120-809: Cambridge ( / ˈ k eɪ m b r ɪ dʒ / KAYM -brij ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts , United States. It is a 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 most populous city in the county, the fourth-largest in Massachusetts behind Boston , Worcester , and Springfield , and ninth-most populous in New England . The city
240-463: A 2009 listed American Water Landmark located roughly one mile west of Fresh Pond and surrounded by the town of Belmont. The second area is the larger Hobbs Brook and Stony Brook watersheds, which share borders with neighboring towns and cities including Lexington, Lincoln , Waltham and Weston . Cambridge has been called the "City of Squares", as most of its commercial districts are major street intersections known as squares . Each square acts as
360-470: A Fitchburg Line commuter rail stop. Lesley University's University Hall and Porter campus are in Porter Square. Inman Square is at the junction of Cambridge and Hampshire streets in mid-Cambridge. It is home to restaurants, bars, music venues, and boutiques. Victorian streetlights, benches, and bus stops were added to the streets in the 2000s, and a new city park was installed. Lechmere Square
480-461: A steward responsible for managing some of the earl's estates. Although there is a likely blood connection, the reason for the appointment may be that Dudley's soldier grandfather Henry had served under Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln . The earl's estate in Lincolnshire was a center of Nonconformist thought, and Dudley was already recognized for his Puritan virtues by the time he entered
600-500: A "covenant of grace" following her mentor, John Cotton , while most of the colony's leadership, including Dudley, Winthrop, and most of the ministers, espoused a more Legalist view ("covenant of works"). This split divided the colony since Vane and Cotton supported her. At the end of this colonial strife, called the Antinomian Controversy , Hutchinson was banished from the colony, and a number of her followers left
720-493: A change in state law. Immediately prior to its dissolution, the executive branch consisted of three County Commissioners elected at-large to staggered four-year terms. There was a County Treasurer elected to a six-year term. The county derived its revenue primarily from document filing fees at the Registries of Deeds and from a Deeds Excise Tax; also a transfer tax was assessed on the sale price of real estate and collected by
840-489: A clerk. Nicolls, a lawyer and later a judge, was recognized for his honesty at a time when many judges were susceptible to bribery and other misconduct. He was also sympathetic to the Puritan cause; the exposure to legal affairs and Nicolls' religious views probably had a significant influence on Dudley. After Nicolls' sudden death in 1616, Dudley took a position with Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln , serving as
960-475: A female householder with no husband present, and 60.4% were non-families. 40.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 2.76. Middlesex County, Massachusetts Middlesex County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts , United States. As of
1080-601: A lab in 1982, in contrast to the hostility that caused the Genetic Institute, a Harvard spinoff, to abandon Somerville and Boston for Cambridge. The biotech and pharmaceutical industries have since thrived in Cambridge, which now includes headquarters for Biogen and Genzyme ; laboratories for Novartis , Teva , Takeda , Alnylam , Ironwood , Catabasis, Moderna Therapeutics , Editas Medicine ; support companies such as Cytel ; and many smaller companies. During
1200-502: A large co-working space, is in Kendall Square at 1 Broadway. The Cambridge Center office complex is in Kendall Square, and not at the actual center of Cambridge. The "One Kendall Square" complex is nearby, but not actually in Kendall Square. Central Square is formed by the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Prospect Street, and Western Avenue. Containing a variety of ethnic restaurants, it was economically depressed as recently as
1320-399: A larger colony, Winthrop and Dudley led forays into the Charles River watershed, but were unable to immediately agree on a site for the capital. With limited time to establish themselves and concerns over rumors of potential hostile French action, the leaders decided to distribute the colonists in several places to avoid presenting a single target for hostilities. The Dudleys probably spent
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#17327660472991440-611: A lengthy inscription in stone. In 1643, Reverend John Eliot established a school at Roxbury . Dudley, who was then living in Roxbury, gave significant donations of both land and money to the school, which survives to this day as the Roxbury Latin School . Dudley married Dorothy Yorke in 1603 and had five or six children. Samuel, the first, also came to the New World and married Winthrop's daughter Mary in 1633,
1560-645: A major transfer point to streetcars that also operated in a short tunnel —which is still a major bus terminal, although the area under the Square was reconfigured dramatically in the 1980s when the Red Line was extended. A short distance away from the square lies the Cambridge Common, while the neighborhood north of Harvard and east of Massachusetts Avenue is known as Baldwin, in honor of the first Black principal of Cambridge public schools, Maria L. Baldwin. It
1680-662: A military man who died when he was young, Dudley saw military service himself during the French Wars of Religion , and then acquired some legal training before entering the service of his likely kinsman, the Earl of Lincoln . Along with other Puritans in Lincoln's circle, Dudley helped establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony, sailing with Winthrop in 1630. Although he served only four one-year terms as governor of
1800-456: A more modern historical view, Francis Bremer observes that Dudley was "more precise and rigid than the moderate Winthrop in his approach to the issues facing the colonists". One of thy founders, him New-England know, Who staid thy feeble sides when thou wast low, Who spent his state, his strength, and years with care, That after comers in them might have share. Anne Bradstreet , verse written on Harvard Yard 's Dudley Gate In 1637,
1920-476: A neighborhood center. Kendall Square , formed by the junction of Broadway, Main Street, and Third Street, has been called "the most innovative square mile on the planet", owing to its high concentration of entrepreneurial start-ups and quality of innovation which have emerged in the vicinity of the square since 2010. Technology Square is an office and laboratory building cluster in this neighborhood. Just over
