Massachusetts

It is also one of the highest scoring states on advanced placement tests. Out of the total population, 18.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.9% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line. It has one of the lowest high-school dropout rates in the nation and is tied with New Jersey for having the 2nd highest percentage of students who go on to college after high-school. 14.8% of the population and 10.8% of families are below the poverty line. Massachusetts is known for having one of the best public school systems in the nation. The per capita income for the city is $20,450. Massachusetts also is home to well-known independent research institutions, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory. Males have a median income of $35,138 versus $28,705 for females.

Music schools include Berklee and the New England Conservatory. The median income for a household in the city is $37,897, and the median income for a family is $47,391. Other notable Massachusetts colleges include Hampshire College and the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts). For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.9 males. In addition to MIT, technology-oriented universities include Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and University of Massachusetts Lowell, which includes the former Lowell Institute of Technology ("Lowell Tech"). For every 100 females there are 94.6 males. Massachusetts is home to one Ivy League university (Harvard) and four of the Seven Sisters (Mount Holyoke, Radcliffe College (now a research institute at Harvard), Smith, and Wellesley). The median age is 31 years.

News & World Report, 10 of the nation's top-50 colleges and universities are located in Massachusetts: Amherst College, Boston College, Brandeis University, Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Tufts University, Wellesley College and Williams College. In the city the population is spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 14.0% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 17.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who are 65 years of age or older. According to U.S. The average household size is 2.30 and the average family size is 3.01. Massachusetts hosts more prominent colleges and universities than any other state in the U.S. 34.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 7.0% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The population of metropolitan Boston surges noticeably during the school year due to the concentration of colleges and universities in the area (see list of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston). There are 301,534 households out of which 28.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.1% are married couples living together, 14.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 45.2% are non-families.

Eight Boston-area institutions (Boston College, Boston University, Brandeis, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Tufts, and UMass/Boston) call themselves "research universities;" they became, according to them, "engines of economic growth" following World War II, and currently contribute $7 billion annually to the local economy [3] (http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/2003/econimpact.html). 2.46% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. population, but is home to many of its most renowned preparatory schools, colleges, and universities[2] (http://www.utexas.edu/world/univ/state/) (see full list of colleges and universities in Massachusetts). The racial makeup of the city is 67.93% White, 24.47% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 3.44% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.17% from other races, and 2.65% from two or more races. Massachusetts contains only 2.5% of the U.S. There are 327,175 housing units at an average density of 600.8/km² (1,556.0/mi²). Massachusetts cities and towns of historical or cultural importance include. The population density is 1,306.4/km² (3,383.6/mi²).

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a total of 50 cities and 301 towns, grouped into 14 counties. As of the census² of 2000, there are 711,470 people, 301,534 households, and 165,240 families residing in the city. See also: List of Massachusetts counties; List of cities in Massachusetts. German Village (http://germanvillage.com/) has an annual Oktoberfest celebration featuring 32 bands, authentic German food, and various other festival activities. Barnstable and Dukes Counties have adopted modern county charters, enabling them to act as efficient regional governments. The Short North is host to the monthly "Gallery Hop", which attracts hundreds to the neighborhood's art galleries (which all open their doors to the public until late at night) and street musicians. The governments of Bristol, Plymouth, and Norfolk Counties remain substantially unchanged. The Origins International Game Expo is held around the first week of July.

