Cambridge, Maryland
| City of Cambridge, Maryland | ||
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| City | ||
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| Motto: "Living, Working, Relaxing...And Loving It" | ||
 Location in Dorchester County and the state of Maryland |
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 Cambridge
Cambridge
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| Coordinates: 38°33′59″N 76°4′37″W / 38.56639°N 76.07694°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Maryland | |
| County | Dorchester | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | Victoria Jackson-Stanley | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 12.64 sq mi (32.74 km2) | |
| • Land | 10.34 sq mi (26.78 km2) | |
| • Water | 2.30 sq mi (5.96 km2) | |
| Elevation | 20 ft (6 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 12,326 | |
| • Estimate (2012) | 12,503 | |
| • Density | 1,192.1/sq mi (460.3/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC−5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) | |
| ZIP code | 21613 | |
| Area code | 410 Exchanges: 221,228,901 | |
| FIPS code | 24-12400 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0589879 | |
| Website | City of Cambridge, Maryland | |
Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 12,326 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Maryland's Eastern Shore region, after Salisbury, Elkton and Easton.
Settled by English colonists in 1684, Cambridge is one of the oldest colonial cities in Maryland. At the time of English colonization, the Algonquian-speaking Choptank Indians were already living along the river of the same name. During the colonial years, the English colonists developed farming on the Eastern Shore. The largest plantations were devoted first to tobacco, and then mixed farming. Planters bought enslaved Africans to farm tobacco and mixed farming. The town was a trading center for the area. The town pier was the center for slave trading for the region, a sad history documented well in historical markers throughout the town center. It was incorporated officially in 1793, and occupies part of the former Choptank Indian Reservation. Cambridge was named after the town and county in England. The town became a stop on the underground railroad, which had an extensive network of safe houses for slaves escaping to the north.
Cambridge developed food processing industries in the late 19th century, canning oysters, tomatoes and sweet potatoes. Industrial growth in Cambridge was led by the Phillips Packing Company, which eventually grew to become the area's largest employer. The company won contracts with the Department of Defense during the First and Second World wars that aided its growth. At its peak, it employed as many as 10,000 workers. Changing tastes brought about a decline in business leading Phillips to downsize its operations. By the early 1960s the company ceased operations altogether. This led to widescale unemployment and added to the city's growing social problems.
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