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Cambridge, Massachusetts

City in Massachusetts, United States / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Cambridge (/ˈkmbrɪ/[4] KAYM-brij) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is a major suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the largest city in the county, the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, Worcester, and Springfield, and ninth most populous city in New England.[5] It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, which was an important center of the Puritan theology that was embraced by the town's founders.[6]:18

Quick facts: Cambridge, Country, State, County, Region...
Cambridge
City
Flag of Cambridge
Official seal of Cambridge
Motto(s): 
Literis Antiquis Novis Institutis Decora (Latin)
"Distinguished for Classical Learning and New Institutions"
"[1]
Location of Cambridge in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Location of Cambridge in Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Cambridge is located in Massachusetts
Cambridge
Cambridge
Location of Cambridge in the United States
Cambridge is located in the United States
Cambridge
Cambridge
Cambridge (the United States)
Coordinates: 42°22′25″N 71°06′38″W
CountryUnited States
StateMassachusetts
CountyMiddlesex
RegionNew England
Settled1630
Incorporated1636
City1846
Named forUniversity of Cambridge
Government
  TypeCouncil-City Manager
  MayorSumbul Siddiqui[2]
  Vice MayorAlanna Mallon
  City ManagerYi-An Huang
Area
  Total7.10 sq mi (18.40 km2)
  Land6.40 sq mi (16.57 km2)
  Water0.71 sq mi (1.83 km2)
Elevation
40 ft (12 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total118,403
  Density18,512.04/sq mi (7,147.01/km2)
  Demonym
Cantabrigian
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code
02138-02142
Area code617 / 857
FIPS code25-11000
GNIS feature ID0617365
Websitecambridgema.gov
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Cambridge is known globally as home to two of the world's most prestigious universities. Harvard University, an Ivy League university founded in Cambridge in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the nation and has routinely been ranked as one of the best universities in the world. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), founded in 1861, is also located in Cambridge and has been similarly ranked highly among the world's best universities.[7] Lesley University and Hult International Business School also are based in Cambridge.[8] Radcliffe College, an elite women's liberal arts college, also was based in Cambridge from its 1879 founding until its assimiliation into Harvard in 1999.

Kendall Square, near MIT in the eastern part of Cambridge, has been called "the most innovative square mile on the planet" due to the high concentration of startup companies that have emerged there since 2010.[9]