Maine

Maryland

Bay State; Old Colony State

Motto: Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem (By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty)

Entered Union (rank): Feb. 6, 1788 (6)

2000 resident census population (rank): 6,349,097 (13). Male: 3,058,816 (48.2%); Female: 3,290,281 (51.8%). White: 5,367,286 (84.5%); Black: 343,454 (5.4%); American Indian: 15,015 (0.2%); Asian: 238,124 (3.8%); Other race: 236,724 (3.7%); Two or more races: 146,005 (2.3%); Hispanic/Latino: 428,729 (6.8%). 2000 percent population 18 and over: 76.4; 65 and over: 13.5; median age: 36.5.

10 largest cities (2003 est.):Boston, 581,616; Worcester, 175,706; Springfield, 152,157; Lowell, 104,351; Cambridge, 101,587; Brockton, 95,090; New Bedford, 94,112; Fall River, 92,760; Lynn, 89,571; Quincy, 89,059

Major crops and industries:

During the 19th century, Massachusetts was famous for the intellectual activity of its writers and educators and for its expanding commercial fishing, shipping, and manufacturing interests. Massachusetts pioneered the manufacture of textiles and shoes. Today, these industries have been replaced in importance by the electronics and communications equipment fields.The state's cranberry crop is the nation's second-largest (after Wisconsin). Also important are dairy and poultry products, nursery and greenhouse produce, vegetables, and fruit.

Flower:mayflower (1918)

State abbreviation/Postal code: Md./MD

Land area: 7,840 sq mi. (20,306 sq km)

Highest elevation: Mt. Greylock 3,491

Lowest elevation: Atlantic Ocean

Major land and water forms: The eastern part of the commonwealth (its official designation), including the Cape Cod peninsula and the islands lying off it to the south—the Elizabeth Island, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket—is a low coastal plain. In this area short, swift rivers such as the Merrimack have long supplied industry with power, and an indented coastline provides many good natural harbors, with Boston a major U.S. port. In the interior rise uplands separated by the rich Connecticut River valley, and farther west lies the Berkshire valley, surrounded by the Berkshire Hills, part of the Taconic Mts. The western streams feed both the Hudson and the Housatonic rivers. The state has a mean altitude of c.500 ft (150 m), and Mt. Greylock in the Berkshires is the highest point (3,491 ft/1,064 m). The climate is variable.

Bird: Chickadee

Tree: American elm

Animal: Wild Turkey

Song: “All Hail to Massachusetts”

Famous Land Marks and Points of Interest: Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Minute Man National Historical Park between Lexington and Concord, and Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth. In Boston there are many places of historical interest, including Old North Church, Old State House, Faneuil Hall, the USS Constitution, and the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum.

Famous People:

Francis X. Bushman actor;

James M. Cain writer;

Samuel Chase jurist;

Frederick Douglass abolitionist;

John Fletcher Hurst Methodist bishop and educator;

Christopher Gist frontiersman;

Philip Glass composer;

John Hanson president of Continental Congress;

Matthew Henson polar explorer;

Billie Holiday jazz-blues singer;

Johns Hopkins financier;

Reverdy Johnson lawyer and statesman;

Thomas Johnson political leader;

Francis Scott Key lawyer and poet;

Thurgood Marshall jurist;

H. L. Mencken writer;

Hezekiah Niles journalist;

Charles Willson Peale painter;

Frank Perdue farmer, businessman;

James R. Randall journalist and writer of the state song;

Babe Ruth baseball player;

Upton Sinclair novelist;

Roger B. Taney jurist;

George Alfred Townsend (Gath) journalist;

Harriet Tubman abolitionist;

Leon Uris novelist;

Frank Zappa singer.

Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem