Boston, Massachusetts

Boston is the capital and the largest city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city is also the county seat of Suffolk County. It is the unofficial capital of the region known as New England as well as one of the oldest and wealthiest cities in the United States, with an economy based on education, health care, finance, and high technology.

Culture

The city has one of the most clearly defined and unique cultures in the United States. Boston shares many cultural roots with greater New England, including a dialect of the Eastern New England accent popularly known as Boston English. The city has its own unique slang, which has existed for many years. Cuisine in Boston is similar to the rest of New England cuisine, in that it has a large emphasis on seafood and dairy products. Its most well-known dishes are New England clam chowder, fish and chips (usually with cod or schrod), baked beans, and fried clams.

Related Topics:
New England - Eastern New England - Boston English - Slang - New England cuisine - New England clam chowder - Cod - Schrod

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Boston was, and is still, a major destination of Irish immigrants. Irish Americans are a major influence on Boston's politics and religious institutions and consequently on the rest of Massachusetts.

Related Topics:
Irish - Immigrants - Irish Americans

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Many consider Boston a highly cultured city, perhaps as a result of its intellectual reputation. Mark Twain once wrote of it, In New York they ask "how much money does he have?" In Philadelphia, they ask, "who were his parents?" In Boston they ask, "how much does he know?"{{ref|MarkTwain}} Much of Boston's culture originates at its universities.

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Arts and entertainment

The Theater District, south of Boston Common, contains a number of ornate theatres, including the Cutler Majestic Theatre and The Wang Center for the Performing Arts. Avant garde theatres are scattered throughout the city, especially near Huntington Avenue. The Boston Ballet is a world-renowned classical dance company. Street performers can be found in and around Quincy Market near Faneuil Hall.

Related Topics:
Boston Common - Cutler Majestic Theatre - The Wang Center for the Performing Arts - Boston Ballet - Quincy Market - Faneuil Hall

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Boston is also home to a wide array of musical talent - from bands like Boston and Aerosmith - to the world-renowned Boston Symphony Orchestra, the famed Boston Pops, the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, the Boston Philharmonic, the Boston Lyric Opera Company, and the Handel and Haydn Society (the oldest choral company in the U.S.). There are also countless lesser known local musicians, thanks to a thriving underground music scene.

Related Topics:
Boston - Aerosmith - Boston Symphony Orchestra - Boston Pops - Boston Lyric Opera Company

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Events

Several major events occur annually in Boston. One of the most well known is First Night, which occurs during New Year's Eve. It is a major arts and activity festival which attracts over 1.5 million people. Started in 1976, it has since been emulated in other cities worldwide.

Related Topics:
New Year's Eve - 1976

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The Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festival takes place each June; the Boston Early Music Festival takes place every odd-numbered year. During the summer, there are musical performances at the Bank of America Pavilion on the South Boston waterfront. Also during the summer is Harborfest, a week-long festival celebrating the Fourth of July. Another major event occurring during the July 4th holiday is Fourth of July on the Esplanade. The event is celebrated with fireworks and music by the Boston Pops.

Related Topics:
Bank of America - South Boston - Festival - Fourth of July - Boston Pops

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The Boston Film Festival is held annually in early September. Also, the weekend following Labor Day, the boutiques on Newbury Street close as over thirty art galleries spill out onto the street, providing access to their contents during Art Newbury Street. Other events include the Saint Patrick's Day Parade and the Boston LBGT Pride parade and festival.

Related Topics:
Boston Film Festival - Labor Day - Newbury Street - Saint Patrick's Day

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Media

The Boston Globe, owned by the New York Times Company, and The Boston Herald are Boston's two major daily newspapers. The city is also served by a number of smaller publications such as The Boston Phoenix and The Improper Bostonian.

Related Topics:
The Boston Globe - New York Times Company - The Boston Herald - Newspaper - The Boston Phoenix - The Improper Bostonian

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Boston has the largest broadcasting market in New England, with the Boston radio market being the ninth largest in the United States {{ref|radio}}. Several major AM stations include talk radio WRKO 680 AM, sports/talk station WEEI 850 AM, and news radio WBZ 1030 AM. A variety of FM radio formats serve the area as well as NPR stations WBUR and WGBH. University radio stations include WZBC (Boston College), WERS (Emerson), WHRB (Harvard), WMBR (MIT), and WUMB (UMass Boston).

Related Topics:
New England - AM - Talk radio - WRKO 680 AM - Sports - WEEI 850 AM - WBZ 1030 AM - FM - Radio formats - NPR - WBUR - WGBH - WZBC - WERS - WHRB - WMBR - WUMB

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The Boston television DMA, which also includes Manchester, New Hampshire, is the fifth largest in the United States {{ref|TV}}. The city is served by stations representing every major American network including CBS (WBZ), ABC (WCVB), NBC (WHDH), FOX (WFXT), UPN (WSBK), and WB (WLVI). Boston is also home to PBS station WGBH, which also operates WGBX. WGBH is a major producer of PBS programs. There are several Spanish-language television stations including those of Univision (WUNI), TeleFutura (WUTF), and Telemundo (WNEU and simulcast on WTMU-LP). Most Boston television stations have their transmitters in nearby Needham and Newton.

