The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. It lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) north-northeast of London and is surrounded by a number of smaller towns and villages. It is also at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen.

Cambridge is best known for the University of Cambridge, which includes the renowned Cavendish Laboratory, King's College Chapel, and the Cambridge University Library. The Cambridge skyline is dominated by the last two, along with the chimney of Addenbrooke's Hospital in the far south of the city and St John's College Chapel tower in the north.

According to the 2001 census, the City's population was 108,863 (including 22,153 students). However, the population of the urban area, which includes parts of South Cambridgeshire district is estimated to be 130,000.

by air
Cambridge Airport is a small regional airport located in south-eastern England, near the village of Teversham, 1.5 miles from Cambridge City Centre and approximately 50 miles from London. The airport is owned and operated by Marshall Aerospace, a Cambridge based company with many years' history servicing civilian and military contracts.

Although the airport does not offer regular passenger services it is available for corporate and private use, and is home to two flying schools.
Marshall of Cambridge Aerospace Limited has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P433) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

by rail
Cambridge railway station was built in 1845 with a platform designed to take two full-length trains, one of the longest in the country. Cambridge has direct rail links to King's Cross and Liverpool Street stations in London. There is a direct shuttle service to London King's Cross every half hour during peak hours, taking only 45 minutes to reach London. It is also linked to King's Lynn and Ely (via the Fen Line), Norwich (via the Breckland Line), Leicester, Birmingham, Ipswich and as well as London Stansted Airport.

by road
Because of its rapid growth since the twentieth century, Cambridge has a congested road network. Several major roads intersect at Cambridge. The M11 motorway from east London terminates here. The A14 (formerly A604 and A45) east-west trunk route skirts the northern edge of the city. This is a major freight route connecting the port of Felixstowe on the east coast with the Midlands, North Wales, the west coast and Ireland. The A14 is often congested, particularly the section between Huntingdon and Cambridge where the east-west traffic is merged with the A1 to M11 north-south traffic on a 2-lane dual carriageway. The A10, a former Roman road from north London, passes round the city on its way to Ely and King's Lynn. Other roads connect the city with Bedford, St Neots, Newmarket and Colchester.

The city has a ring road about 2 km in diameter, inside which there are traffic restrictions which have successfully improved conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and bus users, and reduced congestion. It has a well developed bus service including five Park and Ride sites encouraging motorists to park near the city's edge.

leisure
Cambridge is a very active city with much to do and see, over the summer with events such as "Summer Daze" six weeks of free events for children and young people including circus fun, den building, giant mural projects and treasure trails & "The Summer in the city" event entertainment for all, taking place in and around the parks of Cambridge. All events are free or subsidised and include Pop In The Park, Big Day Out and Summer Sunday - all packed with music, comedy and film.

Sport plays a big part in the lifestyle of residents in Cambridge. Cambridge's most successful sports team over the recent years is its rugby union club currently division Two 2006/07. Cambridge is also known for its university sporting events against Oxford, especially the rugby union Varsity Match and the Boat Race. These are followed by people across the globe, many of whom have no connection to the institutions themselves. The Cambridge Dampers Club (punting) used to take part in the Scottish Boat Race, winning the event on a number of occasions.

shopping
Within Cambridge you'll find some of the best shopping in the region. Whether you're after department stores or designer shops, DIY or delicatessens you'll find them here. The bustling city centre market square, with a market every day of the week is at the heart of Cambridge's shopping district, the Grafton shopping centre is just a few minutes away and between them is a wealth of individual and national outlets to meet every need.

education
In Cambridgeshire, there are 250 schools. These comprise of:

Six nursery schools
201 infant, first, junior and primary schools
30 middle and secondary schools
Seven special schools
Six pupil referral units

There are 31 Colleges in Cambridge. Three are for women (New Hall, Newnham and Lucy Cavendish) and two admit only graduates (Clare Hall and Darwin). The remainder house and teach all students enrolled in courses of study or research at the University.

Each College is an independent institution with its own property and income. The Colleges appoint their own staff and are responsible for selecting students, in accordance with University regulations. The teaching of students is shared between the Colleges and University departments. Degrees are awarded by the University.

Within each College, staff and students of all disciplines are brought together. This cross-fertilisation has encouraged the free exchange of ideas which has led to the creation of a number of new companies. Trinity and St John's have also established science parks, providing facilities for start-ups, and making a significant contribution to the identification of Cambridge as a centre of innovation and technology.

employment

Cambridge is an expanding economy, this brings wealth into the local economy mostly via technology and service based industries. The city itself has never been a heavy industry city, in fact it started as a crossing place for the river now known as the Cam and as a port with good trading links to the continent developed quickly. Today the city retains its trading background, trade now however is conducted via other methods of transport.

The unique factor of the Cambridge economy is the University of Cambridge which has had an immense effect on the development of Cambridge throughout its history. One of the greatest spin-offs of the university has been Silicon Fen, together with 2 other major business centres.

These provide business support and accommodation for early stage knowledge based companies and this is a concept that as proved very successful and is known as the Cambridge Phenomena.