This law was later amended to abolish Hampshire County on January 1, 1999; Essex County on July 1 of that same year; and Berkshire County on July 1, 2000. Chapter 34B of the Massachusetts General Laws (http://www.state.ma.us/legis/laws/mgl/gl-34B-toc.htm) provides that other counties may also vote to abolish themselves, or to reorganize as a "regional council of governments", as Hampshire and Franklin Counties have done. Around the Fourth of July, Columbus hosts Red, White, and Boom (http://columbusoh.about.com/library/bljul01.htm), the largest fireworks display in the midwest on the riverfront downtown to crowds of over 500,000 people, as well as the popular "Doo Dah Parade", a nonsensical satire of ordinary parades. The law abolishing Middlesex County also provided for the elimination of Hampden County and Worcester County on July 1, 1998. Coinciding with the weekend of ComFest is the large Gay Pride Parade, reflective of the sizeable gay population in Columbus. Later that year, the Franklin County Commission voted itself out of existence. ComFest (http://www.comfest.com/) (short for "community festival") is an immense three-day gathering in Goodale Park (just north of downtown Columbus) with art vendors and live music on multiple stages, hundreds of local social and political organizations, body painting, and enough beer to quench anyone's thirst. The government of Middlesex County was officially abolished on July 11, 1997. Annual festivities in Columbus include the Ohio State Fair—one of the largest state fairs in the country; the Columbus Arts Festival and the Jazz and Ribs Festival, both of which occur on the downtown waterfront.

Mismanagement of Middlesex County's public hospital in the mid 1990s left that county on the brink of insolvency, and in 1997 the legislature stepped in by assuming all assets and obligations of the county. For parks and recreation, Columbus has Schiller Park, Westgate Park, Big Run Park, Dodge Park, Franklin Park Conservatory, Wolfe Park, Nelson Park, Civic Park, Griggs Reservoir Park, Highbanks Metro Park, Sharon Woods Metro Park, and Mock Park. The government of Nantucket County, which is geographically coterminous with the Town of Nantucket, is operated along similar lines- the town selectmen (executive branch) act as the county commissioners. For shopping, Columbus has the Polaris Fashion Center, Tuttle Mall, Westland Mall, Eastland Mall, and City Center Mall. Thus, residents of the other three Suffolk County communities do not have a voice on the county commission, but all the county expenses are paid by the city of Boston. The expansion of Ohio Stadium to over 100,000 in capacity, and the construction of the Crew Stadium (America's first soccer-specific stadium), Nationwide Arena, the Schottenstein Center, the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and the PromoWest Pavilion are all projects completed since 1990. The government of Suffolk County was substantially integrated with the city government of Boston more than one hundred years ago, to the extent that the members of the Boston city council are ex officio the Suffolk County Commissioners, and Boston's treasurer and auditor fulfill the same offices for the county. Much of the growth in entertainment capacity in Columbus has been recent.

By the 1990s, most functions of county governments (including operation of courts and road maintenance) had been taken over by the state, and most county governments were seen as inefficient and outmoded. Both of these conventions are very large draws of tourists to Columbus. However, many residents also identify with neighborhoods, villages, or other districts of their towns. Columbus also hosts the annual Arnold Classic weightlifting and fitness exposition in late February, hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as the annual Quarterhorse Congress. Census Bureau, which in most data products considers towns to be minor civil divisions, equivalent to townships in other states (usually with much weaker forms of government). It is the regular venue of notable local band Ekoostik Hookah, and musicians such as Smashing Pumpkins and Sarah McLachlan played at Newport before achieving fame. This complicates comparisons with other states, as most residents identify strongly with the town or city in which they reside, and not with the "populated places" as defined and used in the U.S. The Newport Music Hall, located in the OSU campus neighborhood, is a smaller venue, but highly respected among upcoming artists and the alternative music scene.

In contrast, the cities and towns of Massachusetts divide up all of the land between them and there are no "unincorporated" areas or population centers. Germain Ampitheater (formerly Polaris Ampitheater) is located north of the city, and hosts large outdoor concerts during the warmer months. County governments have significant importance, particularly to those living outside towns, and often perform major functions such as operating airports. Columbus also has a number of medium sized venues including the Palace Theatre, the Ohio Theatre (home of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra), the Southern Theatre, Franklin County Veterans Memorial hall, and PromoWest Pavilion. In contrast, the state is completely apportioned into counties. There are several major concert venues in Columbus, including Nationwide Arena (home of the Blue Jackets and the Destroyers), the Schottenstein Center (also home to OSU's men's and women's basketball and men's ice hockey teams), and Ohio Stadium. Between the towns are unincorporated areas, usually quite large, which do not belong to any town. All five teams have a following in Columbus, with the baseball and football fans fairly evenly split between the two cities, although a sizeable Pittsburgh Steelers fanbase exists as well.

