List of municipalities in Massachusetts

Minor civil divisions or municipalities in the U.S. state of Massachusetts are classified as either towns or cities, distinguished by their form of government under state law. Towns have an open town meeting or representative town meeting form of government. Cities, on the other hand, use a mayor-council or council-manager form. Based on the form of government, there are 296 towns and 55 cities in Massachusetts. Some municipalities, however, still refer to themselves as "towns" even though they have a city form of government.

The main list includes actively functioning municipal governments. Former municipalities are listed in a separate section below the main list.

Maps of Massachusetts cities and towns

List of municipalities

Boston, largest city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Brockton

Cambridge

Dudley

Gloucester

Haverhill

Lawrence

Lowell

Medford

New Bedford

Quincy

Springfield

Uxbridge

Winthrop

Worcester

Municipality	Type[1]	County[2]	Form of government[1]	Population (2010)[2]	Year established[3]
Abington	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	15,985	1712
Acton	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	21,924	1735
Acushnet	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	10,303	1860
Adams	Town	Berkshire	Representative town meeting	8,485	1778
Agawam	City[4]	Hampden	Mayor-council	28,438	1855
Alford	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	494	1773
Amesbury	City	Essex	Mayor-council	16,283	1668
Amherst	Town	Hampshire	Representative town meeting	37,819	1775
Andover	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	33,201	1646
Aquinnah	Town	Dukes	Open town meeting	311	1870
Arlington	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	42,844	1807
Ashburnham	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	6,081	1765
Ashby	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	3,074	1767
Ashfield	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,737	1765
Ashland	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	16,593	1846
Athol	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	11,584	1762
Attleboro	City	Bristol	Mayor-council	43,593	1694
Auburn	Town	Worcester	Representative town meeting	16,188	1778
Avon	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	4,356	1888
Ayer	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	7,427	1871
Barnstable	City[4]	Barnstable	Council-manager	45,193	1639
Barre	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	5,398	1774
Becket	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	1,779	1765
Bedford	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	13,320	1729
Belchertown	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	14,649	1761
Bellingham	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	16,332	1719
Belmont	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	24,729	1859
Berkley	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	6,411	1735
Berlin	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	2,866	1812
Bernardston	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	2,129	1762
Beverly	City	Essex	Mayor-council	39,502	1668
Billerica	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	40,243	1655
Blackstone	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	9,026	1845
Blandford	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	1,233	1741
Bolton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	4,897	1738
Boston	City	Suffolk	Mayor-council	617,660	1630
Bourne	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	19,754	1884
Boxborough	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	4,996	1835
Boxford	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	7,965	1685
Boylston	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	4,355	1785
Braintree	City[4]	Norfolk	Mayor-council	35,744	1640
Brewster	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	9,820	1803
Bridgewater	City[4]	Plymouth	Council-manager	26,563	1656
Brimfield	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	3,609	1731
Brockton	City	Plymouth	Mayor-council	93,810	1821
Brookfield	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	3,390	1718
Brookline	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	58,732	1705
Buckland	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,902	1779
Burlington	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	24,498	1799
Cambridge	City	Middlesex	Mayor-manager-council	105,162	1636
Canton	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	21,561	1797
Carlisle	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	4,852	1780
Carver	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	11,509	1790
Charlemont	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,266	1765
Charlton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	12,981	1755[5]
Chatham	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	6,125	1712
Chelmsford	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	33,802	1655
Chelsea	City	Suffolk	Council-manager	35,177	1739
Cheshire	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	3,235	1793
Chester	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	1,337	1765
Chesterfield	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	1,222	1762
Chicopee	City	Hampden	Mayor-aldermen	55,298	1848
Chilmark	Town	Dukes	Open town meeting	866	1714
Clarksburg	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	1,702	1798
Clinton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	13,606	1850
Cohasset	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	7,542	1775
Colrain	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,671	1761
Concord	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	17,668	1635
Conway	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,897	1775
Cummington	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	872	1779
Dalton	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	6,756	1784
Danvers	Town	Essex	Representative town meeting	26,493	1775
Dartmouth	Town	Bristol	Representative town meeting	34,032	1664
Dedham	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	24,729	1636
Deerfield	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	5,125	1677
Dennis	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	14,207	1793
Dighton	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	7,086	1712
Douglas	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	8,471	1775
Dover	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	5,589	1836
Dracut	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	29,457	1701
Dudley	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	11,390	1732
Dunstable	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	3,179	1673
Duxbury	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	15,059	1637
East Bridgewater	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	13,794	1823
East Brookfield	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	2,183	1920
East Longmeadow	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	15,720	1894
Eastham	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	4,956	1646
Easthampton	City	Hampshire	Mayor-council	16,053	1809
Easton	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	23,112	1725
Edgartown	Town	Dukes	Open town meeting	4,067	1671
Egremont	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	1,225	1775
Erving	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,800	1838
Essex	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	3,504	1819
Everett	City	Middlesex	Mayor-council-aldermen	41,667	1870
Fairhaven	Town	Bristol	Representative town meeting	15,873	1812
Fall River	City	Bristol	Mayor-council	88,857	1803
Falmouth	Town	Barnstable	Representative town meeting	31,531	1686
Fitchburg	City	Worcester	Mayor-council	40,318	1764
Florida	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	752	1805
Foxborough	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	16,865	1778
Framingham	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	68,318	1700
Franklin	City[4]	Norfolk	Council-administrator	31,635	1778
Freetown	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	8,870	1683
Gardner	City	Worcester	Mayor-council	20,228	1785
Georgetown	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	8,183	1838
Gill	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,500	1793
Gloucester	City	Essex	Mayor-council	28,789	1623
