Boston is the capital and largest city of the state of Massachusetts (officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts), in the United

States. Boston also serves as county seat of the state's Suffol County. !he largest city in "ew #ngland, the city proper, covering $% s&uare miles ('($ m(), had an estimated population of )*),+++ in (+'(, ma ing it the ('st largest city in the United States. !he city is the anchor of a su,stantially larger metropolitan area called -reater Boston, home to $.. million people and the tenth/largest metropolitan area in the country. -reater Boston as a commuting region is home to 0.) million people, ma ing it the si1th/largest Com,ined Statistical 2rea in the United States. 3ne of the oldest cities in the United States, Boston was founded on the Shawmut 4eninsula in ')*+ ,y 4uritan colonists from #ngland. 5t was the scene of several ey events of the 2merican 6evolution, such as the Boston Massacre, the Boston !ea 4arty, the Battle of Bun er 7ill and the Siege of Boston. Upon 2merican independence from -reat Britain, the city continued to ,e an important port and manufacturing hu,, as well as a center for education and culture. !hrough land reclamation and municipal anne1ation, Boston has e1panded ,eyond the original peninsula. 5ts rich history helps attract many tourists, with 8aneuil 7all alone attracting over (+ million visitors. Boston's many 9firsts9 include the United States' first pu,lic school (')*.), and first su,way system ('%:0). !he area's many colleges and universities ma e Boston an international center of higher education and medicine, and the city is considered to ,e a world leader in innovation for a variety of reasons. Boston's economic ,ase also includes finance, professional and ,usiness services, and government activities. !he city has one of the highest costs of living in the United States, though it remains high on world liva,ility ran ings.