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64-808: Before 1870, several citizen groups organized library societies to serve their neighborhoods, among them the Social Library Society of West Newton, the Adelphian Library, and the Newton Centre Library Association. In 1866, one of these groups, the Newton Library Association, purchased land to establish a public library for the residents of Newton. Construction of the building began in August 1868, aided by donations from private citizens. Designed by architect Alexander Rice Esty ,

128-690: A governor. Massachusetts and New Hampshire also shared a governor for some time. The beginnings of the American Revolutionary War would be in the Northeast, specifically in Massachusetts. The Battles of Lexington and Concord in northeast of Boston would be the first military engagements between the Revolutionaries and the British. Many of the major battles of the revolution would be fought in

192-459: A larger group of Puritans settled north of Plymouth Colony in Boston to form Massachusetts Bay Colony . In 1636, colonists established Connecticut Colony and Providence Plantations . Providence was founded by Roger Williams , who was banished by Massachusetts for his beliefs in freedom of religion, and it was the first colony to guarantee all citizens freedom of worship. Anne Hutchinson , who

256-543: Is also the most densely populated region in the United States, with 320 people per square mile (120 people/km ). The U.S. Census Bureau defines the Northeast United States as having a total area of 181,324 sq mi (469,630 km ), making it the smallest region of the United States by total area. Anthropologists recognize the "Northeastern Woodlands" as one of the cultural regions that existed in

320-492: The 2020 U.S. census , the population of the region was 57,609,148, representing 17.38% of the nation's total population. With an average of 345.5 people per square mile, the Northeast is 2.5 times as densely populated as the second-most dense region, the South . Since the last century, the U.S. population has been shifting away from the Northeast and Midwest toward the South and West . The region's racial composition as of 2020

384-697: The Atlantic coastal plain , which extends south to the southern tip of Florida . The coastal plain areas include Cape Cod in Massachusetts, Long Island in New York, and most of New Jersey , and are generally low and flat with sandy soil and marshy land. The highlands, including the Piedmont and the Appalachian Mountains, are heavily forested, ranging from rolling hills to summits greater than 6,000 feet (1,800 m), and pocked with many lakes. The highest peak in

448-735: The Battle of Yorktown in Virginia. The idea of an independent United States of America, with the designs of its government would be created primarily in the Northeast in a series of declarations, constitutions, and documents. The Continental Congresses would meet in Philadelphia, which would produce the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation . Following the American Revolution,

512-553: The English colonial empire . The territory became the colonies of New York and New Jersey . New Jersey was originally split into East Jersey and West Jersey until the two were united as a royal colony in 1702. New England played a prominent role in early American education. Starting in the 17th century, the larger towns in New England opened grammar schools , the forerunner of the modern high school . The first public school in

576-611: The Iroquois nations and the numerous Algonquian peoples . In the United States of the 21st century, 18 federally recognized tribes reside in the Northeast. For the most part, the people of the Northeastern Woodlands, on whose lands European fishermen began camping to dry their codfish in the early 1600s, lived in villages, especially after being influenced by agricultural traditions of the Ohio and Mississippi valley societies. All of

640-505: The Mid-Atlantic states of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. This definition has been essentially unchanged since 1880 and is widely used as a standard for data tabulation. The U.S. Census Bureau has acknowledged the obvious limitations of this definition and the potential merits of a proposal created after the 1950 census, that would include changing regional boundaries to include Delaware , Maryland , and Washington, D.C. with

704-842: The Northeast , the East Coast , or the American Northeast ) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau . Located on the Atlantic coast of North America , the region borders Canada to its north, the Southern United States to its south, the Midwestern United States to its west, and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The Northeast is one of the four regions defined by

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768-409: The U.S. Census Bureau for the collection and analysis of statistics. The Census Bureau defines the region as including the six New England states of Connecticut , Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , Rhode Island , and Vermont , and three northern Mid-Atlantic states of New Jersey , New York , and Pennsylvania . The region is home to the Northeast megalopolis , which includes many of

832-575: The U.S. states making up the Northeastern region were among the original Thirteen Colonies , though Maine and Vermont were part of other colonies before the United States became independent in the American Revolution . The two cultural and geographic regions that form parts of the Northeastern region have distinct histories. The first European explorer known to have explored the Atlantic shoreline of

896-554: The Western Hemisphere at the time of European colonists in the 15th and later centuries. Most did not settle in North America until the 17th century. The cultural area, known as the " Northeastern Woodlands ", in addition to covering the entire Northeast U.S., also covered much of what is now Canada and others regions of what is now the eastern United States . Among the many tribes inhabiting this area were those that made up

