Cambridge area guides
For an easy way to find information about some key local areas in Cambridge start by searching our Cambridge area guide. Alphabetically ordered by area name you'll find all you want to know about Cambridge - from local area highlights, the latest property to buy or rent, leading local Estate Agencies and lists of local area resources.
Famous for being a bustling historic University town, Cambridge is located in the county of Cambridgeshire situated 50 miles North East of London. With a population of 108,863 [1] people, of which one fifth are estimated to be students, Cambridge is a historic picturesque city with a youthful vibrant atmosphere. Cambridge is renowned for being the home of the prestigious University of Cambridge, one of Englandâ~@~Ys and the worldâ~@~Ys oldest universities [2] .
Cambridge shares similar weather to other towns and cities in Southern England although it has one of the driest climates in the UK. Winters are cool with highs of 5c and lows of 0c. Summers are warm and wet (July has the highest average rainfall) with highs of 21c and lows of 12c. [3]
Cambridge has regular direct rail links to Kings Cross and Liverpool Street stations in London. There are also regular services to Stansted Airport, Peterborough (with connections north), Ipswich, Kings Lynn and Birmingham [4] . Due to rapid expansion during the twentieth century the local road network is congested. A number of arterial routes terminate and pass through Cambridge including the M11 Motorway from East London and the A14 which is major freight route from the port of Felixstowe. Due to a number of factors including congestion, a flat landscape and a high student population, cycling has become a very popular way of getting around. Cambridge now has the highest rates of cycle use as transport in the UK. [5]
Starting in the 1970â~@~Ys Cambridge rapidly emerged as a technology hub encompassing Cambridge and outlying districts which is sometimes referred to as the â~@~\Silicon Fenâ~@~]. The proximity of a buoyant technology sector is lik linked to the higher than average earnings of Cambridge residents. [6]
Cambridge Property Market
The affluence of residents is reflected within the higher than average values of Cambridge houses. As is common in University towns there is a high demand for rental property in Cambridge which is reflected in the above average concentration of rented property. The local property inventory is dominated by semi detached houses although there are a higher proportion of flats in Cambridge when compared to the national average. [7]
Cambridge In the Press
30 June 2008
Cambridge pips Oxford to top of national property hotspot league
Cambridge was the most avidly sought after town in Britain in June, according to property website, propertyfinder.com. More people searched for property in the city than anywhere else in the country, beating Oxford, by a wide margin, into second place.
Student towns featured highly in the rankings. Twelve out of the top twenty most popular places to look for property to buy in Britain in June are home to well-known universities. Among those looking to rent, this figure was even higher. Sixteen out of the top twenty towns were university towns.
Cambridge and Oxford topped the league tables both for those looking to buy a home and those looking to rent.
Not only were there more people searching for homes in these towns than anywhere else in the country, but there was also a big jump in the number of renters and buyers. Despite a national slowdown in the housing market, the number of people searching for property to buy rose 11 per cent in Cambridge in June compared to May, and has more than doubled in the six months since the seasonal low at Christmas. The rental market looks even busier. There has been a 25 per cent increase in the number of tenants looking for a home in Cambridge in the last month, and a threefold increase since Christmas.
Oxford has seen a more dramatic upturn in buyer interest in the last month, up 21 per cent, with potential demand from renters up 20 per cent, but it still lags behind Cambridge in terms of the overall level of interest.
Nicholas Leeming, director of propertyfinder.com said: â~@~\Our two most famous university rivals continue to draw people to their cities, and this is repeated in university towns across the country. This is the peak time for sorting ut student accommodation. Landlords are looking for new properties and students are looking for somewhere to live. That has driven the sharp uptick, but university towns are often also economic powerhouses in their own right, and that keeps people looking for homes.
| Top Buyer Interest June 2008 | Top Renter Interest June 2008 |
| Cambridge | Cambridge |
| Oxford | Oxford |
| Eastbourne | Lincoln |
| Southampton | Southampton |
| Watford | Eastbourne |
| Lincoln | Cardiff |
| Bournemouth | Bournemouth |
| Norwich | Reading |
| Cardiff | Watford |
| Exeter | Norwich |
| York | Exeter |
| Reading | Peterborough |
| Hastings | Bristol |
| Scarborough | Brighton |
| Brighton | Newcastle Upon Tyne |
| Blackpool | Manchester |
| Peterborough | York |
| Preston | Nottingham |
| Tunbridge Wells | Blackpool |
| Bristol | Preston |
NOTE: The popularity of a place is determined by dividing the number of searches on propertyfinder.com for property in a region or town by the number of households in that region. This adjustment is essential in order to avoid the big cities in Britain dominating the tables merely by virtue of the number of properties there, rather than how popular they are.