Cambridge is a unique community in its mix of cultural and social
diversity, intellectual vitality and technical innovation. The city is home
to internationally known Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and over one-fourth of all its residents are college
students, while one-sixth of all its jobs are in higher education.
Yet residents feel that Cambridge is far more than a college town. It has
long been an industrial innovator, producing America’s first factories for
ladders, piano keys and waterproof hats. At one point, it was the third
largest industrial center in the Commonwealth. Today, former factory
buildings which once turned out soap or socks house cutting edge firms in
biotechnology, computer software and other emerging technologies. Close to
one-third of Massachusetts’ biomedical employers reside in Cambridge.
Cambridge is rich in demographic diversity. More than one in five
residents is foreign born. Students from 64 nations attend the public
schools, and their families speak 46 different languages. The most
numerous immigrant groups hail from Haiti, Central America and
Portuguese-speaking nations, including Brazil.
An out-of-town visitor might enjoy a Greek festival or a Caribbean gala on
the same weekend and buy Portuguese pastries or fresh fish in one block.
The continued vitality of its immigrants and entrepreneurs, students and
street musicians, factory workers and professionals gives Cambridge its
unique flavor.
diversity, intellectual vitality and technical innovation. The city is home
to internationally known Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology and over one-fourth of all its residents are college
students, while one-sixth of all its jobs are in higher education.
Yet residents feel that Cambridge is far more than a college town. It has
long been an industrial innovator, producing America’s first factories for
ladders, piano keys and waterproof hats. At one point, it was the third
largest industrial center in the Commonwealth. Today, former factory
buildings which once turned out soap or socks house cutting edge firms in
biotechnology, computer software and other emerging technologies. Close to
one-third of Massachusetts’ biomedical employers reside in Cambridge.
Cambridge is rich in demographic diversity. More than one in five
residents is foreign born. Students from 64 nations attend the public
schools, and their families speak 46 different languages. The most
numerous immigrant groups hail from Haiti, Central America and
Portuguese-speaking nations, including Brazil.
An out-of-town visitor might enjoy a Greek festival or a Caribbean gala on
the same weekend and buy Portuguese pastries or fresh fish in one block.
The continued vitality of its immigrants and entrepreneurs, students and
street musicians, factory workers and professionals gives Cambridge its
unique flavor.
