Masshole [ 8 ] [ 9 ] [ 10 ] [ 11 ] [ 12 ] [ 13 ] Massachusite traditional [ 14 ] [ 15 ]. Massachusetts is the sixth-smallest state by land area. With a U. Census Bureau -estimated population of 7,,, [ 5 ] its highest estimated count ever, Massachusetts is the most populous state in New England, the 16th-most-populous in the United States, and the third-most densely populated U.
Massachusetts was a site of early English colonization. The Plymouth Colony was founded in by the Pilgrims of the Mayflower. In , the Massachusetts Bay Colony , taking its name from the Indigenous Massachusett people , also established settlements in Boston and Salem. In , the town of Salem and surrounding areas experienced one of America's most infamous cases of mass hysteria , the Salem witch trials. The state's capital and most populous city , as well as its cultural and financial center , is Boston.
Other major cities are Worcester , Springfield and Cambridge. Massachusetts is also home to the urban core of Greater Boston , the largest metropolitan area in New England and a region profoundly influential upon American history , academia , and the research economy. Massachusetts is the most educated [ 68 ] [ 69 ] and one of the most highly developed and wealthiest U.
This comes from the name of the Moswetuset Hummock meaning "hill shaped like an arrowhead" in Quincy , where Plymouth Colony commander Myles Standish a hired English military officer and Squanto a member of the Patuxet band of the Wamponoag people , who have since died off due to contagious diseases brought by colonists met Chief Chickatawbut in Although the designation "Commonwealth" forms part of the state's official name, it has no practical implications in modern times, [ 78 ] and Massachusetts has the same position and powers within the United States as other states.
This was in contrast to the monarchy the former colonies were fighting against during the American Revolutionary War. The name "State of Massachusetts Bay" appeared in the first draft, which was ultimately rejected. It was also chosen to include the "Cape Islands" in reference to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket βfrom to , they were seen as additional and separate entities confined within the Commonwealth.
