Higher Education  

Massachusetts has over 100 colleges and universities, and 28 two-year and community colleges. The largest state institution is the University of Massachusetts, with campuses in Amherst and Boston, as well as a medical school in Worcester. Other public institutions include Southeastern Massachusetts University in North Dartmouth and the University of Lowell in Lowell. Massachusetts' state colleges are located at Boston, Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Lowell, North Adams, Salem, Westfield, and Worcester.

Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, both in Cambridge, are eminent private institutions. Private institutions in Boston include Boston University, Northeastern University, Simmons College, New England Conservatory of Music, and Boston Conservatory. Other private institutions include Amherst College and Hampshire College in Amherst, Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Tufts University in Medford, Brandeis University in Waltham, Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Smith College in Northampton, Wellesley College in Wellesley, and Williams College in Williamstown.

Geography

Massachusetts occupies 21,456 square kilometers in area. The state may be divided into six geographic regions: the Taconic Range, the Berkshire Valley, the Berkshire Hills, the Connecticut River Valley, the Eastern New England Upland, and the Coastal Lowlands. A narrow mountain range on Massachusetts' western border, the Taconic Range is less than ten km wide. The Berkshire Valley lies between the Taconic Range to the west and the Berkshire Hills to the east. Consisting of a number of ranges and small valleys, the Berkshire Hills region is an extension of the Green Mountains of Vermont. The Connecticut River Valley stretches from the northern to the southern part of the state. The Eastern New England Upland is a hilly plateau between the Connecticut River Valley and the Coastal Lowlands. Occupying the eastern third of Massachusetts, the Coastal Lowlands include the Cape Cod peninsula, the offshore islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, the Elizabeth Islands, and the area 48-80.5 km inland from the coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic Ocean forms the state's eastern border and part of its southern border. Major cities include Boston (capital), Worcester, Springfield, and Lowell. The population of Massachusetts is over six million.

Climate

Overall, Massachusetts has a temperate climate. Eastern Massachusetts has both warmer winter and warmer summers than western Massachusetts. In Boston, which is on the East Coast, temperatures range from an average of -1.7° C in January to 22° C in July. Pittsfield, in western Berkshire County, averages -6° C in January and 20° C in July. Eastern Massachusetts receives an average of 102 cm of rain and 107 cm of snow annually, while western Massachusetts receives an average of 112 cm of rain and from 140-192 cm of snow.

Cultural Profile

Boston's museums include the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Boston Children's Museum, and the Museum of Science. Located in Cambridge, Harvard University is home to several museums including the Fogg Art Museum, the Sackler Art Museum, the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, and the Botanical Museum. Among Massachusetts' other noted museums are the Worcester Art Museum, the Springfield Science Museum, and the Berkshire Natural Museum in Pittsfield.

Performing arts organizations in Boston include the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Civic Symphony, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Opera Company, and the Boston Ballet. Pre-Broadway premieres are presented at the Shubert, the Wilbur, and the Colonial Theaters in Boston. The many community and college theater groups in the Greater Boston area also stage dramatic productions.

Recreation

Massachusetts has 107 state parks, forests, and recreational areas. In addition, the Atlantic Ocean and the state's many lakes, rivers, streams, and ponds also provide abundant opportunities for outdoor activities. Interesting places to visit in Massachusetts include Plymouth Rock, in Plymouth; Walden Pond, near Concord; Witch House, in Salem; Black Heritage Trail, in Boston; Old Sturbridge Village, in Sturbridge; and Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord.

Interesting Facts

In 1897, Boston became the first city in the USA to have a subway train. The telephone and the computer were developed in Massachusetts. Famous people from Massachusetts include John Adams and John Quincy Adams (the second and sixty presidents of the United States, respectively), Susan B. Anthony (social reformer), George Bush (forty-first president of the United States), Emily Dickinson (poet), Ralph Waldo Emerson (philosopher), John F. Kennedy (thirty-fifth president of the United States), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poet), Theodore Seuss Geisel ("Dr. Seuss," author of children's books), and Henry David Thoreau (philosopher).