Related Topics:
DMA - Manchester, New Hampshire - United States - American network - CBS - WBZ - ABC - WCVB - NBC - WHDH - FOX - WFXT - UPN - WSBK - WB - WLVI - PBS - WGBH - WGBX - Univision - WUNI - TeleFutura - WUTF - Telemundo - WNEU - WTMU-LP - Needham - Newton

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Sites of interest

Due to the city's prominent role in the American Revolution, several historic sites relating to that period are preserved as part of the Boston National Historical Park. Many are found along the Freedom Trail, which is marked by a red line or bricks embedded in the ground. A full-scale replica the Beaver, one of the Boston Tea Party ships, is located on Fort Point Channel.

Related Topics:
American Revolution - Boston National Historical Park - Freedom Trail - Boston Tea Party

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Also along the Freedom Trail is Boston Common, with the Boston Public Garden being adjacent. Boston Common is part of the Emerald Necklace, a string of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. In the winter, the Frog Pond at Boston Common doubles as a popular ice-skating rink. Another major park is the Esplanade located along the banks of the Charles River. A major recreation site for many Bostonians, it is also the site of the Hatch Shell. Other parks are scattered throughout the city, with the major parks located near Castle Island, Charlestown, the Dorcester shoreline, and East Boston.

Related Topics:
Boston Common - Boston Public Garden - Emerald Necklace - Park - Frederick Law Olmstead - Esplanade - Charles River - Hatch Shell - Castle Island

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Once a shallow lagoon, the Back Bay district now includes many prominent landmarks and sites of interests such as the Christian Science Center, Boston Public Library, Copley Square, and Newbury Street. Back Bay is also the home of two of New England's tallest buildings: the John Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center{{ref|Skyscraper}}. Near the John Hancock Tower is the old John Hancock Building with its prominent weather forecast beacon. Other notable districts/neighborhoods include Beacon Hill, Charlestown, Chinatown, Downtown Crossing, North End, and South Boston.

Related Topics:
Back Bay - Christian Science Center - Boston Public Library - Copley Square - Newbury Street - John Hancock Tower - Prudential Center - Old John Hancock Building - Beacon Hill - Charlestown - Chinatown - Downtown Crossing - North End - South Boston

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Boston is home to several world-renowned museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Museum of Science. Other notable museums are located at Harvard University and MIT. The University of Massachusetts campus at Columbia Point houses the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library. The New England Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo, Boston Atheneum (one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States), and the Boston Children's Museum are located within the city.

Related Topics:
Museum of Fine Arts - Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - Museum of Science - University of Massachusetts - John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library - New England Aquarium - Franklin Park Zoo

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There are also two self-guided walking tours: Harbor Walk, which is designed to allow people the walk the entire shore of Boston Harbor, and the Black Heritage Trail. A popular guided tour is the Boston Duck Tours, which uses World War II-era duck boats. The outer suburbs of Boston, which tend to be forested, have vibrantly colored foliage every autumn that attracts many tourists.

Related Topics:
Boston Harbor - Black Heritage Trail - Duck boat - Foliage - Autumn

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Sports

The TD Banknorth Garden near North Station is the home of two major league teams: the Boston Bruins ice hockey team, which is a member of the National Hockey League, and the Boston Celtics basketball team (a member of the National Basketball Association). The Celtics have the distinction of having more World Championships than any other NBA team with 16 championships from 1957 to 1986.

Related Topics:
TD Banknorth Garden - North Station - Boston Bruins - Ice hockey - National Hockey League - Boston Celtics - Basketball - National Basketball Association - 1957 - 1986

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The baseball team Boston Red Sox is a member of the American League of Major League Baseball. They play at Fenway Park, located near Kenmore Square and is the oldest ballpark in active use in the United States. After eighty-six years, the Red Sox became the World Series Winners (World Champions) in 2004. Boston was once the home of the National League baseball team Boston Braves as well as the site of the first World Series in 1903. The game was played between the Boston Americans (currently the Boston Red Sox) and the Pittsburgh Pirates {{ref|MLB}}.

Related Topics:
Baseball - Boston Red Sox - American League - Major League Baseball - Fenway Park - Kenmore Square - United States - 2004 - National League - Boston Braves - World Series - 1903 - Pittsburgh Pirates

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Nearby Foxboro is the home of the New England Patriots (National Football League), Super Bowl Winners in the 2001, 2003, and 2004 seasons; and the New England Revolution (Major League Soccer). Both teams play at Gillette Stadium. Another major league team is the lacrosse team Boston Cannons of Major League Lacrosse. The team plays at Boston University's Nickerson Field.

Related Topics:
Foxboro - New England Patriots - National Football League - Super Bowl - New England Revolution - Major League Soccer - Gillette Stadium - Lacrosse - Boston Cannons - Major League Lacrosse - Boston University - Nickerson Field

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Boston's many colleges and universities field sports teams. The most well-known include Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, and Harvard University. The hockey teams of these four universities meet every year in an immensely popular four team tournament known as the "Beanpot". The city is also the site of two other major annual sporting events: the Boston Marathon, the world-famous 26-mile run, and the Head of the Charles Regatta.

Related Topics:
Boston College - Boston University - Northeastern University - Harvard University - Boston Marathon - Head of the Charles Regatta

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