massachusetts

Massachusetts Massachusetts has contributed much to American arts and culture. Drawing from its Native American and Yankee roots, along with later immigrant groups, the commonwealth has produced a number of writers, artists, and musicians. A number of major museums and important historical sites are also located there, and events and festivals throughout the year celebrate the state's history and heritage. Massachusetts was an early center of the [|Transcendentalist] movement, which emphasized intuition, emotion, human individuality and a deeper connection with nature.[|[][|68][|]] [|Ralph Waldo Emerson], who was from Boston but spent much of his later life in [|Concord], largely created the philosophy with his 1836 work [|//Nature//], and continued to be a key figure in the movement for the remainder of his life. Emerson's friend, [|Henry David Thoreau], who was also involved in Transcendentalism, recorded his year spent alone in a small cabin at nearby [|Walden Pond] in the 1854 work //[|Walden; or, Life in the Woods]//.[|[][|183][|]] Other famous authors and poets born or strongly associated with Massachusetts include [|Nathaniel Hawthorne], [|John Updike], [|Emily Dickinson], [|Henry Wadsworth Longfellow], [|E.E. Cummings], [|Sylvia Plath], and [|Theodor Seuss Geisel], better known as "Dr. Seuss".[|[][|184][|]][|[][|185][|]][|[][|186][|]] Famous painters from Massachusetts include [|Winslow Homer] and [|Norman Rockwell];[|[][|186][|]] many of the latter's works are on display at the [|Norman Rockwell Museum] in [|Stockbridge].[|[][|187][|]] An outdoor dance performance at [|Jacob's Pillow] in [|Becket] The commonwealth is also an important center for the performing arts. Both the [|Boston Symphony Orchestra] and [|Boston Pops Orchestra] are based in Massachusetts.[|[][|188][|]] Other orchestras in the commonwealth include the [|Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra] in [|Barnstable] and the [|Springfield Symphony Orchestra].[|[][|189][|]][|[][|190][|]] [|Tanglewood], in western Massachusetts, is a music venue that is home to both the [|Tanglewood Music Festival] and [|Tanglewood Jazz Festival], as well as the summer host for the Boston Symphony Orchestra.[|[][|191][|]][|[][|192][|]] [|Jacob's Pillow] in [|the Berkshires] hosts a number of traditional and contemporary musical and dance events.[|[][|193][|]] Other performing arts and theater organizations in Massachusetts include the [|Boston Ballet],[|[][|194][|]] the [|Boston Lyric Opera],[|[][|188][|]] and the [|Lenox]-based [|Shakespeare & Company].[|[][|195][|]] In addition to classical and folk music, Massachusetts has produced musicians and bands spanning a number of contemporary genres, such as the [|classic rock] band [|Aerosmith], the [|New Wave] band [|The Cars], and the [|alternative rock] band [|Pixies].[|[][|196][|]] Film events in the state include the [|Boston Film Festival], the [|Boston International Film Festival], and a number of smaller film festivals in various cities throughout the commonwealth.[|[][|197][|]] [|USS //Constitution//] fires a salute during its annual Fourth of July turnaround cruise Massachusetts is home to a large number of museums and historical sites. The [|Boston Museum of Fine Arts], the [|Institute of Contemporary Art] and the [|DeCordova] contemporary art and sculpture museum in [|Lincoln] are all located within the commonwealth,[|[][|198][|]][|[][|199][|]] and the [|Maria Mitchell Association] in [|Nantucket] includes several observatories, museums, and an aquarium.[|[][|200][|]] Historically themed museums and sites such as the [|Springfield Armory National Historic Site] in [|Springfield],[|[][|17][|]] Boston's [|Freedom Trail] and nearby [|Minute Man National Historical Park], both of which preserve a number of sites important during the [|American Revolution],[|[][|17][|]][|[][|201][|]] the [|Lowell National Historical Park], which focuses on some of the earliest mills and canals of the [|industrial revolution] in the US,[|[][|17][|]] the [|Black Heritage Trail] in Boston, which includes important African-American and abolitionist sites in Boston,[|[][|202][|]] and the [|New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park][|[][|17][|]] all showcase various periods of the commonwealth's history. [|Plimoth Plantation] and [|Old Sturbridge Village] are two [|open-air] or "living" museums in Massachusetts, recreating life as it was in the 17th and early 19th centuries, respectively.[|[][|203][|]][|[][|204][|]] Boston's annual [|St. Patrick's Day] parade and "Harborfest", a week-long [|Fourth of July] celebration featuring a fireworks display and concert by the Boston Pops as well as a turnaround cruise in Boston Harbor by [|USS //Constitution//],[|[][|205][|]] are popular events. The [|New England Summer Nationals], an [|auto show] in Worcester, draws tens of thousands of attendees every year.[|[][|206][|]]

