List of municipalities in Massachusetts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Municipalities of Massachusetts
Category	Municipality
Location	Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Found in	County
Created	1620 (Plymouth)
Number	351
Possible types	City Town
Populations	70 (Gosnold) – 675,647 (Boston)
Areas	1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) (Nahant) – 96.5 square miles (250 km2) (Plymouth)
Government	Council–manager Town meeting Mayor–council Select Board
Subdivisions	Village Neighborhood

In Massachusetts, local areas are called municipalities. These are either known as towns or cities. The main difference between them is how they are governed. Towns usually have a "town meeting" style of government. Cities, on the other hand, are run by a mayor and a council, or a manager and a council.

There are 292 towns and 59 cities in Massachusetts. Some places still call themselves "towns" even if they use a city-style government. The good news is that all the land in Massachusetts is part of one of these 351 municipalities. There are no areas that don't belong to a town or city.

Massachusetts' Biggest Cities

These are the largest cities in Massachusetts based on their population.

Understanding Massachusetts Municipalities

Massachusetts towns by population, where darker towns are more populous, according to 2020 census data.

Massachusetts has 351 different municipalities. These include both cities and towns. The table below shows some of the largest and oldest ones. It lists their type, the county they are in, how they are governed, their population, size, and when they were first established.

How Towns Were Formed

This map shows when towns were first created in Massachusetts. This started with the founding of Plimoth Plantation in 1620. Many of these early towns were very large. Over time, they were often divided into two, three, or even more smaller towns or cities.

For example, Dorchester was first established in 1630. It used to include all of what is now Dorchester, plus the Boston neighborhood of Mattapan. It also included all of present-day Quincy, Milton, Braintree, Randolph, Holbrook, Canton, Sharon, Stoughton, Avon, and part of Foxboro!

By 1815, almost all of Massachusetts was divided into towns. The last three areas to become towns were Erving (in 1838), Gay Head (now Aquinnah), and Mashpee (both in 1870). These last areas were previously Native American land.

Here are some examples of how towns were formed or changed over time:

Former Municipalities

Some towns and cities in Massachusetts no longer exist as separate places. They were either joined with other towns, stopped being towns, or became part of another state. This list does not include small changes to town borders.

Joined with Other Places

The following places used to be independent towns but later became part of Boston:

• Brighton (in 1873)
• Charlestown (in 1873)
• Dorchester (in 1869)
• Hyde Park (in 1912)
• Roxbury (in 1867)
• West Roxbury (in 1873)

The town of Bradford also joined with Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1897.

No Longer Towns

These towns were closed down in 1938 because the Quabbin Reservoir was being built. Their land was then added to nearby towns:

• Dana
• Enfield
• Greenwich
• Prescott

Given to Other States

Sometimes, towns were given to other states due to border changes or political decisions.

Given to New Hampshire

In 1641, four towns in colonial New Hampshire decided to join the Massachusetts Bay Colony. But in 1680, they were given back to the newly formed Province of New Hampshire. These towns were:

• Dover
• Exeter
• Hampton
• Portsmouth

Many other towns were given to New Hampshire after the border was officially set in 1741.

Given to Rhode Island

In 1747, some towns were given to the Rhode Island colony because of a border disagreement:

• Barrington
• Bristol
• Little Compton
• Sowams (now Warren)
• Tiverton

Given to Connecticut

Because of a surveying mistake and ongoing arguments, these Massachusetts towns joined the Connecticut Colony in 1749:

• Enfield
• Somers
• Suffield
• Woodstock

Given to Maine

When the State of Maine became independent from Massachusetts in 1820 (as part of the Missouri Compromise), all the towns in the District of Maine were given to the new state. This included many towns, such as:

Images for kids

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  Map of Massachusetts showing its towns and cities.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:Localidades de Massachusetts para niños

• Administrative divisions of Massachusetts
• Equivalent Lands
• Lists of cities in the United States
• List of villages in Massachusetts
• Massachusetts gateway cities