In many states, a town is a compact incorporated area. This can be explained in part by the city's proximity to both Cincinnati (100 miles) and Cleveland (125 miles), which have five major league teams between them, the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds, and Cleveland Cavaliers. Massachusetts municipalities are subject to a budgetary law known as "Proposition 2½", by which they may not increase expenditures by more than 2½% per annum without the approval of the voters in a plebiscite. For its GMP and population growth rate, however, Columbus notably does not have a major league baseball, basketball, or football team. Massachusetts has a very limited home rule mechanism; in order to exercise jurisdiction outside of these bounds, a municipality must petition the General Court for special legislation giving it that authority. Columbus is also home to many professional sports teams, including the Columbus Crew (Major League Soccer), Columbus Clippers (minor league baseball), Columbus Blue Jackets (National Hockey League), and Columbus Destroyers (Arena Football League). These cities are legally styled "the City Known as the Town of X". It is easily the biggest annual event in the city, with an estimated 80% to 90% share of television viewers in the Columbus market, and is one of the greatest rivalries in all sports.

There are now a number of municipalities which are legally cities and thus have city councils, but retained the word "town" in their names, including Agawam, Methuen, Watertown, Weymouth, and Westfield. The OSU-Michigan football game is the final game of the regular season and is played in November each year (alternating between Columbus and Ann Arbor, Michigan). This distinction dates to the 1820s; prior to that, all municipalities were governed by Town Meeting. Tailgating at OSU home games has become an event in and of itself, with as many as 30,000 more people partying during the game in the parking lots and at controlled events on Lane Avenue such as Hineygate and the Varsity Club street party. Politically, the only difference between a town and a city is that a town is governed under the Town Meeting or Representative Town Meeting form of government, whereas a city has a city council (and may or may not have a mayor, a city manager, or both). Games are played from late August through late November (and usually in early January), with home games at Ohio Stadium in front of over 100,000 crazed Buckeye fans. Massachusetts law maintains a distinction between "cities" and "towns"; the largest town in population is Framingham. By far, the sports team that draws the most attention in Columbus is the Ohio State Buckeyes football team (2002 NCAA Champions).

Massachusetts shares with the six New England states, plus New York and New Jersey, a governmental structure known as the "New England town.". Columbus is home to several world class buildings, including the Greek-Revival State Capitol, and the Peter Eisenman-designed Wexner Center and Columbus Convention Center. The three largest Protestant denominations in Massachusetts are: Baptist (4% of total state population), Episcopalian (3%), Methodist & Congregationalist (tied 2%). The Columbus Zoo is world-renowned, and its director emeritus, Jack Hanna, frequently appears on national television, including The Tonight Show and The Late Show with David Letterman. The religious affiliations of the people of Massachusetts are:. Columbus is also home to a top-ranked library system, as well as several top-ranked independent libraries (Hennen’s American Public Library Ratings). The five largest ancestries in Massachusetts are Irish (22.5%), Italian (13.5%), English (11.4%), French (8%), German (5.9%). The Ohio Historical Society is headquartered in Columbus, with its flagship museum, the 250,000 square foot (23,000 m²) Ohio Historical Center, located just four miles (6 km) north of downtown.

