With its views of the Charles River and a wide variety of elegant housing options, West Cambridge is a highly desirable residential enclave. The area has an impressive collection of condos and single-family homes dating back to the early 1900s. With its expansive, tree-lined streets and direct access to natural surroundings, the neighborhood is considered highly walkable. West Cambridge is primarily residential yet shares its space with some commercial buildings and public spaces, including Mount Auburn Hospital and the Cambridge Cemetery.
Home sizes in West Cambridge vary from palatial penthouses to condominiums. Many houses were built in the early 1900s, and styles include Greek Revival, Colonial, and Queen Anne. The area comprises zip code 02138 and is bounded by Fresh Pond, Park Avenue, and Birch Avenue on the west, Concord Avenue on the north, the Charles River and Charles River Reservation on the south, and North Harvard Street on the east.
The area’s residents enjoy Kingsley Park, which sits on the northwest corner of the community, right next to Fresh Pond. The south and east sections of West Cambridge overlook the Charles River, an 80-mile waterway that winds throughout eastern Massachusetts.
The prestigious Harvard University, Boston University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are all found along the Charles River, which ends at the Charles River Reservation. The reservation is a 17-mile-long Massachusetts state park featuring the Charles River Dam and River Basin and the John F. Kennedy Park. JFK Park represents a small memorial to the late president, who was born in nearby Cambridge Heights.
The West Cambridge area is also home to the Longfellow House – Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, the home of the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
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