List of former districts of the Massachusetts Senate facts for kids
The Massachusetts Senate is a very important part of the government in the state of Massachusetts in the United States. It's where laws are made! To make sure everyone in the state has a fair voice, Massachusetts is divided into special areas called legislative districts. Each district gets to choose someone to represent them in the Senate. This list shows many of the districts that used to exist in the Massachusetts Senate.
Contents
Understanding Old Massachusetts Senate Districts
What Are Legislative Districts?
Legislative districts are like special zones drawn on a map. Each zone has a certain number of people living in it. The idea is to make sure that each person's vote counts equally. So, people living in one district vote for their own representative for the Massachusetts Senate. This way, every part of the state has a voice in making laws.
Why Districts Change Over Time
The number of people living in different parts of Massachusetts changes over time. Some towns grow, while others might shrink. To keep things fair, the district lines need to be redrawn every ten years. This process is called redistricting. It happens after the United States Census, which counts everyone in the country. This ensures that each district still has roughly the same number of people.
A Look at Past Districts
Over the years, as populations shifted and new laws were made, the names and shapes of these districts changed many times. The maps you see here show how these districts looked in different years, like 1876, 1916, and 2001. The list below gives you an idea of the many different names these districts had in the past. These names often reflected the counties or major towns they included.
- 1st Bristol district
- 1st Hampden district
- 1st Norfolk district
- 1st Plymouth district
- 1st Suffolk and Norfolk district
- 1st Worcester and Middlesex district
- 2nd Bristol district
- 2nd Hampden district
- 2nd Hampden and Hampshire district
- 2nd Norfolk district
- 2nd Plymouth district
- 2nd Suffolk and Norfolk district
- 2nd Worcester and Middlesex district
- 3rd Bristol district
- 3rd Essex and Middlesex district
- 3rd Middlesex and Norfolk district
- 3rd Norfolk district
- 3rd Suffolk district
- 3rd Worcester district
- 4th Essex district
- 4th Suffolk district
- 4th Worcester district
- 5th Essex district
- 5th Suffolk district
- 5th Worcester district
- 6th Essex district
- 6th Middlesex district
- 6th Suffolk district
- 7th Middlesex district
- 7th Suffolk district
- 8th Middlesex district
- 8th Suffolk district
- 9th Suffolk district
- Barnstable County
- Berkshire district
- Berkshire and Hampshire district
- Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire district
- Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin district
- Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district
- Berkshire, Hampshire and Hampden district
- Bristol and Plymouth district
- Cape district
- Cape and Plymouth district
- Central Worcester district
- East Hampden district
- East Norfolk district
- East Worcester district
- Essex County
- Franklin district
- Franklin and Hampshire district
- Hampden and Berkshire district
- Hampden and Hampshire district
- Hampshire district
- Hampshire and Franklin district
- Island district
- Middle Plymouth district
- Middlesex and Essex district
- Middlesex and Norfolk district
- Middlesex County
- Middlesex, Norfolk and Worcester district
- Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex district
- Norfolk district
- Norfolk and Bristol district
- Norfolk and Middlesex district
- Norfolk County
- North Berkshire district
- North Bristol district
- North Norfolk district
- North Plymouth district
- North-East Worcester district
- Plymouth district
- Plymouth County
- South Berkshire district
- South Bristol district
- South Plymouth district
- South-East Worcester district
- South-West Worcester district
- Suffolk and Middlesex district
- Suffolk and Norfolk district
- Suffolk County
- Suffolk, Essex and Middlesex district
- West Bristol district
- West Hampden district
- West Norfolk district
- West Worcester district
- Worcester district
- Worcester and Hampden district
- Worcester and Hampshire district
- Worcester County
- Worcester, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire district
- Worcester, Hampden and Hampshire district
- Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin district
See also
- List of current districts of the Massachusetts Senate
- History of the Massachusetts General Court
- List of Massachusetts General Courts
- List of former districts of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
- How districts are divided in US state legislatures
