Harvard Square

Every city has a heart and soul and for Cambridge, Massachusetts, the heart and soul hums with energy within the Harvard Square neighborhood. Harvard Square comprises the triangle shaped plaza at the intersections of Brattle, Massachusetts, and John F. Kennedy streets, as well as the Cambridge central business district and Harvard University main campus. Harvard square consists predominantly of rental properties that cater to the transient student population. However, several streets set back a few blocks from Harvard Yard include single family housing that Harvard faculty and administrators call home. High demand and low supply create a higher than average cost for housing in this neighborhood. 

Harvard Square attracts street entertainers that take advantage of busy pedestrian traffic. At the corner of Eliot and Brattle streets sits a statute of "Doo Doo," which legendary street performer Igor Fokin created as part of his puppet shows. Tracey Chapman performed her folk songs in Harvard Square during her time at nearby Tufts University. A majority of residents leave their vehicles art home due to the walking friendly layout of the neighborhood. Cambridge Common operates as a public park that includes a playground, baseball field, and several Revolutionary War monuments. Culture plays a significant role in defining the Harvard Square neighborhood. Outdoor cafes bustle with world class chess players that play at invariably busy tables. Brattle and American Repertory Theaters give local actors the opportunity to develop their chops, before hitting the bigger stages found in downtown Boston.

The Harvard Square public transit stop operates as one of the busiest transfer points in the entire MBTA light rail system. The red line helps alleviate traffic congestion along the primary streets that serve Harvard Square. Bus routes that run from the west and north travel through a tunnel that sits next to the light rail tunnel. The tunnel allows bus passengers to avoid the street congestion in central Harvard Square. Commuters to downtown Boston and northern suburbs quickly access Interstate 93 to the east or the Massachusetts Turnpike to the south.