Cambridge is a city situated within Middlesex County, Massachusetts within the USA. It is located in the Greater Boston Area. The city was named in honor of the University of Cambridge within England, which was a vital center of the Puritan theology which was embraced by the town's founding citizens. An inhabitant of the city of Cambridge is affectionately called a "Cantabrigian."
Located in the city of Cambridge are two of the world's most famous universities, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. The population of the city is about 105,162, according to the 2010 US Census, which makes it the 5th biggest city within the state. The four larger cities consist of: Boston, Worcester, Lowell and Springfield. One county seat of Middlesex County is Lowell and the city of Cambridge is the other.
In 1630, a band of Puritans from England settled Cambridge. The region was initially named "Newtowne." In the year 1636 Harvard College was founded that prompted the choice of a new and more appropriate name. "Cambridge" was chosen as the formal name due to the familiarity which many of the settlers had with Cambridge University within England. In the year 1636, the town was incorporated and during 1846 it became a city when the first town of Old Cambridge amalgamated along with two villages Cambridge Port and East Cambridge.
The city of Cambridge had a major industrial focus during the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries, on industries like furniture and glass businesses. Now, the emphasis of the economy has shifted to a technology-based economy which includes economies in biotechnology research, electronics and software. Nowadays, Cambridge is a very vibrant college-influenced community that enjoys social diversity, a strong mix of culture, intellectual vitality and technological innovations.
The biggest companies within the city are the educational facilities of MIT and Harvard. Together they employ over 20,000 people. The city is likewise home to several legendary technology businesses including Akamai, Analog Devices, Bolt Beranek and Newman or also known as BBN Technologies that is now a part of Raytheon, Thinking Machines, Polaroid, Symbolics General Radio or also known as GenRad and the Lotus Development Corporation who are now a part of IBM.
The majority of the tech businesses in the region over the years, have had to relocate or move and sometimes even shut down their businesses due to the declines and growths of the technology marketplace. Arthur D. Little, Lotus and Polaroid were all examples of top employers in the Cambridge area with more than 1000 staff. Within a few years they declined or disappeared. By 2005, MIT, Harvard and biotechnology and health care businesses like Genzyme, Novartis, Idec, and Biogen dominated the economy of the city. There are biotechnology businesses located around East Cambridge and Kendall Square. Decades ago these places were the center for manufacturing enterprises within the city of Cambridge. The University Park at MIT is also another new development situated in another previous manufacturing area.
Microsoft Research, Google and IBM Research has regional offices in the city. Furthermore, Harmonix Music Systems, a video game developer, is likewise based in Central Square. Moreover, the city is the New England headquarters for Time Warner Cable and Miramax Films.