2040-539: A part of the Middlesex County government, was also relatedly forced to relocate to Medford at the time of the closure of the Superior Courthouse building in Cambridge. Of the fourteen counties of Massachusetts, Middlesex is one of eight which have had no county government or county commissioners since July 1, 1998, when county functions were assumed by state agencies at local option following
2160-523: A rift between Dudley and Winthrop; it was severe enough that in 1632 Dudley resigned his posts and considered returning to England. After the mediation of others, the two reconciled, and Dudley retracted his resignation. Winthrop reported that "[e]ver after they kept peace and good correspondency in love and friendship." During the dispute, Dudley also harshly questioned Winthrop's authority as governor for several actions without consulting his council of assistants. Dudley's differences with Winthrop came to
2280-574: A small group of colonists led by John Endecott to begin building a settlement, called Salem , on the shores of Massachusetts Bay ; a second group was sent in 1629. The company acquired a royal charter in April 1629 and later that year made the critical decision to transport the charter and the company's corporate governance to the colony. The Cambridge Agreement , which enabled the emigrating shareholders to buy out those that remained behind, may have been written by Dudley. In October 1629 John Winthrop
2400-429: A tract of land "about six miles from Concord , northward". Reportedly, Winthrop and Dudley went to the area together to survey the land and select their parcels. Winthrop, then governor, graciously deferred to Dudley, then deputy governor, to make the first choice of land. Dudley's land became Billerica , and Winthrop's Bedford . The place where the two properties met was marked by two large stones, each carved with
2520-458: A women's liberal arts college, was based in Cambridge from its 1879 founding until its assimilation 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. Founded in December 1630 during the colonial era , Cambridge
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#17327660472992640-609: Is at the junction of Cambridge and First streets, adjacent to the CambridgeSide Galleria shopping mall. It is served by Lechmere station on the MBTA Green Line . The City of Cambridge officially recognizes 13 neighborhoods, which are as follows: In the Köppen-Geiger classification, Cambridge has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Dfa) with hot summers and cold winters, that can appear in
2760-593: Is in Rutland , Worcester County ). On July 11, 1997, Massachusetts abolished the executive government of Middlesex County primarily due to the county's insolvency . Middlesex County continues to exist as a geographic boundary and is used primarily as district jurisdictions within the court system and for other administrative purposes; for example, as an election district. The National Weather Service weather alerts (such as severe thunderstorm warning ) continue to localize based on Massachusetts's counties. The county
2880-466: Is land and 29 square miles (75 km ) (3.5%) is water. It is the third-largest county in Massachusetts by land area. It is bounded southeast by the Charles River and drained by the Merrimack , Nashua , and Concord rivers, and other streams. The MetroWest region comprises much of the southern portion of the county. These routes pass through Middlesex County As of 2006 , Middlesex County
3000-796: Is now considered the birthplace of the Continental Army . On January 24, 1776, Henry Knox arrived with an artillery train captured from Fort Ticonderoga , which allowed Washington to force the British Army to evacuate Boston . Most of the Loyalist estates in Cambridge were confiscated after the Revolutionary War . Between 1790 and 1840, Cambridge grew rapidly with the construction of West Boston Bridge in 1792 connecting Cambridge directly to Boston , making it no longer necessary to travel eight miles (13 km) through
3120-467: Is now within Harvard Square . The marketplace where farmers sold crops from surrounding towns at the edge of a salt marsh (since filled) remains within a small park at the corner of John F. Kennedy and Winthrop Streets. In 1636, Newe College, later renamed Harvard College after benefactor John Harvard , was founded as North America's first institution of higher learning . Its initial purpose
3240-868: Is oversight of the Middlesex House of Correction and Jail in Billerica . It formerly ran the Middlesex Jail in Cambridge , which closed on June 28, 2014. In addition, the Sheriff's Office operates the Office of Civil Process and, the Lowell Community Counseling Centers, and crime prevention and community service programs. The office of sheriff was created in 1692, making it one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in
3360-479: Is south of Central Square, and bordered by MIT, the Charles River, Massachusetts Avenue, and River Street. Harvard Square is formed by the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, Dunster Street, and JFK Street. This is the primary site of Harvard University and a major Cambridge shopping area. It is served by a Red Line station . Harvard Square was originally the Red Line's northwestern terminus and
3480-579: Is too slim. A “Thomas Dudley” was awarded degrees from Emmanuel College, Cambridge University, in 1626 and 1630, and some historians have argued this is a son of Dudley. Also, Dudley was referred to as “Thomas Dudley Senior” on a lone occasion in 1637. Dorothy Yorke died on 27 December 1643 at 61 years of age, and was remembered by her daughter Anne in a poem: Here lies, A worthy matron of unspotted life, A loving mother and obedient wife, A friendly neighbor, pitiful to poor, Whom oft she fed and clothed with her store; Dudley married his second wife,
3600-538: The 2020 census , the population was 1,632,002, making it the most populous county in both Massachusetts and New England and the 22nd most populous county in the United States . This also makes the county the most populous county on the East Coast outside of New York or Florida. Middlesex County is one of two U.S. counties (along with Santa Clara County, California ) to be amongst the top 25 counties with
3720-830: The Boston Neck , Roxbury , and Brookline to cross the Charles River . A second bridge, the Canal Bridge, opened in 1809 alongside the new Middlesex Canal . The new bridges and roads made what were formerly estates and marshland into prime industrial and residential districts. In the mid-19th century, Cambridge was the center of a literary revolution. It was home to some of the famous Fireside poets , named because their poems would often be read aloud by families in front of their evening fires. The Fireside poets, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow , James Russell Lowell , and Oliver Wendell Holmes , were highly popular and influential in this era. Soon after, turnpikes were built:
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3840-529: The Cambridge and Concord Turnpike (today's Broadway and Concord Ave.), the Middlesex Turnpike (Hampshire St. and Massachusetts Ave. northwest of Porter Square ), and what are today's Cambridge, Main, and Harvard Streets connected various areas of Cambridge to the bridges. In addition, the town was connected to the Boston & Maine Railroad , leading to the development of Porter Square as well as
3960-520: The Continental Army and appointed George Washington commander of it, Washington arrived at Cambridge Common to take command of the Patriot soldiers camped there. Many of these soldiers played a role in supporting Washington's successful Siege of Boston , which trapped garrisoned British troops from moving by land, forcing the British to ultimately abandon Boston. Cambridge Common is thus celebrated as
4080-583: The Fig Newton , Necco , Squirrel Brands , George Close Company (1861–1930s), Page & Shaw , Daggett Chocolate (1892–1960s, recipes bought by Necco), Fox Cross Company (1920–1980, originator of the Charleston Chew , and now part of Tootsie Roll Industries ), Kendall Confectionery Company, and James O. Welch (1927–1963, originator of Junior Mints , Sugar Daddies , Sugar Mamas , and Sugar Babies , now part of Tootsie Roll Industries). Main Street
4200-479: The Great Depression and after World War II , Cambridge lost much of its industrial base. It also began to become an intellectual, rather than an industrial, center. Harvard University , which had always been important as both a landowner and an institution, began to play a more dominant role in the city's life and culture. When Radcliffe College was established in 1879, the town became a mecca for some of
4320-861: The Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Bedford, in an area that has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Two Brothers Rocks-Dudley Road Historic District . Dudley Square in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood was named after Dudley. Proponents of an effort to rename the square noted that Dudley was "a leading politician in 1641", when the colony became the first to sanction slavery legally. Conversely, Byron Rushing , former president of
4440-681: The Longfellow Bridge from Boston, at the eastern end of the MIT campus, it is served by the Kendall/MIT station on the MBTA Red Line subway. Most of Cambridge's large office towers are located in the Square. Kendall Square houses some of the biggest technological companies of the world, including Google , Microsoft , Amazon , Meta , and Apple . A biotech industry has developed in this area. The Cambridge Innovation Center ,
4560-637: The Massachusetts General Court purchased the land that became present-day Cambridge from the Naumkeag Squaw Sachem of Mistick . The town comprised a much larger area than the present city, with various outlying parts becoming independent towns over the years: Cambridge Village (later Newtown and now Newton ) in 1688, Cambridge Farms (now Lexington ) in 1712 or 1713, and Little or South Cambridge (now Brighton ) and Menotomy or West Cambridge (now Arlington ) in 1807. In
4680-521: The Museum of African American History in Boston, stated, “I’ve really searched, and I’ve found no evidence that Dudley ever owned slaves." A non-binding advisory question was added to the 5 November 2019 municipal ballot for all Boston residents asking, "Do you support the renaming/changing of the name of Dudley Square to Nubian Square?" Election night results show that the question was defeated. Mayor of Boston Marty Walsh subsequently announced that
4800-502: The Plymouth Colony , wrote of Dudley, "His zeal to order appeared in contriving good laws, and faithfully executing them upon criminal offenders, heretics, and underminers of true religion. He had a piercing judgment to discover the wolf, though clothed with a sheepskin." Early Massachusetts historian James Savage wrote of Dudley that "[a] hardness in public, and rigidity in private life, are too observable in his character". In
4920-535: The Superior Courthouse , one of which was formerly in Cambridge (since 2008 relocated to Woburn.) and one in Lowell; and the defunct Middlesex County Hospital in the city of Waltham. The legislation abolishing the Middlesex County executive retained the Sheriff and Registers of Deeds as independently elected officials, and transferred the Sheriff's Office under the state Department of Public Safety and
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5040-441: The 1590 Battle of Ivry , but Susanna Dudley is known already to have been widowed by 1588. The 1586 battle of Zutphen has also been suggested as the occasion of Roger Dudley's death. Like many other young men of good birth Thomas Dudley became a page , in his case in the household of William, Baron Compton at nearby Castle Ashby . Later he raised a company of men following a call to arms by Queen Elizabeth , and served in
5160-764: The Boston Pops, throughout the British Isles and Western Europe, and at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo's Salute to Australia in Sydney, Australia. Thomas Dudley Thomas Dudley (12 October 1576 – 31 July 1653) was a New England colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony . Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts , and built
5280-626: The Cambridge Housing Authority and the Public Works Administration demolished an integrated low-income tenement neighborhood with African Americans and European immigrants. In its place, it built the whites-only " Newtowne Court " public housing development and the adjoining, blacks-only " Washington Elms " project in 1940; the city required segregation in its other public housing projects as well. As industry in New England began to decline during
5400-640: The English army led by Sir Arthur Savage fighting with King Henry IV of France during the French Wars of Religion . He fought the Spanish at the Siege of Amiens in 1597, which in September surrendered and was the final action of the war. After he was discharged from his military service, Dudley returned to Northamptonshire. He then entered the service of Sir Augustine Nicolls , a relative of his mother's as
5520-618: The Northern District at Lowell and another for the Southern District at Cambridge) are each elected to serve six-year terms. Besides the employees of the Sheriff's Office and the two Registries of Deeds, the county had a Maintenance Department, a Security Department, some administrative staff in the Treasurer's and Commissioners' Offices, and the employees of the hospital. The county government also owned and operated