Goshen	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	1,054	1781
Gosnold	Town	Dukes	Open town meeting	75	1864
Grafton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	17,765	1735
Granby	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	6,240	1768
Granville	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	1,566	1775
Great Barrington	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	7,104	1761
Greenfield	City[4]	Franklin	Mayor-council	17,456	1775
Groton	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	10,646	1655
Groveland	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	6,459	1850
Hadley	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	5,250	1661
Halifax	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	7,518	1734
Hamilton	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	7,764	1793
Hampden	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	5,139	1878
Hancock	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	717	1776
Hanover	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	13,879	1727
Hanson	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	10,209	1820
Hardwick	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	2,990	1739
Harvard	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	6,520	1732
Harwich	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	12,243	1694
Hatfield	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	3,279	1670
Haverhill	City	Essex	Mayor-council	60,879	1641
Hawley	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	337	1792
Heath	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	706	1785
Hingham	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	22,157	1635
Hinsdale	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	2,032	1804
Holbrook	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	10,791	1872
Holden	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	17,346	1741
Holland	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	2,481	1835
Holliston	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	13,547	1724
Holyoke	City	Hampden	Mayor-council	39,880	1850
Hopedale	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	5,911	1886
Hopkinton	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	14,925	1715
Hubbardston	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	4,382	1775
Hudson	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	19,063	1866
Hull	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	10,293	1644
Huntington	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	2,180	1775
Ipswich	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	13,175	1634
Kingston	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	12,629	1726
Lakeville	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	10,602	1853
Lancaster	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	8,055	1653
Lanesborough	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	3,091	1765
Lawrence	City	Essex	Mayor-council	76,377	1847
Lee	Town	Berkshire	Representative town meeting	5,943	1777
Leicester	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	10,970	1714
Lenox	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	5,025	1775
Leominster	City	Worcester	Mayor-council	40,759	1740
Leverett	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,851	1774
Lexington	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	31,394	1713
Leyden	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	711	1809
Lincoln	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	6,362	1754
Littleton	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	8,924	1715
Longmeadow	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	15,784	1783
Lowell	City	Middlesex	Mayor-manager-council	106,519	1826
Ludlow	Town	Hampden	Representative town meeting	21,103	1775
Lunenburg	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	10,086	1728
Lynn	City	Essex	Mayor-council	90,329	1629
Lynnfield	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	11,596	1814
Malden	City	Middlesex	Mayor-council	59,450	1649
Manchester-by-the-Sea	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	5,136	1645
Mansfield	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	23,184	1775
Marblehead	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	19,808	1649
Marion	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	4,907	1852
Marlborough	City	Middlesex	Mayor-council	38,499	1660
Marshfield	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	25,132	1640
Mashpee	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	14,006	1870
Mattapoisett	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	6,045	1857
Maynard	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	10,106	1871
Medfield	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	12,024	1651
Medford	City	Middlesex	Mayor-council	56,173	1630
Medway	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	12,752	1713
Melrose	City	Middlesex	Mayor-aldermen	26,983	1850
Mendon	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	5,839	1667
Merrimac	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	6,338	1876
Methuen	City[4]	Essex	Mayor-council	47,255	1725
Middleborough	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	23,116	1669
Middlefield	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	521	1783
Middleton	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	8,987	1728
Milford	Town	Worcester	Representative town meeting	27,999	1780
Millbury	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	13,261	1813
Millis	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	7,891	1885
Millville	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	3,190	1916
Milton	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	27,003	1662
Monroe	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	121	1822
Monson	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	8,560	1775
Montague	Town	Franklin	Representative town meeting	8,437	1775
Monterey	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	961	1847
Montgomery	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	838	1780
Mount Washington	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	167	1779
Nahant	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	3,410	1853
Nantucket	Town	Nantucket	Open town meeting	10,172	1671
Natick	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	33,006	1781
Needham	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	28,886	1711
New Ashford	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	228	1835
New Bedford	City	Bristol	Mayor-council	95,072	1787
New Braintree	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	999	1775
New Marlborough	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	1,509	1775
New Salem	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	990	1775
Newbury	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	6,666	1635
Newburyport	City	Essex	Mayor-council	17,416	1764
Newton	City	Middlesex	Mayor-aldermen	85,146	1688
Norfolk	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	11,227	1870
North Adams	City	Berkshire	Mayor-council	13,708	1878
North Andover	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	28,352	1855
North Attleborough	Town	Bristol	Representative town meeting	28,712	1887
North Brookfield	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	4,680	1812
North Reading	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	14,892	1853
Northampton	City	Hampshire	Mayor-council	28,549	1656
Northborough	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	14,155	1775
Northbridge	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	15,707	1775
Northfield	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	3,032	1723
Norton	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	19,031	1711
Norwell	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	10,506	1849
Norwood	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	28,602	1872
Oak Bluffs	Town	Dukes	Open town meeting	4,527	1880
Oakham	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	1,902	1775
Orange	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	7,839	1810
Orleans	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	5,890	1797
Otis	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	1,612	1773
Oxford	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	13,709	1713
Palmer	City[4]	Hampden	Council-manager	12,140	1775
Paxton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	4,806	1775
