Cambridge, MA

Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, with a large waterfront area, Cambridge is located in the Greater Boston area and is a world-renowned center for advanced education. The city is virtually synonymous with the highly celebrated Harvard University, which is consistently ranked at, or near, the top of international college and university rankings. The university has campuses throughout the city, and is home to the fourth-largest library in the world. Harvard is but one of the well-known institutions of higher education that draw scholars and visitors from around the world to Cambridge. The population of Cambridge is just over 100,000.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

• Kendall Square: Located at the eastern end of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and surrounded by tall office towers, Kendall Square is the center of the city's booming biotechnology industry. While the focus is on business, many restaurants, including pubs, a dining plaza, and several ethnic food restaurants, can be found here.
• Central Square: The seat of the city, City Hall is located in Central Square, along with numerous financial buildings, fine-dining and ethnic restaurants, and retail stores that sell everything from farmers market produce to vinyl records.
• Harvard Square: Known for its people-watching and elaborately-dressed youth, the square is the site of Harvard University's main campus. Student-friendly restaurants and retail stores abound, as do fine-dining restaurants, jazz clubs, theaters, and hotels and accommodations.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Cambridge has been the birthplace of many of the leading companies in the United States, including Analog Devices and Lotus Development Corporation (now part of IBM). Today, the businesses that employ the largest number of workers are educational, with Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology alone employing approximately 20,000 people. The government is the second-largest source of work in Cambridge, and the healthcare, biotechnology, and hospitality industries are also prominent.

Mount Auburn Hospital, founded in 1886, was the first hospital in Cambridge and a landmark business. It is an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.

In the biotech industries, landmark businesses include Genzyme, Biogen Idec, and Novartis. For the past several years, Biogen Idec and Genzyme have been consistently ranked among the top 20 Biopharmaceutical companies with the best reputations as employers by Sciences Magazine and the American Association for the Advancement of Biopharmaceuticals.

FOR VISITORS

• Mount Auburn Cemetery: Founded in 1831 as "America's First Garden Cemetery," it boasts thousands of trees and over 10 miles of walking paths. An Egyptian revival entrance to the cemetery is located at the western edge of Cambridge, while most of the cemetery is in the city of Watertown. Its exceptional landscaping makes room for a top-notch arboretum. Prominent people buried in the cemetery include Nathaniel Hawthorn, Buckminster Fuller, and Robert Creeley.
• Cooper-Frost-Austin House: A historic colonial house built around 1681, the house displays the primitive architecture and tools of the time. Public tours are rarely granted, but private tours can be arranged.
• Longfellow National Historic Site: Preserving the home of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the National Parks Service provides tours during the spring and summer months. The house was also the headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston.
• Danehy Park: Open year round, this approximately 50-acre park contains sports fields and abundant picnic areas. In the summer, it hosts concerts and arts and crafts festivals.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum: With the mission of engaging a wide audience in the science and technology taught and developed at MIT, the museum features exhibits and visually arresting experiments that work the mind as much as the senses.
• Busch-Reisinger Museum and Fogg Art Museum: A popular museum, and part of Harvard University. It is the only museum in the United States dedicated to the informed enjoyment and critical understanding of the art of Central and Northern Europe.
• Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts: Part of Harvard University, the galleries are free and open to the public. The center primarily exhibits films and film-related visual art.

EVENTS

• Annual Cambridge River Festival: A free, one-day arts festival held along the Charles River, the River Festival features live music from jazz, Latin, folk, and world-music performers. Art-making activities and dance demonstrations make this festival great for families and kids. The festival is held annually in June.
• Cambridge Carnival: A lively, colorful, and fun celebration of world-culture, Cambridge Carnival features a grand costume parade and a whole lot of dancing. First held in 1992, the annual festival takes place in August with Kendall Square as its center.

EDUCATION

Cambridge is home to several post-secondary educational institutions:

• Cambridge College
• Cambridge School of Culinary Arts
• Episcopal Divinity School
• Harvard University
• Hult International Business School
• Lesley University
• Longy School of Music
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Westin Jesuit School of Theology