Photo: Beyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0Living in Cambridge, MA: what to set up and who to call
Cambridge Water Department has a clean five-year EPA record, but its latest lead result, 8.0 ppb, was higher than 96% of similar systems’ (the action level is 15). The dump is the town’s own: City of Cambridge Recycling Center, open Tue 4 pm–7:30 pm, Thu 4 pm–7:30 pm, Sat 9 am–4 pm by OpenStreetMap’s listing.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Cambridge, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Cambridge.
Power comes from Eversource
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Cambridge. Its homes paid an average of 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025, about $102 a month (its average across Massachusetts, for customers on its standard service). Massachusetts lets you buy power from another supplier; 76% of Eversource’s home customers do, and Eversource still delivers it.
Start or move service: nstar.com · (800) 592-2000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Cambridge Water Department
Cambridge Water Department supplies almost all of Cambridge. It draws surface water (EPA lists Mwra as seller) and serves 118,214 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 86% of the 332 systems serving 100,001–250,000 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2021–Dec 2023, was 8.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. That’s higher than 96% of similar systems’ latest results.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0. Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. MA3049000.
7 home internet providers serve Cambridge
100% of 12,099 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 5% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xfinity | Cable, Fiber | 100% | 2,000/250 |
| Verizon | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 59% | 300/20 |
| Starry | Fixed wireless, Fiber | 27% | 300/100 |
| Astound Broadband | Cable, Fiber | 6% | 1,500/50 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 80% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 65% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
Trash and recycling in Cambridge
Pickup days, the drop-off and recycling in Cambridge, from the town’s own site.
Cambridge Recycling Center
- Tue4 pm–7:30 pm
- Thu4 pm–7:30 pm
- Sat9 am–4 pm
From cambridgema.gov, the town’s official site, checked Oct 21, 2026; pages dated 2026-10-21. Rules change: the town’s page is the last word. .
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Cambridge is in Cambridge School District.
BSchool gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jun 2025; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Cambridge spans 5 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Cambridge residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Cambridge | ZIP’s residents in Cambridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02139 | Cambridge, MA | 33% | 100% |
| 02138 | Cambridge, MA | 32% | 100% |
| 02140 | Cambridge, MA | 18% | 100% |
| 02141 | Cambridge, MA | 13% | 100% |
| 02142 | Cambridge, MA | 4% | 100% |
02238 is P.O. box or single-organization ZIP with no homes.
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
Train: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Cambridge
When is the City of Cambridge Recycling Center open?
Tue 4 pm–7:30 pm; Thu 4 pm–7:30 pm; Sat 9 am–4 pm, according to OpenStreetMap (as of Oct 9, 2026). Check cambridgema.gov before you go: the town sets the hours and who may use it.
Who supplies Cambridge’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
Cambridge Water Department (EPA ID MA3049000). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 86% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 8.0 ppb (Jan 2021–Dec 2023), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Cambridge?
Eversource (NSTAR Electric Co., doing business as Eversource), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 21.5¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Cambridge?
Xfinity, Verizon, Starry, Astound Broadband, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Cambridge?
02139 (33%), 02138 (32%), 02140 (18%), 02141 (13%), 02142 (4%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Cambridge in?
Cambridge School District.
How do I register to vote in Cambridge?
In Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before). Elections here are run by the Cambridge Election Commission. Check your registration at sec.state.ma.us.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: Cambridge’s own website (cambridgema.gov), read Oct 21, 2026, pickup and drop-off facts extracted and checked against the page they came from.
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.