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Massachusetts Facts

Massachusetts Facts
The State of Massachusetts is located in the northeastern region of the United States. It shares state borders with Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Vermont and New Hampshire. Massachusetts is the 44th largest (7th smallest) U.S. State with only 10,555 square miles. It is the 14th most populated state with approximately 6,692,824 residents, and is ranked as the 3rd most densely populated state. Prior to European settlement, Algonquin speaking tribes inhabited the region. The Pilgrims, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower, established a colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. This state was admitted to the Union in 1788, making Massachusetts the 6th state.
Interesting Massachusetts Facts:
The name Massachusetts originates from the Massachusett Native Americans, which means 'at or about the great hill' or 'a big hill place'.
The state motto for Massachusetts is 'Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem' which means 'By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty'.
Massachusetts' state song is 'All Hail to Massachusetts'.
Boston is Massachusetts' capital city.
Massachusetts has 14 counties, and more than 450,000 acres of state parks and forests.
Massachusetts' state flag has only been officially adopted since 1971; prior to this the flag had designs on both the back and front.
The state bird is the black-capped chickadee, and the state game bird is the wild turkey.
The right whale is Massachusetts' state marine mammal and the state fish is the cod.
Massachusetts' state flower is the mayflower, also called the trailing arbutus or ground laurel.
Massachusetts' state tree is the American elm.
Massachusetts' state dessert is the Boston cream pie.
The state fossil is the Theropod (a dinosaur) footprint, and there have also been Anchisaurus and Podokesaurus fossils found in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts' major rivers include the Merrimack River, Connecticut River, and Charles River.
Massachusetts' major lake is Quabbin Reservoir. The state also borders on the Atlantic Ocean.
Major agriculture in Massachusetts includes cranberries, dairy products, poultry, fruit and vegetables.
Major industry in Massachusetts includes tourism, electronics, education, fishing, textiles and publishing.
The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts was home to the Salem witch trials occurred in 1692 in the town of Salem.
Several United States Presidents were born in Massachusetts including John Adams, the 2nd president (from 1797 to 1801); John Quincy Adams, the 6th president (from 1825 to 1829); John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president (from 1961 to 1963); George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president (from 1989 to 1993).
Massachusetts has a female heroine. Her name was Deborah Samson. She disguised herself as a man and fought in the American War of Independence, under the name Robert Shurtleff. Although wounded in battle, she survived and became the first woman to receive a military pension.
The first public elementary school in America was founded in 1639 in Dorchester; it was called the Mather School.
Harvard University was founded in 1636, and is the oldest higher learning institute in the United States.
It is believed that the first subway was in Boston, Massachusetts and not in New York.
The first public park in the United States was Boston Common.


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