Cambridge, MA is a part of greater Boston. It was named in honour of Cambridge, England, the town where its founding fathers had studied. The English town, Cambridge, is named after the bridge that crosses the river Cam.
Cambridge is perhaps most famous for three things: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the NPR program Car Talk.
Cambridge, MA has approximately 100,000 residents and approximately 200,000 jobs. The diversity of the population is striking -- from the most proper Harvard professor to the poorest immigrant from Latin America. This diversity contributes to the liberal atmosphere, and may be compared to Berkeley, CA in some respects. It is often refered to as "The People's Republic of Cambridge" by the political organizers who tend to congragate at the Red Line T-Stop in Harvard Square.
Government: Cambridge has a 9-member City Council, and a 9-member School Committee. The councilors and school committee members are elected every two years using the Single transferable vote system of Proportional representation. The mayor is elected by the city councillors, from amongst themselves. The mayor also sits on the School Committee.
Links:
Official City Page: http://www.ci.cambridge.ma.us/