Boston Trivia

100+ Boston Trivia Questions & Answers

Mike Oberman

Updated: January 23rd, 2025

Join our Boston trivia nights on Tuesday nights for trivia questions that promise a great time discovering fun facts about the New England Patriots, great food, and baked beans! Challenge your knowledge of Boston’s rich history, quirky traditions, and unforgettable moments while enjoying an engaging, spirited atmosphere among trivia enthusiasts.

Boston History Trivia

Question: What year was Boston settled by Puritan settlers?

Answer: 1625

Question: On what peninsula was Boston founded?

Answer: Shawmut Peninsula

Question: When was Boston incorporated as a city?

Answer: March 19, 1822

Question: Boston was named after a town in which English county?

Answer: Lincolnshire

Question: What is Boston’s official Latin motto?

Answer: Sicut patribus sit Deus nobis

Question: Which event in 1773 involved citizens throwing tea into Boston Harbor, sparking the Boston Tea Party?

Answer: Boston Tea Party

Question: What tragic 1770 event in Boston involved British troops firing on a crowd, later called the Boston Massacre?

Answer: Boston Massacre

Question: Which 1775 battle near Boston proved to be a pyrrhic victory for the British?

Answer: Battle of Bunker Hill

Question: What event marked the end of the siege during the American Revolutionary War in Boston?

Answer: Evacuation Day

Question: What is the name of the first public park in the United States, established in Boston Common in 1634?

Answer: Boston Common

Question: What is the name of the first public school in the U.S., founded in Boston Latin School in 1635?

Answer: Boston Latin School

Question: Who led the famous midnight ride during the American Revolution in Boston?

Answer: Paul Revere

Question: What portable fortification built on Dorchester Heights forced the British to evacuate the city?

Answer: The fortifications on Dorchester Heights

Question: Who supervised the construction of the fortifications on Dorchester Heights during the revolutionary war?

Answer: Rufus Putnam

Question: Which British commander oversaw the siege that ended with Boston’s evacuation?

Answer: Sir William Howe

Question: Which 1765 legislative act sparked violent protests that affected Boston's early history?

Answer: Stamp Act

Question: Which act in 1773 prompted the Boston Tea Party in Boston Harbor?

Answer: Tea Act

Question: What colonial document, signed in 1629, paved the way for Boston’s founding by establishing the Massachusetts Bay Colony?

Answer: Cambridge Agreement

Question: How did Boston play a central role during the American revolution in the United States?

Answer: It hosted events like the Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre, and key battles.

Question: What was the early name for the area now known as Boston before it was re-named?

Answer: Shawmut

Boston Geography Trivia

Question: What are the coordinates of Boston?

Answer: 42°21′37″N 71°3′28″W

Question: Boston is the capital of which U.S. state?

Answer: Massachusetts

Question: What is the land area of Boston in square miles?

Answer: 48.34 sq mi

Question: Approximately what percentage of Boston's total area is water?

Answer: 46%

Question: What is the elevation of Boston as listed in the Boston area information?

Answer: 46 ft

Question: According to the 2020 census, what was Boston’s population?

Answer: 675,647

Question: What is the demonym for a resident of this great city?

Answer: Bostonian

Question: What is Boston’s population density per square mile in the city?

Answer: 13,976.98/sq mi

Question: In which region of the United States is Boston located?

Answer: New England

Question: Boston is bordered to the north by which two cities?

Answer: Somerville and Cambridge

Question: Which river separates Boston’s Fenway-Kenmore and Back Bay neighborhoods from Cambridge and Watertown?

Answer: Charles River

Question: What is the highest point in Boston?

Answer: Bellevue Hill

Question: Which neighborhood lies directly east of Boston Common?

Answer: South Boston

Question: Boston is part of which metropolitan statistical area in Massachusetts?

Answer: Greater Boston

Question: Approximately what fraction of inner Boston’s modern land area was created by land reclamation?

Answer: More than two-thirds

Question: What is Boston’s national population ranking among U.S. cities?

Answer: 25th

Question: In which county is the city of Boston located?

Answer: Suffolk County

Question: What is the reported urban population of the Boston area?

Answer: 4,382,009

Question: What is the metro population of the Boston area as provided?

Answer: 4,941,632

Question: Which major body of water is adjacent to the city’s historic Boston Harbor?

Answer: Boston Harbor

Boston Culture Trivia

Question: Which Major League Baseball team plays at Fenway Park in Boston?

Answer: Boston Red Sox

Question: What institution, founded in 1852, was the first free public library in the United States and is located in the city?

Answer: Boston Public Library

Question: Name one major university that forms the “Brainpower Triangle” near Boston (others include MIT and Tufts).

Answer: Harvard University

Question: In which field has Boston emerged as a global leader, being the largest biotechnology hub in the United States?

Answer: Biotechnology

Question: What annual event held in Boston, known for its 26.2-mile race, is one of the world’s oldest marathons?

Answer: Boston Marathon

Question: Which nickname has Boston earned because of its rich literary history and cultural heritage?

Answer: Athens of America

Question: What art institution in the Seaport District of Boston was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro?

Answer: Institute of Contemporary Art

Question: Which Boston museum houses an impressive art collection and bears the name of its founder, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum?

Answer: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Question: What building in Boston is famous for its illuminated beacon and is associated with the legacy of Ted Williams?

Answer: Old John Hancock Building

Question: In which venue do the Boston Ballet perform in this vibrant city?

