Massachusetts packs considerable variety into a relatively compact area. The
oldest, most populous, industrialized, and urbanized of the six New England
states, it is also rich in history and places of interest. Bostonians no longer
claim that their city is the "Hub of the Universe," but it remains
the largest city in the region and one of the great educational, scientific,
and medical centers of the country. Proud of its past, Boston carefully preserves
it in old neighborhoods like Beacon Hill, while a stroll along the Freedom
Trail is both a walk through American history and a tour of a great metropolis.
The curving, sandy mass of Cape Cod makes up the southeastern part of the state.
A popular resort area, the Cape offers visitors charming old fishing ports,
lively resort towns and artists' colonies, long stretches of sandy beach, and
shifting dunes. (Courtesy of Rand McNally http://www.randmcnally.com)