Peabody	City	Essex	Mayor-council	51,251	1868
Pelham	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	1,321	1743
Pembroke	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	17,837	1712
Pepperell	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	11,497	1775
Peru	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	847	1771
Petersham	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	1,234	1754
Phillipston	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	1,682	1786
Pittsfield	City	Berkshire	Mayor-council	44,737	1761
Plainfield	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	648	1807
Plainville	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	8,264	1905
Plymouth	Town	Plymouth	Representative town meeting	56,468	1620
Plympton	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	2,820	1707
Princeton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	3,413	1771
Provincetown	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	2,942	1727
Quincy	City	Norfolk	Mayor-council	92,271	1792
Randolph	City[4]	Norfolk	Council-manager	32,112	1793
Raynham	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	13,383	1731
Reading	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	24,747	1644
Rehoboth	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	11,608	1645
Revere	City	Suffolk	Mayor-council	51,755	1846
Richmond	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	1,475	1765
Rochester	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	5,232	1686
Rockland	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	17,489	1874
Rockport	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	6,952	1840
Rowe	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	393	1785
Rowley	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	5,856	1639
Royalston	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	1,258	1765
Russell	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	1,775	1792
Rutland	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	7,973	1713
Salem	City	Essex	Mayor-council	41,340	1626
Salisbury	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	8,283	1639
Sandisfield	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	915	1762
Sandwich	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	20,675	1638
Saugus	Town	Essex	Representative town meeting	26,628	1815
Savoy	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	692	1797
Scituate	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	18,133	1636
Seekonk	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	13,722	1812
Sharon	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	17,612	1775
Sheffield	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	3,257	1733
Shelburne	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,893	1775
Sherborn	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	4,119	1674
Shirley	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	7,211	1775
Shrewsbury	Town	Worcester	Representative town meeting	35,608	1727
Shutesbury	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,771	1761
Somerset	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	18,165	1790
Somerville	City	Middlesex	Mayor-aldermen	75,754	1842
South Hadley	Town	Hampshire	Representative town meeting	17,514	1775
Southampton	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	5,792	1775
Southborough	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	9,767	1727
Southbridge	City[4]	Worcester	Council-manager	16,719	1816
Southwick	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	9,502	1775
Spencer	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	11,688	1775
Springfield	City	Hampden	Mayor-council	153,060	1636
Sterling	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	7,808	1781
Stockbridge	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	1,947	1739
Stoneham	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	21,437	1725
Stoughton	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	26,962	1726
Stow	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	6,590	1683
Sturbridge	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	9,268	1738
Sudbury	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	17,659	1639
Sunderland	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	3,684	1714
Sutton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	8,963	1714
Swampscott	Town	Essex	Representative town meeting	13,787	1852
Swansea	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	15,865	1667
Taunton	City	Bristol	Mayor-council	55,874	1639
Templeton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	8,013	1762
Tewksbury	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	28,961	1734
Tisbury	Town	Dukes	Open town meeting	3,949	1671
Tolland	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	485	1810
Topsfield	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	6,085	1650
Townsend	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	8,926	1732
Truro	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	2,003	1709
Tyngsborough	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	11,292	1809
Tyringham	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	327	1762
Upton	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	7,542	1735
Uxbridge	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	13,457	1727
Wakefield	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	24,932	1812
Wales	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	1,838	1762
Walpole	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	24,070	1724
Waltham	City	Middlesex	Mayor-council	60,632	1738
Ware	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	9,872	1775
Wareham	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	21,822	1739
Warren	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	5,135	1742
Warwick	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	780	1763
Washington	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	538	1777
Watertown	City[4]	Middlesex	Council-manager	31,915	1630
Wayland	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	12,994	1780
Webster	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	16,767	1832
Wellesley	Town	Norfolk	Representative town meeting	27,982	1881
Wellfleet	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	2,750	1775
Wendell	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	848	1781
Wenham	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	4,875	1643
West Boylston	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	7,669	1808
West Bridgewater	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	6,916	1822
West Brookfield	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	3,701	1848
West Newbury	Town	Essex	Open town meeting	4,235	1819
West Springfield	City[4]	Hampden	Mayor-council	28,391	1774
West Stockbridge	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	1,306	1775
West Tisbury	Town	Dukes	Open town meeting	2,740	1892
Westborough	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	18,272	1717
Westfield	City	Hampden	Mayor-council	41,094	1669
Westford	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	21,951	1729
Westhampton	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	1,607	1778
Westminster	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	7,277	1770
Weston	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	11,261	1713
Westport	Town	Bristol	Open town meeting	15,532	1787
Westwood	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	14,618	1897
Weymouth	City[4]	Norfolk	Mayor-council	53,743	1635
Whately	Town	Franklin	Open town meeting	1,496	1771
Whitman	Town	Plymouth	Open town meeting	14,489	1875
Wilbraham	Town	Hampden	Open town meeting	14,219	1763
Williamsburg	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	2,482	1775
Williamstown	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	7,754	1765
Wilmington	Town	Middlesex	Open town meeting	22,325	1730
Winchendon	Town	Worcester	Open town meeting	10,300	1764
Winchester	Town	Middlesex	Representative town meeting	21,374	1850
Windsor	Town	Berkshire	Open town meeting	899	1771
Winthrop	City[4]	Suffolk	Council-manager	17,497	1852
Woburn	City	Middlesex	Mayor-aldermen	38,120	1642
Worcester	City	Worcester	Mayor-manager-council	181,045	1684
Worthington	Town	Hampshire	Open town meeting	1,156	1768
Wrentham	Town	Norfolk	Open town meeting	10,955	1673
Yarmouth	Town	Barnstable	Open town meeting	23,793	1639

