Massachusetts is one of the Northeaster states of the USA, and belongs to the New England region. The population of Massachusetts is coming closer to 7 million people, which of 2014 made it the 3rd most densely populated state. Out of these 7 million citizens, around 1 million, or around 15%, are foreign-born. A large portion of the population resides in Boston, which is the state capital in addition to being the state’s largest city.

Puritans and tea parties
Massachusetts was settled by puritan Christians in the 17th century and is still a predominantly Christian state, although by 2015 32% of the population reported identifying with no specific religion. This is a relatively high number, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that these people feel no religious connection at all, rather that they don’t have a relationship with a specific religious denomination.

The civil war had a great impact on Massachusetts history, and particularly two horrific events stand out as important. Firstly, the Boston Massacre in 1770 and secondly, the Boston Tea Party 1773. In fact, the Boston Tea Party has been credited with being the single incident that spurred on the American Revolution and a pivoting point of the resistance against British rule.

Liberal politics, top universities and a respect for the arts
In the past few decades Massachusetts has been a predominantly democratic state, and it has been called the country’s most liberal state. The state has been on the forefront for the fight for gay rights, and was the first state to make same-sex marriage legal in 2004.

Massachusetts is also known for its high prestige and high quality institutions of higher learning. The state is home to two of the absolute top universities in the country, not to mention in the world; Harvard University and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), both of which are located in Cambridge.

The state has also contributed strongly to arts and culture, and has given us such names as Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath and Nathaniel Hawthorne. In addition to producing several great poets and authors, Massachusetts also heavily supports the performing arts. This is visible through large music venues and festivals, as well as the state’s very vibrant and vivid theatre and ballet scene.

Massachusetts is a state with a lot to offer, especially for aspiring travel writers and bloggers. There is no reason for you to limit yourself to the state capital Boston, although it’s a good place to start. Boston is without a doubt a city where contrasts meet and thrive. The city is vibrant with modern culture, yet steeped in history. You can enjoy the famous Boston pizza, or you can dine on the freshest seafood caught just off the city’s coast. Whatever your fancy, whether you like the big city vibe or tranquil parks, you’ll find it in Boston. If you are in fact looking to start a blog about your travel experiences, starting with a destination that can produce very different experiences is great idea and will set you off in the perfect way. Before you get started though, make sure that you’ve got a support system on hand. You should always make sure you work with companies who can really bring it and a good place to start to build your blog or travel page is a great hosting company. Check out internetvikings.com for a top notch service.

The Cape and the Vineyard
Cape Cod is one of Massachusetts’ most popular tourist destinations. The summers in Cape Cod are extraordinary, and people flock to the beaches and to the seafood restaurants where you’ll be served the choicest lobster and oysters. The Cape is also known for breath-taking nature experiences, and the whale watching in the area is absolutely spectacular.

Martha’s Vineyard is another one of those all-time favourite American destinations. This island, located south of Cape Cod is known for its beautiful summers and beaches. The vineyard is a popular vacation spot for the rich and famous, even President Obama is known to take his vacations here.

Historic spots
Massachusetts is a stat steeped in history, and history buffs will hardly be able to find an idle moment. Boston was the pivoting point of the American Revolution with the 1773 Boston Tea Party, and there are museums dedicated to this important piece of history at the Congress Street Bridge. Salem is another popular historical location. It’s gruesome and grotesque history includes the Salem witch trials of 1962, which has turned out to be a rather large part of the city’s pull on tourists.

Massachusetts is also home to a couple of the best universities in the world; Harvard University and MIT. As far as tourism, Harvard is probably the hotter spot of the two, and is most definitely worth a visit, if nothing else but the chance to walk in the footsteps of its numerous famous and influential alumni.

MIT, or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is one of the very best institutions of higher learning in the world. In fact, in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings has placed MIT as number one several years, including for 2015-2016. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings of 2015-2016 MIT was placed as number 5. The university is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was founded in 1861. MIT has since its foundation been heavily focused on applied sciences and engineering, both regarding to research and education.

Impressive alumni
Today the university encompasses one college and five schools, on a campus of a total of 168 acres. There are 32 different departments with a total of over 11,000 students and over 1,000 academic staff members. The university has an impressive list of notable alumni, which includes no less than 85 Nobel laureates, 52 recipients of the National Medal of Science, 45 Rhodes Scholars and 65 Marshall Scholars. In addition to this the school has produced 34 astronauts.

Computer science with a little something extra
Today the most popular major is Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, also known as EECS, followed by Computer Science and Engineering. There’s no doubting computer science skills is highly valued at MIT. The university obviously also caters to students who don’t want to follow the applied sciences or engineering route, and also have several options is the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences or HASS.

Among other programs the university offers a popular marketing program, which is a great place to start for anyone wanting to work in PR, media and marketing positions. Many positions will actually favour applicants that have marketing skills and qualifications as well as the needed qualifications in their specific field. This is especially true for computer sciences and technologies. You only need to check out modern web pages to see that an understanding of marketing strategies, use of graphics and so on is very important when you are selling yourself as an internet professional. A degree from MIT most definitely opens doors, and as a graduate you’ll be in some pretty amazing company. MIT alumni includes such names as Kofi Annan, Buzz Aldrin and Richard Feynman.

Massachusetts has been the birthplace of many celebrities, in a variety of different fields, from acting and literature to politics and inventions.

Great inventions                                        
Among the most notable inventors we wind Alexander Graham Bell, Benjamin Franklin and Samuel Morse. Bell was as most people know credited with inventing the telephone, all though there has been some controversy. In spite of this Bell has had a great influence on engineering innovation, and was involved in developing aeronautics, hydrofilms as well as the first working metal detector.

Samuel Morse was a co-inventor of the Morse code and was a great influencer in making telegraphy a commercial success.

Benjamin Franklin is known well for his work in politics as well as his inventions. As one of the founding fathers, few have had more impact on the history of the United States than him. Hi scientific studies broached a wide range of fields, and most famous are his lightning rod and bifocals; inventions that are important and in use to this day.

Alongside Benjamin Franklin, the largest political personality to have been born in Massachusetts is probably John F. Kennedy. The politician was famous not only for being the 35th president of the USA, but also for his work on Cuban politics, the ban of nuclear testing as well as developments in the space race. Despite all his important contributions to American politics and society, he is probably most famous for his assassination in 1963. In broad daylight, he was gunned down during a motorcade through Dallas, Texas.

Entertainment
As far as literary giants go, there are several Massachusetts names that stand out. Nathaniel Hawthorne was an author perhaps most famous for his controversial The Scarlet Letter, although he enjoys success also with subsequent literary work. Sylvia Plath gained perhaps as much fame from her suicide as from her work, but she has been credited with being an important influence on confessional literature, and is best known for her works The Colossus and Other Poems and The Bell Jar.

Today we know such names as Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Edward Norton as huge names in the entertainment industry. These actors along with many others also have their roots in Massachusetts.