For the past two hundred years, East Cambridge has been a place of authenticity, offering personality and opportunity for all those who reside in this close knit neighborhood. Located at the mouth of the Charles River, the 6.36 square miles of East Cambridge are surrounded by the river to the east, Boston and Albany railroad tracks to the west, Somerville to the north, and Kendell square to the south. These valuable landmarks, as well as the neighborhood's close proximity to the heart of Boston has allowed East Cambridge to successfully develop into a commercial and retail setting, without loosing its authentic feel of intimacy that its residents so strongly carry as years continue.
Open to development in 1809, East Cambridge was accessible after the completion of the CanalBridge. Cheap land, water transportation, and closeness to Boston provided the resources that would attract many European immigrants to the area. The Irish began to flood East Cambridge by the thousands during the Potato Famine of 1845, soon to be followed by a wave of immigration in the 1900's, bringing Italians, Polish, and Portuguese. It would soon become an industrial hotspot for those looking for jobs of unskilled labor. The abundance of furniture and glass factories became the most precious industries of the neighborhood, and as more inhabitants settled into the area, a melting pot of ethnicity and culture began to pour into this small community.
By 1980, a visible transformation from industrial to commercial and retail was evident. Today, the neighborhood holds a variety of offices and research labs. Widely known is the Cambridgeside Galleria, a regional shopping center with a total of 120 shops and restaurants. At the Charles River waterfront, one will find an assortment of hotels and luxury apartment complexes, while the famous Museum of Science standing across the CanalBridge, overlooks the Charles River, as well as Boston in the distance. Traveling on the MBTA's Green Line to Lechmere Station, one can notice the classic Boston Duck Tours adventuring across the river, while Kendell Square continues to provide convenient transportation in and out of Boston on the Red Line.
As East Cambridge presently houses 7,000 residents, it still portrays its atmosphere of intimacy and authenticity. Walking along Cambridge Street one will find a diversity of people and ethnic food offerings.The historical Glass Factory as well as the Necco candy factoryare two East Cambridge landmarks that have been transformed in to residential living space, reminding its tenants of the neighborhood's history.
The small neighborhoods commit to function as small sanctioned communities where different parks, offices and restaurants mix within housing, creating an unique feel within each block, naturally and effortlessly. The streets of East Cambridge remain to be a place for opportunity for all those who come to join the neighborhood of East Cambridge.
