East Cambridge Real Estate
East Cambridge is a diverse neighborhood perhaps best known as the home of tech-hub Kendall Square. East Cambridge’s proximity to MIT, Downtown Boston, as well as easy access to public transit have all helped generate significant buyer interest in this former industrial area. The central part of the neighborhood is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods in Cambridge and includes a major commercial and transit center at Lechmere Square. The southern part is home to many offices and research labs, including Kendall Square. The Charles River waterfront features hotels, luxury apartment buildings, a mall and the iconic Boston Museum of Science. The upper part of East Cambridge bordering Charlestown and Somerville is known as “North Point” and the focus of many current redevelopment efforts. North Point Park, a peaceful enclave with views of the Zakim Bridge, houses a playground and skate park and is popular with residents and dogs. Buyers can find a number of options in East Cambridge ranging from a “first condo” or attached row house — to two-family income properties for investors to a pied-a-terre in a luxury high-rise for empty nesters. The area’s 9,000 residents congregate along Cambridge Street as well as enjoy the Multicultural Arts Center. East Cambridge has typically been recognized as more affordable than other Cambridge neighborhoods such as Harvard Square but this is changing as more buyers discover the area. Read more about East Cambridge real estate.
East Cambridge Homes & Condos For Sale
More About East Cambridge Real Estate
East Cambridge Location
East Cambridge is also referred to as “Area 1” and is bounded by Somerville to the north; Kendall Square to the south; the Charles River to the east; and the railroad tracks on the west. The neighborhood is blocks from the Kendall/MIT Stop on the Red Line as well as the Lechmere Stop on the Green Line. Route 28 offers almost immediate access into Boston.
East Cambridge History
With the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, East Cambridge evolved into a working class neighborhood with a sizable immigrant population who spent their days on the factory lines. Immigrants arrived from Portugal, Italy, Poland, Ireland, and Lithuania, finding their home base in East Cambridge and joining a church parish that served as a touchstone for their local ethnic community. In the 1960s as the factories began to shut down, nearby Kendall Square grew into a technology stronghold, home to pharmaceutical, biotech, life sciences, and investment firms bolstered by nearby Harvard and MIT. Kendall Square continues to define the neighborhood while coexisting with a wealth of diverse cultures and traditions.
Dorothea Lynde Dix is a notable resident of the area, known as an advocate for the humane treatment of the insane during the Antebellum era.