List of cities by official name

The following tabular list shows the 55 government divisions of the Commonwealth which have been officially granted the right to use the city form of government along with the official name in use by each municipality.^{[Note 1]}

Municipality	Official name	Web reference
Agawam	Town of Agawam	http://www.agawam.ma.us/
Amesbury	City of Amesbury	http://www.amesburyma.gov/
Attleboro	City of Attleboro	http://www.cityofattleboro.us/
Barnstable	Town of Barnstable	http://www.town.barnstable.ma.us/
Beverly	City of Beverly	http://www.beverlyma.gov
Boston	City of Boston	http://www.cityofboston.gov/
Braintree	Town of Braintree	http://www.townofbraintreegov.org/
Bridgewater	Town of Bridgewater	http://www.bridgewaterma.org/
Brockton	City of Brockton	http://www.brockton.ma.us/
Cambridge	City of Cambridge	http://www.cambridgema.gov/
Chelsea	City of Chelsea	http://www.ci.chelsea.ma.us/
Chicopee	City of Chicopee	http://www.chicopeema.gov/
Easthampton	City of Easthampton	http://www.easthampton.org/
Everett	City of Everett	http://www.ci.everett.ma.us/
Fall River	City of Fall River	http://www.fallriverma.org/
Fitchburg	City of Fitchburg	http://www.ci.fitchburg.ma.us/
Franklin	Town of Franklin	http://franklinma.virtualtownhall.net/
Gardner	City of Gardner	http://www.gardner-ma.gov/
Gloucester	City of Gloucester	http://www.ci.gloucester.ma.us/
Greenfield	Town of Greenfield	http://www.cityofgreenfield.org/
Haverhill	City of Haverhill	http://www.ci.haverhill.ma.us/
Holyoke	City of Holyoke	http://www.holyoke.org/
Lawrence	City of Lawrence	http://www.cityoflawrence.com
Leominster	City of Leominster	http://www.leominster-ma.gov/
Lowell	City of Lowell	http://www.lowellma.gov/
Lynn	City of Lynn	http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/
Malden	City of Malden	http://www.ci.malden.ma.us/
Marlborough	City of Marlborough	http://www.marlborough-ma.gov/
Medford	City of Medford	http://www.medford.org/
Melrose	City of Melrose	http://www.cityofmelrose.org/
Methuen	City of Methuen	http://www.ci.methuen.ma.us/
New Bedford	City of New Bedford	http://www.newbedford-ma.gov/
Newburyport	City of Newburyport	http://www.cityofnewburyport.com/
Newton	City of Newton	http://www.newtonma.gov/
North Adams	City of North Adams	http://www.northadams-ma.gov/
Northampton	City of Northampton	http://www.northamptonma.gov/
Palmer	Town of Palmer	http://www.townofpalmer.com
Peabody	City of Peabody	http://www.peabody-ma.gov/
Pittsfield	City of Pittsfield	http://www.pittsfield-ma.org/
Quincy	City of Quincy	http://www.quincyma.gov/
Randolph[6]	Town of Randolph	http://www.townofrandolph.com/
Revere	City of Revere	http://www.revere.org/
Salem	City of Salem	http://www.salem.com
Somerville	City of Somerville	http://www.somervillema.gov
Southbridge	Town of Southbridge	http://www.ci.southbridge.ma.us
Springfield	City of Springfield	http://www.springfieldcityhall.com
Taunton	City of Taunton	http://www.taunton-ma.gov
Waltham	City of Waltham	http://www.city.waltham.ma.us/
Watertown	Town of Watertown	http://www.watertown-ma.gov
Westfield	City of Westfield	http://www.cityofwestfield.org
West Springfield	Town of West Springfield	http://www.west-springfield.ma.us
Weymouth	Town of Weymouth	http://www.weymouth.ma.us/
Winthrop	Town of Winthrop	http://www.town.winthrop.ma.us/
Woburn	City of Woburn	http://www.cityofwoburn.com/
Worcester	City of Worcester	http://www.ci.worcester.ma.us/

Geography of towns at formation

Formation of Massachusetts cities and towns, 1620–1870

This map shows towns colored by the date they were incorporated in Massachusetts since the founding of Plimoth Plantation in 1620. Many of the towns and future cities shown covering the area of their original incorporation have since been divided into two, three or in some cases several smaller municipalities. For example, Dorchester was incorporated in 1630 and originally included all of the current Dorchester, now the largest neighborhood of Boston, plus the Boston neighborhood of Mattapan, and all of present-day Quincy, Milton, Braintree, Randolph, Holbrook, Canton, Sharon, Stoughton, Avon and the northeast portion of Foxboro. Nearly all of Massachusetts territory had been incorporated by 1815, with the final three areas of Erving (1838), Gay Head (now Aquinnah) and Mashpee (both 1870) being incorporated from previously Native American land.

Former municipalities

Some towns and cities were annexed to others; disincorporated; or ceded to another state in their entirety. This list does not include territory changes affecting only part of a municipality; see History of Massachusetts.

Annexations

The following formerly independent municipalities have been annexed to Boston:

• Brighton (1873)
• Charlestown (1873)
• Dorchester (1869)
• Hyde Park (1912)
• Roxbury (1867)
• West Roxbury (1873)

The town of Bradford was annexed to Haverhill, Massachusetts in 1895.

Disincorporations

The following towns were disincorporated in 1938 due to the construction of the Quabbin Reservoir; all their territory was absorbed into surrounding towns:

• Dana
• Enfield
• Greenwich
• Prescott

Cessions

The following towns were ceded the Rhode Island colony in 1747 as part of a border dispute:

• Barrington
• Bristol
• Little Compton
• Tiverton
• Warren (Sowams) [possibly part of Swansea, Massachusetts in 1747?]

The following towns joined the Connecticut Colony in the late 1749 after separating from Springfield or just joining Connecticut.