Historically, the coast has been much more urban than Western Massachusetts, which is very rural, save for the cities of Springfield and Worcester. Notable among these are the Wexner Center for the Arts, a contemporary art gallery and research facility located on the OSU campus, the Ohio State University Athletics Hall of Fame located in the Schottenstein Center (home of the OSU basketball and hockey teams). The bulk of this population surrounds Greater Boston, with approximately 5,800,000 people, and the North and South Shores. To some extent, the Ohio State University is a museum unto itself with its rich history and roots in the Columbus psyche, but it does host a number of museums and museum-like exhibits. The population of Massachusetts is 6,433,422 (US Census, 2003). Columbus also includes the Center of Science and Industry (COSI), a notable science museum; and the museum of the Ohio Historical Society. See the list of Massachusetts places by per capita income. Downtown Columbus also boasts the Franklin Park Conservatory, which was also home to Ameriflora '92, and a to-scale replica of the Santa Maria on the Scioto Riverfront that was installed to commemorate the 500-year anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus' namesake.

Other sectors vital to the Massachusetts economy include higher education, health care, financial services and tourism. The Columbus Museum of Art opened in 1931, with a collection focusing on European and American art up to early modernism. Thanks largely to the Ocean Spray cooperative, Massachusetts is the second largest cranberry producing state in the union (after Wisconsin). The Statehouse was opened to the legislature and the public in 1857, and finally complete in 1861. Its industrial outputs are machinery, electric equipment, scientific instruments, printing, and publishing. Kelly, who introduced heating and an ingenious system of natural forced ventilation, was dismissed because the commissioners found his designs were too lavish for the original intentions of the committee. Its agricultural outputs are seafood, nursery stock, dairy products, cranberries, and vegetables. During the long course of the Statehouse's 22 years of construction, seven architects were employed. Relations between the legislature and the architects were not always cordial: Nathan B.

Per capita personal income in 2003 was $39,504, 4^th in the nation. Unlike many US state capitol buildings, the Ohio State Capitol owes little to the architecture of the National Capitol. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (http://www.bea.gov/) estimates that Massachusetts's total state product in 2003 was $297 billion. A broad and low central pediment supports the windowed astylar drum, under an invisibly low saucer dome, that lights the interior rotunda. See the articles on same-sex marriage in the United States and same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. The Statehouse features a central recessed porch with a colonnade of a forthright and primitive Greek Doric mode, built of Columbus limestone that was quarried on the west banks of the Scioto River. Following a November 2003 decision of the state's Supreme Court, Massachusetts became the first state to issue same-sex marriage licenses on May 17, 2004. The Statehouse stands upon foundations 18 feet (5 m) deep, which were laid by prison labor gangs, rumored to have been swelled by masons jailed for minor infractions [1] (http://www.statehouse.state.oh.us/statehouse/index.cfm).

When informed that the Democratic National Convention would be in Boston, House Majority Leader Dick Armey remarked, "If I were a Democrat, I suspect I'd feel a heck of a lot more comfortable in Boston than, say, America." While campaigning in the western part of the country, President Bush would often jab, "My opponent says he's in touch with the West, but sometimes I think he means Western Massachusetts." The stump speech that he used at many of his campaign stops included many such disparaging remarks directed at Massachusetts and New England in general. The Ohio Statehouse (illustration, right) was begun in 1839 on a 10 acre (40,000 m²) plot of land donated by four prominent Columbus landowners to form Capitol Square, not part of the original layout of the city. During the 2004 Presidential Election, Massachusetts was the target of many GOP regionalist attacks along the campaign trail. Other neighborhoods include: Marble Cliff, Valleyview, New Rome, Briggsdale, Urbancrest, Linden, Eastmoor, Minerva Park, Huber Ridge, Mifflinville, Linworth, Riverlea, Olentangy, Amlin, Lincoln Village, and Alton. During the Colonial period, Massachusetts was one of the leading states in the fight for independence. Just to the west of Franklinton is a group of smaller neighborhoods commonly referred to as "The Hilltop". The liberal tendencies of Massachusetts extend throughout American history: in the 19th century, Massachusetts was a center of abolitionism, having been the first state to abolish slavery by law. Franklinton also has the distinction of being the oldest--in fact the very first--settlement in central Ohio, originally founded in 1797.

