Download This Sample
This sample is exclusively for KidsKonnect members!
To download this worksheet, click the button below to signup for free (it only takes a minute) and you'll be brought right back to this page to start the download!
Sign Me Up
Table of Contents
Boston is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States, and the 21st most populous city in the United States. It was founded in 1630 and is considered one of the oldest cities in the US.
See the fact file below for more information on the Boston or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Boston worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
DESCRIPTION
- Boston is the seat of Suffolk County although the county government was disbanded on July 1, 1999.
- Boston City is the economic and cultural anchor of a substantially larger metropolitan area known as Greater Boston, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 4.8 million people in 2016 and ranking as the tenth-largest such area in the country
Boston is one of the oldest municipalities in the United States, founded on the Shawmut Peninsula in 1630 by Puritan settlers from the English town of the same name. - Boston City was the scene of several key events of the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Battle of Bunker Hill, and the Siege of Boston.
- Boston’s many firsts include the United States’ first public park (Boston Common, 1634), first public or state school (Boston Latin School, 1635), and first subway system (Tremont Street Subway, 1897).
HISTORY
- In 1630, Boston was founded by English Puritans fleeing religious persecution. On March 29, 1630, a fleet of 11 ships carrying 700 people sailed from England to Massachusetts. They were led by John Winthrop (1588-1649).
- Boston quickly became one of the most economically progressive cities in the New England area. Bostonians were historically a religious group, and their Christian ideals influenced every aspect of their lives.
- All citizens were forced to go to church, marry, and bear children, as was expected of any strictly Christian community at the time.
- Some even took more drastic methods and severely punished or killed those who were not of pure faith or were deemed not to be by groups of clergymen. In October 1659, two Quakers named William Robinson and Marmaduke Stevenson were hanged in Boston. Another Quaker named Mary Dyer was hanged on Boston Common on June 1, 1660.
- In the late 1600s, the colonies of England including Massachusetts were all united under the Dominion of New England. This area was governed by the appointed Sir Edmund Andros. However, many citizens of Boston were not happy with the Church of England at the time.
- As the city continued to grow, more and more people wanted to move towards a progressive society and away from the pressure of British rule. Boston continued under the British for the next hundred years, becoming increasingly oppressive.
- In 1746, England gave another tactful blow to the new colonies by issuing the Stamp Act. It was officially enacted on March 22, 1765, and required colonists to pay a tax on every single piece of paper that was printed.
- This caused enormous unrest amongst the colonists, as the tax was only imposed to pay for the British military, and did nothing to serve the new country they were trying to colonize. Bostonians began to riot, killing 5 people in what is now known as the Boston Massacre in 1770 and dumping British tea into the Boston Harbor, an event now known as the Boston Tea Party.
- This was the spark that would truly ignite the American Revolution and many historians claim that it began in Boston.
- On April 19, 1775, the Revolutionary War began and led to the United State’s freedom from England after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
- Following this triumphant moment in history, Massachusetts became the 6th state in the United States on February 6, 1788.
- Today, Boston is a huge tourist destination for history buffs and cultural epicureans alike. It’s an enormous center for the arts and visitors flock to the city every year to take part in historical tours, see performances, watch a Boston Red Sox Game, explore the city, shop at luxury stores, and enjoy the rich cultural atmosphere that the city provides. Boston is truly a walking city, with many people choosing to explore on foot, or by taking “The T”, Boston’s public transportation system.
- Boston has an area of 89.63 square miles (232.1 km2)—48.4 square miles (125.4 km2) (54%) of land and 41.2 square miles (106.7 km2) (46%) of water.
- Boston is surrounded by the “Greater Boston” region and is contiguously bordered by the cities and towns of Winthrop, Revere, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, Watertown, Newton, Brookline, Needham, Dedham, Canton, Milton, and Quincy.
- It lies on Massachusetts Bay. The city proper has an unusually small area for a major city, and more than one-fourth of the total is water.
ECONOMY
- A global city, Boston is placed one of the 30 most economically powerful cities in the world.
- Boston’s colleges and universities exert a significant impact on the regional economy. Boston attracts more than 350,000 college students from around the world, who contribute more than $4.8 billion annually to the city’s economy.
- The city is home to a number of technology companies and is a hub for biotechnology, with the Milken Institute rating Boston as the top life sciences cluster in the country.
- Tourism also comprises a large part of Boston’s economy, with 21.2 million domestic and international visitors spending $8.3 billion in 2011. Excluding visitors from Canada and Mexico, over 1.4 million international tourists visited Boston in 2014, with those from China and the United Kingdom leading the list.
- The financial services industry is important to Boston, especially involving mutual funds and insurance. In the 2018 Global Financial Centres Index, Boston was ranked as having the thirteenth most competitive financial center in the world and the second most competitive in the United States.
RELIGION
- According to a 2014 study by the Pew Research Center, 57% of the population of the city identified themselves as Christians, with 25% attending a variety of Protestant churches and 29% professing Roman Catholic beliefs; 33% claim no religious affiliation, while the remaining 10% are composed of adherents of Judaism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and other faiths.
Boston Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Boston across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Boston worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Boston which is the capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States, and the 21st most populous city in the United States. It was founded in 1630 and is considered one of the oldest cities in the US.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- Boston City Facts
- Boston’s Logos
- Boston City Profile
- Boston City Facts
- Major Events in Boston’s History
- Firsts in Boston
- American Revolution
- Boston Itinerary
- Boston Economy
- Attracting Tourists
- Boston Meme
Link/cite this page
If you reference any of the content on this page on your own website, please use the code below to cite this page as the original source.
Link will appear as Boston Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, February 20, 2020
Use With Any Curriculum
These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.