5640-493: The Registries of Deeds. Budgets as proposed by the County Commissioners were approved by a County Advisory Board that consisted of a single representative of each of the 54 cities and towns in Middlesex County. The votes of the individual members of the advisory board were weighted based on the overall valuation of property in their respective communities. The County Sheriff and two Registers of Deeds (one for
5760-473: The Sutton-Dudleys of Dudley Castle ( Duke of Northumberland , Earls of Warwick and Leicester , Viscounts Lisle , and Barons Dudley ); there is a similarity in their coats of arms , but association beyond probable common ancestry has not yet been conclusively demonstrated. Roger Dudley, a captain in the English army, was apparently killed in battle. It was for some time believed he was killed in
5880-417: The United States. The sheriff is elected to a 6-year term. Notable sheriffs include: Prior to 1960, Middlesex County was a Republican Party stronghold, backing only two Democratic Party presidential candidates from 1876 to 1956. The 1960 election started a reverse trend, with the county becoming a Democratic stronghold. This has been even more apparent in recent years, with George H. W. Bush in 1988 being
6000-550: The acquittal of John Winthrop in a trial held that year; Winthrop had been charged with abuses of his power as a magistrate by residents of Hingham the previous year. In 1649 Dudley was appointed once again to serve as a commissioner and president of the New England Confederation , an umbrella organization established by most of the New England colonies to address issues of common interest; however, he
6120-506: The assistance of Simon Bradstreet who was eventually drawn to Dudley's daughter Anne . The two were married six years later when she was 16. Dudley was briefly out of Lincoln's service between about 1624 and 1628. During this time, he lived with his growing family in Boston, Lincolnshire , where he likely was a parishioner at St Botolph's Church , where John Cotton preached. The Dudleys were known to be back on Lincoln's estate in 1628 when his daughter Anne came down with smallpox and
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#17327660472996240-578: The birthplace of the Continental Army. The Massachusett inhabited the area that is now called Cambridge for thousands of years prior to European colonization of the Americas , most recently under the name Anmoughcawgen , which means 'fishing weir' or 'beaver dam' in Natick . At the time of European contact, the area was inhabited by Naumkeag or Pawtucket to the north and Massachusett to
6360-530: The bursting of the United States housing bubble in 2008 and 2009. Cambridge has been a sanctuary city since 1985 and reaffirmed its status as such in 2006. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , Cambridge has a total area of 7.1 square miles (18 km), 6.4 square miles (17 km) of which is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km) (9.82%) of which is water. Cambridge is located in eastern Massachusetts, bordered by: The border between Cambridge and
6480-548: The carving up of the last estates into residential subdivisions to house the thousands of immigrants who arrived to work in the new industries. For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, the city's largest employer was the New England Glass Company , founded in 1818. By the middle of the 19th century, it was the world's largest and most modern glassworks. In 1888, Edward Drummond Libbey moved all production to Toledo, Ohio , where it continues today under
6600-430: The charter to be returned to England, the king's financial straits prevented it from being served, and the issue eventually died out. In 1635, and for the four following years, Dudley was elected either as deputy governor or as a member of the council of assistants. The governor in 1636 was Henry Vane , and the colony was split over the actions of Anne Hutchinson . She had come to the colony in 1634 and began preaching
6720-611: The cities and towns in which they are located. School districts include: K-12: Secondary: Elementary: Tertiary institutions include: Middlesex County is home to the Middlesex County Volunteers , a fife and drum corps that plays music from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Founded in 1982 at the end of the United States Bicentennial celebration, the group performs extensively throughout New England. They have also performed at
6840-404: The city . Within four years of repealing the law, Cambridge, where "the city's form of rent control was unusually strict," saw new housing and construction increase by 50%, and the tax revenue from construction permits tripled. Property values in Cambridge increased by about $ 7.8 billion in the decade following the repeal. Roughly a quarter of this increase, $ 1.8 billion ($ 3 billion in 2024 dollars),
6960-474: The city. The population density was 16,354.9 inhabitants per square mile (6,314.7/km). There were 47,291 housing units at an average density of 7,354.7 per square mile (2,839.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 66.60% White , 11.70% Black or African American , 0.20% Native American , 15.10% Asian (3.7% Chinese , 1.4% Asian Indian , 1.2% Korean , 1.0% Japanese ), 0.01% Pacific Islander , 2.10% from other races, and 4.30% from two or more races. 7.60% of
7080-500: The colony as a consequence. She settled in Rhode Island , where Roger Williams , also persona non-grata in Massachusetts over theological differences, offered her shelter. Dudley's role in the affair is unclear, but historians supportive of Hutchinson's cause argue that he was a significant force in her banishment, and that he was unhappy that the colony did not adopt a more rigid stance or ban more of her followers. Vane
7200-410: The colony established a committee "to take order for a new college at Newtown". The committee consisted of most of the colony's elders, including Dudley. In 1638, John Harvard , a childless colonist, bequeathed to the colony his library and half of his estate as a contribution to the college, which was consequently named in his honor . The college charter was first issued in 1642, and a second charter
7320-595: The colony, he was regularly in other positions of authority. Dudley's daughter Anne Bradstreet (1612–1672) was a prominent early American poet. One of the gates of Harvard Yard , which existed from 1915 to 1947, was named in his honor, and Harvard's Dudley House is named for the family, as is the town of Dudley, Massachusetts . Thomas Dudley was born in Yardley Hastings , a village near Northampton, England , on 12 October 1576, to Roger and Susanna (Thorne) Dudley. The family has long asserted connections to
