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