Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Maryland's Eastern Shore region, after Salisbury, Elkton and Easton.

Cambridge was officially incorporated in 1793,[citation needed] taking over part of the former Choptank Indian Reservation.

[9] Cambridge also became a stop on the Underground Railroad, which provided a network of safe houses for enslaved people escaping to the north.

In the late 19th century, Cambridge developed food processing industries, specializing in the canning of oysters, tomatoes, and sweet potatoes.

The town's industrial growth was led by the Phillips Packing Company, which eventually became the region's largest employer.

By the early 1960s, the company had ceased operations entirely, leading to widespread unemployment and exacerbating the city's growing social issues.

[10] From 1962 to 1967, Cambridge was a center of protests during the Civil Rights Movement, with local Black residents advocating for equal employment and housing opportunities, as well as the eradication of racial segregation in schools and other public facilities.

Riots broke out in Cambridge in 1963 and 1967, prompting the deployment of the Maryland National Guard to the city to help maintain peace.

[11] The movement's leader was Gloria Richardson, and with the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, public segregation in Cambridge officially ended.

In 2002, the opening of the 400-room Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay resort provided a significant boost to the city's economy through job creation and tourism.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development established Cambridge Main Street as a comprehensive downtown revitalization process with plans to enhance the economic potential of select cities across the state.

The Brinsfield I Site, Cambridge Historic District, Wards I and III, Christ Episcopal Church and Cemetery, Dale's Right, Dorchester County Courthouse and Jail, Glasgow, Goldsborough House, LaGrange, Annie Oakley House, Patricia (log canoe), Pine Street Neighborhood Historic District, Rock Methodist Episcopal Church, Stanley Institute, Sycamore Cottage, and Yarmouth are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[17] A 4.3 MW solar farm in Cambridge supplies about 40% of the power for the National Aquarium, and saves about 1,300 metric tons of carbon dioxide during the summer.

[25] Draper Media broadcasts WCEM (AM), WCEM-FM, WTDK-FM and WAAI-FM radio stations from studios at Cambridge Marketplace.

WHCP-LP 101.5 FM is a community sponsored low powered station broadcasting from studios in downtown Cambridge.

U.S. 50 is locally known as "Ocean Gateway", with the segment running from the Choptank River to Cambridge's eastern city limit designated "Sunburst Highway".

[30] Andrew Bradshaw was sworn in as the city's youngest mayor on January 4, 2021,[31] but was arrested on November 15 and charged with fifty counts of distributing revenge porn, allegedly posting explicit photos and captions to Reddit in April and May 2021, some which also included racial slurs.

[35] Former Cambridge commissioner Stephen Rideout won the runoff election with 55 percent of the vote and now is mayor.

[38][39] A myth states that in 1699 William Kidd hid treasure, stolen from sugar traders, on land which today is Horn Point Lab.