Cambridge is a medium-sized city in southwestern Ontario, closely connected with the larger cities of Kitchener and Waterloo. The city’s downtown is a wonderful old city centre built with historic buildings lining a central square and straddling both sides of the Grand River. Apartments for rent can be found in large- and medium-sized apartment buildings as well as above retail stores. For renters, the downtown is a charming area that is walkable and convenient, boasting businesses, churches, professional offices, galleries, boutiques, grocery stores (like Food Basics), and ten schools. The Cambridge Memorial Hospital is located on Coronation Boulevard, just a five-minute drive north from the downtown core. Buses run through the downtown, connecting with a bus terminal on Ainslie Street. University and college students will be at home in downtown Cambridge, but for retirees, professionals and working families, the location is ideal.
Cambridge is the southernmost city in the Tri-Cities (Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge) and is the manufacturing and industrial heart of the region. The downtown contains a number of smaller businesses and local government offices, but most of the major economic action is located elsewhere in the city. Cambridge has a population of more than 120,000 people and is growing at a strong rate. The city’s largest and most prominent employer is Toyota, but a number of major industrial concerns actively employ thousands of Cambridge residents. Cambridge offers 41 elementary schools and seven high schools, plus the University of Waterloo’s new architecture school in the downtown and Conestoga College’s main campus on Main Street. The farmer’s market and Centre for the Arts are major attractions. Public transit is provided regionally, connecting with Kitchener and Waterloo. Cambridge is located on the south side of Highway 401 and is split down the middle by the Grand River. Highway 8 runs north to Kitchener and Waterloo and westwards to Stratford, while the Highway 401 runs west to London, Windsor, and Detroit and east to Hamilton and Toronto.