Area 2/MIT Real Estate
Area 2/MIT is a neighborhood in Cambridge best known as the home of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Stretching along the Charles River, Area 2/MIT is largely occupied by the MIT campus, including its academic and research facilities. MIT is the second largest employer in Cambridge and the majority of the neighborhood’s residents are undergraduate or graduate students living in MIT student housing. While single family homes are scarce, there are condos and newer lofts which occasionally come on the market. Residents and students enjoy the eateries and cafes dotting Massachusetts Avenue and Main Street with the MIT campus as an art-studded backdrop. Many of the buildings on MIT’s campus are considered architecturally significant examples of the work of renowned architects such as Frank Gehry and I.M. Pei. Kendall Square is the closest commercial and transit center for the neighborhood while the Charles River Reservation offers outdoor recreation opportunities across all seasons. Read more about Area 2/MIT real estate.
Area 2/MIT Homes & Condos For Sale
More About Area 2/MIT Real Estate
Area 2/MIT Location
Area 2 is bounded to the north by Broadway and Main Street, to the east by the Charles River and to the west by the Boston & Albany Railroad tracks. The Harvard Bridge (Massachusetts Avenue) and Longfellow Bridge (Main Street) connect the neighborhood to the City of Boston. The district is served by the Kendall/MIT stop on the Red Line, offering a short ride into Downtown Boston and other parts of the city.
Area 2/MIT History
Area 2’s identity is largely bound up in its educational roots but it also boasts one of the most outstanding public art collections in the U.S. to be enjoyed by MIT students and visitors alike. Examples include the work of Alexander Caldo, Pablo Picasso and other major artists. MIT was founded on April 10, 1861, just two days before the start of the Civil War, MIT’s founder, William Barton Rogers was a professor of natural philosophy at the College of William and Mary who had a vision for a new “polytechnic institute.” Rogers went on to become MIT’s first president although classes didn’t begin until 1865. Today, MIT enjoys a reputation as one of the most acclaimed educational institutions in the world as well as a center for innovation and technology. Many start-up tech firms in nearby Kendall Square are helmed by MIT graduates.
