Cambridge is a city in Isanti County, Minnesota, United States, located at the junction of Minnesota State Highways 65 and 95. The population was 9,611 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Isanti County. It is located along the Rum River and BNSF's Hinckley Subdivision. Cambridge is notable for having the highest percentage of Swedish Americans of any city in the United States with a population of over 5,000 people.
History
The city of Cambridge was established in the late 19th century along the railroad from Minneapolis to Duluth. It was named by, and originally settled by, immigrants from New England. These were settlers who were descended from the English Puritans who settled New England during the colonial era. The same population founded and named the town of Princeton nearby. Later on the surrounding area would be heavily populated with Swedish, and German, immigrants.
The city of Cambridge was incorporated in 1877.
In the early 20th century, Cambridge had a potato starch factory, a 1,301-barrel flour mill, a wool carding and spinning mill, an electric lighting plant, and local and long-distance telephone systems.
The Cambridge station served passenger trains until 1985.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
The Rum River flows north to south through the middle of Cambridge. Camping, canoeing, and fishing are popular attractions of the Rum River.
Major highways
The following routes are located within the city of Cambridge.
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 65
- 20px Minnesota State Highway 95
Climate
Cambridge has a warm-summer humid continental climate, with the average July temperature being just below the isotherm for the hot-summer subtype. Temperature differences between summer and winters are large, typical of the Upper Midwest. Spring and fall are rather short due to the extreme warming and cooling off depending on daylight hours. Winter is relatively long and cold, but cools off later and heats up earlier than more northerly areas of the state. The warm to hot summers are also typical of central Minnesota and tend to bring more precitipation than during winter. June is the wettest month with on average. The dry winter contributes to snowfall on average being limited to .