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The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It is a bicameral body. The upper house is the Massachusetts Senate which is composed of 40 members. The lower body, the Massachusetts House of Representatives, has 160 members.The General Court was established in 1691 when the Massachusetts Bay Colony got a new charter, and existed in its colonial form until the first Massachusetts state constitution was ratified in 1779.
The General Court meets in the state capital of Boston, Massachusetts.
1 Senate
There are 40 Senatorial Districts in Massachusetts, named for the counties and former counties that they represent. At present, they are:
- Berkshire, Hampshire, and Franklin
- Bristol and Norfolk
- First Bristol and Plymouth
- Second Bristol and Plymouth
- Cape and Islands
- First Essex
- Second Essex
- First Essex and Middlesex
- Second Essex and Middlesex
- Third Essex and Middlesex
- Hampden
- First Hampden and Hampshire
- Second Hampden and Hampshire
- Hampshire and Franklin
- First Middlesex
- Second Middlesex
- Third Middlesex
- Fourth Middlesex
- Middlesex and Essex
- First Middlesex and Norfolk
- Second Middlesex and Norfolk
- Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex
- Middlesex and Worcester
- Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth
- Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex
- Norfolk and Plymouth
- Plymouth and Barnstable
- First Plymouth and Barnstable
- Second Plymouth and Barnstable
- Plymouth and Norfolk
- First Suffolk
- Second Suffolk
- First Suffolk and Middlesex
- Second Suffolk and Middlesex
- Suffolk and Norfolk
- First Worcester
- Second Worcester
- Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin
- Worcester and Middlesex
- Worcester and Norfolk
2 House of Representatives
Each Massachusetts Representative represents about 39,682 citizens. Representative districts are named for the counties and former counties they are in, and tend to stay within one county. Now and again, a district will cross county lines. The following lists the number of representatives, roughly by county:
- Barnstable County: 5
- Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket Counties: 1 (shared by Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and a portion of Falmouth in Barnstable County)
- Berkshire County: 4
- Bristol CountyMassachusetts counties Bristol County, Massachusetts Bristol County is a county located in the U. State of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population is 534,678. Despite multiple seats being displayed on some maps, its only legal county seat is Taunton 6.: 14
- Essex CountyMassachusetts counties Essex County, Massachusetts Essex County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U. State of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population is 723,419. It has two county seats: Salem and Lawrence 6. Law and government Like an: 18
- Franklin CountyMassachusetts counties Franklin County, Massachusetts Franklin County is a county located in the U. State of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population is 71,535. Its county seat is Greenfield 6. Law and government Like an increasing number of Massachusett: 2
- Hampden CountyMassachusetts counties Hampden County, Massachusetts Hampden County is a county located in the U. State of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population is 456,228. Its county seat is Springfield 6. Law and government Like an increasing number of Massachusett: 12
- Hampshire CountyHampshire County is a county located in the U. State of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population is 152,251. Its county seat is Northampton 6. Law and government Like an increasing number of Massachusetts counties, Hampshire County exists today only as a: 3
- Middlesex CountyMiddlesex County is a county located in the U. State of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population is 1,465,396. Its county seats are Cambridge and Lowell 6. The county government was abolished in 1997 but the county itself still survives as a legal venue: 37
- Norfolk CountyMassachusetts counties Norfolk County, Massachusetts Norfolk County is a county located in the U. State of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population is 650,308. Its county seat is Dedham 6. Geography According to the U. Census Bureau, the county has a tot: 15
- Plymouth CountyMassachusetts counties Plymouth County, Massachusetts Plymouth County is a county located in the U. State of Massachusetts. As of 2000, the population is 472,822. Its county seats are Plymouth and Brockton 6. Geography According to the U. Census Bureau, t: 12
- Suffolk County: 19
- Worcester County: 18