Answer: Boston Opera House

Question: According to recent financial rankings, how competitive is Boston as a financial center in the United States?

Answer: Thirteenth most competitive

Question: Which major multinational company moved its headquarters to Boston’s Seaport District in 2016?

Answer: General Electric

Question: What major construction project in Boston, known as the Big Dig, dramatically changed the city’s downtown?

Answer: Central Artery/Tunnel Project

Question: On which holiday does Boston host a special Pops concert followed by fireworks?

Answer: Fourth of July

Question: What is the name of the oldest public high school in the United States, located in the city?

Answer: Boston Latin School

Question: Which prominent Boston hospital is known for its leadership in medical innovation?

Answer: Massachusetts General Hospital

Question: Which investment company based in Boston helped popularize the mutual fund concept?

Answer: Fidelity Investments

Question: What renowned campus, noted as the nation’s oldest institute of higher education, is closely associated with Boston?

Answer: Harvard University

Question: During a Boston trivia night, what time might a question be asked when the clock strikes 7pm?

Answer: 7pm

Question: Which river in the Boston area flows beside Kenmore Square, a popular spot for happy hour and trivia night?

Answer: Charles River

General Boston Trivia

Question: What type of government does the city of Boston operate under?

Answer: Strong mayor–council system

Question: Who is the current mayor of Boston, as reported in Massachusetts news?

Answer: Michelle Wu

Question: How often are members of the Boston City Council elected in the city?

Answer: Every two years

Question: What is the name of Boston’s primary law enforcement agency serving the United States?

Answer: Boston Police Department

Question: What major infrastructure project, known locally as the Big Dig, transformed Boston’s transit?

Answer: Central Artery/Tunnel Project

Question: Which international airport serves the city of Boston in the United States?

Answer: Logan International Airport

Question: Which U.S. interstate highway terminates in Boston?

Answer: I-90

Question: What does MBTA stand for, the agency running Boston’s public transit system?

Answer: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Question: What is the name of the tallest building in the Boston area?

Answer: John Hancock Tower

Question: Which river separates Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood from Chelsea and Everett?

Answer: Mystic River

Question: What is the name of the oldest subway system in the United States, located in Boston?

Answer: Tremont Street subway

Question: Which ZIP Code is associated with Boston’s Financial District as featured in the Boston Globe?

Answer: 02110

Question: What tool does the city of Boston use to measure the effectiveness of public services?

Answer: CityScore

Question: Which federal courthouse in Boston houses the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in the United States?

Answer: John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse

Question: Boston is split between which two congressional districts in the United States?

Answer: 7th and 8th

Question: As of October 26, 2024, what percentage of registered voters in the city of Boston are unenrolled?

Answer: 55.18%

Question: In what year was the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) established in the city?

Answer: 1957

Question: Which Boston neighborhood experienced major urban renewal that affected many residents during a trivia night discussion?

Answer: West End

Question: Boston City Hall is an iconic example of which architectural style seen in the city?

Answer: Brutalist

Question: Which lively district in Boston is known for its art galleries and often hosts a weekly trivia game?

Answer: South Boston (and nearby Copley Square)

Miscellaneous Boston Trivia

Question: What major transportation hub in Boston serves as a terminus for Amtrak’s Northeast Regional and Acela Express routes in the United States?

Answer: South Station

Question: Approximately what percentage of Boston households did not own a car as of recent U.S. census data?

Answer: 33.8%

Question: What is the name of Boston’s popular bikeshare program that many riders use during happy hour near the orange line?

Answer: Bluebikes

Question: How are the streets of downtown Boston primarily organized in this historic city?

Answer: They grew organically without a planned grid

Question: Which highway encircling Boston’s suburbs is often referred to as a partial beltway in Massachusetts?

Answer: Massachusetts Route 128

Question: What long-standing tradition does a Boston Red Sox game share with the Boston Marathon day?

Answer: Both are celebrated events in the city

Question: What term is used for the detailed answers provided to each trivia question in this general knowledge trivia challenge?

Answer: Answer

Question: Which iconic event in Boston history involved Paul Revere and is a must-know fact for any trivia night participant?

Answer: Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride

Question: What must you know about the Boston Marathon if you're a trivia fan in Massachusetts?

Answer: Its history and significance as a marathon in the United States

Question: What popular Boston landmark not only serves as an outdoor space but also hosts trivia nights in the Boston area?

Answer: Boston Common

Question: Under the Köppen climate classification, which two climate types describe Boston?

Answer: Humid continental and humid subtropical

Question: What is the average annual snowfall in Boston?

Answer: 49.2 inches

Question: Name a popular outdoor location where many gather during trivia night in Boston Common.

Answer: Boston Common

Question: As of a recent estimate, what was Boston’s population according to Massachusetts data?

Answer: 653,833

Question: Which two area codes serve the city of Boston in the United States?

Answer: 617 and 857

Question: Which event in Boston is credited with igniting revolutionary sentiment in the United States?

Answer: Boston Massacre

Question: After the American Revolution, Boston shifted its economy from a busy port to become a center for which industries?

Answer: Manufacturing and education

Question: What 19th-century disaster led Boston workers to use building rubble as landfill along the waterfront?

Answer: Great Boston Fire of 1872

Question: During colonial days, Boston was a primary stop along which trade route in North America?

Answer: Caribbean trade route

Question: How did Boston significantly expand its land area in the 19th century?

Answer: By filling in marshes and tidal areas