Is located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. The eastern half of this relatively small state is mostly urban and suburban. The west is primarily rural, also with most of its population in urban enclaves. The first Europeans to settle New England landed in present-day Massachusetts. These settlers were primarily separatist non-conformists later called Pilgrims, and also Puritans from England seeking religious freedom. They founded Plymouth, Salem (Witch Trials), and Boston that helped spawn the war of the Thirteen Colonies for independence.