Living in Cambridge
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, directly across the Charles River from Boston. It was settled in 1630 as Newtowne, renamed Cambridge in 1638 and incorporated as a city in 1846. Its original village is now Harvard Square. Harvard, founded in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, and MIT’s 168-acre campus is also in Cambridge. Cambridge Common is remembered as the place where George Washington took command of the Continental Army in 1775.
Life in Cambridge is organized around its squares. Harvard Square is a major shopping and dining area. Central Square sits where Massachusetts Avenue meets Prospect Street and Western Avenue. Kendall Square has been called the most innovative square mile on the planet. Inman Square is known for restaurants, bars and music venues, and Porter Square lies about a mile north of Harvard Square.
Homes you will find
- Victorian homes in areas such as Mid-Cambridge, East Cambridge, North Cambridge and around Harvard and Porter squares
- Triple-deckers in Cambridgeport, North Cambridge and Wellington-Harrington
- Brick row houses and other attached homes in neighborhoods such as Neighborhood Nine and East Cambridge
- Condos across the city, from units in converted houses to newer buildings near Kendall Square
Getting around
Cambridge has five Red Line stations: Alewife, Porter, Harvard, Central and Kendall/MIT, with Kendall/MIT just two stops from Park Street in downtown Boston. Porter Square is also a stop on the Fitchburg Line commuter rail. The Green Line serves Lechmere station, and Harvard Square has a major bus terminal with routes across the area.
Parks and everyday life
Fresh Pond Reservation covers 162 acres around a kettle-hole lake, with a walking loop and a public nine-hole golf course. The Charles River offers riverfront paths and parkland, including Magazine Beach in Cambridgeport, and Danehy Park and the Alewife Brook Reservation add more open space. Mount Auburn Cemetery, on the Cambridge-Watertown line, is a historic garden cemetery and arboretum and a recognized Important Bird Area. The Cambridge Public Library main building dates to 1888. Cambridge runs its own public school system, and families can contact Cambridge Public Schools directly for school details.
Who Cambridge suits
Cambridge suits buyers who want a walkable city with its own culture, dining and job centers, commuters who want the Red Line close by, and condo buyers who like older houses or newer buildings. Investors also look at Cambridge multi-families for steady rental demand.
Thinking about Cambridge? Ask Suad about recent sales and current listings, in English, Spanish (with Diana) or Bosnian.