960-512: The capital of the newly formed United States would move around in the states of Pennsylvania , New Jersey , and New York . It was based in New York City from 1785 until 1790, when it was moved to Congress Hall in Philadelphia , where it remained for a decade, until 1800, when the construction of the new national capital of Washington, D.C. was completed. The Constitutional Convention

1024-494: The humid subtropical zone ( Cfa/Do ) begins at Martha's Vineyard and extreme SW Rhode Island and extends southwestward down the coastal plain to central and southern Maryland. The oceanic climate zone ( Cfb/Do ) only exists on Block Island , Nantucket , and the far coastal islands of Maine. It is the only area of the Northeast where all months average between 0 and 22 °C (32 and 72 °F). Cape Cod borders this zone and warm-summer humid continental ( Dfb/Dc ). As of

1088-519: The 1960s. New York state lost its claim to being the most populated state after it was surpassed by California in the 1970s. Some Northeastern cities, including New York City, have recovered from its decline in the mid-20th century. Many new information and service industries have risen in the northeast, which has led to a boom in the 21st century in some cities in the Northeast like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Some other cities like Hartford , Syracuse, and Buffalo still are declining though in

1152-463: The 21st century, a large industrial decline in the Northeast resulted in a depopulation of many Northeastern cities, many of which had not yet recovered from it into the 21st century. This led to the rise of programs of urban renewal and demolition of large parts of Northeastern cities during the mid and late 20th century. There has also been a large population shift to the Sun Belt states starting in

1216-464: The 21st century. Hurricane Sandy would impact much of the northeast in 2012, severely damaging much of the coast and causing flooding inland. The hurricane would directly impact New Jersey and caused large amounts of flooding in New York City. Although the first settlers of New England were motivated by religion, since the 21st century, New England had become one of the least religious parts of

1280-580: The American involvement in both World Wars, the Northeast would become a large base of war production, with the Brooklyn Naval Yard producing many navy ships. Many worker strikes would occur in the states, including the Homestead strike in 1892. Many of these cities would see a peak population and industrial output in the aftermath of World War II in the 1950s. Starting in the 1950s and continuing into

1344-589: The Appalachians partially protect these locations from the extreme cold coming from the west and the interior of North America. The basic climate of the Northeast can be divided into a colder and snowier interior, including western Maryland, most of Pennsylvania, most of North Jersey , Upstate New York , and most of New England, and a milder coastal plain region from Cape Cod and southern Rhode Island southward, including Long Island , Southern Connecticut , New York City , central and southern New Jersey , part of

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1408-520: The English colonies was the Boston Latin School , founded in 1635. In 1636, the colonial legislature of Massachusetts founded Harvard College , the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. In 1681, William Penn , who wanted to give Quakers a land of religious freedom, founded Pennsylvania and extended freedom of religion to all citizens. Penn strongly desired access to

1472-562: The Mid-Atlantic states, but ultimately decided that "the new system did not win enough overall acceptance among data users to warrant adoption as an official new set of general-purpose State groupings. The previous development of many series of statistics, arranged and issued over long periods of time on the basis of the existing State groupings, favored the retention of the summary units of the current regions and divisions." The U.S. Census Bureau confirmed in 1994 that it would continue to "review

1536-469: The Newton Free Library was dedicated on Friday, June 17, 1870, and opened to the public July 1 of the same year. It opened with about 7,000 volumes, composed of previous library associations' collections, new purchases, and private donations. By 1875, the collection had grown to 11,003 volumes. Today, the collection has grown to about 450,000 items. Regarding the library's name, the annual report for

1600-524: The Northeast and Midwest and would become prominent towards the mid-19th century, these groups advocated the shrinking or banning of slavery in the United States. Some Northeastern states still had small amounts of slaves into the 1850s, though some would ban it during the decade. The election of 1860 led to the start of the Civil War; southern states seceded from the United States in late-1860 and early-1861. States like Maryland and Delaware would remain in

1664-454: The Northeast is Mount Washington in New Hampshire at 6,288 feet (1,917 m). As of 2012 , forest-use covered approximately 60% of the Northeastern states, including Delaware, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., about twice the national average. About 11% was cropland and another 4% grassland pasture or range. There is also more urbanized land in the Northeast (12%) than any other region in

