Central Square (Cambridge)

Central Square August, 2005

Central Square is also a village in New York .

Central Square / Cambridgeport 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.

Central Square is the seat of government in Cambridge - Cambridge City Hall, the Cambridge Police Department, and the main branch of the Cambridge Post Office are located in this area. There are plans to move the police station, but they are not yet concrete.

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.

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.

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