Boston is the capital and most widely spread city in Massachusetts in the United States . It is the business and cultural hub of New England . Being one of the oldest and it is one of the wealthiest city in the United States , its main consideration is laid on education, health care, finance, and technology. Boston is also nicknamed "Beantown" and "The Hub", taken from Oliver Wendell Holmes's phrase The Hub of the Universe. According to 2000 census, Boston had a population of 589,141. It has some beautiful cities adjoining like Cambridge , Somerville , and Brookline , has about 5.7 million residents.