[[ImageFile:Trinity Church, Boston, Massachusetts.jpgJPG|right|300px|thumb|[[Trinity Church]], Boston in a rainy day, Mass.]]'''Boston''' is the largest city and capital of [[Massachusetts]], a state in the [[United States]]. It is the economic hub and educational center of the [[New England]] region. Boston was settled in 1630 by the [[United Kingdom|English]] [[Puritan]]s seeking freedom to practice their strict version of [[Protestantism]]. The city's fine harbor led it to become the main port of the New England colonies, and in the last quarter of the 18th century, it was a center of the movement for independence from England that led to the [[American Revolution]].
Boston remained an economic center through the 19th century, both as a financial hub and as a port through which manufactured goods such as shoes and textiles were shipped. At the onset of the 20th century, the availability of cheaper labor in the Southern states led to a decline in New England manufacturing industries, and hard times for Boston as well. It continued however to be a center for advanced education, the city and its surrounding towns home to dozens of colleges and universities, allowing greater Boston to become a vital center of the technology industries that burgeoned in the last half of the 20th century.
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== See also ==
[[Image:Fenway.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Fenway Park, home of the [[Boston Red Sox]].]]
*[[Boston Red Sox]]
*[[Boston Celtics]]*[[New England Patriots]]
*[[Boston Bruins]]
*[[Boston Tea Party]]
*[[Boston Massacre]]
*[[Boston Massachusetts Temple]]
*[[Faneuil Hall]]{{clear}}
== External links ==
*[http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ The Boston Globe]
*[http://www.bostonherald.com/news/ Boston Herald]
[[Category:United States Massachusetts Cities and Towns]]
[[Category:US State Capitals]]
[[Category:Boston]]
[[Category : Most Liberal American Cities]]