[[|edit]] Media
See also: [|List of television stations in Massachusetts], [|List of newspapers in Massachusetts], and [|List of radio stations in Massachusetts] There are two major television media markets located in Massachusetts. The Boston/Manchester market is the fifth largest in the United States.[|[][|207][|]] All major networks are represented. The other market surrounds the Springfield area. [|WGBH-TV] in Boston is a major public television station and produces national programs such as [|//Nova//], [|//Frontline//], and //[|American Experience]//.[|[][|208][|]][|[][|209][|]] //[|The Boston Globe]//, //[|Boston Herald]//, //[|Springfield Republican]// and the //[|Worcester Telegram & Gazette]// are the commonwealth's largest daily newspapers.[|[][|210][|]] In addition, there are many community dailies and weeklies. There are a number of major [|AM] and [|FM] stations which serve Massachusetts,[|[][|211][|]] along with many more regional and community-based stations. Some colleges and universities also operate campus television and radio stations, and print their own newspapers.[|[][|212][|]][|[][|213][|]][|[][|214][|]][|[][|215][|]][|[][|216][|]]

[[|edit]] Health
See also: [|List of hospitals in Massachusetts], [|Massachusetts health care reform], and [|Governorship of Mitt Romney#Health care] Massachusetts generally ranks highly among states in most health and disease prevention categories. In 2009, the United Health Foundation ranked the state as third healthiest overall.[|[][|217][|]] However, the study also pointed to several areas in which Massachusetts ranked below average, such as the state's rate of [|binge drinking], which was the 11th highest in the country.[|[][|217][|]] Massachusetts has the most doctors per 100,000 residents,[|[][|218][|]] the second lowest [|infant mortality rate],[|[][|219][|]] and the lowest percentage of uninsured residents (for both children as well as the total population).[|[][|220][|]] According to //[|Businessweek]//, commonwealth residents have an average life expectancy of 78.4 years, the fifth longest in the country.[|[][|221][|]] 37.2% of the population is overweight and 21.7% is obese,[|[][|222][|]] and Massachusetts ranks sixth highest in the percentage of residents who are considered neither obese nor overweight (41.1%).[|[][|222][|]] The nation's first [|Marine Hospital] was erected by federal order in Boston in 1799.[|[][|223][|]][|[][|224][|]] The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine lists a total of 132 hospitals in the state.[|[][|225][|]] According to rankings by //[|US News & World Report]//, [|Massachusetts General Hospital] in Boston is the third best overall hospital in the nation;[|[][|226][|]] the hospital also ranked first in [|psychiatry].[|[][|227][|]] Massachusetts General was founded in 1811 and serves as the largest teaching hospital for nearby [|Harvard University].[|[][|228][|]] Other teaching and medical institutions affiliated with Harvard include [|Brigham and Women's Hospital], [|Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center] and [|Dana-Farber Cancer Institute], among others.[|[][|229][|]] Boston is also the location of [|New England Baptist Hospital], [|Tufts Medical Center] and [|Boston Medical Center], the latter of which is the primary teaching hospital for [|Boston University].[|[][|230][|]] The [|University of Massachusetts Medical School] is located in [|Worcester].[|[][|231][|]] The [|Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences] has campuses in both Boston and Worcester.[|[][|232][|]]

[[|edit]] Organized sports
[|TD Garden] in Boston is home to the [|Boston Celtics] of the [|NBA]. The Olympic sports of basketball and volleyball were invented in Western Massachusetts, (in Springfield and Holyoke, respectively.) The [|Basketball Hall of Fame], a shrine to the sport's history, is a major tourist destination in the City of Springfield. The [|Volleyball Hall of Fame] is located in Holyoke.[|[][|233][|]] Massachusetts has a long history with amateur athletics and professional teams. Most of the major professional teams have won multiple championships in their respective leagues. Massachusetts teams have won six [|Stanley Cups] ([|Boston Bruins]),[|[][|234][|]] seventeen [|NBA Championships] ([|Boston Celtics]),[|[][|235][|]] three [|Super Bowls] ([|New England Patriots]),[|[][|236][|]] and eight [|World Series] (seven for the [|Boston Red Sox], one for the [|Boston Braves]).