The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is part of the Greater Boston area. They play their home games at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, located about 22 miles southwest of Boston
. The team was originally founded in 1959 as the Boston Patriots and played in various stadiums around Boston before relocating to Foxborough in 1971. At that time, they changed their name from the Boston Patriots to the New England Patriots to represent the broader New England region, which includes six states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
. Thus, the Patriots are from the New England region of the northeastern United States, with their current home and headquarters in Foxborough, Massachusetts
