Editing Cambridge (section)

== Economy ==
[[File:S95MarketCambridgefromGreatStMarys.jpg|thumb|Cambridge Market as seen from the Tower of [[Church of St Mary the Great, Cambridge|St. Mary the Great]]]]
The town's river link to the surrounding agricultural land, and good road connections to London in the south meant Cambridge has historically served as an important regional trading post. King [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] granted Cambridge a monopoly on river trade, privileging this area of the economy of Cambridge.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Story of Cambridge |first=Stephanie |last=Boyd |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-0-521-62897-6|year=2005}}</ref> The town [[Market Hill, Cambridge|market]] provided for trade in a wide variety of goods and annual trading fairs such as [[Stourbridge Fair]] and [[Midsummer Fair]] were visited by merchants from across the country. The river was described in an account of 1748 as being "often so full of [merchant boats] that the navigation thereof is stopped for some time".<ref name="Gentleman1748">{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CvoqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA64 |journal=The London Magazine, or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer |page=64 |title=A description of Cambridge |date=January 1748 |volume=17 |author1=Kimber, Isaac |author2=Kimber, Edward |location=London |publisher=R. Baldwin |access-date=29 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203053122/https://books.google.com/books?id=CvoqAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA64 |archive-date=3 February 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> For example, 2000 [[wikt:Special:Search/firkin|firkins]] of butter were brought up the river every Monday from the agricultural lands to the northeast, particularly [[Norfolk]], to be unloaded in the town for road transportation to London.<ref name="Gentleman1748" /> Changing patterns of retail distribution and the advent of the railways led to a decline in Cambridge's importance as a market town.<ref>{{cite book |title=A History of the University of Cambridge |volume=3 |first=Peter |last=Searby |page=705 |isbn=978-0-521-35060-0 |year=1997 |publisher=Cambridge University Press}}</ref>

Cambridge today has a diverse economy with strength in sectors such as research and development, software consultancy, high value engineering, creative industries, pharmaceuticals and tourism.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/3B0B3A7B-E448-4D61-A853-0B5A1A467969/0/CambridgeCityDistrictReport2011.pdf |title=Cambridge City&nbsp;– Annual demographic and socio-economic report |page=17 |date=April 2011 |publisher=Cambridgeshire County Council |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130828063418/http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/3B0B3A7B-E448-4D61-A853-0B5A1A467969/0/CambridgeCityDistrictReport2011.pdf |archive-date=28 August 2013 }}</ref> Described as one of the "most beautiful cities in the world" by ''[[Forbes]]'' in 2010,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.forbes.com/2010/01/22/paris-london-travel-lifestyle-travel-tourism-new-york-top-ten-cities.html | work=Forbes | first=Tim | last=Kiladze | title=World's Most Beautiful Cities | date=22 January 2010 | access-date=22 August 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729120127/https://www.forbes.com/2010/01/22/paris-london-travel-lifestyle-travel-tourism-new-york-top-ten-cities.html | archive-date=29 July 2017 | url-status=live}}</ref> with the view from [[The Backs]] being selected as one of the 10 greatest in England by [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]] chair [[Simon Jenkins]]. Tourism generates over £750&nbsp;million for the city's economy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/business/business-news/dramatic-increase-tourisms-contribution-cambridge-13139177|title=Dramatic increase in tourism's contribution to the Cambridge economy revealed|last=Gooding|first=Matt|date=5 June 2017|work=cambridgenews|access-date=12 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213021958/https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/business/business-news/dramatic-increase-tourisms-contribution-cambridge-13139177|archive-date=13 February 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cambridge and its surrounds are sometimes referred to as [[Silicon Fen]], an allusion to [[Silicon Valley]], because of the density of high-tech businesses and [[business incubator|technology incubators]] that have developed on [[science park]]s around the city. Many of these parks and buildings are owned or leased by university colleges, and the companies often have been spun out of the university.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukspa.org.uk/science_parks/content/1059/cambridge_science_park |title=Science Parks &#124; Cambridge Science Park |work=United Kingdom Science Park Association |year=2012 |quote=many companies on the park have spun out of Cambridge University...the majority of the companies on the Cambridge Science Park have active links and research partnerships with the University |access-date=29 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130154419/http://www.ukspa.org.uk/science_parks/content/1059/cambridge_science_park |archive-date=30 January 2012 }}</ref> [[Cambridge Science Park]], which is the largest commercial R&D centre in Europe, is owned by [[Trinity College, Cambridge|Trinity College]];<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukspa.org.uk/science_parks/content/1059/cambridge_science_park |title=Science Parks &#124; Cambridge Science Park |work=United Kingdom Science Park Association |year=2012 |quote=Cambridge Science Park is Europe's longest-serving and largest centre for commercial research and development... |access-date=29 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120130154419/http://www.ukspa.org.uk/science_parks/content/1059/cambridge_science_park |archive-date=30 January 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cambridgesciencepark.co.uk/about/history/ |title=History |publisher=[[Cambridge Science Park]] |access-date=14 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205065533/http://www.cambridgesciencepark.co.uk/about/history/ |archive-date=5 February 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[St John's College, Cambridge|St John's]] is the landlord of [[St John's Innovation Centre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stjohns.co.uk/about/history/ |title=History |publisher=St John's Innovation Centre |access-date=19 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707012502/http://www.stjohns.co.uk/about/history/ |archive-date=7 July 2011 }}</ref> Technology companies include [[Abcam plc|Abcam]], [[CSR plc|CSR]], [[ARM Limited]], [[Cambridge Semiconductor Limited|CamSemi]], [[Jagex]] and [[Sinclair Research Ltd|Sinclair]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/directory/ou_spinout/ |title=Directory of Cambridge Network Members&nbsp;– Cambridge University Spin Out |work=Cambridge Network |year=2012 |access-date=29 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429102928/http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/directory/ou_spinout/ |archive-date=29 April 2007 }}</ref> [[Microsoft]] has located its [[Microsoft Research]] UK offices in [[West Cambridge]], separate from the main Microsoft UK campus in [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], and also has an office on Station Road.

Cambridge was also the home of [[Pye Ltd]], founded in 1898 by W. G. Pye, who worked in the [[Cavendish Laboratory]]; it began by supplying the university and later specialised in wireless telegraphy equipment, radios, televisions and also defence equipment.<ref name="british-history-66609" /> Pye Ltd evolved into several other companies including [[TETRA]] radio equipment manufacturer [[Sepura]]. Another major business is [[Marshall Aerospace]] located on the eastern edge of the city. The [[Cambridge Network]] keeps businesses in touch with each other.