Cambridge, on the broad waters of the Choptank River, was laid out as a town in 1684 on land that was once part of the Choptank Indian Reservation. It is one of the oldest towns in Maryland and has been called on occasion the Queen City on the Eastern Shore and the tomato capital of the world.

The growth of Cambridge is attributed to its natural resources and its position as a port. At one time, it was said to have one of the best and safest harbors in Maryland. The basis of its economy has changed with the times: tobacco, grain crops, shipbuilding from local lumber, oyster packing, canning of fruits and vegetables, fishing, crabbing, and fabrication of metal. Establishment of railroad, telegraph, and steamboat services contributed to its development.

The Cambridge Historic District was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. It has been the home to four Maryland governors: Charles Goldsborough, Phillips Lee Goldsborough, Emerson C. Harrington, and Henry Lloyd. Maryland’s Civil War governor, Thomas Holliday Hicks, was also a native of Cambridge; he is said to have kept the state from seceding from the Union. Governor Hicks is buried in Cambridge Cemetery.

The city’s rich fishing heritage and national reputation for high quality seafood from the Eastern Shore is centered in the heart of Cambridge, where working fishing boats are docked along the waterfront.

Cambridge looks to its unique past as a component of its economic development. The city is the site of several annual festivals and events that attract tourists from all parts of the country: the Bay Country Festival, Seafood Feast-i-Val, the Cambridge Classic Powerboat Regatta, and the Eagleman Triathlon. The largest nighttime Christmas parade in Maryland is held in Cambridge. The Cambridge Municipal Building was built in 1926.