1. What’s Special About
New England?
Think about the region in which you live. What would
a visitor notice?

2. Where People Live
• 6 States in the East form the region of New
England
▫ Connecticut
▫ Maine
▫ Massachusetts
▫ New Hampshire
▫ Rhode Island
▫ Vermont

3. Who were the first Europeans to
come here?
John Smith mapped the region in 1614 and gave
the region its name.
The first settlers in Boston were the
Puritans.

4. Boston
Boston is the largest city in the New England
region.
It is also the capital of Massachusetts.
Today, the city is the financial and trading center
of New England. Banking, insurance, and other
business services support the economy.

5. Boston and Beyond
• Today, people in Boston have come from many
places.
▫ Europe
▫ Africa
▫ Asia
▫ Latin America

6. Immigration to Boston
•Mid-1800s
•Many immigrants from Ireland
•Late-1800s
•Many immigrants from Italy
•After World War I (1918)
•African Americans moved from the southern states
•1950s
•Thousands of people moved from the city of Boston to is suburbs.

7. Boston Today
• Factories make many goods
▫ high technology products
• Publishing and printing

8. Schools and Churches
• Puritans settled in Boston, and set-up many
schools and churches.
• 1635: Puritans built the first free school in
America
• 1636: Puritans built Harvard, the first American
college, which later became a university
▫ University: a school with several colleges that each
focus on one area of study

9. Schools and Churches Continued…
• Today
▫ New England region has hundreds of colleges and
universities
▫ It also has many churches, synagogues, mosques,
and other places of worship

10. Rural New England
• Most of the rural areas of New England are in New
Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine.
• The rugged land has cold winters.
• New Englanders live mostly in valleys and lowlands.

11. Life in Rural New England
• Most are NOT farmers!
• Many work in service industries, such as tourism
• Others work in manufacturing
▫ Manufacturing: making goods from other
materials
• Many are commuters.
▫ Commuter: travels between home and work each
day

12. Life in Rural New England
Continued…
• Few Farmers
▫ The soil is rocky and the growing season is short
▫ If they are farmers, they usually produce only one
crop, such as blueberries or potatoes.
▫ Others raise dairy cows

13. Vacationing in New England
• History
▫ Boston’s Freedom Trail
▫ Colonial villages
• Recreation
▫ Ski on mountains in the winter
▫ Relax on sandy beaches in the summer
• Festivals
▫ Dog Sled Derby in New Hampshire in winter
▫ Maple Festival in Vermont in April
▫ Lobster Festival in Maine in August

14. To Summarize
It is a diverse region. Puritans started
its education
It is a diverse region. system.
New England
New England
Boston is its Visitors enjoy its
financial center. history and
geography.

15. Why it Matters
New England’s history and social institutions
helped shape its culture!