Short answers, pulled from the story.
The 2013 Metropolitan Area Planning Council map held 3.2 million people within its boundary. This number represented 48% of all residents living in the state of Massachusetts at that time.
Pilgrims arrived on the Mayflower ship in Plymouth during the year 1620 to establish the first colony in New England. The town of Salem became the site of mass hysteria known as the Salem witch trials in 1692.
Scituate in Plymouth County recorded 47.5% Irish ancestry among its residents in the 2010 census. It stands as the municipality with the highest percentage identifying Irish heritage nationwide.
Harvard University opened its doors in Cambridge in 1636 as the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Seven R1 Research Institutions operate within Greater Boston, far more than any other single Metropolitan Statistical Area in the country.
Logan International Airport sits northeast of downtown Boston serving as New England's largest transportation center. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates subway lines, bus networks, commuter rail systems, and ferry routes throughout the metro area.