Every year, more than two million people take a two-mile walk into history along Boston’s Freedom Trail. Among the highlights are the cobblestoned site where British troops fired on colonists in the Boston Massacre of 1770, the meetinghouse where the Boston Tea Party was planned, and the home of Paul Revere.
Because it played such a prominent role in the country’s early history, Boston is known as “the Cradle of Liberty.” It has also been called “the hub of the universe,” because of its importance in the cultural, intellectual, and commerical growth of the United States.
Founded in 1630 by Puritans who fled England in search of religious freedom, Boston became a thriving port and a center for writers, educators, and social reformers. Beginning in the 1840s new immigrants from Ireland, Italy, and other countries brought the city the vitality that helped transform it into an industrial metropolis.
Boston is the largest city in New England. It is famous for its prestigious schools, libraries, and hospitals; its magnificent museums and musical organizations; and its beloved sports teams, including the Red Sox and the Celtics. There are more than 65 colleges and universities in the Boston area, serving 250,000 students. Each April, some 6,000 runners participate in the country’s oldest long-distance race, the Boston Marathon.