Boston is the capital city, the largest city, and the most populated city in the
Massachusetts Commonwealth in the United States of America. In the entire United States, Boston is in the twenty-first position among the most populated cities. Boston is the official seat of the county of Suffolk, and it's Metropolitan Statistical Area, known as Greater Boston, remains in the top ten of the largest MSAs in the country. Its Combined Statistical Area is the sixth among the most populated CSAs in the United States of America.
Boston was established in 1630, making it among the oldest municipal regions in the United States. After undergoing the American Revolution, Boston gained its independence and has since remained a vibrant port city and an active educational, economic, and cultural hub in the country.
Owing to its active port, Boston remains a secure economic hub and even better, a vibrant educational center due to its many first colleges and centers for higher education. The city has since been considered an innovation and entrepreneurship leader across the world and is regarded as one of the cities with quite a high cost of living in the United States.
Boston has a convenient location on the Atlantic Ocean and is the only one with a marine shoreline among all the state capitals in the Conterminous United States. The city is surrounded by major rivers, the most significant one being the Charles River, including the Mystic and Neponset Rivers.
Around the city, there are numerous attractive spots for visitors, including the many museums and art galleries where fantastic art and craft masterpieces from before and today have been displayed. Visitors get to learn a few things about the history of the city as well as its development over the years.
Natural parks and humanmade gardens dot the city of Boston, providing for outdoor activities, basking, picnicking, and photography, among others. Several eating joints along the promenade provide for both the local delicacies and tasty cuisines and fusions for visitors to dig in.
The climate of Boston can be classified as a transitional one between the humid subtropical climate of Köppen Cfa or the humid continental climate of Köppen Dfa, depending mainly on the 26.6°F (-3°C) and 32°F (0°C) isotherms. The general characteristics are cold and stormy winters, hot and highly humid summers, mild springs, and warm and pleasant autumns.
Winter gets as cold as -4°F (-20°C) and is crowned with snowfall that accumulates to as high as 30cm on average. Cold winds and snowstorms are a regular occurrence, and the nights might get chillier than registered. However, the days are better as there are up to four and a half sunshine hours to enjoy.
Summer is sweltering, with the temperature going as high as 97.7°F (36.5°C)! There are up to ten hours of hot sunshine on top of all that, and the humidity averages 70% per day! This is an excellent time to dive into the water, but precaution is advised as the UV index shoots to 10.
Spring is mild and pleasant, and a few of its weeks might still receive traces of snowfall. The beauty of the blossoms adds to the fresh scents, and crisp air as visitors take to outdoors and other recreational activities.
Boston is a pleasant city to visit any time during the year. The city enjoys excellent weather and four distinct seasons, all featuring unique beauty, events, and attractions. The peak of the tourist seasons may come during autumn, between mid-
September and
October, during which period the excessive humidity and summer scorch has reduced considerably to give room to warm and pleasant weather in which outdoors are highly tolerable. The fall foliage itself is a significant attraction as visitors take to picnics and photography under the golden-brown illumination hovering above the city.
Apart from the Patriots Day that is usually held on every third Monday of
April, other common events include the famed Boston Marathon, the vibrant Boston Harborfest, and the high-attendance North End Festival.