[|[][|237][|]] The [|American Hockey League], (AHL,) the NHL's development league, is headquartered in Springfield. Other professional sports teams in Massachusetts include the [|Springfield Falcons] AHL team, the [|Worcester Sharks] AHL team, and the [|Springfield Armor] [|NBA Development League] team. Massachusetts is also the home of the [|Cape Cod Baseball League], rowing events such as the [|Eastern Sprints] on Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester and the [|Head of the Charles Regatta],[|[][|238][|]][|[][|239][|]] and the [|Boston Marathon].[|[][|240][|]] A number of major golf events have taken place in Massachusetts, including nine [|U.S. Opens] and two [|Ryder Cups], among others.[|[][|241][|]][|[][|242][|]][|[][|243][|]] The [|New England Revolution] is the [|Major League Soccer] team in Massachusetts,[|[][|244][|]] and the [|Boston Cannons] are the [|Major League Lacrosse] team.[|[][|245][|]] The [|Boston Breakers] are the [|Women's Professional Soccer] in Massachusetts. A gymnastics center called Brestyan's American Gymnastics has also become well known in the last ten years for producing several internationally successful gymnasts like Olympic silver medalist and vault world champion [|Alicia Sacramone], 2011 world champion [|Alexandra Raisman] and Canadian National Team member Talia Chiarelli. Both Sacramone and Raisman have become professional athletes thus foregoing their college gymnastics eligibility, which is rather rare in gymnastics. Sacramone competed for the Brown University before deciding to go pro whereas Raisman was expected to join the Florida Gators but instead decided to accept endorsement money and aim for the Olympics 2012. Many universities in Massachusetts are active in college athletics. There are a number of [|NCAA] Division I teams in the state involved in multiple sports: [|Boston University], [|Harvard University], [|Boston College], [|Northeastern University], [|College of the Holy Cross] in Worcester, and the [|University of Massachusetts at Amherst].[|[][|246][|]][|[][|247][|]][|[][|248][|]]

[[|edit]] Outdoor recreation
Long-distance hiking trails in Massachusetts include the [|Appalachian Trail], the [|New England National Scenic Trail], the [|Metacomet-Monadnock Trail], the [|Midstate Trail], and the Bay Circuit Trail.[|[][|249][|]][|[][|250][|]] Other outdoor recreational activities in the commonwealth include sailing and yachting, freshwater and deep-sea fishing,[|[][|251][|]] [|whale watching],[|[][|252][|]] downhill and cross-country skiing,[|[][|253][|]] and hunting. Massachusetts was the first state to require municipalities to appoint a teacher or establish a grammar school with the passage of the [|Massachusetts Education Law] of 1647,[|[][|168][|]] and 19th century reforms pushed by [|Horace Mann], founder of [|Westfield State University], laid much of the groundwork for contemporary universal public education.[|[][|169][|]][|[][|170][|]] Massachusetts is home to the country's oldest public elementary school ([|The Mather School], founded in 1639), oldest high school ([|Boston Latin School], founded in 1635),[|[][|171][|]] oldest boarding school ([|The Governor's Academy], founded in 1763), oldest college ([|Harvard University], founded in 1636)[|[][|172][|]] and oldest women's college ([|Mount Holyoke College], founded in 1837).[|[][|173][|]] In 1852, Massachusetts became the first state to pass compulsory school attendance laws.[|[][|174][|]] The per-student public expenditure for elementary and secondary schools (kindergarten through grade 12) was fifth in the nation in 2004, at $11,681.[|[][|175][|]] In 2007, Massachusetts scored highest of all the states in math on the National Assessments of Educational Progress.[|[][|176][|]] Massachusetts is home to 121 institutions of higher education.[|[][|177][|]] Harvard University and the [|Massachusetts Institute of Technology], both located in [|Cambridge], consistently rank among the world's best universities.[|[][|178][|]][|[][|179][|]][|[][|180][|]] The [|University of Massachusetts] (nicknamed //UMass//) features five campuses in the state, with its flagship campus in [|Amherst] that enrolls over 25,000 students.[|[][|181][|]][|[][|182][|]] Throughout the m There are [|50 cities and 301 towns] in Massachusetts, grouped into [|14 counties].[|[][|160][|]] The fourteen counties, moving roughly from west to east, are [|Berkshire], [|Franklin], [|Hampshire], [|Hampden], [|Worcester], [|Middlesex], [|Essex], [|Suffolk], [|Norfolk], [|Bristol], [|Plymouth], [|Barnstable], [|Dukes], and [|Nantucket]. Eleven communities which call themselves "towns" are, by law, cities since they have traded the [|town meeting] form of government for a mayor-council or manager-council form.