Mid Cambridge Neighborhood Guide
Mid Cambridge isn’t a term most people hear until they look for a home in Cambridge, or move into this charming neighborhood.
Before people move here they know Harvard Square, Central Square, maybe Inman Square or Kirkland Village, but after they move here they often call their home Mid Cambridge.
In the middle of everything. Many people have walking commutes to Harvard, MIT, Kendall Square, and area companies like Takeda, Novartis, Pfizer, and Google as well as many startup companies.
I moved to a neighborhood I had never heard of and found everything I wanted.
Living in Mid Cambridge
Cambridge is high energy and doesn’t always feel zen and friendly when people first arrive.
People feel challenged by driving, parking, and have great stories about local hurdles of finding their way or communicating with people in the city.
I discovered a completely different pace when I moved to Mid Cambridge.
The streets were quiet. The one-way streets are set up to be traffic-calming. The brick sidewalks and big trees encourage ambling.
I could park my car and leave it sitting for days or weeks without needing it.
I could walk to an amazing coffee experience and think about my happiness. 🙂
Weather in Mid Cambridge
How I feel about the weather in Mid Cambridge depends on what I am doing at the time.
Living in Mid Cambridge means never having to go far, and never being required to take my car to get there.
I could walk, bike, take several different buses, or grab an uber for a short (affordable) ride.
Zip cars could come in handy if I didn’t want to deal with my car and the snow.
But let’s be real. You get all of the seasons.
Many people arrive in Cambridge in August/September and it feels brutally hot. It can be humid and hot and most local shops and restaurants don’t refrigerate with air conditioning.
The warm weather encourages walking at a gentle pace, wearing light clothing, or maybe excursions to the beach or the Cape. People established those habits over the centuries for a reason.
Heading into fall is completely amazing. October is the most incredible time to live in Mid Cambridge. The trees are glorious. The leaves on the brick sidewalks couldn’t be more charming. And the air is just lovely.
People head into winter with different thoughts. Some look forward to the snow. Some look forward to getting away to the islands someplace sunny. I find the winter to be a feature of Cambridge life and more enjoyable when managed well.
Invest in the gear you need of the best quality you can afford.
Boots, coats, hats, gloves. Waterproof everything.
Being able to not spend a big chunk of your day shoveling snow and driving in slow, snowy traffic is one of the biggest flexes of living in Cambridge.
And then spring comes. Briefly. Everything explodes in color, the birds capture your attention everywhere, and the landscape completely transforms.
The sailing centers open, the coats and boots go to the back of the closet, and everything everywhere is green!
Full circle.
Population in Mid Cambridge
The City of Cambridge describes Mid-Cambridge as a “high density” neighborhood, but I would personally call it “medium density”.
There are more multi family dwellings than single family dwellings, but there are also probably more trees than people, and more people than cars. Those are my thoughts, here is the blurb from the City of Cambridge.
“Mid-Cambridge is a large, high-density residential neighborhood with around thirteen thousand residents, bordered by Prospect Street to the east, Kirkland Street to the west and Massachusetts Ave. to the south and the City of Somerville to the north.”
Where is Mid Cambridge?
The brilliant thing about living in Mid Cambridge is that in the neighborhood….houses and trees, charming and quiet.
At every boundary of the neighborhood….all the things. The boundaries of Mid Cambridge are Harvard Square, Central Square, Inman Square, and Kirkland Village. And in these spots? So many of the amazing shops and restaurants that make Cambridge a destination.
Buses run along many streets and the Red Line T is in both Harvard and Central Squares.
Map of Mid Cambridge
Mid Cambridge Attractions
Harvard Art Museums
32 Quincy St
Explore 50 galleries at no charge.
Cambridge Public Library
449 Cambridge St
Mid Cambridge Parks and Playgrounds
Joan Lorentz Park
441 Broadway
Playground, Tennis, Morning Shared Use Off-Leash Dog Park, Extended Hours
Cooper Park
115 Hancock St
Playground, Water Play
Wilder-Lee Park
46 Lee St
Playground
Paine Park
22 St. Mary Road
Playground, Water Play, Tot Lot, Basketball
Maple Ave Park
37 Maple Ave
Playground, Water Play, Tot Lot, Sand Play Area, Huge Blocks!, Benches, Shade
Homes for Sale in Mid Cambridge
