Map of Massachusetts (MA)

Saddle Ball Mountain and Pontoosuc Lake, Massachusetts

Saddle Ball Mountain, the 2nd highest peak in Massachusetts seen from Pontoosuc Lake, the peak on the right is Mt. Greylock, the highest summit in the state.
Image: Ericshawwhite

Massachusetts State Flag

About Massachusetts

Where in the United States is Massachusetts? Location map of the State of Massachusetts in the US.

Massachusetts, officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a state in the northeastern United States; it is one of the six New England states.

Massachusetts borders Vermont and New Hampshire in the north, Rhode Island and Connecticut in the south, and New York in the west. The state is bounded in the east by the Atlantic Ocean.

Massachusetts' nickname is "The Bay State," or also "The Spirit of America" currently used on the state's license plates.

The name Massachusetts is derived from the word of the Massachusetts language (an Algonquian language) and means "at the big hill" or "at the small, big hill."

Short History

Plimoth Plantation, living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts

The Plimoth Plantation

is a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The museum attempts to replicate the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by English colonists who later became known as the Pilgrims.
Image: Nancy

Settled by the Mayflower Pilgrims in 1620.
The area of Massachusetts was part of the original territory of the United States.

In the mid 18th century, the Massachusetts Bay Colony became a center of resistance to the British and a driving force of the movement for independence from Great Britain.

Boston, one of the oldest cities in the country, is known as "the birthplace of the American Revolution."

Massachusetts was admitted to the Union on 6th February 1788 as the 6th state.

Massachusetts State Map
Reference Map of Massachusetts

General Map of Massachusetts, United States.

The detailed map shows the US state of Massachusetts with boundaries, the location of the state capital Boston, major cities and populated places, rivers and lakes, interstate highways, principal highways, railroads and major airports.

You are free to use the above map for educational and similar purposes; if you publish it online or in print, you need to credit Nations Online Project as the source.

More about Massachusetts State

Topographic Regions Map of Massachusetts. Click on the map to enlarge.

Geography of Massachusetts

Area
The state occupies an area of 27,336 km² (10,555 sq mi), compared it is somewhat smaller than Belgium (30,528 km²).

Massachusetts extends from the Berkshire Mountains (part of the Appalachians) in the west to the Atlantic Coastal Plain in the east. The coast is shaped by several large bays, like Massachusetts Bay, Buzzards Bay, and Cape Cod Bay.

Two large islands belong to Massachusetts, Martha's Vineyard, the 260 km² (100 sq mi) wide island is known for being an affluent summer colony (a quiet and genteel bastion of old money).

Another summer colony is Nantucket; the island is a popular tourist destination and an architectural example of a late 18th- and early 19th-century New England seaport town with exorbitant home prices.

Landscape after an ice storm near Boxborough, Massachusetts.
Image: liz west

Highest point
The highest point in the state is Mount Greylock in the Taconic Mountains at 1063.4 m (3,489 ft).

Largest lake
The Quabbin Reservoir in the center of the state is the largest lake in Massachusetts; it is the primary fresh water supply for Boston. Three branches of the Swift River feed the reservoir.

Population

Rendered image of Downtown Boston and Massachusetts State House. The building with its gilded dome (in 23k gold) is located at Beacon Hill. It is the state capitol and seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Image: Google

Massachusetts has a population of 6.98 million people (est. 2021) ^[1]. Its primate city, state capital, largest and most populous urban area, and major port is Boston (pop. 675,000).

The largest metropolitan area is Greater Boston, with an estimated population of 4.7 million people, more than two-thirds of the total population of Massachusetts.

Massachusetts' population is composed of White 71%, Hispanic or Latino 12.4%, African American 9%, and Asian 7.2%. ^[2]

The main airport in the state is Boston's Gen. Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (IATA code: BOS).

Other airports with more than 50,000 passengers per year are:

Nantucket Memorial Airport (IATA code: ACK)
Worcester Regional Airport (IATA code: ORH)
Martha's Vineyard Airport (IATA code: MVY)

Downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, seen from across the Connecticut River.

Downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, seen from across the Connecticut River.

Downtown Springfield, MA, seen from across the Connecticut River.
Image: Expos1225

Cities and Towns in Massachusetts

Boston Massachusetts seen from the Harbour

Boston seen from the harbor. Massachusetts' primate city is the state's capital and largest city.
Image: Bob Linsdell

The largest cities in Massachusetts with a population of more than 100,000:
Boston (675,000), Worcester (206,000), Springfield (156,000), Lowell (116,000), and Cambridge (118,000)

Other cities and towns in Massachusetts

Amherst, Athol, Auburn, Barnstable, Brockton, Brookline, Chicopee, Easthampton, Fall River, Falmouth, Fitchburg, Framingham, Franklin, Gloucester, Goshen, Greenfield, Haverhill, Holyoke, Hyannis, Lawrence, Lynn, Malden, Marlborough, New Bedford, Newton, North Adams, Northampton, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Provincetown, Quincy, Salem, Scituate, Stockbridge, Taunton, Ware, Wareham, Westfield, and Woburn.

More about Massachusetts and the US

Cities -- Information about, and searchable maps of:

The states' capital Boston

U.S. States: