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 Seats for Forklifts Massachusetts - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bounded by Connecticut and Rhode Island towards the south, the state of New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire towards the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. Based on the 2010 Census, the inhabitants of Massachusetts was 6,547,629. The state features two separate metropolitan areas, the western Springfield metropolitan area and the eastern Boston metropolitan area. Roughly two thirds of the state's people lives within Greater Boston, most of which is either suburban or urban. Western Massachusetts features one urban area, the Knowledge Corridor along the Connecticut River, and a mix of college towns and rural areas. Massachusetts is the most crowded of the six New England states; the 3rd most densely inhabited state in the US, and likewise has the US' twelfth highest GDP per capita.
The state played a pivotal role in the cultural and commercial history of America. The settlement at Plymouth was the second permanent English settlement within North America, helping to bring Puritans to the area of Massachusetts in the 1630s and to New England several years later. Established during 1636, Harvard University is the oldest educational institute within the United States. During the year 1692, the towns surrounding Salem experienced amongst America's most infamous cases of mass hysteria, the Salem Witch Trials. In the eighteenth century, the Protestant First Great Awakening, that swept the Atlantic world, originated from the pulpit of Northampton, Massachusetts preacher Jonathan Edwards. During the late 18th century, the city of Boston became known as the "Cradle of Liberty" for the agitation there which resulted in the American Revolution and the independence of the United States from Great Britain.
First dependent on agriculture, trade and fishing, Massachusetts was transformed into a manufacturing center in the Industrial Revolution. During the 20th century, the economy of the state shifted from manufacturing to services. In the 21st century, Massachusetts is a leader in higher education, health care technology, financial services, higher technology, cannabis law reform, universal healthcare, and same-sex marriage.
The United States Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that the Massachusetts gross state product in 2008 was $365 billion. The per capita personal income in the year 2008 was $50,735, making it the third highest state within the nation. 13 Fortune 500 companies are situated within the commonwealth, the biggest of which are the MassMutual Financial Services and the Liberty Mutual Insurance Group. CNBC's list of "Top States for Business for 2010" has recognized the state of Massachusetts as the 5th best state within the US. Sectors vital to the Massachusetts economy comprise higher education, biotechnology, finance, health care, and tourism.
There were 7,700 farms within the state of Massachusetts in the year 2005. The total area of the farms totaled 2,100km2 or 520,000 acres, that is an average of 68 acres or 0.28 km2 for every farm. In 2007, just about 2,300 of the state's 6,100 farms grossed below $2,500. Some agricultural products of note comprise livestock, tobacco, and fruits, tree nuts, and berries, wherein the state is nationally ranked 11th, 17th, and 16th, respectively. The state of Massachusetts is the 2nd largest cranberry producing state in the union, behind the state of Wisconsin.
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