[|[][|161][|]] Boston is the state capital and largest city in Massachusetts. The population of the city proper is 609,023,[|[][|162][|]] and [|Greater Boston], with a population of 4,522,858, is the 10th largest [|metropolitan area] in the nation.[|[][|163][|]] Other cities with a population over 100,000 include [|Worcester], [|Springfield], [|Lowell], and [|Cambridge].[|[][|164][|]] [|Plymouth] is the largest municipality in the state by land area.[|[][|160][|]] Massachusetts, along with the five other [|New England] states, features the local governmental structure known as [|the New England town].[|[][|165][|]] In this structure, incorporated towns—as opposed to townships or counties—hold many of the responsibilities and powers of local government.[|[][|165][|]] Some of the county governments were abolished by the commonwealth in 1997, and elect only a sheriff and registrar of deed who are part of the state government.[|[][|166][|]] Others have been reorganized, and a few still retain county councils id 20th century, Massachusetts has gradually shifted from a Republican-leaning state to one largely dominated by Democrats; the [|1952 victory] of [|John F. Kennedy] over incumbent Senator [|Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.] is seen as a watershed moment in this transformation. His younger brother [|Edward M. Kennedy] held that seat until his death from a brain tumor in 2009.[|[][|148][|]] Massachusetts has since gained a reputation as being a politically liberal state and is often used as an archetype of [|modern liberalism], hence the usage of the phrase "[|Massachusetts liberal]".[|[][|149][|]] Massachusetts routinely votes for the [|Democratic Party], with the core concentrations in the Boston metro area, the Cape and Islands, and Western Massachusetts. Pockets of Republican strength are in the central areas along the I-495 crescent, and low-income communities on the south and north shores.[|[][|150][|]] As of the 2006 election, the Republican party holds less than 13% of the seats in both legislative houses of the [|General Court]: in the House, the balance is 141 Democratic to 19 Republican, and in the Senate, 35–5.[|[][|151][|]] Although [|Republicans] held the governor's office continuously from 1991 to 2007, they have been among the more socially liberal Republican leaders in the nation.[|[][|152][|]][|[][|153][|]] In the [|2004 election], Massachusetts gave native son [|John Kerry] 61.9% of the vote, his best showing in any state.[|[][|154][|]] In [|2008], President [|Barack Obama] carried the state with 61.8% of the vote.[|[][|155][|]] In a recent statewide election, a [|special election in 2010] for the U.S. Senate, saw Republican [|Scott Brown] defeat Democrat [|Martha Coakley] in an upset, by a 52% to 47% margin.[|[][|156][|]] A number of contemporary national political issues have been influenced by events in the commonwealth, such as the 2003 state Supreme Court decision [|allowing same-sex marriage][|[][|157][|]] and [|a 2006 bill] which mandated health insurance for all Bay Staters.[|[][|158][|]] In 2008, Massachusetts voters passed [|an initiative] decriminalizing possession of small amounts of [|marijuana] The [|Government of Massachusetts] is divided into three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The [|governor of Massachusetts] heads the executive branch; duties of the governor include signing or vetoing legislation, filling judicial and agency appointments, granting pardons, preparing an annual budget, and commanding the [|Massachusetts National Guard].[|[][|142][|]] Massachusetts governors, unlike those of most other states, are addressed as His/Her Excellency.[|[][|142][|]] The current governor is [|Deval Patrick], a Democrat from [|Milton]. The executive branch also includes the Executive Council, which is made up of eight elected councilors and the [|Lieutenant Governor].[|[][|142][|]] Abilities of the Council include confirming gubanatorial appointments and certifying elections.[|[][|142][|]] The [|Massachusetts House of Representatives] and [|Massachusetts Senate] comprise the legislature of the commonwealth, known as the [|Massachusetts General Court].[|[][|142][|]] The House consists of 160 members while the Senate has 40 members.[|[][|142][|]] Leaders of the House and Senate are chosen by the members of those bodies; the leader of the House is known as the Speaker while the leader of the Senate is known as the President.[|[][|142][|]] Each branch consists of several committees.