Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

is a

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

located in the

Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States, also referred to as the Northeast, the East Coast, or the American Northeast, is a geographic region of the United States. It is located on the Atlantic coast of North America, with Canada to its north, the Southe ...

Municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in the state are classified as either towns or cities, distinguished by their form of government under state law. Towns have an open town meeting or

representative town meeting A representative town meeting, also called "limited town meeting", is a form of municipal legislature particularly common in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and permitted in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. Representative town meetings function ...

form of government; cities, on the other hand, use a mayor-council or council-manager form. Massachusetts is divided into 351

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

, based on the form of government. There are 292 towns and 59 cities in Massachusetts. Some municipalities, however, still refer to themselves as "towns" even though they have a city form of government. The Census Bureau classifies towns in Massachusetts as a type of "

minor civil division A minor civil division (MCD) is a term used by the United States Census Bureau for primary governmental and/or administrative divisions of a county or county-equivalent, typically a municipal government such as a city, town, or civil township. MCD ...

" and cities as a type of "

populated place Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

". However, from the perspective of Massachusetts law, politics, and geography, cities and towns are the same type of municipal unit, differing only in their form of government. There is no unincorporated land in Massachusetts; the land area of the state is completely divided up among the 351 municipalities.

Gallery

DowntownBoston.jpg, alt=Skyline of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Skyline of

, largest municipality by population in

Downtown Worcester, Massachusetts.jpg, alt=Downtown

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

, Downtown

, Massachusetts's second largest municipality by population Springfield Skyline, MA.jpg, Skyline of Springfield, third largest municipality by population in Massachusetts Cambridge Skyline.jpg, Skyline of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, Massachusetts's fourth largest municipality by population Lowell skyline.jpg, Skyline of Lowell, fifth largest municipality by population in Massachusetts BrocktonCityHall.jpg, City Hall in Brockton, Massachusetts's sixth largest municipality by population Quincycenter.jpg, Downtown Quincy, seventh largest municipality by population in Massachusetts Downtown Lynn, MA (May 2021).jpg, Skyline of Lynn, eighth largest municipality by population in Massachusetts NewBedford21June07HarborViewInland.jpg, Downtown

New Bedford New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American p ...

, the ninth largest municipality by population in Massachusetts

List of municipalities

Massachusetts_Towns_by_Population_(2020_census)

Geography of towns at formation

This map shows towns colored by the date they were incorporated in Massachusetts since the founding of Plimoth Plantation in 1620. Many of the towns and future cities shown covering the area of their original incorporation have since been divided into two, three or in some cases several smaller municipalities. For example, Dorchester was incorporated in 1630 and originally included all of the current Dorchester, now the largest neighborhood of Boston, plus the Boston neighborhood of Mattapan, and all of present-day Quincy, Milton, Braintree, Randolph, Holbrook, Canton, Sharon, Stoughton, Avon and the northeast portion of Foxboro. Nearly all of Massachusetts territory had been incorporated by 1815, with the final three areas of

Erving Erving may refer to: People * Cameron Erving (born 1992), American college football player * George W. Erving (1769–1850), American diplomat * Julius Erving (born 1950), American basketball player, also known as "Dr. J" * Erving Goffman (1922� ...

(1838),

Gay Head Aquinnah ( wam, Âhqunah) is a town located on the western end of Martha's Vineyard island, Massachusetts. From 1870 to 1997, the town was incorporated as Gay Head. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 439. Aquinnah is known for its beaut ...

(now Aquinnah) and Mashpee (both 1870) being incorporated from previously Native American land.

Former municipalities

Some towns and cities were annexed to others; disincorporated; or ceded to another state in their entirety. This list does not include territory changes affecting only part of a municipality; see History of Massachusetts.

Annexations

The following formerly independent municipalities have been annexed to Boston: *

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

(1873) * Charlestown (1873) * Dorchester (1869) * Hyde Park (1912) *

Roxbury Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Bo ...

(1867) *

West Roxbury West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton and Needham to the northwest and the town of Dedham to th ...

(1873) The town of

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

was annexed to

Haverhill, Massachusetts Haverhill ( ) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States Cen ...

in 1897.

Disincorporations

The following towns were disincorporated in 1938 due to the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir; all their territory was absorbed into surrounding towns: * Dana * Enfield *

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

* Prescott

Cessions

The following towns were ceded to the Rhode Island colony in 1747 as part of a border dispute: * Barrington *

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

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Due to general lack of colonial government there, all four towns in colonial New Hampshire chose to become part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1641. They were ceded to the re-formed Province of New Hampshire in 1680, under a newly issued royal charter. * Dover, New Hampshire, Dover * Exeter, New Hampshire, Exeter * Hampton, New Hampshire, Hampton * Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Portsmouth Numerous towns were ceded to New Hampshire after the

Northern boundary of Massachusetts The northern boundary of the U.S. state of Massachusetts adjoins two other states: Vermont and New Hampshire. The majority of the boundary is roughly a straight line from the northwest corner of the state ( NAD27Franklin K. VanZandtBoundaries of ...

was defined by royal decree in 1741. * Dunstable North * Naticook *

Nottingham Nottingham ( , locally ) is a city and unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east of Sheffield and north-east of Birmingham. Nottingham has links to the legend of Robi ...

Those towns were later disincorporated and reincorporated under New Hampshire laws on the same day in 1746. All settlements in the District of Maine were ceded when the state of

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

gained its independence from Massachusetts in 1820 as part of the

Missouri Compromise The Missouri Compromise was a federal legislation of the United States that balanced desires of northern states to prevent expansion of slavery in the country with those of southern states to expand it. It admitted Missouri as a Slave states an ...

Archaic names

Many municipalities have changed names.Archaic Community, District, Neighborhood, Section and Village, Names in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Secretary of State Citizen Information Service. Retrieved 2008 Apr 13.

Notes

References

External links

Massachusetts City and Town Directory
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Elections Division {{DEFAULTSORT:Municipalities In Massachusetts * *