NEW ENGLAND

an area of the north-eastern US which includes the states of Maine , New Hampshire , Vermont , Massachusetts , Rhode Island and Connecticut . It is known for its beautiful small towns which are popular with visitors, especially in the autumn. New Englanders , a large number of whom have Irish ancestors, are often called the real Yankees. Other Americans consider them to be very independent, clever, practical and suspicious of people they do not know. The English explorer Captain John Smith named the area in 1614, and the American Revolution began there.