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Retire To Cambridge, MA
City Report

Cambridge, Massachusetts is one of the great places in the U.S. for that retirement or second home. Find city facts on home sales prices, air quality, water quality, medical care, cost of living, weather and other demographics.


Click for Cambridge, Massachusetts Weather Forecast

Read the city profile and recent blog posts from local real estate experts. The EPA map shows superfund cleanups in the area and the interactive map provides a birds-eye view of the city.

Links in the data below provide a list of cities similar to Cambridge in that certain data category. Check back often for home price updates.


Cambridge, Massachusetts
Boston at night from Cambridge, Massachusetts
© iStockPhoto.com/braclark

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Cambridge, Massachusetts


Population
. 1990 2000 2007
Middlesex County blank 1,465,396 blank
Cambridge 95,802 101,355 101,388



Cambridge
Home Sales Prices
(new & existing homes)
. Average Annual Average Yr-Over-Yr Change
2010 .$538,8546.1%
Jun $525,217 . .
May $490,610 . .
Apr $404,692 . .
Mar $714,065 . .
Feb $481,426 . .
Jan $618,739 . .
2009 .$508,098-9.5%
2008 .$561,3698.9%
2007 . $515,400 -5.6%
2006 . $545,710 -3.4%
2005 . $565,146 5.7%
 Local Home Resources Resources:
     






Cost of Living (2010)
183% GPTR 99 City Average
127%



Home Sales Price Comparison
(2010)
. . GPTR 99 City Avg
Near Large City Boston na
Home Sales Price in Boston $322,000 $213,000
Home Sales Price Bargain Index 167% of Boston home prices 155%



Cambridge
Distance to Nearest Large City
(pop. > 200,000)
4 miles  to Boston GPTR 99 City Average
97 miles



Air Quality
Boston Metro Area
. Good Days Moderate Days Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days Unhealthy Days
2008 197 108 8 0
2007 212 131 20 2
2006 243 116 6 0
2005 208 144 12 1




Cambridge
Water Quality
. % Good % Threatened % Impaired
2006 na na na
2004 100 0 0
2002 20 0 80




Taxes
(2009-2010)
blank Tax Rate Days Worked to Pay State Rank Tax Rate
(99 City Avg)
Days Worked to Pay
(99 City Avg)
State and Local Sales Tax 6.3% -- 29* 6.8% --
Federal, State and Local Tax -- 104 days 6* -- 99 days
* State rank of 1 pays the highest taxes



Cambridge
Recreation
. # of Parks # of Parks
(99 City Avg)
National Parks, Historic Sites, etc.
(managed by National Park Service)
Cape Cod National Seashore, John F. Kennedy National Historic Site plus 17 more 7
National Campgrounds, Lodges, etc.
(other federal agency-managed sites)
8 26
State Parks, Sites, etc. 44 11



Crime Report
(crimes per 10,000 population)
. Total Crimes Violent Crimes Property Crimes
2008 351 41 310
2007 399 42 357
2006 371 45 326
2005 378 49 329




Cambridge
Climate
(1971-2000)
. . 99 City Avg
January - Avg Low Temp 22 F 27 F
January - Avg Daily Temp 29 F 37 F
July - Avg Daily Temp 74 F 74 F
July - Avg High Temp 82 F 86 F
Avg Annual Precipitation 43 in 35 in



Elevation
20 feet GPTR 99 City Average
1,660 feet



Cambridge
Natural Hazards
. Risk Level 99 City Average
Total Hazard Risk Moderate Moderate
Earthquake .6% .6%
Tsunami No Risk No Risk
Hurricane 20-40 0
Flood Very High Very High
Tornado Low Low
Volcano No Risk No Risk
Wildfire Low Low



Demographics
(2006)
. . 99 City Avg
White 65.1% 83.3%
Black 13.4% 6.9%
Native American 0.5% 0.8%
Asian 15.8% 3.2%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.0% 0.2%
Other 3.0% 3.3%
Multiple Races 2.3% 2.4%
Hispanic (of any race) 6.5% 8.7%



Cambridge
Median Age (2006)
30 years GPTR 99 City Average
36 years



Family Income & Housing
(2006)
. . 99 City Average
Total Housing Units 44,725 26,131
Occupied Housing Units 95% 86%
Vacant Housing Units (seasonal or recreational use) 5% 14%
Home Ownership Rate 32% 54%
Median Family Income $59,423 $55,423
Average Family Size 2.83 2.91



Cambridge
Medical Care
(2009)
Hospital/Medical Center City Distance from City Accredited - Dept. of HHS, AOA or JCAHO GPTR 99 City
Average
Cambridge Health Alliance Cambridge In the city Yes 4 accredited hospitals within 10 miles of city
Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge In the city Yes
Youville Hospital and Rehab Center Cambridge In the city Yes
32 more hospital(s) can be viewed at the Medical Care page.



Population Density
(2007)
. . 99 City Avg
Land Area (sq mi) 6 31
People Per Square Mile 15,842 2,035



Cambridge
Building Permits
(single family homes)
2009 11
2008 12
2007 25
2006 12
2005 47




Heating and Cooling Degree Days
(avg annual)
. . 99 City Avg
Total Degree Days 6,407 5,926
HDD 5,630 4,677
CDD 777 1,249



EPA Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites
(Cambridge Area)
Cambridge Area EPA Cleanup Sites


Legend:
Small green circles (older style maps) or multi-colored circles (newer style maps: click here for legend) indicate 1)Superfund Sites 2)Federal Facilities 3)RCRA Corrective Action Sites and 4)Brownfields Properties (EPA hazardous material cleanup sites defined at Environment link)



Cambridge Area Interactive Maps

(Click map icons to Zoom In/Out, change format, navigate or rotate. Click map and drag mouse
to pan. Use Pegman for a StreetView.)



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