You gotta love a state that gave us chocolate chip cookies!  Ruth Wakefield made them by adding cut up pieces of chocolate to her butter drop cookies at the Toll House Inn.  I’m talking about Massachusetts. 

The state has been and remains significant in American history.  Plymouth was the second permanent English settlement in North America and many of the state’s other towns were founded by English colonists.  In fact, Bostonians were behind the American Revolution and the independence of the United States.  Those facts earned it a nickname, “The Cradle of Liberty”.   Massachusetts is named after its indigenous population and means “at the little big hill”.  The state’s rolling hills and deep woodlands make for a landscape artist’s dream.

The state is highly Democratic.  In fact, their governor and elected officials to D.C. are all democratic.  It was the first state to abolish slavery, the first to legally recognize same-sex marriages and the first to decriminalize the possession of marijuana.  The state is led by a Governor’s Council, which is comprised of the Governor and eight councilors elected for two-year periods.  Their Senate has 40 members and their House of Representatives has 160 members.  Each branch elects its own leader from its membership. 

Massachusetts’ economy was originally dependent upon agriculture and trade with Europe.  During the Industrial Revolution, it became a manufacturing center in textiles and machine tools.  During that time, the economy moved from largely agricultural to  mainly industrial.  That industrial economy began to decline in the early 20^th century after many of the factories moved to southern states where it was cheaper to operate.  Today, it is a leader in higher education, health care and biotechnology.  It is fourth in the nation in GDP per capita.   The area’s elite institutions of higher education have contributed to that.  The state also has a significant tourism base and in the summer whale watching is a popular attraction.  The leading outputs are in seafood, nursery stock, dairy products, cranberries, tobacco and vegetables. 

The state has a flat income tax of 5.3% with an exemption that varies per year for income below certain amounts.  The state sales tax is 5% with exemptions for groceries, clothing under $175 and periodicals.  There is no inheritance tax and limited estate tax.  Currently, the state, like many of them, is facing over a billion deficit for FY2009.  Resident’s state/local tax burden ranks them 23^rd nationally.  Its corporate tax structure, ranks it the 4^th highest in tax burden.  Property taxes are 7^th highest in the nation per capita measure.

Of all the states, Massachusetts has the largest Irish population in terms of percentage of total population (nearly 24%).  Following them are Italians, French, English and German descendants.  It also has large communities of Finnish and Swedish origin.  The population of around 6.5 million ranks it at fourteenth in the U.S.  However, its population density ranks it 3^rd.

The state was settled by staunch Puritans.  Today’s direct descendants belong to many different churches, but many are involved with the United Church of Christ or the Unitarian Universalists.  This background is known for its strong support of civil rights and moral issues.  The largest religion currently, is Roman Catholic. 

Recreationally, the state offers sailing, yachting, cross-country skiing, sport fishing and hunting.  Additionally, they have a number of highly successful professional sport teams.  Popular events for the state include the Boston Marathon, professional golf tours and Regattas.