Neighborhoods

First settled in 1630 by English Puritans, Cambridge developed as an agricultural town and was not really convenient to Boston until bridges were built over the Charles River in 1793 and 1809. The latter of these opened up East Cambridge for industrial development led by furniture and glass factories. A major influx of penniless Irish immigrants fleeing the potato blight in 1845 increased the Irish population to 22 per cent in the next ten years. Toward the end of that century they were followed by immigrants from Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Germany. French Canadians and Russian Jews also came at this time. A small African American population had been growing from colonial times, attracted by the integrated schools.

The result today is a highly diverse population augmented and further diversified by brilliant men and women drawn to Cambridge over the years by Harvard, Radcliffe and M.I.T., and, in recent years, by the local high technology companies. “Cantabrigians” (from the city’s Latin name, Cantabrigia) are regarded as progressive and tolerant. Decline of the industrial base in the early 1900s led Cambridge to become an intellectual center. Universities are the major employers, but cutting edge companies in information technology and biotechnology such as Akamai Technologies, Genzyme, Biogen Idec, and Novartis are located adjacent to the MIT campus in the Kendall Square area.

Cambridge now advertises itself as “a city where counter-culture still lives, classic culture thrives, and multicultural is a way of life.” “Boston’s Left Bank: A little funkier, a little spunkier and definitely spicier than Boston.”

Cambridge Real Estate New Listings:

286 River Street Unit 1 Cambridge

286 River Street Unit 1 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $395000

MLS #:  71130792

Square Feet:  1222 sqft

Bedrooms:  2

Bathrooms:  1


286 River Street Unit 2 Cambridge

286 River Street Unit 2 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $395000

MLS #:  71130793

Square Feet:  1222 sqft

Bedrooms:  2

Bathrooms:  1


286 River Street Unit 3 Cambridge

286 River Street Unit 3 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $395000

MLS #:  71130794

Square Feet:  1222 sqft

Bedrooms:  2

Bathrooms:  1


764 Cambridge St Unit 7 Cambridge

764 Cambridge St Unit 7 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $270000

MLS #:  71130900

Square Feet:  655 sqft

Bedrooms:  2

Bathrooms:  1


170 Gore St Unit 104 Cambridge

170 Gore St Unit 104 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $398000

MLS #:  71130988

Square Feet:  952 sqft

Bedrooms:  2

Bathrooms:  2


3 Cornelius Way Cambridge

3 Cornelius Way Cambridge

Listing Price:  $465000

MLS #:  71131082

Square Feet:  1296 sqft

Bedrooms:  3

Bathrooms:  1


35 Lee St Unit 14 Cambridge

35 Lee St Unit 14 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $302500

MLS #:  71130579

Square Feet:  575 sqft

Bedrooms:  1

Bathrooms:  1


151-153 Dudley Unit 1 Cambridge

151-153 Dudley Unit 1 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $239777

MLS #:  71129781

Square Feet:  850 sqft

Bedrooms:  1

Bathrooms:  1


23 Putnam Ave Unit 23 Cambridge

23 Putnam Ave Unit 23 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $995000

MLS #:  71128516

Square Feet:  2173 sqft

Bedrooms:  4

Bathrooms:  2


29 Concord Ave Unit 105 Cambridge

29 Concord Ave Unit 105 Cambridge

Listing Price:  $229000

MLS #:  71129375

Square Feet:  464 sqft

Bedrooms:  1

Bathrooms:  1