• Enfield
• Somers
• Suffield
• Woodstock

Also all settlements in the District of Maine were ceded when the state of Maine gained its independence from Massachusetts in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise, and numerous towns were ceded to New Hampshire after the Northern boundary of Massachusetts was defined by royal decree.

Archaic names

Many municipalities have changed names.^[7]

Old name	Modern name	County	Notes
Acushena	Dartmouth	Bristol
Agawam	Dartmouth	Bristol	Different from Agawam in Hampden County
Agawam Plantation	Springfield	Hampden	An Agawam separated from Springfield via West Springfield
Andrewstown	Chesterfield	Hampshire
Apponegansett	Dartmouth	Bristol
Ashuelot Equivalent	Dalton	Berkshire
Attleborough	Attleboro	Bristol	The -ugh was dropped when the city was re-incorporated in 1914
Barnardstone's Grant	Florida	Berkshire
Basse River	Beverly	Essex
Belcher’s Town	Belchertown	Hampshire
Berkshire Equivalent	Florida	Berkshire
Billirikey	Billerica	Middlesex
Blue Hill Lands	Braintree	Norfolk
Boggestow	Sherborn	Middlesex
Boston Township Number One	Charlemont	Franklin
Boston Township Number Two	Colrain	Franklin
Bullock's Grant	Florida	Berkshire
Bullocks Grant	Clarksburg	Berkshire
Cabotville	Chicopee	Hampden
Cambridge Farms	Lexington	Middlesex
Cambridge South Parish	Brighton	Suffolk
Cape Ann	Gloucester	Essex	Different from the modern definition of Cape Ann, which includes Gloucester, Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and Rockport
Chabakongomum	Dudley	Worcester
Chabanagungamug	Dudley	Worcester
Chappequiddick	Edgartown	Dukes
Charley Mount	Charlemont	Franklin
Charlton	Charlestown	Suffolk
Chebacco	Essex	Essex
Chequocket	Barnstable	Barnstable
Chuckomug	Barnstable	Barnstable
Coa	Barnstable	Barnstable
Cochickawick	Andover	Essex
Cochituit	Andover	Essex
Cokachoise	Barnstable	Barnstable
Cold Spring	Belchertown	Hampshire
Colechester	Salisbury	Essex
Conahasset	Cohasset	Norfolk
Concord Village	Acton	Middlesex
Contentment	Dedham	Norfolk
Cotachesett	Barnstable	Barnstable
Cottage City	Oak Bluffs	Dukes
Danforth's Farms	Framingham	Middlesex
District of Carlisle	Carlisle	Middlesex
Dorchester Village	Canton	Norfolk
Dorchester-Canada Plantation	Ashburnham	Worcester
Ducksburrow	Duxbury	Plymouth
Duxburrow Plantation	Bridgewater	Plymouth
East Hoosuck Plantation	Adams	Berkshire
East Sudbury	Wayland	Middlesex
Edgar Towne	Edgartown	Dukes
Emesbury	Amesbury	Essex
Erving's Grant	Enfield	Hampshire
Fair Haven Village	Fairhaven	Bristol
Falls Fight	Bernardston	Franklin
Falltown Plantation	Bernardston	Franklin
Five Pound Island	Gloucester	Essex
Foords Farm	Bridgewater	Plymouth
Fort Massachusetts	Adams	Berkshire
Freeman's Purchase	Fall River	Bristol
Freemens Land	Freetown	Bristol
Gageborough	Windsor	Berkshire
Gay Head	Aquinnah	Dukes
Gay Head Indian District	Aquinnah	Dukes
Gerry	Phillipston	Worcester
Glasgow	Blandford	Hampden
Gloscester	Gloucester	Essex
Great Harbour	Edgartown	Dukes