[|[][|142][|]] Members of both bodies are elected to two-year terms. The Judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Judicial Court, which serves over a number of lower courts.[|[][|142][|]] The Supreme Judicial Court is made up of a chief justice and six associate justices.[|[][|142][|]] Judicial appointments are made by the governor and confirmed by the executive council.[|[][|142][|]] The Congressional delegation from Massachusetts is almost entirely [|Democratic].[|[][|143][|]][|[][|144][|]] Currently, the [|U.S. senators] are Democrat [|John Kerry] and Republican [|Scott Brown]. The ten members of the state's delegation to the [|U.S. House of Representatives] (all Democrats) are [|John Olver], [|Richard Neal], [|Jim McGovern], [|Barney Frank], [|Niki Tsongas], [|John F. Tierney], [|Ed Markey], [|Mike Capuano], [|Stephen Lynch], and [|Bill Keating].[|[][|144][|]] Federal court cases are heard in the [|United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts], and appeals are heard by the [|United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit].[|[][|145][|]] In US presidential elections, Massachusetts is allotted 12 votes in the [|electoral college], out of a total of 538.[|[][|146][|]] Like most states, the commonwealth's electoral votes are granted in a winner-take-all system.[|[][|147][|]]

The government of Massachusetts is divided into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. The commonwealth has a long political history; earlier political structures included the [|Mayflower Compact] of 1620, the separate [|Massachusetts Bay] and [|Plymouth] colonies, and the combined colonial [|Province of Massachusetts]. The [|Massachusetts Constitution] was ratified in 1780 while the [|Revolutionary War] was in progress, four years after the [|Articles of Confederation] was drafted, and eight years before the present [|United States Constitution] was ratified on June 21, 1788. Drafted by [|John Adams], the Commonwealth's constitution is one of the oldest functioning written constitutions in continuous effect in the world.[|[][|140][|]] In recent decades, Massachusetts politics have been generally dominated by the [|Democratic Party], and the state has a reputation for being one of the most [|liberal] in the country. In 1974, [|Elaine Noble] became [|the first] openly [|lesbian] or [|gay] candidate elected to a state legislature in US history.[|[][|141][|]] The state housed the first openly gay member of the [|United States House of Representatives], [|Gerry Studds]

Massachusetts was founded and settled by the Puritans in 1628. The descendants of the Puritans belong to many different churches; in the direct line of inheritance are the [|Congregational]/[|United Church of Christ], and congregations of [|Unitarian Universalist Association]. Most people in Massachusetts were Christians. Some also believed in [|predestination]. The headquarters of the [|Unitarian Universalist Association] is located on Beacon Hill in Boston.[|[][|109][|]] Today Protestants make up less than 1/4 of the state's population. Roman Catholics now predominate because of massive immigration from primarily Ireland, followed by [|Italy], [|Portugal], [|Quebec], and Latin America. A large Jewish population came to the Boston and Springfield areas 1880–1920. [|Mary Baker Eddy] made the Boston Mother Church of [|Christian Science] the world headquarters. [|Buddhists], [|Pagans], [|Hindus], [|Seventh-day Adventists], Muslims, and [|Mormons] also can be found. [|Kripalu Center] in [|Stockbridge], the Shaolin Meditation Temple in Springfield, and the Insight Meditation Center in [|Barre] are examples of non-western religious centers in Massachusetts. According to the [|Association of Religion Data Archives] the largest single denominations are the Roman Catholic Church with 3,092,296; the [|United Church of Christ] with 121,826; and the [|Episcopal Church] with 98,963 adherents. [|Jewish congregations] had about 275,000 members.[|[][|110][|]] The religious affiliations of the people of Massachusetts, according to a 2001 survey, are shown below:[|[][|111][|]] Built in 1681, the [|Old Ship Church] in [|Hingham] is the oldest church in America in continuous ecclesiastical use.[|[][|112][|]]
 * Christian – 69%
 * Catholic – 44%
 * Protestant denominations – 25%
 * Non-specific Protestant – 4%
 * [|Baptist]– 4%
 * [|Congregational]/[|United Church of Christ]– 3%
 * [|Episcopal]– 3%
 * Other denominations (2% or less each) – 11%
 * Jewish – 2%
 * Muslim – 1%
 * Other – 7%
 * No Religion – 16%
 * Refused to answer – 7%

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