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.

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 go ...

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 Town meeting is a form of local government in which most or all of the members of a community are eligible to legislate policy and budgets for local government. It is a town- or city-level meeting in which decisions are made, in contrast with ...

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 go ...

, 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 The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal Statistical System of the United States, U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the Americans, Ame ...

classifies towns in Massachusetts as a type of " minor civil division" and cities as a type of " populated place". 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 An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

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 College town, 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. Cam ...

, 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, 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 Plimoth Patuxet is a complex of living history museums in Plymouth, Massachusetts, founded in 1947. Formerly Plimoth Plantation, it replicates the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by the English coloni ...

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 Mattapan () is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. Historically a section of neighboring Dorchester, Mattapan became a part of Boston when Dorchester was annexed in 1870. Mattapan is the original Native American name for the Dorchester ar ...

, 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 (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 beau ...

(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 The area that is now Massachusetts was colonized by English settlers in the early 17th century and became the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the 18th century. Before that, it was inhabited by a variety of Indian tribes. The Pilgrim Fathers wh ...

Annexations

The following formerly independent municipalities have been annexed to Boston: * Brighton (1873) * Charlestown (1873) * Dorchester (1869) * Hyde Park (1912) * Roxbury (1867) * West Roxbury (1873) The town of Bradford was annexed to Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1897.

Disincorporations

The following towns were disincorporated in 1938 due to the construction of the

Quabbin Reservoir The Quabbin Reservoir is the largest inland body of water in Massachusetts, and was built between 1930 and 1939. Along with the Wachusett Reservoir, it is the primary water supply for Boston, to the east, and 40 other cities and towns in Greate ...

; all their territory was absorbed into surrounding towns: * Dana *

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

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 A territorial dispute or boundary dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of land between two or more political entities. Context and definitions Territorial disputes are often related to the possession of natural resources s ...

: * Barrington *

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

* Little Compton * Tiverton *

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval A ...

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Gallery

List of municipalities

Geography of towns at formation

Former municipalities

Annexations

Disincorporations

Cessions

Archaic names

See also

Notes

References

External links