Green Harbor	Duxbury	Plymouth
Greenwich	Enfield	Hampshire
Grundleborough	North Andover	Essex
Hack's Grant	Enfield	Hampshire
Hawthorn	Danvers	Essex
Hadley Third Precinct	Amherst	Hampshire
Hockamock	Easton	Bristol
Hockomock	Bridgewater	Plymouth
Housatonic Township Number Four	Becket	Berkshire
Huntstown Plantation	Ashfield	Franklin
Hutchinson	Barre	Worcester
Ipswich Eighth Parish	Essex	Essex
Ireland	Holyoke	Hampden
Iron Work Farm	Acton	Middlesex
Ketiticut	Bridgewater	Plymouth
Kokachoise	Barnstable	Barnstable
Litchfield	Dunstable	Middlesex
Little Cambridge	Brighton	Suffolk
Little Salisbury	Amesbury	Essex
Lyttleton	Littleton	Middlesex
Manamoiet	Chatham	Barnstable
Manamoit Village	Chatham	Barnstable
Manamooskeagin	Abington	Plymouth
Manchaug	Sutton	Worcester
Manor of Tisbury	Chilmark	Dukes
Mattakeeset	Barnstable	Barnstable
Mattakeeset	Duxbury	Plymouth
Mattapan	Dorchester	Suffolk	Section of Boston
Mennems Moone	Dorchester	Suffolk
Menotomy	Arlington	Middlesex
Merry Mount	Merrymount	Norfolk	Neighborhood of Quincy
Middlesex Gore	Dudley	Worcester
Mile & Half of Land	Attleboro	Bristol
Minnechaug	Hampden	Hampden
Minot's Grant	Cummington	Hampshire
Mishawum	Charlestown	Suffolk
Mistic	Barnstable	Barnstable
Mohootset	Carver	Plymouth
Monatiquot	Braintree	Norfolk
Monomoy	Chatham	Barnstable
Monument Village	Bourne	Barnstable
Moskeehtucketqut	Barnstable	Barnstable
Mount Dagan	Braintree	Norfolk
Mount Wollaston	Merrymount	Norfolk	Neighborhood of Quincy
Muddy River	Brookline	Norfolk
Murrayfield	Chester	Hampden
Murrayfield Grant	Cummington	Hampshire
Musketequid	Concord	Middlesex
Namassakeesett	Duxbury	Plymouth
Nashowakemmuck	Chilmark	Dukes
Nawsett	Eastham	Barnstable
New Glasgow	Blandford	Hampden
New Grant	Acton	Middlesex
New Hingham Plantation	Chesterfield	Hampshire
New Providence	Cheshire	Berkshire
New Providence Hill	Cheshire	Berkshire
New Providence Plantation	Adams	Berkshire
New Providence Purchase	Cheshire	Berkshire
New Rowley	Georgetown	Essex
New Sherburn	Douglas	Worcester
Newe Towne	Cambridge	Middlesex	Included modern Newton
Newtown	Cambridge	Middlesex	Included modern Newton
No Town Plantation	Buckland	Franklin
Nobscusset	Dennis	Barnstable
Noman's Land	Chilmark	Dukes
Noddle's Island	Boston	Suffolk
North Bridgewater	Brockton	Plymouth
North Purchase	Attleboro	Bristol
North Sandwich	Bourne	Barnstable
North Wrentham	Norfolk	Norfolk
Nossett	Eastham	Barnstable
Noticock	Dunstable	Middlesex
Nottingham	Dunstable	Middlesex
Number Thirteen	Chelsea	Suffolk
Nunketest	Bridgewater	Plymouth
Nunnepog	Edgartown	Dukes
Passacomuck	Easthampton	Hampshire
Pawtucket	Chelmsford	Middlesex
Pawtucket	Dracut	Middlesex
Payquage Plantation	Athol	Worcester
Peymechit	Barnstable	Barnstable
Plantation Chickleystown	Charlemont	Franklin
Plantation Number Five (1762 Township)	Cummington	Hampshire
Plantation Number Four	Becket	Berkshire
Plantation Number Nine (1762 Township)	Chester	Hampden
Plantation Number One (Western Township of 1762)	Chesterfield	Hampshire
