Cambridge

Cambridge, Massachusetts is one of the loveliest, and liveliest communities in the state. Cambridge is a unique Community, boasting a rich mix of cultural and social diversity, intellectual vitality, and technical innovation. Cambridge is home to internationally renown, Ivy League Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (world-famous M.I.T.). These compelling academic institutions set Cambridge apart from other cities, bringing a constant influx of the nation's best and brightest. More than one-fourth of Cambridge's total population (more than one hundred thousand, as recorded by the 2000 U.S. Census) are college students, while one-sixth of all its jobs are in higher education.

Cambridge, rich with history and higher learning, is home to several other university and college institutions as well, including Cambridge College, Episcopal Divinity School, Lesley University, the Longy School of Music, and the Weston Jesuit School of Theology. Several private and public school institutions give parents the opportunity to let their children experience the high academic standards set in the city of Cambridge. Cambridge schools are among the finest anywhere. These educational opportunities give many people reasons to come to Cambridge, but the city offers much more than mere academics.

Cambridge has long been an industrial innovator, producing America's first factories for ladders, piano keys and waterproof hats. At one point, this city was the third largest industrial center in the Commonwealth. Interestingly, Cambridge was named for Cambridge, England, which is also a world-famous seat of learning and higher education. Established in 1630 as Newtowne, Cambridge was first settled at the first convenient crossing of the sinuous Charles River west of Boston. This settlement was founded by those first Puritan colonists (only 700 in number) of the Masschusetts Bay Colony. Today, the site that was settled so many centuries ago is at the heart of Cambridge's Harvard Square.

Cambridge was incorporated, and became its own city under the now-famous name, in 1846. The history of Cambridge is one that many want to explore, and the city's fascinating museum attractions and exhibits offer ample opportunity to delve into this rich past. Today, former factory buildings, once used to manufacture everything from soap to socks, house cutting-edge firms in the biotechnology, computer software, and other high-tech industries. Close to one-third of Massachusetts' total biomedical employers reside in Cambridge.

Cambridge is a city rich in demographic diversity as well as industrial and academic achievement. More than one in five residents inside Cambridge was foreign born, showing that Cambridge's draw is even felt on an international level. Students from 64 nations around the globe attend public schools in Cambridge, and their families speak 46 different languages and dialects. The most numerous immigrant groups residing in Cambridge hail from Haiti, Central America and varied Portuguese-speaking nations, including Brazil. An out-of-town visitor might enjoy a Greek festival or a Caribbean gala on the same weekend - and then buy Portuguese pastries or fresh fish in one city block. The continued vitality of its immigrants and entrepreneurs, students and street musicians, factory workers and professionals gives Cambridge its unique flavor, one that can't be found in any other city on earth.

The diverse mixture of Cambridge residents creates an atmosphere where any family will feel comfortable and at home. The 2000 census shows that the median annual income for a Cambridge family was just under forty-eight thousand, and the median income for a family just under sixty thousand.

The city is beautifully laid out in a series of squares, including Kendall Square, Central Square, Harvard Square (the oldest in the city), Inman Square, Porter Square, and Lechmere Square. Several residential areas give residents the feeling of being a part of a close-knit, small-town Community. You'll lose yourself in the beauty of neighborhoods like Cambridgeport, East Cambridge, Mid Cambridge, North Cambridge, West Cambridge, and Strawberry Hill, among others.

Want to see historic sites, educational museums, beautiful scenery? You won't have to go far – Cambridge has it all. Look for the famous, historic Mount Auburn Cemetery, which boasts immaculate landscaping and a beautiful arboretum. Harken back to Colonial Days at the Cooper-Frost-Austin House, built in 1681-1682, before the United States even existed as its own country. Historic New England operates this site as a museum, giving visitors the chance to see what early life was life for those first, hardy settlers. Public tours are uncommon, but a private tour can be arranged any time during the summer. The Longfellow National Historic Site, or the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House was home to the port Henry Wadsworth Longfellow for almost half a century, and this interesting piece of American history is open for public tours. Want to see fine art in the real? Go to Harvard to visit the Foog Art Museum, the oldest on campus. This building has been open to the public for more than a hundred years, and houses an extensive and historic collection dating back to the Middle Ages.

M.I.T. also has a museum, founded in 1971, that shows a fascinating collection of high-tech apparatus sure to astound any casual visitor. For a taste of the outdoors, visit the lovely Cambridge Commons. Located right near Harvard Square, visitors can see the exact location that General George Washington gathered his troops to wage the Revolutionary War. The tree he stood under still stands today, a living testament to the history of the site. Or, for more recreational outdoor activity, head over to the Fresh Pond gold course, and enjoy the ideal beauty of Cambridge countryside.