Boston Travel Information

Boston Information

Located on Boston Harbour on the East coast of the state, Boston is the capital and largest city of Massachusetts and is one of the oldest cities in the US. Full of historical landmarks, imposing architecture, museums, art galleries, and parks and gardens Boston is so steeped in history that the past and present blend inexorably in this city known as ‘The Cradle of Liberty’ and ‘The Hub of the Universe.’

Puritan settlers founded Boston in 1630 when they emigrated from England looking for a New World. The eighteenth century brought growth and prosperity to the region through trade with Europe and the West Indies. Revolutionary zeal and a thirst for independence led to Boston’s involvement in several of the key battles of the American Revolutionary War of 1775-1783. Following the war Boston cemented itself as one of America’s leading economies and with the expansion of trade and manufacturing industries it prospered through the nineteenth century. The City of Boston was incorporated in 1822. Apart from its economic strengths nineteenth century Boston was a wellspring of educational and scientific advancements and this led to many technological and medical discoveries. The burgeoning wealth of the city and its people created a virtual American aristocracy and Boston’s importance on the US stage grew. Growth slowed in the 1900s as cities in the surrounding states increased in economic importance, but in the closing decades of the twentieth century Boston’s star rose again and it’s now one of the US’s strongest economies and is a hub of finance and education.

Boston has a warm subtropical climate but the weather can be very changeable and its not unusual to experience several seasons in a single day. Summers are generally very warm and humid with daytime temperatures averaging 27°C (80°F) and winters can be bitterly cold and snowy with temperatures around 4°C (39°F) during the day. Spring and autumn are particularly beautiful and the many parks and gardens in the city explode into dazzling iridescence of new flowers and foliage or change into a kaleidoscope of falling colours. Check out the huge variety of flowering plants and trees at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, or the gorgeous gardens of the Boston Common in the centre of town in spring.