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Boston is the capital and largest city of Massachusetts. It is also one of the oldest cities in the country, settled in 1630. The city is intimately tied to the earliest days of the American Revolution, with events including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, Battles of Lexington and Concord and the famous Battle of Bunker Hill.
The unofficial "Capital of New England", Beantown has become a cultural, educational and economic center of the Greater Boston metropolitan area, home to 4.5 million people, the tenth-largest metro area in the United States. Towns surrounding Boston include Winthrop, Revere, Chelsea, Everett, Somerville, Cambridge, Watertown, Newton, Brookline, Needham, Dedham, Canton, Milton, and Quincy.
With so many colleges and universities in the area, including renowned Harvard University and M.I.T, Boston College, Northeastern University and Emerson College, the city's economy is strong in research, electronics, engineering, finance, and technology, especially biotechnology. In 2006, Boston ranked as 4th largest high tech cyber city with almost 200,000 high tech jobs. Boston ranks first in the country in jobs per square mile ahead of New York City and Washington, D.C. A 2008 study ranked Boston among the top 10 cities in the world for a career in finance. It is home to large asset managers such as Fidelity Investments. Since the job market tends to be relatively more stable for asset managers than for investment bankers or stock traders, Boston becomes an attractive financial job market during economic recessions and downturns.
There are 21 neighborhoods in Boston. They include the Waterfront, with luxury condos, Charlestown, Chinatown, North End, North Station, and South End, home to the Boston Ballet and BU Medical Center. The South End Historic District is the largest Victorian-era neighborhood in the U.S. Beacon Hill has quaint, tree lined narrow streets and expensive homes. Those fortunate enough to live in the Beacon Hill neighborhood enjoy the luxury of being near Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden. Other neighborhoods include Back Bay, East Boston, Fenway, South Boston, Dorchester, Roxbury, West Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain.
A devoted and history laden sports town, residents and other New Englanders root for the venerable Boston Red Sox , a founding member of baseball's American League in 1901; NBA's storied Boston Celtics, winner of 17 NBA championships; and Boston Bruins of the NHL.
