Some of America's oldest towns and cities are located on Massachusetts Bay. 
They include Gloucester, settled in 1623; Salem, settled in 1626; Marblehead, settled in 
1629; and Boston, settled in 1630. As was noted, settlement of Massachusetts Bay Colony 
began in the early 1620s. Groups of English people founded several small communities 
around Massachusetts Bay, to the north of the Plymouth Colony and independent of the 
Pilgrim's Colony, the most important of which was Salem. The next decade of the 1600s 
brought a large influx of Puritans to the area and with their arrival, settlement of 
Massachusetts began. 
In colonial days, fisheries and trade made Boston a major commercial center. 
After the Revolutonary War, ships from Salem and Boston opened lucrative trade routes 
to China. When maritime trade declined in the first years of the 19th century, 
accumulated commercial wealth helped Massachusetts turn to manufacturing. Textiles 
dominated the state's economy until well into the 20th century. After World War II, 
employment in textiles dropped wth a consequent rise in electronics, a science-oriented 
industry that drew on the academic resources of Cambridge and Boston. 
During the period from 1775 through the present, the physical shape of Boston 
Harbor has been drastically altered by filling. The peninsulas of Boston, South Boston and 
Charlestown were originally joined to the mainland by tidal marshes, but have been 
extensively altered by filling. Several islands were leveled and covered over to form what 
is now Logan Airport. Filling connected with the airport alone has reduced the area of 
Boston Harbor by more than 2,000 acres (Figure 4). 
Boston Harbor and environs are rich in military and cultural history. Since 
colonial times, the Harbor's commercial significance has made it important from a 
military defense point of view. Historic forts still exist on many of the Boston Harbor 
Islands and play a role in some present recreation plans for the Harbor. These 
fortifications were constructed at various times during the period following the American 
Revolution through the early 1940s. 
The current population of the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area is 
approximately four million people. The Boston Metropolitan Area has grown 1.4 percent 
since the 1980 U.S. census. Massachusetts Bay and Boston Harbor are important 
recreational resources for this population. The Boston Harbor/Massachusetts Bay 
environment provides plentiful opportunities to residents and tourists for recreational 
finfishing and lobstering, pleasure boating, and bathing. There are 42 beaches within 
Boston Harbor totaling approximately 19 miles of shoreline (Figure 5). In addition, there 
are numerous anchorages, launching ramps and docking facilities for recreational boats. 
Over three million people in the Greater Boston area live within 25 miles of the Harbor. 
In Boston alone, over 200,000 people live within walking distance of the Harbor and the 
rivers entering the Harbor. 
The Massachusetts legislature enacted the Boston Harbor Islands State Park 
Legislation in the early 1970s. In 1972, the Boston Harbor Islands comprehensive plan 
called for recreational development of the Harbor Islands. The types of activities planned 
o 
