Why More Americans Live In Massachusetts Than Vermont, New Hampshire And Maine Combined

Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine are three incredibly beautiful states that make up the

far northeast point of the United States. But while each has grown over the last decade

it hasn't been by much. And if you look just a little to the south, the state of Massachusetts has grown far more over the years despite being much smaller

Here's why the relatively small Massachusetts has more than twice the population of Vermont

New Hampshire, and Maine combined. Hello and welcome to Geography by Jeff

New England is one of the oldest areas of the United States. Made up of six full states, the entire region punches way above its weight in terms of national

influence for its size and population. But much of this influence is on the back of the

relatively small Massachusetts and to a lesser degree Connecticut and Rhode Island

Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, despite being the largest states by area, don't have even half as many people as the state of Massachusetts

And there's a geographic reason for this. But first, if you're a fan of my videos

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So come join me on Substack. New England has had an incredible impact on the United States

despite it being a relatively small region. Its complex history really has been foundational for the US as a whole

From early colonial settlements to modern statehood, New England has had an outsized influence on

national politics. But like with most regions of the country, its growth hasn't been spread out equally

European explorers have been active within the modern-day United States for quite a long time

In fact, the longest continuously inhabited European settlement within the US is actually

St. Augustine in Florida, which was founded in 1565. But it wasn't until the early part of the 1600s that New England would get its first permanent settlement

The Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom from the Anglican Church, landed in modern-day Massachusetts and founded the Plymouth Colony in 1620

A decade later, the Puritans would formally establish the Massachusetts Colony. This would further cement the English presence and control of the region

As the decades progressed, Connecticut and Rhode Island would be founded in the 1630s

And New Hampshire, initially part of Massachusetts, would emerge as its own colony in 1679

These four New England colonies anchored the region that we know today and they were successful in luring settlers mostly on the promises of religious freedom and economic opportunities Fertile land made for prime agricultural activities which would eventually form the economic backbone of these colonies complemented by flourishing fishing and shipbuilding industries As more settlers moved to the region and then settlers began spreading throughout

new geopolitical issues would arise. During the 1700s, New England would become embroiled in the

French and Indian War from 1754 to 1763. This war, of course, was a relatively minor part of the

Seven Years' War that took part all over the world. But while the war would stimulate economic

development within New England, it would also impose heavy taxes on the colonists

ceding discontent and setting the stage for the American Revolution. In 1773, shortly after Great Britain imposed a tax on tea, a band of colonists would sneak onto

the British East India Company ship and proceed to dump about 92,000 pounds of tea into the Boston

Harbor. This would really be the first of a series of major events that would eventually culminate

into full-blown war for independence. Following the Boston Tea Party, the Revolutionary War would be fully realized

on Massachusetts soil with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775

The signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 would effectively transform these former colonies into states

though it would be a few years before they would ultimately win the war. Despite winning the war

the territorial map of New England was not yet complete. Vermont, initially claimed by both New Hampshire and New York

declared independence from both and functioned as an autonomous republic until it officially joined the Union in 1791

Meanwhile, Maine would remain part of Massachusetts until 1820, when it was acknowledged as a separate state under the Missouri Compromise

where Missouri would be admitted as a slave state and Maine would be admitted as a free state

thus continuing the delicate balance between the country at the time. And with that, New England as a region would be whole

The story of New England from its colonial beginnings to modern statehood is an integral part of American history

Without New England, the United States as we know it today might not exist at all

But despite being so integral to the country, one state stands out as the dominant New England state

Massachusetts. But before we get to why Massachusetts has so many more people

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Before we get to why Massachusetts grew to be so much more dominant within New England

it's probably worth exploring the natural geography of the region just a bit

While the entire region is fairly small, there's still a pretty large difference

in what Massachusetts looks like geographically compared to Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine

Massachusetts being the southernmost of the four states actually has a fairly different topography from the others In the west is the hilly rural areas of the Berkshires and Worcester Hills but in the east where most of the population lives are the flat coastal lowlands of the eastern

