Introduction to New England

New England is an area of the USA which encompasses six states. Those states are New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut. To the west of the area is New York state and to the North is Canada with the Atlantic Ocean bordering its eastern side. The largest city in the region is Boston and this is also the capital of Massachusetts. The area has diverse geography with the south eastern area having a coastal plain and the western and northern areas have hills and peaks. There are also many rivers which are used to power the area.

The earliest inhabitants were various native American tribes but in colonial times the pilgrims arrived and established a colony in Massachusetts. In 1616 the region was called New England by the English explorer John Smith and by 1630 the major town and port of Boston was established. There were various skirmishes with the local tribes although there were peaceful times as well. There were also battles between New England and New France and it was not until 1763 when the French were completely defeated and no longer laid claim to any of the area.

The first settlers tended to be self-sufficient farmers but crafts and trade developed as industries later. It was also key to the industrial revolution in the USA with the first cotton mill in the USA being founded in Massachusetts which was thought to be the largest of its time. The area attracted a lot of innovation including interchangeable parts and assembly line manufacturing and it therefore attracted skilled workers from all across the world. The demand for labour was so great that farm girls moved from the countryside to nearby mills as they could find paid work. People moved into the area from many places as there was so much employment. The area was also the strongest anti-slavery and abolitionist area in the country.

The area grew due to immigration from Britain and Ireland with the great number of available jobs attracting many people and then after World War I many immigrants came from Canada, Italy and Southern Europe. However, when the Great Depression arrived the unemployment rate in the area soared but the need for manufactured items for World War II caused the area to prosper again for a short time. However after the war, the textile business shrank and jobs became very scarce again, leading to mass unemployment. Now there are high technology manufacturers and of course MIT but the service industry also grew as well with finance, medicine education and tourism all growing. This means that there were again jobs for the locals although in very different sectors to the traditional ones. Things have improved though with three of the states in the region being among the ten wealthiest in the country as a whole, showing that there are still good employers in the region and a lot of wealth.

Several popular sports were also invented in the region, basketball and volleyball. Modern American football was also thought to have been developed in the area as well. The area also has a number of professional sports teams which are based in Massachusetts; the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins, New England Revolution and Boston Cannons.