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#17327660472997440-441: The colony. His views were conservative, but he was not as strident in them as John Endecott . Endecott notoriously defaced the English flag in 1632, an act for which he was censured and deprived of office for one year. Dudley sided with the moderate faction on the issue, which believed the flag's depiction of the Cross of St George had by then been reduced to a symbol of nationalism. Nathaniel Morton , an early chronicler of
7560-549: The county was 80.0% white, 9.3% Asian, 4.7% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 3.3% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 6.5% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: Of the 580,688 households, 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.9% were non-families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size
7680-519: The creation of neighboring Somerville from the formerly rural parts of Charlestown . Cambridge was incorporated as a city in 1846. The city's commercial center began to shift from Harvard Square to Central Square, which became the city's downtown around that time. Between 1850 and 1900, Cambridge took on much of its present character, featuring streetcar suburban development along the turnpikes and working class and industrial neighborhoods focused on East Cambridge, comfortable middle-class housing on
7800-436: The dissolution of the executive county government, the county comprised two regions with separate county seats for administrative purposes: Since the start of the 21st century, much of the current and former county offices have physically decentralized from the Cambridge seat, with the sole exceptions being the Registry of Deeds and the Middlesex Probate and Family Court, which both retain locations in Cambridge and Lowell. Since
7920-431: The earl's service. According to Cotton Mather 's biography of Dudley, he successfully disentangled a legacy of financial difficulties bequeathed to the earl, and the earl consequently came to depend on Dudley for financial advice. Dudley's services were not entirely pecuniary in nature: he is also said to have had an important role in securing the engagement of Clinton to Lord Saye's daughter. In 1622, Dudley acquired
8040-585: The era of rent control in Massachusetts , at least 20 percent of all rent controlled apartments in Cambridge housed the rich. The vast majority housed middle- and high-income earners. In an independent study conducted of 2/3 of the rent controlled apartments in Cambridge in 1988, 246 were households headed by doctors, 298 by lawyers, 265 by architects, 259 by professors, and 220 by engineers. There were 2,650 with students, including 1,503 with graduate students. Those who lived in rent controlled apartments included The end of rent control in 1994 had numerous effects on
8160-521: The first convenient Charles River crossing west of Boston , Newtowne was one of several towns, including Boston, Dorchester , Watertown , and Weymouth , founded by the 700 original Puritan colonists of the Massachusetts Bay Colony under Governor John Winthrop . Its first preacher was Thomas Hooker , who led many of its original inhabitants west in 1636 to found Hartford and the Connecticut Colony ; before leaving, they sold their plots to more recent immigrants from England. The original village site
8280-510: The first instances of a truly representative government in North America, when each town chose two representatives to advise the governor on the subject. This principle was extended to govern the colony as a whole in 1634, the year Dudley was first elected governor. During this term, the colony established a committee to oversee military affairs and to manage the colony's munitions. The colony came under legal threat in 1632, when Sir Ferdinando Gorges , attempting to revive an earlier claim to
8400-600: The first network router in 1969 and hosted the invention of computer-to-computer email in 1971. The 1980s brought a wave of high technology startups. Those selling advanced minicomputers were overtaken by the microcomputer . Cambridge-based VisiCorp made the first spreadsheet software for personal computers, VisiCalc , and helped propel the Apple II to consumer success. It was overtaken and purchased by Cambridge-based Lotus Development , maker of Lotus 1-2-3 (which was, in turn, replaced in by Microsoft Excel ). The city continues to be home to many startups. Kendall Square
8520-414: The first of several alliances of the Dudley-Winthrop family. He later served as the pastor in Exeter, New Hampshire . Daughter Anne married Simon Bradstreet , and became the first poet published in North America. Patience, Dudley's third child, married a colonial militia officer Daniel Denison . The fourth child, Sarah, married Benjamin Keayne, a militia officer. This union was unhappy, resulting in
8640-680: The first quarter of 2008, the Superior Courthouse has been seated in the city of Woburn ; the Sheriff's Office is now administratively seated in the city of Medford and the Cambridge-based County Jail has since been amalgamated with another county jail facility in Billerica. The Cambridge District Court (which has jurisdiction for Arlington, Belmont and Cambridge); along with the Middlesex County District Attorney's Office, although not
8760-404: The first reported instance of divorce in the colony; Keayne returned to England and repudiated the marriage. Although no formal divorce proceedings are known, Sarah eventually married again, to Job Judkins, by whom she bore five children. Mercy, the last of his children with Dorothy, married minister John Woodbridge . Dudley may have had another son, though most historians think the evidence
8880-415: The first time in a 1696 compilation of early colonial documents by Joshua Scottow . In the spring of 1631, the leadership agreed to establish the colony's capital at Newtowne (near present-day Harvard Square in Cambridge ), and the town was surveyed and laid out. Dudley, Simon Bradstreet, and others built their houses there, but to Dudley's anger, Winthrop decided to build in Boston. This decision caused
9000-577: The fore again in January 1636, when other magistrates orchestrated a series of accusations that Winthrop had been overly lenient in his judicial decisions. In 1632 Dudley, at his own expense, erected a palisade around Newtowne (which was renamed Cambridge in 1636) that enclosed 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land, principally as a defense against wild animals and Native American raids. The colony agreed to reimburse him by imposing taxes on all area communities. The meetings occasioned by this need are among
