Two weeks ago, I sat down to consider where this blog might be going (both literally and figuratively). Would I really visit 30 Cambridges? Are there really 30 Cambridges to visit?
I decided that, lacking infinite time, I could only focus on towns/cities/villages that have a Cambridgeness to them, and it turns out that quite a few of the Cambridges that Google found for me don’t meet that basic criterion. There are place names that no longer have a population living there (three “extinct” or “ghost” towns), six commercial subdivisions or developments called Cambridge that are part of another town, and four administrative areas with limited scope because they’re part of another town. That leaves a total of 16 Cambridges, including the one I live in and those I’ve already visited. (Or maybe only 15. The jury is still out on Pennsylvania. Does Cambridge Springs count?)
Next, I considered where to go next. Though it would be ideal to visit a Cambridge further in the center of the country (Ohio or Illinois, for example), I decided that I would complete the New England Cambridges first. Next week, I’ll be off to Vermont.
And, just as I did in New York, I’ll be visiting two Vermont Cambridges at the same time. There’s a Village of Cambridge, which is fully included in the Town of Cambridge. I’ll be meeting with the folks who run the town, but I’ll also explore how the village and the town fit together.
Though Cambridge, VT, with fewer than 3700 residents, could be described as a small town, it has one interesting and major difference from those in NY and Maine: a large employer. Smugglers’ Notch Ski Resort is in the town (though not the village) and I’m looking forward to learning more about its impact.
Here are the numbers from Vermont, with Massachusetts for comparison. The comparison data for the four Cambridges I’ve looked at so far can be found here.
| Massachusetts | Vermont | |
| City/town | City | Town, which includes a Village of Cambridge |
| Nickname for residents | Cantabridgians | ? |
| Zip code(s) | 02138 to 02142 | 05444 |
| Year Founded | 1630 | 1781 |
| Named for | Cambridge University | Cambridge University |
| 2010 Census | 105,162 | 3659 (with 236 in the village) |
| Area (square miles) | 7.1 | 63.7 |
| Population Density/square mile | 16,355 | 57 |
| Median Age | 31 | 36 |
| Population breakdown (percent) | ||
| Under 18 | 13.3 | 24.4 |
| 18 to 24 | 21.2 | 7.6 |
| 25 to 44 | 38.6 | 35.9 |
| 45 to 64 | 17.8 | 23.6 |
| 65 or older | 9.2 | 8.6 |
| Percent White | 67 | 96.5 |
| Median Income | $47,979 | $44,950 |
| Elevation (feet) | 40 | 758 |
| Miles to an ocean (approximately, as crow flies) | 3 | 147 |
| Distance to Cambridge, MA (Shortest driving distance, in miles) | 0 | 222 |
Our Cambridge 