It is numerically prosperous. An average annual wage of more than $45,000 makes it one of the richest cities in the state. Unemployment for residents has dipped below 2.5 percent. Spending per student is more than twice the state's average. There are many new businesses and posh commercial properties. Home values are high.
Still, the problems are many.
There remain pockets of poor Cantabrigians, many of them longtime residents of the city. And the city is densely populated, with little green space.
The high school drop out rate is higher than the state average and SAT scores are lower.
This is the backdrop for the city-wide elections following the end of rent control in 1995.
Whoever runs the City Council and manages the city must deal with the two conflicting trends, which manifest themselves in an increasing degree of economic inequality in the city.
Though the council seems to be becoming more moderate, that doesn't mean its marathon sessions are over.
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