n.
Seaport city (pop., 2000: 589,141), capital of Massachusetts, U.S. Located on Massachusetts Bay at the mouths of the Charles and Mystic rivers, it is the state's largest city.
Settled by Gov. John Winthrop in 1630, it was made the capital of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1632. As a leader in the opposition to British trade restrictions on its American colonies, Boston was a locus of events leading to the American Revolution : it was the scene of the Boston Massacre (1770) and Boston Tea Party (1773). It was the centre for the antislavery movement (183065). As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the U.S., Boston grew as an important manufacturing and textile centre. Today financial and high-technology industries are basic to its economy. Numerous institutions of higher education are located there, including Boston University. See also Cambridge .