Greater Boston is the area of Massachusetts closely surrounding Boston, Massachusetts. The conurbation has a total population of about 5.8 million. In addition to Boston, other cities include Cambridge, Quincy, Lynn, and Newton. Greater Boston also includes Brookline and the largest town in North America, Framingham. Greater Boston overlaps the North and South Shores, as well as the MetroWest region.
Greater Boston is more citified and industrialized than the other regions of Massachusetts, such as the more rural Western Massachusetts and the beach communities of Cape Cod. The area features a great number of universities. Despite this, many areas remain somewhat working class, although increasingly less-so in the past two decades.
Greater Boston encompasses many significant locations in American history and culture. Examples include the Paul Revere House, the Old North Church, the Old Granary Burying Ground, the site of the Boston Tea Party, Bunker Hill, the USS Constitution, Lexington and Concord, Walden Pond, the site of the Salem witch trials, and the Christian Science Mother Church. Former President John Adams was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, as was former President John Quincy Adams. Former President John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, Massachusetts. Former President George H. W. Bush was born in Milton.
Dunkin Donuts started in Greater Boston. Likewise, Howard Johnson's restaurants and lodgings began there.
Major Companies in Greater Boston
- Companies outside Boston
- Bose Corporation, in Framingham (Headquarters)
- Polaroid Corporation, in Waltham
- Raytheon, in Waltham (Headquarters)
- Avid Technology, Inc , in Tewksbury (Headquarters)
- Reebok, in Canton (Headquarters)
- Boston Scientific Corporation , in Natick (Headquarters)
- Novartis AG, Inc , in Cambridge (Research Headquarters)
- Genzyme Corporation , in Cambridge (Headquarters)
- Major Companies inside Boston
- The Gillette Company (headquarters)
- New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc (headquarters)
- John Hancock Financial Services, Inc (headquarters)
- Houghton Mifflin Company Headquarters (headquarters)
Major League Sports
Traditional Sporting Events
Higher Education
Historical figures and celebrities from Greater Boston
Transportation in Greater Boston
See also Boston transportation
Rail Transportation
The first railway line in the United States was in Quincy. See Neponset River.
Ocean Transportation