Visiting Massachusetts

 

Welcome!

If you are interested in visiting or living in Massachusetts, this web site should give you some valuable information to help you toward that goal.

Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.  Most of the population live in the Boston metropolitan area.  The eastern half of Massachusetts is urban and suburban.  The west is primarily rural.  It is the most populous of the six New England states and ranks third in overal population density among the 50 states.

The first Europeans to settle New England landed in present-day Massachusetts.  These settlers were primarily separatist non-conformists later called Pilgrims and also Puritans from England seeking religious freedom.  They founded Plymouth, Salem, and Boston, which soon became the hub of the region.  A century and half later, Massachusetts became known as the "Cradle of Liberty' for the revolutionary ferment in Boston that helped spawn the war of the Thirteen Colonies for independence.

                                                 

 

Massachusetts has been a significant state in American history.  The first battles of the American Revolution were fought in the Massachusetts towns of Concord and Lexington.  The Boston Tea Party is an example of the protest spirit of the pre-revolutionary period.  In the 19th century, the state became a bastion of social progressivism and a birthplace of the abolitionist movement that emancipated southern blacks from slavery.

The Kennedy family was prominent in Massachusetts politics in the 20th century.  In the 21st century, the state continues to lead the country in social and cultural change.

The climate in Massachusetts is a humid continental having warm summers and cold, snowy winters.  Winters are cold, but generally less extreme on the coast with high temperatures in the winter averaging above freezing even in January.  Summers can bring thunderstorms and destructive tornadoes.  The western part of Massachusetts is slightly more vulnerable to tornadoes than coastal areas in the east, and like the entire United States eastern seaboard, Massachusetts is vulnerable to hurricanes.  It has suffered a direct hit from a major hurricane three times since 1851.  More often hurricanes weakened to tropical storm strength pass near Massachusetts.

The Crane Paper Company based in Dalton, Massachusetts makes rag based paper for the Federal Reserve Note.  

 

Federal Reserve Notes made from Crane Paper Company paper
Federal Reserve Notes made from Crane Paper Company paper
 
Stephen Crane was the first in the Crane family to become a papermaker.  He sold currency-type paper to engraver Paul Revere, who printed the American Colonies' first paper money.  In 1801 Crane was founded by Zenas Crane, Henry Wiswall and John Willard.  In 1844, Crane developed a method to embed parallel silk threads in banknote paper to denominate notes and deter counterfeiting.
 
Crane remains the predominant supplier of paper for use in U.S. currency.  Legislative attempts to open up the market to others have been defeated by action of Massachusetts' U.S. senators.
 
Massachusetts continues to attract top scholars and researchers as well as immigrants, however, high housing costs, taxes, weather and traffic in Massachusetts have contributed to emigration to the Boston exburbs, to neighboring New Hampshire and Rhode Island, and to Southern and Western regions of the United States.
 
Massachusettes remains a state rich in history with 100's of vacationing spots to enjoy and explore.
 
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