<P> The automotive revolution came much faster than anyone expected, especially the railroad executives . In 1915 Connecticut had 40,000 automobiles; five years later it had 120,000 . There was even faster growth in trucks from 7,000 to 24,000 . </P> <P> In the 1930s and 1940s there were winter "outing clubs" in a number of areas in New England which held dog sled races, ski jumping, and cross country competitions; sulky races on cleared streets, and dances . </P> <P> The 1938 New England hurricane hit the region (and Long Island) hard, killing about 700 people . The U.S. Weather Bureau was mistaken in its predicted path and there was little warning . Many thousands of houses and buildings were damaged or destroyed . Local relief efforts were feeble, so Federal agencies took charge, and in the process created the modern disaster relief system . It blew down 15,000,000 acres (61,000 km) of trees, one - third of the total forest at the time in New England . 3 billion board feet were salvaged . Many of the older trees in the region are about 75 years old, dating from after this storm . </P> <P> The New England economy was radically transformed after World War II . The factory economy practically disappeared . The textile mills one by one went out of business from the 1920s to the 1970s . For example, the Crompton Company, after 178 years in business, went bankrupt in 1984, costing the jobs of 2,450 workers in five states . The major reasons were cheap imports, the strong dollar, declining exports, and a failure to diversify . Shoes followed . What remains is very high technology manufacturing, such as jet engines, nuclear submarines, pharmaceuticals, robotics, scientific instruments, and medical devices . MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) invented the format for university - industry relations in high tech fields, and spawned many software and hardware firms, some of which grew rapidly . By the 21st century the region had become famous for its leadership roles in the fields of education, medicine and medical research, high - technology, finance, and tourism . </P>

Boston and the new england colonies maintained their economies primarily by