Two of these governors, Paul Cellucci and Jane Swift took office when their predecessors resigned to take other positions. Linden, to the east of Columbus, is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods. Franklinton, aka "The Bottoms", is the neighborhood immediately to the west of downtown, which gets its colorful nickname due to the fact that much of the land is below the level of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers and requires a floodwall to contain the rivers and protect the area from devastating floods. Although Republicans have held the governor's office continuously from 1991 to the present, many of these (especially William Weld, the first of the recent lineage of Republican governors) are considered among the most moderate or progressive Republicans in the nation. San Margherita was formed by Italian immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. Congress. Clintonville is nestled between the OSU campus area and the suburb of Worthington to the north and consists of a mix of middle class Levittown type homes and beautiful old stone and brick-faced houses on rolling hills. state represented by one party in the U.S. The OSU Campus area has a high concentration of students during the in-session months (perhaps as many as 30,000), and is eclectic and ever-changing to the whims of the student body.

It is the home of the Kennedy family of political fame, and routinely votes for the Democratic Party in federal elections. As of 2004, it is by far the largest U.S. German Village, the largest privately funded historic district on the National Register of Historic Places, was formed by early German settlers and is still composed of 19th century houses, as is Victorian Village. Massachusetts has a reputation as being a politically liberal state, and is often used as an archetype of liberalism in the U.S. The Short North area, immediately north of downtown Columbus, is rich with art galleries, as well as pubs and specialty shops. The most populated part of western Massachusetts is the "Pioneer Valley", alongside the Connecticut River, which flows across Western Massachusetts from north to south. Columbus also has a number of distinctive neighborhoods within the metro area. Western Massachusetts is more rural and sparsely populated, especially in the Berkshires, the branch of the Appalachian Mountains which forms the western border of the state. These form a patchwork of jurisdictions, perforating and interrupting the discontinuous and ever-changing city limits of Columbus.

Most of the population of the Boston metropolitan area (approximately 5,800,000) does not live in the city; eastern Massachusetts on the whole is fairly densely populated and largely suburban. On the north, these include Worthington, Dublin, New Albany, and Westerville; on the west, Grandview Heights, Galloway, Plain City, West Jefferson, Upper Arlington, and Hilliard; on the south, Canal Winchester, Grove City, Obetz, Circleville, Lithopolis, and Groveport; and on the east, Bexley, Reynoldsburg, Gahanna, Blacklick, Whitehall, Pataskala, and Pickerington. Boston is the largest city, located at the inmost point of Massachusetts Bay, at the mouth of the Charles River, the longest river entirely within Massachusetts. The greater Columbus area includes many smaller cities, mostly within the Interstate 270 Outerbelt. A few cities and towns on the Massachusetts–Rhode Island border are also adjacent to Narragansett Bay. By and large, Columbus is fairly flat, with ravine areas around the rivers and creeks, although the land begins to rise to the east and southeast as you approach the Appalachian Mountains. Massachusetts is known as the Bay State because of the several large bays that give its coastline its distinctive shape: Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay on the state's east coast, and Buzzards Bay to the south. Several smaller tributaries course through the Columbus metro area, including Alum Creek, Big Walnut Creek, and Darby Creek.

The islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket lie to the south of Cape Cod. The confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy Rivers occurs just outside of downtown Columbus. At the southeastern corner of the state is a large, sandy, arm-shaped peninsula called Cape Cod. Unlike many other major US cities, Columbus continues to expand its reach by way of extensions and annexations, making it one of the fastest growing large cities in the nation, both in geography and population. Massachusetts is bordered on the north by New Hampshire and Vermont, on the west by New York, on the south by Connecticut and Rhode Island, and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean. The total area is 1.07% water. Massachusetts is commonly referred to by residents both as "the state" and as "the Commonwealth." For example, on March 22, 2005, one Boston Globe story said that opponents of a proposal saw it as "burdening the state with more law schools than it needs," while another published the same day noted that "the Commonwealth faces difficult spending choices.". 544.6 km² (210.3 mi²) of it is land and 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is water.

