown of four American presidents and they are John Quincy Adams, John Adams, George Herbert Walker Bush, and John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
5) With an elevation of 3,492 feet, the tallest point in Massachusetts is Mount Greylock.
6) The official motto is “By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty”.
7) The official bird is the Chickadee.
8) The official anthem is “All Hail to Massachusetts”. It was written and composed by Arthur J. Marsh.
9) The official flower is the Mayflower.
10) The official beverage is the Cranberry Juice.
11) The official tree is the American Elm.
12) Lowell is the famous place where the industrial revolution in the United States started.
13) The official dessert of the state is the Boston Cream Pie.
14) The official mammal is the Right Whale and the official horse is the Morgan Horse.
15) The official fish is the Cod.
16) Massachusetts shares its boundaries with Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, and New Hampshire.
17) The demonym of the state is Bay Stater.
18) The official reptile is the Garter snake.
19) The official insect is the Laby bug.
20) The important industries of the state include electronics, textiles, education, printing, fishing, and travel and tourism.
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