Massachusetts

The past is alive in Massachusetts as in few other places in America. Walking down a tiny side street in Boston, or hiking through the gentle hills of the Berkshire Mountains, it is easy to imagine life in the 1700s, when Massachusetts was the leading British colony in the Americas. Boston, the state capital, is both an old colonial city and a bustling, modern commercial center. South of the city, the state has miles of beaches on the Atlantic Ocean, especially along the gentle shores of Cape Cod and the Nantucket islands. To the west stand ancient, eroded mountains, dotted with a multitude of small college towns loaded with old-fashioned New England charm.

Massachusetts was the site of the first permanent English colony in North America, established by the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1620. The quintessential American holiday of Thanksgiving has its roots here, commemorating a celebration held between the original settlers and the local Wampanoag Indians. One of the original 13 states, the state became famous for its thriving intellectual life. Many of the giants of 19th century American literature came from Massachusetts, including Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne and Dickinson. That heritage lives on in the many colleges and universities that bring tens of thousands of students to the state every year.

Today Massachusetts is one of the most dynamic states in the nation, and Boston serves as the unofficial capital of New England. The state's 19th century manufacturing base has been replaced by a booming high-tech industry and many financial service companies are headquartered here. Massachusetts is also famous for its medical schools and hospitals, its gorgeous fall foliage and its cranberry crop, the largest in the world.