BostonSmarts brings you the best and most thorough information about the city of Boston, Massachusetts.
It doesn't matter if you're a resident or a tourist, the BostonSmarts is a great resource for those looking to experience all the city has to offer.
Here you'll find information on several topics related to Boston like sporting events, live theater, major concerts, top restaurants, the hottest night clubs, things to do with your kids, things to do without your kids, and all other types of quality entertainment.
For example, we recommend checking out live music events in Boston.
For live events other than concerts, consider going to the WWE in Boston, bringing your kids to Boston's Disney on Ice Frozen or live theater in Beantown as well.
Whether you're looking to plan a night out on the town or a week-long vacation, BostonSmarts is your go-to-site.
To get started, let's answer one of the most frequently asked questions about Boston. How did the city get the nickname of "Beantown?"
Back in America's colonial period Boston had more molasses than it knew what to do with. So to get rid of some of it cooks started adding molasses to baked beans. They choose beans because they were cheap and easy to make. This "sweet dish" became known as Boston bake beans. Eventually, the city became known as Beantown.
Nowadays you'll be hard-pressed to find Boston baked beans in the city. Not a single Boston company makes them and only a few restaurants have the dish on their menus. |
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Originally, Boston was named Tremontaine (three mountains). This was in reference to the three large hills found on the Shawmut Peninsula. It's a good thing the name didn't stick because today only one of the three hills remains (Beacon). The other two were removed to supply fill material for Back Bay.
Boston was named after Boston, Lincolnshire, England. Back then many of the town's prominent citizens had emigrated from the English village.
The name "Boston" is said to be a truncation of the name "St. Botolph's Town." However, some historians dispute that claim.
Boston is home to nearly 650,000 people and is America's 20th largest city. If you include the surrounding area, Boston is the hub of more than 4.5 million inhabitants making it the 10th largest metropolitan area in the country.
Boston is also the setting for several major events of the American Revolution including the Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, and the Battle of Bunker Hill.
Major Boston landmarks include Boston Common, the Emerald Necklace, the Freedom Trail, the Museum of Fine Arts, Symphony Hall, the John Hancock Tower, the Prudential Center, and Major League Baseball's oldest stadium, Fenway Park.
Fenway Park is home to the Boston Red Sox, one of the city's four major sports teams. Boston is a great sports town and none of their teams receive more support than the Red Sox.
In 1918, the Red Sox won the World Series—their fifth since joining the American League in 1901. At the end of the following season, the team sold the greatest baseball player of all-time, Babe Ruth, to their rivals the New York Yankees.
The sale resulted in what came to be known as the "Curse of the Bambino"—an 86-year span where the Red Sox not only failed to win a World Series but found themselves on the wrong side of some of baseball's most memorable moments.
The Red Sox finally broke the curse in 2004. The team rallied from a 0-3 deficit to defeat the Yankees in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. The Red Sox then went on to sweep the St. Louis Cardinals to claim the franchise's first World Series title in nearly nine decades.
Why did the Red Sox sell Ruth?
Back in 1919, the Red Sox were owned by theater producer Harry Frazee. He needed money to finance a Broadway musical called No, No, Nanette (originally called My Lady Friends). In fact, Frazee sold many players to the Yankees to finance his theatrical .
By the way, the most famous song from No, No, Nanette is "Tea for Two." So we have Babe Ruth to thank for that catchy little tune.
Official City of Boston Site
Communities in the Greater Boston area:
Arlington
Cambridge
Chelsea
Framingham
Lexington
Lynn
Needham
Newton
Medford
Peabody
Revere
Quincy
Waltham
Woburn
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These, in decreasing order, are the ten largest cities in the Boston NECTA (2006):
Boston 590,763
Lowell 103,229
Cambridge 101,365
Brockton 94,191
Quincy 91,058
Lynn 87,991
Nashua 87,157
Newton 82,819
Somerville 74,554
Lawrence 70,662 |
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