1728-484: The Northeast since the Norse was Giovanni da Verrazzano in 1524. His ship La Dauphine explored the coast from what is now known as Florida to New Brunswick. The first Europeans to settle and colonize New England were Pilgrims from England , who landed in present-day Massachusetts in 1620. The Pilgrims arrived on the ship Mayflower and founded Plymouth Colony so they could practice religion freely. Ten years later,

1792-501: The Northeast, and frequent (but brief) thundershowers are common on hot summer days. In winter, the subtropical high retreats southeastward, and the polar jet stream moves south bringing colder air masses from up in Canada and more frequent storm systems to the region. Winter often brings both rain and snow as well as surges of both warm and cold air. In the southern part of the Northeast from coastal Rhode Island southwest to eastern Maryland,

1856-568: The Northeast. The British would evacuate Boston in early-1776 and would move to capture New York City . The revolutionaries were pushed to the Delaware River before suddenly moving forward against the British in the Battles of Trenton and Princeton . A stalemate was reached in 1778, between the British and American Revolutionaries and continued until the end of the war in 1783. The war would move to southern states and eventually conclude with

1920-688: The Northeastern United States in somewhat different ways. The Association of American Geographers divides the Northeast into two divisions: "New England", which is the same as the Census Bureau; and it has the same "Middle States" but adds Delaware. Similarly, the Geological Society of America defines the Northeast as these same states but with the addition of Maryland and the District of Columbia . The narrowest definitions include only

1984-583: The Pennsylvania portion of the Delaware Valley including Philadelphia , Delaware , and most of Maryland . In the latter region the hardiness zone ranges from 7a to 8a. Annual mean temperatures range from the low-to-mid 50s F from Maryland to southern Connecticut, to the 40s F in most of New York State, New England, and northern Pennsylvania. Most of the Northeast has a humid continental climate ( Dfa/Dfb/occasional Dfc/Dc ). The northernmost portion of

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2048-697: The U.S. Many parks on a state and national level cover the inland parts of the region. Large parks include the Adirondack Park in northeastern New York, Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, White Mountain Forest in northern New Hampshire, Baxter State Park in northern Maine, Acadia National Park on the eastern coast of Maine, Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania, and Catskill Park in southern New York. There are also some parks closer to

2112-581: The United States (western and Northeastern states) and the Confederacy (southeastern states). The admission of Maine as a free state in exchange for Missouri becoming a slave state as part of the Missouri Compromise in 1820 would settle the final boundaries of the Northeastern states. The Mason-Dixon line would be established as the border of slavery, following the border of Pennsylvania and Delaware/Maryland. Abolitionist movements would start in

2176-503: The United States during the war, conflicts did arise, like the New York draft riots in 1863. The war would end in 1865 with the United States taking back control of Southern states. Following the Civil War, the Northeast would see a large economic boom and would become one of the most industrialized regions in the world. Many technological innovations would be made in the Northeast during this time. The Second Industrial Revolution would see

2240-700: The United States. The War of 1812 would see less fighting in the Northeast and instead more fighting in western and southern areas. A failed invasion of Canada and the occupation of Maine would be some of the major conflicts during the war. The war would end in 1815 and most of the Northeast has not seen any major conflict since then. The American Industrial Revolution was launched in Blackstone Valley in Rhode Island and Massachusetts , where textile mills spread across New England, and in eastern Pennsylvania , where coal, steel, and industrialization launched

2304-557: The United States. In a 2009 Gallup survey, less than half of residents in Maine , Massachusetts , New Hampshire , and Vermont reported religion as an important part of their daily life. In a 2010 Gallup survey, less than 30% of residents in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts reported attending church weekly, giving them the lowest church attendance among U.S. states. The vast area from central Virginia to northern Maine , and from western Pennsylvania , from Pittsburgh in

2368-505: The city of New Amsterdam (the location of present-day New York City) was designated the capital of the province. The Dutch New Netherland settlement along the Hudson River and, for a time, the New Sweden settlement along the Delaware River divided the English settlements in the north and the south. In 1664, Charles II of England formally annexed New Netherland and incorporated it into

2432-403: The city of Newton and has a board of trustees appointed by the mayor who serve a staggered five-year term. Architectural features Circulation 42°20′19.51″N 71°12′27.15″W  /  42.3387528°N 71.2075417°W  / 42.3387528; -71.2075417 Alexander Rice Esty Alexander Rice Esty (also known as Alexander Rice Estey ) (18 October 1826 – 2 July 1881)

