The city of Cambridge—academically inclined, historically rich, internationally flavored—occupies an enviable geographic position alongside the northern banks of the Charles River. It is home to two of the nation’s most prestigious institutions of higher learning, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study and Lesley University can also be found here. It should come as no surprise that one-fourth of Cambridge’s 95,000 residents are students and that one-sixth of the city’s jobs are in higher education.

A group of approximately 700 Puritans set sail from England in 1630, making their way across the Atlantic Ocean to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where they settled in the area now known as Cambridge. The nation’s oldest university, Harvard, was founded six years later. At the time of the American Revolution, Cambridge existed as a quiet farming village, its population comprised mainly of descendants of the original Puritans. Over the course of the 18th century, an increasing number of immigrants, mostly Irish, arrived. The immigration trend continued into the 20th century, with Italians, Portuguese, and Russians seeking a better life in this hamlet to the immediate northwest of Boston. Today, Cambridge is well known for its diversity and multiculturalism, a reputation underscored by the fact that 80 different nations are represented by the children attending the city’s public schools.

Cambridge offers a vibrant nightlife, with numerous restaurants, theaters, and clubs surrounding the city's squares: Central Square, Harvard Square, and Inman Square. Some of the best entertainment can be enjoyed on the city's sidewalks, where street performers—ranging from illusionists to musicians to puppeteers—often draw large crowds. Like most college towns, Cambridge has plenty of bookshops. One of the most popular is Curious George Goes to WordsWorth, a two-story bookshop housing more than 20,000 children’s titles.