Plantation Number One	Adams	Berkshire
Pocomtuck	Deerfield	Franklin
Podunke	Alford	Berkshire
Podunkville	Alford	Berkshire
Poguaige	Athol	Worcester
Pompositicut	Stow	Middlesex
Provincetown on Mills River	Athol	Worcester
Pullen Poynte	Chelsea	Suffolk
Pullin Point	Chelsea	Suffolk
Punkapoag	Canton	Norfolk
Quabaug Territory	Brookfield	Worcester
Quabaug Territory	East Brookfield	Worcester
Quaboag	Brookfield	Worcester
Quequechan Region	Fall River	Bristol
Quichickichick	Andover	Essex
Quinsigamond	Worcester	Worcester
Quobauge	Brookfield	Worcester
Rowley Village	Boxford	Essex
Rumney Marsh	Chelsea	Suffolk
Rutland District	Barre	Worcester
Sacconeesett	Falmouth	Barnstable
Salem Farms	Danvers	Essex
Salem Middle Parish	Danvers	Essex
Salem Village Parish	Danvers	Essex
Salisbury-new-toune	Amesbury	Essex
Santuite	Barnstable	Barnstable
Satucket	Brewster	Barnstable
Satuite	Barnstable	Barnstable
Sawkatucket	Brewster	Barnstable
Scipuiszet	Falmouth	Barnstable
Sconticut	Fairhaven	Bristol
Seipuiszet	Falmouth	Barnstable
Sepoese	Barnstable	Barnstable
Sepuit	Barnstable	Barnstable
Sesuet	Dennis	Barnstable
Shawanon	Egremont	Berkshire
Shawanon Purchase	Alford	Berkshire
Shawmut	Boston	Suffolk
Shawshinnock	Billerica	Middlesex
Shawsin	Billerica	Middlesex
Sipnesset	Barnstable	Barnstable
Skonkonet	Barnstable	Barnstable
Skunkamug	Barnstable	Barnstable
Slacksville	Plainville	Norfolk
South Malden	Everett	Middlesex
South Parish	Enfield	Hampshire
South Purchase	Dighton	Bristol
South Reading	Wakefield	Middlesex
South Redding	Wakefield	Middlesex
South Wilbraham	Hampden	Hampden
Springfield Parish	Dover	Norfolk
Squantums Neck	Quincy	Norfolk	Annexed to Dorchester 1641, annexed to Quincy 1792[8]
Suckanesset	Falmouth	Barnstable
Sudbury	Wayland	Middlesex
Suffield Equivalent Lands	Blandford	Hampden
Tamahappaseeacon	Barnstable	Barnstable
Taunton	Dighton	Bristol	Different from modern Taunton
Taunton North Purchase	Easton	Bristol
Tiverton	Freetown	Bristol	Different from modern Tiverton, Rhode Island
Tragabigzanda	Gloucester	Essex
Tremont	Boston	Suffolk
Trimountaine	Boston	Suffolk
Troy	Fall River	Bristol
Turkey Hill	Fitchburg	Worcester
Vinson's Cove	Gloucester	Essex
Wameset	Chelmsford	Middlesex
Waqua	Edgartown	Dukes
Ward	Auburn	Worcester
Washqua	Edgartown	Dukes
Waskotussoo	Barnstable	Barnstable
Watatick Hill	Ashburnham	Worcester
Wattuppa	Freetown	Bristol
Weguasset	Chatham	Barnstable
Wellington	Dighton	Bristol
Wequaquet	Barnstable	Barnstable
Wessagusset Colony	Weymouth	Norfolk	Founded by Thomas Weston in 1622, 2nd oldest European settlement in Massachusetts. Incorporated as Weymouth in 1635 by settlers from the Dorset, England town of the same name.
West Cambridge	Arlington	Middlesex
West Hoosuck	Williamstown	Berkshire
West Sandwich	Bourne	Barnstable
Weymouth Canada	Ashfield	Franklin
Willard’s Farm	Acton	Middlesex
Winnissimet	Chelsea	Suffolk
Wyngaersheek	Gloucester	Essex
Yanno's Land	Barnstable	Barnstable
York	Egremont	Berkshire