9120-546: The governmental functions such as property tax assessment and collection, public education, road repair and maintenance, and elections were all conducted at the municipal city and town level and not by the county government. In 2012 the 22-story Superior Court Building in Cambridge which was transferred from the abolished Executive County government was sold by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Due to its transfer from state control, many local residents had tried to force
9240-489: The highest household income and the 25 most populated counties. It is included in the Census Bureau's Boston – Cambridge – Newton , MA– NH Metropolitan Statistical Area . As part of the 2020 United States census , the Commonwealth's mean center of population for that year was geo-centered in Middlesex County, in the town of Natick (this is not to be confused with the geographic center of Massachusetts, which
9360-469: The largest Irish-American population of any U.S. county with a plurality of Irish ancestry. The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list is reflective if the census-designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The primary responsibility of the Middlesex Sheriff's Office
9480-566: The last Republican presidential candidate to manage forty percent of the county's votes and Mitt Romney in 2012 being the last Republican presidential candidate to manage even thirty percent of the vote. In 2020, Joe Biden won 71% of the vote, the highest percent for any presidential candidate since 1964. Most municipalities in Middlesex County have a town form of government; the remainder are cities, and are so designated on this list. Villages listed below are census or postal divisions but have no separate corporate or statutory existence from
9600-616: The late 1990s; it underwent gentrification in recent years (in conjunction with the development of the nearby University Park at MIT ), and continues to grow more costly. It is served by the Central Station stop on the MBTA Red Line subway. Lafayette Square , formed by the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Columbia Street, Sidney Street, and Main Street, is considered part of the Central Square area. Cambridgeport
9720-415: The late 19th century, various schemes for annexing Cambridge to Boston were pursued and rejected. Newtowne's ministers, Hooker and Shepard, the college's first president , the college's major benefactor, and the first schoolmaster Nathaniel Eaton were all Cambridge alumni, as was the colony's governor John Winthrop. In 1629, Winthrop had led the signing of the founding document of the city of Boston, which
9840-594: The local clergy to take a more prominent and explicit role in the colony's governance. When he was again governor in 1645, the colony threatened war against the expansionist Narragansetts , who had been making war against the English-allied Mohegans . This prompted the Narragansett leader Miantonomi to sign a peace agreement with the New England colonies which lasted until King Philip's War broke out 30 years later. Dudley also presided over
9960-693: The name Owens-Illinois . The company's flint glassware with heavy lead content is prized by antique glass collectors, and the Toledo Museum of Art has a large collection. The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Sandwich Glass Museum on Cape Cod also house several pieces. In 1895, Edwin Ginn , founder of Ginn and Company , built the Athenaeum Press Building for his publishing textbook empire. By 1920, Cambridge
10080-403: The nation's most academically talented female students. MIT 's move from Boston to Cambridge in 1916 reinforced Cambridge's status as an intellectual center of the United States. After the 1950s, the city's population began to decline slowly as families tended to be replaced by single people and young couples. In Cambridge Highlands, the technology company Bolt, Beranek, & Newman produced
10200-574: The neighboring city of Somerville passes through densely populated neighborhoods, which are connected by the MBTA Red Line . Some of the main squares, Inman , Porter, and to a lesser extent, Harvard and Lechmere , are very close to the city line, as are Somerville's Union and Davis Squares . Through the City of Cambridge's exclusive municipal water system, the city further controls two exclave areas, one being Payson Park Reservoir and Gatehouse,
10320-478: The old Cambridgeport, and Mid-Cambridge estates and upper-class enclaves near Harvard University and on the minor hills. The arrival of the railroad in North Cambridge and Northwest Cambridge led to three changes: the development of massive brickyards and brickworks between Massachusetts Avenue , Concord Avenue , and Alewife Brook ; the ice-cutting industry launched by Frederic Tudor on Fresh Pond ; and
10440-523: The original Puritan colonists, but there was also a small elite of Anglican "worthies" who were not involved in village life, made their livings from estates, investments, and trade, and lived in mansions along "the Road to Watertown", present-day Brattle Street , which is still known as Tory Row . The Virginian George Washington , coming from Philadelphia , took command of the force of Patriot soldiers camped on Cambridge Common on July 3, 1775, which
10560-625: The owner's name; Winthrop described the spot as the "' Two Brothers ', in remembrance that they were brothers by their children's marriage". During Dudley's term of office in 1640, many new laws were passed. This led to the introduction the following year of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties , a document that contains guarantees that were later placed in the United States Bill of Rights . During this term, he joined moderates, including John Winthrop, in opposing attempts by
10680-480: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race (1.6% Puerto Rican , 1.4% Mexican , 0.6% Dominican , 0.5% Colombian & Salvadoran , 0.4% Spaniard ). Non-Hispanic Whites were 62.1% of the population in 2010, down from 89.7% in 1970. An individual resident of Cambridge is known as a Cantabrigian . In 2010, there were 44,032 households, out of which 16.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.9% were married couples living together, 8.4% had
10800-525: The private developers to reduce the overall height of the structure. Even following the abolition of the executive branch for county government in Middlesex, communities are still granted a right by the Massachusetts state legislature to form their own regional compacts for sharing of services and costs thereof. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 847 square miles (2,190 km ), of which 818 square miles (2,120 km )