2496-599: The components of the regions and divisions to ensure that they continue to represent the most useful combinations of states and state equivalents." Many organizations and reference works follow the Census Bureau's definition for the region. In the history of the United States, the Mason–Dixon line between Pennsylvania ( the North ) and Maryland ( the South ) traditionally divided the regions, but in modern times, various entities define

2560-599: The following year. Many of Esty's churches were variations of a popular nineteenth-century style similar to Richard Upjohn 's. In addition to his church designs, Esty designed numerous university, public, and office buildings. He also proposed a design for the Library of Congress building in Washington, D.C. Esty received an honorary Master of Arts degree in 1866 from the University of Rochester . From 1876 until his death, Esty

2624-445: The growing collection of library materials—both traditional and non-traditional—and to keep up with the community's demand for quality library services. Groundbreaking for the new building took place on July 27, 1989. The 91,000-square-foot (8,500 m) Theodore D. Mann Building opened to the public on September 15, 1991, at a cost of just over $ 15 million. It was believed that branches were no longer necessary and were, in fact, usurping

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2688-403: The library renovated the children and teen area to create a new tween area on the first floor behind the research area. The Newton Free Library has been recognized as one of the top ten libraries in the country within its population range category by Hennen's American Public Library Ratings , being ranked in the top 10 nine times out of 10 reports between 1999–2010. The library is a department of

2752-404: The main of patrons and resources, so all but 4 of the branches were closed. The remaining branches remained open with reduced hours and staffing in four outlying locations: Auburndale, Waban, Newton Corner, and Nonantum. The latter two were closed on July 1, 2008 due to budget cuts, while Auburndale and Waban continue as community-run library centers. In 2020, solar canopies were constructed over

2816-421: The main parking lot. Since its move to the new building, the Newton Free Library's circulation has steadily increased to almost 2 million items per year. A wide variety of educational and cultural programs, specialized children's programming, high-speed wireless access, and an ever-increasing audio-visual collection continue to attract people of all ages to the library. In its most recent update, in spring of 2018,

2880-485: The nation's largest metropolitan areas, including Boston , New York City , and Philadelphia . The megalopolis makes up 67% of the region's total population of 57,609,148. The gross domestic product of the region was $ 5.1 trillion as of 2022 and contains some of the most developed states based on the Human Development Index , with every state with the exception of Maine above the national average. It

2944-764: The nation's manufacturing sector. After the end of the War of 1812, industry boomed in the Northeast in the early and middle parts of the 19th century. With the construction of railroad and canals crossing the northeast and the rise of western territories and resources from the south, the Northeast experienced the development of new industries and a fast-growing population. Many of the coastal cities, including Boston , New York City , and Philadelphia , served as ocean trade ports for American goods. Cities, including Allentown , Buffalo , Pittsburgh , Rochester , and Syracuse , were settled and emerged as major industrial centers. By 1860, New York City, based on its present-day boundaries,

3008-405: The northeast grow massively, even more so than before the Civil War. Many cities in the Northeast would explode in population, with cities like Philadelphia and New York climbing over one million people, while other cities like Buffalo, Boston, and Pittsburgh would rise above half a million during this time. New York City eventually grew to become one of the largest cities in the world by 1900. With

3072-474: The original building on Centre Street, first in 1886, then again in 1952. Demand for library services was so great that the Newton Free Library built neighborhood branches in Newton Centre , Waban , Oak Hill , West Newton , Auburndale , Newton Upper Falls , Newtonville , Nonantum , Newton Highlands , and Newton Lower Falls . In the mid 1980s it was determined that a new building was needed to maintain

3136-469: The region. The climate of the Northeastern United States varies from northernmost state of Maine to its southernmost state in Maryland . The region's climate is influenced by its positional western to eastern flow of weather in the middle latitudes in the United States. Summers are normally warm in northern areas to hot in southern areas. In summer, the building Bermuda High pumps warm and sultry air toward

3200-571: The revolution the Northeast would see small skirmishes like the Whiskey Rebellion in western parts of Pennsylvania. Many northeastern states would continue trading with the British and other European powers. Tensions between the United States and Europe (specifically Britain) would sour in the lead up to the War of 1812 . This caused certain trade merchants to meet in Hartford to propose succeeding from

3264-618: The sea for the Province of Pennsylvania and leased what then came to be known as the "Lower Counties on the Delaware" from the Duke . Penn established representative government and briefly combined his two possessions under one General Assembly in 1682. By 1704, the province of Pennsylvania had grown so large that their representatives wanted to make decisions without the assent of the Lower Counties and

