Boston. Economy. Manufacturing. Trade. Government

Greater Boston is the largest industrial center in New England. After World War I (1914-1918), many factories moved from Boston to suburban areas where land was cheaper and more plentiful. Lynn, Quincy, and Waltham are now major industrial cities in Greater Boston.

In the city of Boston, the majority of workers have jobs in fields that provide services. For example, many people work for the area's numerous educational institutions, medical centers, and city and state government offices. Many other workers are employed in such fields as trade, finance, transportation, and communication.

Manufacturing. Greater Boston has thousands of factories. The area's major products include machinery, medical and optical instruments, processed foods, and a variety of high-technology products.

Printing also ranks among the area's important industries. Greater Boston has many book publishers, including several university presses.

Trade. The Port of Boston includes wharves in Charlestown, in East and South Boston, and on the North End. It is a leading New England port. The chief exports include electronic equipment, office equipment, paper products, scrap iron, and seafood. Leading imports include automobiles, beer and wine, footwear, iron and steel, and petroleum products.

The Boston area is the retail and wholesale trading center of New England. Greater Boston's retail stores employ tens of thousands of workers. Retail stores throughout New England and eastern Canada buy much of their merchandise from Greater Boston's large number of wholesale firms.

The city of Boston ranks as one of the world's busiest markets for wholesale wool. Boston is also a major fish market. Rich fishing waters lie off Boston's coast.

Finance. Boston is New England's financial capital. The city has a stock exchange and numerous banks. The First Federal Reserve District Bank and many insurance companies have their headquarters in Boston. The city is a major center for trading in mutual funds.

Transportation. Railroad freight lines and Amtrak's rail passenger service link Boston with major cities in the United States and Canada.

Boston's busy Logan International Airport lies less I than 3 miles (5 kilometers) from downtown, on the east ern edge of East Boston.

The publicly owned Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) transports hundreds of thousands of passengers each weekday in Boston and nearby cities and towns. The MBTA operates buses, streetcars, subways, trains, and trolley cars.

Boston has three main expressways—the Massachusetts Turnpike Extension, the Northeast Expressway, and the Southeast Expressway. They extend to the suburbs and carry most of the automobile traffic to and from the downtown area.

Communication. Boston's Publick Occurrences Both Forreign and Domestick, published in 1690, was the first newspaper in the American Colonies. Today, Boston has three daily newspapers— The Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, and The Christian Science Monitor. The Monitor is a highly respected national newspaper. Boston's many broadcasting outlets include a nonprofit television station associated with the national Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Government.Boston's government is headed by a mayor and a 13-member City Council. The voters elect the mayor to a four-year term. Council members are elected to two-year terms. Nine council members are elected from districts. Four are elected by the voters on a citywide basis—that is, the members do not represent particular areas. Candidates for mayor and the City Council do not run for office under political party labels.

The mayor administers the city government and prepares the city budget. The council passes Boston's laws and may cut, but not increase, the city budget. The mayor has the power to veto bills passed by the council. But the council can repass a bill over the mayor's veto by a vote of two-thirds of its members.

Several Greater Boston government agencies provide services to Boston and many nearby cities and towns. The Metropolitan District Commission provides park and other recreational services. The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority provides a sewerage system and a water supply to participating communities for a fee. Other agencies that provide local services include the Air Pollution Control District and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. The city's revenue comes from property taxes, state aid, and other sources.