Atlantic coast. And this means that while the central and western parts of the states can have cold

wet winters and hot, humid summers, the coastal areas are far more temperate due to the moderating

influence of the Atlantic Ocean. For Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, however, they don't quite have the same experience

Vermont and New Hampshire are home to the green and white mountain ranges respectively

which creates unique issues in building cities and infrastructure, while Maine has the northern portion of the Appalachians running through it

Additionally, all three states are far less moderate in terms of temperature than Massachusetts

According to the Coppin method of determining climate across geographies, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine all suffer from the same cold, wet, and hot, humid climate

as western Massachusetts. This means that living in these regions is, overall

just a little less comfortable than living in Boston. But while climate and geography certainly play a hand in where people decide to settle

something else definitely boosted Massachusetts to new heights. While Massachusetts has always been the most populous state in New England

it wasn't always as overwhelmingly dominant as it is today. And while there are certainly many factors contributing to this

there are two primary reasons that have certainly spearheaded Massachusetts' growth above and beyond its northern neighbors, industrialization and immigration

Massachusetts, during the late 1800s, emerged as a vibrant hub of industrial growth

in the United States. This era, frequently referred to as the Second Industrial Revolution

was a time of rapid advancements in manufacturing, transportation, and infrastructure, all of which significantly shaped the Bay State

Among the varied industries at the time, the textile sector was a dominant force in Massachusetts

The city of Lowell, often hailed as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution

was a critical epicenter. In 1826, Francis Cabot Lowell played a pivotal role in reshaping the American textile industry

by establishing the nation's first integrated cotton spinning and weaving facility. By the twilight of the century, these factories had proliferated across the state

boasting increasingly sophisticated machinery and providing employment to thousands, many of whom were immigrants or rural migrants seeking opportunities in the city

Beyond textiles, Massachusetts also carved a niche for itself in shoe manufacturing

machinery, and metalworking. Cities like Springfield and Worcester were homes to factories producing a diverse range of goods from tools to papermaking machinery and wire products

All of this would combine to create a roaring economy that would encourage vast amounts of people to pick up and move across the world to Massachusetts During the closing decades of the 1800s and early parts of the 1900s Massachusetts served

as the destination for millions of immigrants seeking new opportunities in the United States

This transformative era ushered in an unparalleled demographic shift, primarily concentrated in

the industrial cities of the Northeast, including Boston, Worcester, and Lowell. Numerous ethnic groups contributed to the diverse state that Massachusetts became during this

period. Predominantly, immigrants hailed from Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Jewish communities in Eastern Europe. To this day, Boston is still home to large enclaves of these ethnic

communities. Really, the allure of job opportunities provided by Industrial Revolution was the primary

magnet drawing immigrants to Massachusetts. And while nearly every state would have some form of

industrialization, Massachusetts industrialized far earlier, and as such was able to grow its

economy and population in ways few other states could during this time

Today, New England is a diverse region with millions of people. Of all six states in the

region, Massachusetts has the most people by far with just over 7 million as of 2020. This is

followed by Connecticut with 3.6 million, New Hampshire and Maine with about 1.4 million apiece

Rhode Island with 1.1 million, and finally Vermont with about 650,000 people. This means that

When accounting for Connecticut and Rhode Island, Massachusetts is a little less than half the total population for the region

though should be pointed out that a large part of Connecticut's population is within the New York City metropolitan area

For cities, New England would be led by the Boston metro region with about 4.9 million people

Providence with about 1.7 million, Hartford with 1.2 million, and Worcester and Bridgeport with 1 million each

The largest metropolitan regions in the northern half of New England would be Portland, Maine with 560,000 people

and Manchester, New Hampshire with 430,000 people. Burlington is the largest metro region within Vermont with 230,000 people

All three of these cities combined would amount to about one-fifth the size of the Boston metro region

which continues to be the economic anchor for New England as a whole. Geography, industrialization, and immigration combine to create the Massachusetts we know today

But while Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine all have much smaller population, their growth does exceed that of Massachusetts, which has far higher living costs

And that means we could see a demographic shift for the region in the future

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