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Massachusetts was a site of early English colonization: the Plymouth Colony was founded in 1620 by the Pilgrims of the Mayflower, and in 1630 the Massachusetts Bay Colony, taking its name from the indigenous Massachusett people, established settlements in Boston and Salem. During the 20th century, the state's economy shifted from manufacturing to services, and in the 21st century it is a global leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education, finance, and maritime trade. Originally dependent on agriculture, fishing, and trade, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center during the Industrial Revolution. Massachusetts is also home to the urban core of Greater Boston, the largest metropolitan area in New England and a region profoundly influential upon American history, academia, and the research economy. The state's capital and most populous city, as well as its cultural and financial center, is Boston. Massachusetts is the sixth smallest state by land area, but with over seven million residents, it is the most populous state in New England, the 15th most populous in the country, and the third most densely populated, after New Jersey and Rhode Island.

A part of the New England region, it borders the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode Island to its south, New Hampshire and Vermont to its north, and New York to its west. Massachusetts ( / ˌ m æ s ə ˈ tʃ uː s ɪ t s/ ( listen) MASS-ə- CHOO-sits, /- z ɪ t s/ -⁠zits Massachusett: Muhsachuweesut ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a state in the Northeast of the United States of America.