Cambridge Real Estate
Cambridge is a vibrant city recognized as a cultural hub as well as a center for higher education. Home to Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Lesley University, Cambridge is one of the more densely populated cities in New England with 106,000 residents. Cambridge is known as a “city of squares” as most of its commercial districts, or squares, are major street intersections, including Central Square; Harvard Square; Inman Square; and Porter Square, each with its own distinct personality. The Longfellow Bridge over the Charles River separates Cambridge from Boston at the eastern end of the MIT campus although several of the squares are very close to Boston’s city line. Cambridge’s innovative tech and biotech community is centered around Kendall Square which has helped drive a number of sustainability initiatives throughout the area as well as big ideas. Occupying 7.1 square miles, Cambridge is filled with historic buildings that have been preserved as elegant single-family homes and estates. Cambridge is also sprinkled with gracious Victorians and more traditional triple-deckers which have recently undergone extensive renovations to serve as multi-family dwellings. The Kendall Square area offers newer, thoughtfully designed condos and lofts with all the amenities. Read more about Cambridge real estate.
Cambridge Homes & Condos For Sale
More About Cambridge Real Estate
Cambridge Location
Cambridge is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by the city of Somerville to the north; the town of Arlington to the northwest; the city of Boston to the south and east across the Charles River; and the town of Belmont and city of Watertown to the east. Most of its densely populated neighborhoods are connected by the MBTA Red Line which maintains stations at the main squares as well as a network of buses that run along the commercial areas during rush hour. Lechmere Square, adjacent to the CambridgeSide Galleria shopping mall, serves as the MBTA Green Line’s northern terminus at Lechmere Station, connecting Cambridge to Boston and other western suburbs.
Cambridge Recreation
Cambridge is one of the nation’s most walkable cities with an assortment of quaint shops, bookstores, pubs, and coffee shops spilling out of the squares. Despite the winter weather, Cambridge is also recognized as one of the best cities in the U.S. for biking. The area offers several scenic bike paths along the Charles River as well as the Minuteman Bikeway and bike lanes on many of the streets. At 17 acres, Magazine Beach is Cambridge’s second largest park located along the Charles River between the Boston University Bridge and Pleasant Street. The park is home to playing fields, an outdoor Olympic-size swimming pool as well as natural wildlife. The Charles River Reservation is another option, offering outdoor recreation opportunities across all seasons.
While MIT is typically thought of as a hotbed of education and innovation, its campus includes architecturally significant buildings representing the work of renowned architects such as Frank Gehry and I.M. Pei. MIT also offers one of the most outstanding public art collections in the U.S. for MIT students and visitors alike to enjoy with works from Alexandre Caldo, Pablo Picasso and other major artists.
Cambridge History
Cambridge was founded in 1630 by the 700 original Puritan colonists of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Early settlers chose the location because it was safely upriver from Boston Harbor and deemed easily defensible from attacks by enemy ships.
With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, Cambridge evolved into a working class neighborhood with a sizable immigrant population from Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Lithuania who spent their days on the factory assembly lines. A more recent wave of immigrants included people from the West Indies, South America and Africa, each leaving their stamp on the culture.
In the early 20th century Cambridge gained recognition as a manufacturing center for some of the nation’s top candy brands along a strip known as Confectioner’s Row. Junior Mint candies were first manufactured in 1949 on Main Street while Central Square served as the home of the Necco candy factory from 1927 to 2003.
Cambridge has served as the home of crusaders, academics, and other notable citizens — among them Dorothea Lynde Dix, an advocate for the humane treatment of the insane; John Forbes Nash, Mathematician; Patrick Ewing, Hall of Fame basketball player; and actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
Today Cambridge blends the old and the new with historic architecture and many of the world’s newest ideas.
