About North Cambridge

North Cambridge is a diverse, walkable urban neighborhood located at the western edge of Cambridge, bordering Arlington and Somerville. Porter Square is the neighborhood’s ‘town center’ with the MBTA Red Line subway, commuter rail, and bus stops conveniently located all in one place - as well as a grocery store, hardware store – even an urban-sized Target – and lots of restaurants and bars. Residents live in single-family or former multi-family homes that have been turned into condominiums on quiet side streets, or larger apartment buildings along Mass Ave.

The main street through North Cambridge is Massachusetts Avenue (known as Mass. Ave.), which connects North Cambridge to Harvard Square (less than 2 miles away), then Central Square and Kendall Square at the other end of Cambridge – in fact, you can take Mass. Ave. straight into Boston. Along both sides of Mass. Ave. are a wide variety of restaurants, shops, and small offices. At the very western edge of the neighborhood is the Alewife Red Line subway station and several shopping centers which include the neighborhood’s Whole Foods Market, a Trader Joe’s, and Circle Furniture – a local favorite for contemporary, handcrafted furniture.

Danehy Park is a beloved neighborhood resource which features 50 acres of well-maintained walking paths, soccer, and baseball fields, a new and unique ‘universal design’ (accessible to all) playground, and a popular dog park. Cyclists also enjoy the many bike paths and well-marked bike lanes which run through North Cambridge.

So, now you’ve got the geography and amenities – but what’s the flavor of North Cambridge? Way, way back, North Cambridge was home to family farms who took advantage of the area’s flat terrain (unusual for the region). During the Civil War, the neighborhood hosted Camp Cameron - a large army encampment where volunteers were housed and trained. There was even a popular ‘trotting park’ race track off Cedar Ave., and the 19th century hotel that was built for out-of-town visitors to the track is still there – although now an apartment building. Irish, Italian, Greek and Russian immigrants began to build houses in the late 1800s– attracted to the work at New England Brick Company’s brick kiln over on Rindge Avenue. North Cambridge’s famous son, U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House, Thomas (‘Tip’) O’Neill, was the grandson of immigrants who worked in the kiln.

Today, young families and professionals are moving into the neighborhood – drawn to the quirky history, amenities, convenience, and quality of the Cambridge schools. They also value the community feel of the neighborhood, and to that end, you’ll find them congregating at the dog park, the playgrounds, or local businesses like Pemberton Farms (specialty grocery store and garden center – still going after 90 years), Honeycomb Creamery (delicious small-batch ice cream), or Newtowne Grille (cozy neighborhood pub named for the city’s 17th century name.) Combined with the easy access to transportation, recreation resources, and the wide variety of local restaurants and shops, the close-knit neighborhood feel makes North Cambridge the place to be.

About Julie Gibson

Julie is truly dedicated to her customers and their needs. In her own words, “from the first meeting to closing, I’ll provide personalized service, 24/7 availability, innovative marketing with personal touches, and topnotch negotiating skills–always with my customers’ best interests at heart.” Julie enjoys both marketing homes for sale and helping buyers find the best home to meet their needs.

Real estate is constantly evolving, and Julie has remained in the forefront of the industry by committing to innovative marketing strategies and cutting-edge technology like predictive analytics–which is why she has sold over 500 homes; over 350 of them in Arlington.