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 Cambridge was settled in 1630 by a group from the Massachusetts Bay Company. Originally called "Newtowne," it was incorporated as a town in 1636 and became a city in 1846 by uniting the three villages of Old Cambridge, Cambridgeport and East Cambridge. The name "Cambridge" was selected by the General Court because many of the men had attended Cambridge University in England and thought it would be an appropriate name for a college town in New England.
In 1636, Cambridge took its first formative step toward becoming the innovative city it is now with the founding of America's oldest university, Harvard University. Today, Cambridge is perhaps best known for being the home of two world-class universities, Harvard University and MIT, located within just two miles of each other. Yet Cambridge is much more than just a college town or a suburb of Boston. Imbued with a rich history, a persevering entrepreneurial spirit and an enduring legacy of innovation, Cambridge has developed a distinct flavor and feel all its own.
Cambridge has been the site of political, religious and social historic events for nearly 350 years. Freedom of speech was declared at Cambridge Common in 1637, freedom of religion in 1740, and George Washington took command of the First Continental Army there in 1775. Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's house is still located on elegant Brattle Street along with other Tory mansions, which house historical artifacts from the birth of the United States. More American presidents and Nobel laureates have lived in Cambridge than in any other city.
Today, Cambridge continues to successfully merge history, education, innovation, arts and culture to provide its multicultural community of immigrants, artists, students, professors, entrepreneurs, factory workers and professionals with a welcoming, progressive place to live and work.
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