Massachusetts is the 7th state of the United States of America, admitted to the Union on February 6, 1788.

Massachusetts, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is one of the New England states.

When still a colony, it had become an important intellectual center, known for Harvard College and the cultural institutions of Boston.

Many events in Massachusetts, including the Stamp Act riots (1765), the Boston Massacre (1770), and the Boston Tea Party (1773), were precursors to the American Revolution (1775-1783).

The first battles of the revolution were fought in Massachusetts, and its role in colonial history can be seen in the many well-preserved landmarks in such historic places as Plymouth, Boston, Lexington, and Concord.

Once the nation’s fishing and commercial capital, Massachusetts later pioneered in the fields of education, medicine, and social welfare.

By the 19th century, the state developed into an important manufacturing center, producing textiles and footwear.

In the mid-20th century, electronic components and other high-technology items became leading manufactures.

Massachusetts is famous for its summer resorts, such as the sand beaches of Cape Cod and the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, and from its long irregular shoreline to the rolling Berkshire Hills, the state offers a variety of opportunities to those seeking recreation.

The name of the state is probably derived from that of an Algonquin village.

Massachusetts is called the Bay State after Massachusetts Bay, the site of the Puritans’ colony. Those early settlers from Europe provide the state with other nicknames, including the Pilgrim State and the Puritan State.

Following are Massachusetts’ major urban centers, in order of population.

• Boston, the seat of Suffolk County, is Massachusetts’s capital and largest city and, including parts of seven counties in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire, forms the Boston metropolitan area.
• Worcester, the seat of Worcester County in central Massachusetts, is a major education, medical and research center.
• Springfield, the seat of Hampden County, is the cultural urban center of the region.
• Lowell, one of the two seats of Middlesex County, is a planned urban community built around the Merrimack River and its diverse canal system.
• Cambridge, the other of the two seats of Middlesex County, is a unique community with a strong mix of cultural and social diversity, intellectual vitality and technological innovation.
• Brockton, one of two seats of Plymouth County, is a dominant center of the textile and shoe industries, as well as large scale sustainable electric power.
• New Bedford, in Bristol County, was one of the more important ports for the whaling industry.
• Fall River, also in Bristol County, was one of the more important centers of the textile industry.
• Quincy, in Norfolk County, is a major part of metropolitan Boston.