# Cambridge’s 13 Neighborhoods, Mapped: What Are the Official Boundaries?
Key Takeaways
•The core answer: Cambridge has 13 official neighborhoods, each with its own City profile. Which side of a line a home sits on can shift your search from condo territory to single-family territory.
•The price gap is huge: A condo runs about $950,000 while a single-family home runs about $2,505,000 (per July 2026 market-tracker data, a tertiary source rather than official City figures). Same city, very different clocks.
•Read the neighborhood, not the ZIP: Anchor your search to the City's official neighborhood map, then filter by property type before you trust any citywide number.
•New rule that matters: In February 2025, Cambridge adopted citywide multifamily zoning — but existing housing stock and lot sizes still make some neighborhoods condo-heavy and others house-heavy.
Why can one Cambridge boundary line change your budget?
Most buyers start with a street name, a square, or a ZIP code. In Cambridge, that is not enough.
A home can sit near the same T stop as another listing but fall inside a different official neighborhood — changing the housing type you see, the price range to expect, and how competitive your offer needs to be.
Here is the number that explains the stakes. Per July 2026 market-tracker data (a tertiary source, not official City figures), a Cambridge condo sells for a median of about $950,000 and a single-family home for about $2,505,000.
Cambridge Median Sale Price by Property Type
Comparison of reported Cambridge median sale prices for single-family homes and condominiums using the highest available non-duplicative figures in the data pool.
| Series | Label | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | Single-family | $2,505,000 |
| Median sale price | Condo | $950,000 |
That gap is why one blended citywide number can mislead you. Your real first step: check the City’s official neighborhood map before you price the home.
What are Cambridge’s 13 official neighborhoods?
The City of Cambridge uses 13 official neighborhoods, each with its own 2023 profile and comparison tables.
Cambridge Neighborhood Data and Map Coverage
Coverage summary for Cambridge’s official neighborhood map and neighborhood statistical profile resources.
Neighborhood system
Number of neighborhoods shown13
Neighborhood profile
Profile year2023
Pages per neighborhood summarythree page summary for each of Cambridge's thirteen neighborhoods
Number of data tables in serieseleven data tables
The official neighborhoods are:
•East Cambridge
•MIT Area
•Wellington-Harrington
•The Port
•Cambridgeport
•Mid-Cambridge
•Riverside
•Agassiz
•Neighborhood Nine
•West Cambridge
•North Cambridge
•Cambridge Highlands
•Strawberry Hill
Use those names as your map layer.
How should you read each neighborhood boundary?
Start with the City map. Then ask: what type of housing dominates this side of the line today? That usually moves the price. These are current patterns, not guarantees — and they may shift under the new citywide multifamily zoning:
•East Cambridge, MIT Area, and Cambridge Crossing edges: Newer condo buildings, loft-style units, and higher HOA fees.
•Cambridgeport, Riverside, The Port, and Mid-Cambridge: Older conversions, smaller flats, and a wide price spread block by block.
•Agassiz, Neighborhood Nine, West Cambridge, and North Cambridge: Often larger homes and multi-bedroom layouts.
•Cambridge Highlands and Strawberry Hill: More residential, with a different value profile than the core squares.
Does a buyer-focused guide ignore renters, who make up most of Cambridge? It shouldn't. The same method serves both: confirm the official neighborhood, then compare only similar property types. A renter comparing two studios across a boundary line uses the exact same logic a buyer does.
What did the 2025 zoning change mean for Cambridge boundaries?
According to the City of Cambridge, in February 2025 the City adopted citywide multifamily zoning. For the first time, all residential neighborhoods share the same rules, and every district except open space allows multifamily housing. Confirm current zoning limits and affordability provisions with the City before you count on them.
This does not erase neighborhood pricing differences. Existing buildings, lot sizes, and conversions still make some blocks condo-heavy and others house-heavy — so the boundary-plus-property-type method keeps its predictive value. But a quiet block may change over time, so long-term buyers should read the zoning context too.
Renters should also note a recent state law banning tenant-paid broker fees. The Boston Globe reported in May 2026 that some landlords raised rents or listed units themselves to work around it, so keep your upfront cash plan realistic.
One owner-relevant point: Cambridge’s FY2026 residential tax rate is $6.67 per $1,000 of assessed value (the dollar value the City assigns your home for tax purposes), versus $14.07 per $1,000 commercial/industrial. That rate becomes part of your ongoing carrying cost once you own, so factor it into any boundary-based budget.
FY2026 Cambridge Property Tax Rates per $1,000 of Assessed Value
FY2026 Cambridge real estate and personal property tax rates shown as dollars per $1,000 of assessed value.
| Series | Label | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Tax rate per $1,000 | Residential | $ 6.67 |
| Tax rate per $1,000 | Commercial/Industrial | $ 14.07 |
Are official boundaries just marketing lines?
One fair objection: official lines create false precision, because residents and agents talk in squares — “Harvard Square,” “Central Square,” “Kendall” — not City boundaries.
True, but those squares are for lifestyle context only, never pricing. The official boundary is a starting layer, not a guarantee. It still beats ZIP- or square-based comparisons because it stops you from pricing a condo-heavy area against a single-family-heavy one.
Do citywide medians tell you a neighborhood’s price?
No. A single blended citywide figure hides the fact that a $950,000 condo median and a $2,505,000 single-family median can sit on the very same block.
Price by neighborhood boundary, then by property type: condo, single-family, or multi-family. Confirm the neighborhood, confirm the zoning, then compare only similar homes. To see the numbers for your target block, ask for a boundary-based pricing review before your next move.
