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At the time, the land was sparsely populated but has grown to become the fourteenth largest state in the US by population, with a current population of over 7.28 million people, nearly half of a million more than Massachusetts, one of the first densely-populated colonies on the continent. Unlike most state capitals, Phoenix is the largest and most well-known in the state. This is only the case in Boston, Denver, Providence, and a few others throughout the 50 states.
