Massachusetts is located in the New England region in the northeastern part of the United States. The eastern half of Massachusetts is mostly urban and suburban while the western part if still mostly rural. The total population of the state is 6.5 million and that makes it the most populous of the 6 New England states. Massachusetts also includes Boston, the biggest urban center in that part of America.

History
The first Europeans that ever settled in New England did so in Massachusetts. Most of these settlers came from nearby Haverhill, England. These pilgrims founded Plymouth, Boston, and Salem. After over a century of this establishment Massachusetts was christened the "Cradle of Liberty" because of the revolutionary unrest in Boston that eventually led to the war of the Thirteen Colonies for their independence.

The name Massachusetts is derived from the name of an Algonquian tribe that means "about the great hill" or "land of the blue hills".

Economy
In the 19th century, Massachusetts gradually changed its image from an agricultural to a manufacturing economy. The several rivers that flowed through the state were used to power and operate factories for shoes, furniture, and clothing. During the early twentieth century, the availability of cheaper labor in South America was a bad blow to its economy. This trend was reversed in the 1970s when many high-tech companies established themselves in the Boston suburbs. Even today, the colleges and universities in Massachusetts continue to lead the nation.

Massachusetts is also known for its progressive and liberal attitudes and has produced many political figures that went on to serve on the national government. Some of the Massachusetts who became presidents are John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, and George Herbert Walker Bush.

Geographic Features
The northern border of Massachusetts is shared with New Hampshire and Vermont. The western border is shared with New York, the eastern side faces the Atlantic Ocean, and the southern borders touch Connecticut and Rhode Island. At the southeast corner of Massachusetts is a large, arm shaped peninsular that is known as Cape Cod. The south of Cape Cod you can find the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

There are many bays of substantial proportions that give the Massachusetts coastline a very unique shape. Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay are located on the east coast while Buzzards Bay is located to the south. All these bays have earned Massachusetts the nickname of Bay State.

The largest city in the commonwealth of Massachusetts is Boston. It is located at the innermost point of the Massachusetts Bay at the very mouth of the Charles River. The Charles River is also the longest river that lies completely inside Massachusetts.

Western regions of Massachusetts are more rural and with relatively low populations as compared to the more urbanized eastern side of the state. The most densely populated part of western Massachusetts is Pioneer Valley that lies along the Connecticut River.