Cambridge/Boston

Here, where it all began
Innovation, high technology, and biotechnology. Startups, global entrepreneurship, and venture capitalists. The Cambridge/Boston area is legendary for its infrastructure of invention. Thomas Edison applied for his very first patent here. Alexander Graham Bell developed the telephone here. The first computers, the Internet, and, fittingly enough, the term “computer bug,” all started here.

In the 21st century, that heritage of innovation is transforming the future. Cambridge is an international center for the biotech industry, thanks to the dense population of research universities and the presence of such landmark companies as Genzyme, Merck, Pfizer, Biogen, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, and more than 100 other biotech firms surrounding MIT. Global powerhouses like Novartis, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola, and Mitsubishi have located facilities in Kendall Square because of the fertile climate of invention, and a roster of new and established firms is drawn to the area every year.

A hub of arts and culture
The Boston/Cambridge area is also one of the premier cities for arts and culture in the United States. In part, this is a result of the sixty colleges and universities located within its environs. The diverse, well-educated population demands the best in recreation and entertainment, including world-renowned music ensembles like The Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops, the Handel and Haydn Society, and hundreds of museums, among them the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Science, the Children's Museum, and the Institute's own MIT Museum.

The area also provides rich and varied opportunities for outdoor recreation. Boston itself looks out to sea and there are fine urban beaches a short subway ride away from MIT. Boston Harbor is dotted with picturesque islands, and boats along the waterfront offer day tours. Further afield, dramatic coastline stretches along the north and south shores of Massachusetts, including Cape Cod. North and west, the mountains offer exquisite scenery and recreation activities all four seasons of the year.