10920-488: The ruling Puritans. Pynchon was called upon to retract his views but returned to England instead of facing the magistrates. During most of his years in Massachusetts, when not governor, Dudley served as either deputy governor or as one of the colony's commissioners to the New England Confederation. He also served as a magistrate in the colonial courts, and sat on committees that drafted the laws of
11040-460: The south, and may have been inhabited by other groups such as the Totant, not well described in later European narratives. The contact period introduced a number of European infectious diseases which would decimate native populations in virgin soil epidemics , leaving the area uncontested upon the arrival of large groups of English settlers in 1630. In December 1630, the site of present-day Cambridge
11160-400: The southern end of New England's interior. Abundant rain falls on the city (and in the winter often as snow); it has no dry season. The average January temperature is 26.6 °F (−3 °C), making Cambridge part of Group D, independent of the isotherm. There are four well-defined seasons. As of the census of 2010, there were 105,162 people, 44,032 households, and 17,420 families residing in
11280-537: The territory, raised issues of the colony's charter and governance with the Privy Council of King Charles I . When the colony's governing magistrates drafted a response to the charges raised by Gorges, Dudley was alone in opposing language, referring to the king as his "sacred majesty", and to bishops of the Church of England as "Reverend Bishops". Although a quo warranto writ was issued in 1635 calling for
11400-400: The town's first home. He provided land and funds to establish the Roxbury Latin School and signed Harvard College 's new charter during his 1650 term as governor. Dudley was a devout Puritan who opposed religious views not conforming with his. In this, he was more rigid than other early Massachusetts leaders like John Winthrop , but less confrontational than John Endecott . The son of
11520-621: The two Registries of Deeds. Besides the Sheriff and the two Registers of Deeds, the Middlesex District Attorney, the Middlesex Register of Probate and the Middlesex Clerk of Courts (which were already part of state government before the abolition of Middlesex County government) are all elected countywide to six-year terms. In Middlesex County (as in the entirety of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts),
11640-559: The two Registry of Deeds offices to the Massachusetts Secretary of State's Office. Additionally, all county maintenance and security employees were absorbed into the corresponding staffs of the Massachusetts Trial Court . The legislation also transferred ownership of the two Superior Courthouses to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The hospital was closed. Finally, the office of County Commissioner
11760-676: The widow Katherine (Deighton) Hackburne, a descendant of the noble Berkeley, Lygon, and Beauchamp families, in 1644. She is also a direct descendant of eleven of the twenty-five barons who acted as sureties for John Lackland on the Magna Carta . They had three children, Deborah, Joseph , and Paul. Joseph served as governor of the Dominion of New England and of the Province of Massachusetts Bay . Paul (not to be confused with Joseph's son Paul , who served as provincial attorney general)
11880-564: The winter of 1630–31 in Boston , which was where the leadership chose to stay after its first choice, Charlestown , was found to have inadequate water. A letter Dudley wrote to the Countess of Lincoln in March 1631 narrated the first year's experience of the colonists that arrived in Winthrop's fleet in an intimate tone befitting a son or suitor as much as a servant. It appeared in print for
12000-661: Was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10. The median age was 38.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $ 77,377 and the median income for a family was $ 97,382. Males had a median income of $ 64,722 versus $ 50,538 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 40,139. About 5.1% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over. 79.6% spoke English , 4.3% Spanish , 2.7% Portuguese , 1.6% Italian , 1.6% Chinese including Mandarin and other Chinese dialects and 1.5% French as their first language. Middlesex County has
12120-488: Was a software hub through the dot-com boom and today hosts offices of such technology companies as Google, Microsoft , and Amazon . The Square also now houses the headquarters of Akamai . In 1976, Harvard's plans to start experiments with recombinant DNA led to a three-month moratorium and a citizen review panel. In the end, Cambridge decided to allow such experiments but passed safety regulations in 1977. This led to regulatory certainty and acceptance when Biogen opened
12240-478: Was chosen for settlement because it was safely upriver from Boston Harbor , making it easily defensible from attacks by enemy ships. The city was founded by Thomas Dudley , his daughter Anne Bradstreet , and his son-in-law Simon Bradstreet . The first houses were built in the spring of 1631. The settlement was initially referred to as "the newe towne". Official Massachusetts records show the name rendered as Newe Towne by 1632, and as Newtowne by 1638. Located at
12360-411: Was created by the Massachusetts General Court on May 10, 1643, when it was ordered that "the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four shires. " Middlesex initially contained Charlestown , Cambridge , Watertown , Sudbury , Concord , Woburn , Medford , and Reading . In 1649 the first Middlesex County Registry of Deeds was created in Cambridge. On April 19, 1775, Middlesex
12480-544: Was due to the repeal of rent control. Close to 40% of all Cambridge properties were under rent control when it was repealed. Their property values appreciated faster than non-rent controlled properties, as did the properties around them. By the end of the 20th century, Cambridge had one of the most costly housing markets in the Northeastern United States . Cambridge's mix of amenities and proximity to Boston kept housing prices relatively stable despite
12600-643: Was elected governor, and John Humphrey was chosen as his deputy. However, as the fleet was preparing to sail in March 1630, Humphrey decided he would not leave England immediately, and Dudley was chosen as deputy governor in his place. Dudley and his family sailed for the New World on the Arbella , the flagship of the Winthrop Fleet , on 8 April 1630 and arrived in Salem Harbour on 12 June. Finding conditions at Salem inadequate for establishing
12720-568: Was for a time the colony's register of probate. In 1636, Dudley moved from Cambridge to Ipswich , and in 1639, moved to Roxbury . He died in Roxbury on 31 July 1653, and was buried in the Eliot Burying Ground there. Dudley, Massachusetts is named for his grandsons Paul and William, its first proprietors. The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation owns a parcel of land in Billerica called Governor Thomas Dudley Park. The "Two Brothers" rocks are located in
