Greater Boston, Massachusetts

Although the city of Boston is fairly large, with a population of about 600,000, it is dwarfed by Greater Boston, which consists of a dozen other cities as well as some outlying sections of Boston proper that are linked by propinquity and common interests such as regional transportation, water resources, green spaces, emergency planning, etc.

Neighboring cities include Brookline, Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Newton, Revere, Somerville, Waltham, Watertown and Winthrop.

Arlington, Belmont and Quincy are a bit farther away from the center, but they still look to Boston as "the city."

It's common for anyone living in Greater Boston (that is, in Boston or any of the cities surrounding it) to tell strangers they're "from Boston," when in fact they may live in one of the neighboring cities.

Keep this in mind when you're looking for places in Greater Boston: don't look for Harvard in Boston (it's in Cambridge). Don't look for Tufts in Boston (It's in Medford). Don't look for Brandeis in Boston (it's in Waltham).