Central Square (Cambridge)

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Central Square August, 2005

Central Square is an area in Cambridge, Massachusetts centered around the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Prospect Street, and Western Avenue. Lafayette Square, formed by the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Columbia Street, Sidney Street, and Main Street, is also considered a part of the Central Square area. Harvard Square is to the northwest along Massachusetts Avenue, Inman Square is to the north along Prospect Street, and Kendall Square is to the east along Main Street.

Several Cambridge neighborhoods meet at Central Square. On the east, Area 4 lies on the north side of Massachusetts Avenue (aka "Mass Ave") and Cambridgeport on the south side between Mass Ave and the Charles River. Both of these neighborhoods were once known as The Port or Old Port region of Cambridge. The area to the west and northwest of Central Square is known as Mid-Cambridge.

Central Square is the seat of government in Cambridge - Cambridge City Hall, the Cambridge Police Department (which recently announced plans to move into a new building at 125 Sixth Street, near Kendall Square), and the main branch of the Cambridge Post Office are located in this area.

Central Square is known for its wide variety of ethnic restaurants, bars, and live music venues. It is gentrifying rapidly, however, and a number of upscale restaurants have opened in the square. This will likely continue due to the large number of pharmaceutical companies that have recently moved extensive research and office operations into the square, to take advantage of the proximity to MIT and Boston medical resources. Many of these companies have relocated to University Park at MIT, formerly an area of run-down industrial buildings and vacant lots, now redeveloped as a mix of office, retail, and residential buildings.

Central Square is also the original home of Hollywood heart-throb Ben Affleck and the Necco Wafer factory (the Necco Wafer factory moved to Revere, MA). It is served by the MBTA Red Line subway branch by the station named Central. The intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Brookline in Central Square is named in honor of the late indie rock musician Mark Sandman.

Central Square serves as the commercial center for the surrounding neighborhoods of Cambridgeport, Riverside, Mid Cambridge, Area 4, and MIT.

1 Musical Venues
2 Restaurants
3 Shopping
4 Famous People Who Have Lived in Central Square
5 External links

[edit] Musical Venues

Central Square has many musical venues and clubs where local and non-local bands frequently play; some of these venues include:

All Asia Cafe
Manray nightclub (the building was demolished in 2005, Manray is currently closed while they search for a new space)
The Middle East (website)
TT the Bear's Place (website)
Phoenix Landing
The Cantab