See also

• Administrative divisions of Massachusetts
• Equivalent lands
• List of cities in the United States
• List of villages in Massachusetts
• Massachusetts gateway cities

Notes

1. The main source for the table is the Massachusetts Municipal Association 2009-2010 Municipal Directory. The MMA Directory is not an official state document, but is more up to date and specific than the official list from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's office, which is dated 03-11-2008 and does not include Palmer, Randolph and Winthrop, which have since adopted the city form of government.

References

1. "2009-10 Municipal Directory". Massachusetts Municipal Association. Retrieved 2010-01-25.
2. "Population and Housing Occupancy Status: 2010 - State -- County Subdivision, 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-03-23.
3. "Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
4. One of 14 municipalities with a city form of government that refers to itself as "The Town of"."Citizen Information Service: Massachusetts City and Town Incorporation and Settlement Dates". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2013.
5. William O. Hultgren (Fall 2004). "Time Line for the Establishment of the Town of Charlton" (PDF). Charlton Historical Society Newsletter. Charlton Historical Society. p. 1. Retrieved 2010-04-22.
6. "Chapter 147 of the Acts of 2009". Boston: Massachusetts General Court. November 19, 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
7. Archaic Community, District, Neighborhood, Section and Village, Names in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Secretary of State Citizen Information Service. Retrieved 2008 Apr 13.
8. "DIOTD, Mar. 10, 2009 Dorchester Territory". Dorchester Atheneum. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved 2009-08-11.

External links

• Massachusetts City and Town Directory, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Elections Division