In his "Life and Works", Adams wrote: "There is, however, a peculiar sense in which the words republic, commonwealth, popular state, are used by English and French writers, who mean by them a democracy, a government in one centre, and that centre a single assembly, chosen at stated periods by the people and invested with the whole sovereignty, the whole legislative, executive and judicial power to be included in a body or by committees as they shall think proper." Source: [1] (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 550.5 km² (212.6 mi²). In this draft, Part Two of the Constitution, under the heading "Frame of Government", states, "that the people...form themselves into a free, sovereign, and independent body politic, or state by the name of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts." The first draft of the Constitution, and all acts and resolves up to 1780, had used the name "State of Massachusetts Bay"; but since the adoption of the second draft of the Constitution the state has always been referred to as The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Columbus is served by Port Columbus International Airport, Rickenbacker International Airport, Don Scott Airport (run by OSU), and Bolton Field Airport. The name "Commonwealth" for Massachusetts can be traced to the second draft of the state Constitution, written by John Adams and accepted by the people in 1780. (after Phoenix) without passenger rail service. There may have been some anti-monarchic sentiment informing the use of the word Commonwealth, which was also used to mean 'republic'. Columbus is now the second largest city in the U.S.

In the era leading up to 1780, when the state Constitution was ratified, the word Commonwealth was the preferred term among political writers for a whole body of people constituting a nation or state. Columbus used to have a major train station downtown called Union Station (http://home.columbus.rr.com/unionstation), however it was razed in the late 1970s. federal government's use of the term "commonwealth" to refer to the status of certain insular areas such as Puerto Rico. Columbus does not have a metro or other passenger rail system, but does maintain a widespread municipal bus service called the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). states that use the name "Commonwealth"; the others are Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Kentucky; this is distinct from the U.S. Besides High Street and Broad Street, major thoroughfares in Columbus include Main Street, Morse Road, Dublin-Granville Road (aka SR-161), Cleveland Avenue/Westerville Road (aka SR-3), Olentangy River Road, Riverside Drive, Sunbury Road, and Livingston Avenue. It is one of four U.S. This rigid street grid breaks down the further out one goes, particularly in the suburbs (mostly old towns with their own street plans still intact) and the newer subdivisions.

Massachusetts is officially termed "the Commonwealth of Massachusetts" (rather than "State") by its constitution. Much of the city street numbering plan originates at their intersection in mid-downtown (the Ohio Statehouse building sits at the corner of Broad and High, incidentally), so house numbers increase with distance from downtown. Retrieved March 24, 2005)
* Celebrated only in Suffolk County (Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop). The city's street plan--originating in the oldest parts of the city, that is downtown and the immediate vicinity--is a roughly gridiron model bisected north-south by High Street and east-west by Broad Street. Secretary of the Commonwealth Massachusetts web page (http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cismaf/mf1a.htm). Due to its central location within Ohio and abundance of outbound roadways, nearly all of the state's destinations are within a 2-hour drive of Columbus. (Galvin, William F., (2005). The Interstate 270 Outerbelt encircles the vast majority of Columbus and its suburbs, while the newly redesigned Innerbelt consists of the Interstate 670 spur on the north side (which continues to the east past the airport and to the west where it merges with I-270), State Route 315 on the west side, the I-70/71 split on the south side, and I-71 on the east.

Whenever a holiday falls on a Sunday it is observed on the following Monday. Highway 33 runs northwest-to-southeast. Constitution, Amendments, Article CXX (November, 1990). Highway 23 runs roughly north-south, while U.S. Mass. U.S. 1. It is also widely recognized as the nation's first highway.