12840-453: Was ill (and aging, at 73), and consequently unable to discharge his duties in that office. Dudley was elected governor for the fourth and last time in 1650 despite the illness. The most notable acts during this term were the issuance of a new charter for Harvard College , and the judicial decision to burn The Meritorious Price of Our Redemption , a book by Springfield resident William Pynchon that expounded on religious views heretical to
12960-424: Was immediately abolished and the office of County Treasurer was abolished as of December 31, 2002. Any county roads transferred to the Commonwealth as part of the dissolution. The other administrative duties (such as Sheriff, Department of Deeds and court system , etc.) and all supporting staff were transferred under the Commonwealth as well. Records of land ownership in Middlesex County continue to be maintained at
13080-705: Was issued in 1650, signed by then-Governor Thomas Dudley, who also served for many years as one of the college's overseers. Harvard University's Dudley House, now only an administrative unit located in Lehman Hall after the actual house was torn down, is named in honor of the Dudley family. Harvard Yard once had a Dudley Gate bearing words written by his daughter Anne; it was torn down in the 1940s to make way for construction of Lamont Library . A fragment remains in Dudley Garden, behind Lamont Library, including
13200-665: Was known as the Cambridge Agreement , after the university. In 1650, Governor Thomas Dudley signed the charter creating the corporation that still governs Harvard College. Cambridge grew slowly as an agricultural village eight miles (13 km) by road from Boston, the colony 's capital. By the American Revolution , most residents lived near the Common and Harvard College, with most of the town comprising farms and estates. Most inhabitants were descendants of
13320-539: Was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge , England, which was an important center of the Puritan theology that was embraced by the town's founders. Harvard University , an Ivy League university founded in Cambridge in 1636, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Lesley University , and Hult International Business School also are based in Cambridge. Radcliffe College ,
13440-741: Was nicknamed "Confectioner's Row". Only the Cambridge Brands subsidiary of Tootsie Roll Industries remains in town, still manufacturing Junior Mints in the old Welch factory on Main Street. The Blake and Knowles Steam Pump Company (1886), the Kendall Boiler and Tank Company (1880, now in Chelmsford, Massachusetts ), and the New England Glass Company (1818–1878) were among the industrial manufacturers in what are now Kendall Square and East Cambridge. In 1935,
13560-782: Was one among the first cities established in the Thirteen Colonies , and it went on to play a historic role during the American Revolution . In May 1775, approximately 16,000 American patriots assembled in Cambridge Common to begin organizing a military retaliation against British troops following the Battles of Lexington and Concord . On July 2, 1775, two weeks after the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia formally established
13680-633: Was one of New England 's main industrial cities, with nearly 120,000 residents. Among the largest businesses in Cambridge during the period of industrialization was Carter's Ink Company , whose neon sign long adorned the Charles River and which was for many years the world's largest ink manufacturer. Next door was the Athenaeum Press. Confectionery and snack manufacturers in the Cambridgeport-Area 4-Kendall corridor included Kennedy Biscuit Factory, later part of Nabisco and originator of
13800-474: Was renamed "Baldwin" in 2021, and so some know the area better by its former name, Agassiz, after the famed scientist Louis Agassiz . Porter Square is about a mile north on Massachusetts Avenue from Harvard Square, at the junction of Massachusetts and Somerville Avenues. It includes part of the city of Somerville and is served by the Porter Square Station , a complex housing a Red Line stop and
13920-403: Was tenth in the United States on the list of most millionaires per county. As of the 2010 United States Census , there were 1,503,085 people, 580,688 households, and 366,656 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,837.9 inhabitants per square mile (709.6/km ). There were 612,004 housing units at an average density of 748.3 per square mile (288.9/km ). The racial makeup of
14040-640: Was the site of the first armed conflict of the American Revolutionary War . In 1855, the Massachusetts State Legislature created a minor Registry of Deeds for the Northern District of Middlesex County in Lowell. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Boston annexed several of its adjacent cities and towns including Charlestown and Brighton from Middlesex County, resulting in an enlargement and accretion toward Suffolk County . Beginning prior to
14160-477: Was training ministers . According to Cotton Mather , Newtowne was chosen for the site of the college by the Great and General Court , then the legislature of Massachusetts Bay Colony , primarily for its proximity to the popular and highly respected Puritan preacher Thomas Shepard . In May 1638, the settlement's name was changed to Cambridge in honor of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge , England. In 1639,
14280-629: Was treated there. In 1628 Dudley and other Puritans decided to form the Massachusetts Bay Company , with a view toward establishing a Puritan colony in North America. Dudley's name does not appear on the land grant issued to the company that year. Still, he was almost certainly involved in the company's formative stages, whose investors and supporters included many individuals in the Earl of Lincoln's circle. The company sent
14400-802: Was turned out of office in 1637 over the Hutchinson affair and his insistence on flying the English flag over the colony's fort ; many Puritans felt that the Cross of St George on the flag was a symbol of popery and was thus anathema to them. Vane was replaced by Winthrop, who served three terms. According to Winthrop, concerns over the length of his service led to Dudley's election as governor in 1640. Although Dudley and Winthrop clashed with each other on several issues, they agreed on banning Hutchinson, and their relationship had some significant positive elements. In 1638 Dudley and Winthrop were each granted
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