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3328-655: The shore, though these are usually smaller and squeezed in-between urbanized areas. These include the Palisades Park in New Jersey, Fire Island in Long Island, and the Cape Cod shoreline in Massachusetts. The Northeast has 72 National Wildlife Refuges , encompassing more than 500,000 acres (780 sq mi; 2,000 km ) of habitat and designed to protect some of the 92 different threatened and endangered species living in

3392-538: The states of New England. Other more restrictive definitions include New England and New York as part of the Northeast United States, but exclude Pennsylvania and New Jersey. States beyond the Census Bureau definition are included in Northeast Region by various other entities: While most of the Northeastern United States lie in the physiographic region of the Appalachian Highlands , some are also part of

3456-433: The two groups of representatives began meeting on their own, one at Philadelphia , and the other at New Castle, Delaware . Penn and his heirs remained proprietors of both and always appointed the same person Governor for their province of Pennsylvania and their territory of the Lower Counties. The fact that Delaware and Pennsylvania shared the same governor was not unique. From 1703 to 1738, both New York and New Jersey shared

3520-407: The union, even with slavery still legal. For the first two years, the eastern theater of the war would remain in Virginia and Maryland, but in 1863 the war would reach its northeastern most extent in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . The Battle of Gettysburg is considered a turning point in the Civil War, seeing the end of the Confederate push northwards. While all Northeastern states would remain in

3584-400: The west to the Atlantic Ocean in the east, have all been loosely grouped into the Northeast. The U.S. Census Bureau 's definition of the Northeast includes nine states: Maine , New York , New Jersey , Vermont , Massachusetts , Rhode Island , Connecticut , New Hampshire , and Pennsylvania . The region is often subdivided into New England , the six states east of New York state and

3648-399: The year 1887 reads: The term 'Public Library' fails to give full expression to the character of the Public Library and the many institutions of the same description which have been lately established in our cities and towns. The distinguishing term is the 'Free Library'. As the library's collection and membership grew, the physical space needed to be expanded. Several expansions were added to

3712-429: Was 64.42% white , 11.51% African American, 0.51% Native American, 7.25% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 8.17% from other races, and 8.10% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.27% of the population. There were 22,418,883 households and 14,189,719 families in 2021. Of the 22,418,883 households, 27.7% included children under the age of 18. In 2021, the region's the population's age distribution

3776-414: Was also banished by Massachusetts, formed the town of Portsmouth . Providence, Portsmouth and two other towns ( Newport and Warwick ) consolidated to form the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations . Henry Hudson explored the area of present-day New York in 1609 and claimed it for the Netherlands. His journey stimulated Dutch interest, and the area became known as New Netherland . In 1625,

3840-416: Was an American architect known for designing many Gothic Revival churches in New England . His work also encompassed university buildings, public buildings, office buildings, and private residences across the Northeastern United States . Esty was born in Framingham, Massachusetts , the youngest child of Dexter Esty (1791–1860), a local builder, and Mary Eames Esty (née Rice, 1787–1849). He

3904-435: Was employed by the United States Treasury as Superintendent of Construction to the first United States Post Office and Sub-Treasury Building in Boston's Post Office Square . † Cornerstone Baptist Church was remodeled in 1885 by Van Brunt & Howe , to whom the National Register of Historic Places incorrectly gives sole credit. Northeastern United States The Northeastern United States (also referred to as

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3968-410: Was held in Philadelphia, where the new United States Constitution was drafted in 1787. 6 of the first 13 states to ratify the new constitution would be in the Northeast, with the last of the original 13, Rhode Island, ratifying the constitution in 1790. Vermont would be admitted in 1791 as the 14th state. The first Congress would convene in Federal Hall in New York City in March 1789. Following

4032-547: Was the brother of U.S. Representative Constantine C. Esty . Esty was a descendant of Edmund Rice , an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony , and a direct descendant of Mary Towne Esty , who was executed during the Salem Witch Trials . Esty attended Framingham Academy as a boy. He then trained in architecture with Boston architect Richard Bond . He remained a resident of Framingham for his entire life. Esty married three times: In 1847, Esty worked for architect Gridley J. F. Bryant before opening his own Boston office

4096-411: Was the first U.S. city to reach a population exceeding one million. Due to the settlement of the Midwest and Great Plains , agriculture would collapse in the Mid-Atlantic and New England, with many farms being abandoned by the end of the century, returning to rural forest. Conflicts with the south over the spread of slavery would become a large factor in the start of the American Civil War, between

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