Cambridge Highlands

Cambridge Highlands also known as "Area 12", is a neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts bounded by the railroad tracks on the north and east, the Belmont town line on the west, and Fresh Pond on the south. In 2005 it had a population of 673 residents living in 281 households, and the average household income was $56,500.

The street grid is internally disconnected, and the railroads and pond block access north, east, and south. The only through roads are the east-west Concord Avenue and north-south Alewife Brook Parkway. Public transit access includes Alewife Station across the railroad tracks, and buses on Concord Ave connecting to Harvard Square.

The area is largely industrial-commercial, with the Fresh Pond Mall, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Dunkin' Donuts, Trader Joe's, CVS Pharmacy, and other stores on Alewife Brook Parkway. The mall includes Whole Foods Market, PetSmart, TJMaxx, McDonald's, and a movie theatre. Also in the neighborhood are BBN Technologies, E Ink Corporation, an office of the Social Security Administration, a Best Western hotel, and a large NSTAR electrical substation.

Near the Belmont line, a few streets in the neighborhood are mainly residential. There are also a few isolated houses on Concord Ave and a senior living center overlooking Fresh Pond; condominiums have gone up on Wheeler Street. In 2011, a developer purchased 70 Fawcett Street (owned by Level 3 Communications until 2003) and is in the process of constructing a 428-unit residential complex.

Blair Pond, on the western edge of Cambridge Highlands, is part of Alewife Brook Reservation, which continues north of the Fitchburg Line.