Just the Boston Facts, Please!
Demographics, Geography, History, Politics & Sports
With Boston's vibrant and lengthy history, this page of Boston facts could go on indefinitely. We've tried to pick out our favorites as well as some of the most useful. And if there are any you think should be added, please let us know!
Boston Facts - Geography & Demographics
- Boston is the largest city in New England. According to the US Census Bureau, it's 89.6 square miles. 54% of that is land and 46% is water.
- It has been called a "City of Neighborhoods" and is made up of 21 official neighborhoods.
- Boston is the capital of Massachusetts which is officially named the "Commonwealth of Massachusetts".
- The elevation is 19ft (5.8m) above sea-level.
- According to the 2008 census, the City of Boston has a population of 620,535. This number was ammended from the original census number which was 609,023. The Greater Boston area is estimated to have a population of 4.5 million people.
- The streets of Downtown Boston have no apparent order whatsoever, whereas the streets in Back Bay, the South End, East Boston and South Boston are all on a grid system.
- The hottest day in Boston's recorded history was on July 4th, 1911. The temperature reached 104 degrees Farenheit (40 degrees Celsius)
- The coldest day in Boston's recorded history was on February 9th, 1934. The temperature went down to -18 degrees Farenheit (-28 degrees Celsius)
- In general, January is Boston's coldest month of the year and July is its hottest.
- Almost one-third of Bostonians use the public transportation system (the T) to get to work.
- 13% of Bostonians walk to work. This is the highest percentage of any major city in the U.S.
Boston Facts - Historical, Political & Educational
- This was the location of many significant historical events including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Bunker Hill.
- Founded on September 17th, 1630, Boston was chartered as a city on March 4th, 1822.
- The city was first named Trimontaine. It was renamed after Boston, Lincolnshire, England.
- Our city is governed with a strong-mayor council government system.
- Boston has eight sister-cities. They are: Kyoto, Strasbourg, Barcelona, Hangzhou, Padua, Melbourne, Taipei and Sekondi-Takoradi.
- It is sometimes called "the Athens of America" because it has more than 100 colleges and universities in the Greater Boston area.
Boston Facts - First's, Oldest's & Only's
- Founded on April 23, 1635, Boston Latin School was first (and now oldest) public school in the U.S.
- The first game of the "modern" World Series was played in Boston in 1903.
- Boston is home of the first subway (rapid transit) system which is still operating as part of the MBTA's Green Line.
- Boston's Fenway Park (home of the Boston Red Sox) is the oldest Major League Baseball Park still in use (since 1912).
- Every year on the day the Boston Marathon is run, the Red Sox play a home game that starts at 11.05am. This is the only Major League Baseball game that begins before noon!
Boston Facts - Cultural/Miscellaneous
- The streets crossing Newbury Street from Arlington to Hereford are in alphabetical order.
- One of Boston's most widely used nicknames is Beantown.
- The Boston Celtics (National Basketball Association) and the Boston Bruins (National Hockey League) share a stadium: The TD Garden (sadly no longer the Boston Garden which stands next door to it).
- Candlepin bowling was invented in Boston in 1880 and is still extremely popular in Boston today. Depsite being fairly challenging, it's great for kids because the balls are smaller than in ten-pin bowling and you get three bowls per frame.
- CVS Pharmacy was founded in the Boston area in 1963.
- Well-known musical acts from Boston include: Aerosmith, The Cars, Boston, New Kids on the Block, Bim Skala Bim, The Del Fuegos, The Lemonheads, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Mods, and Pixies.
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