 MIT 's 168 @-@ acre ( 68 @.@ 0 ha ) campus in the city of Cambridge spans approximately a mile along the north side of the Charles River basin . The campus is divided roughly in half by Massachusetts Avenue , with most dormitories and student life facilities to the west and most academic buildings to the east . The bridge closest to MIT is the Harvard Bridge , which is known for being marked off in a non @-@ standard unit of length – the <unk> . 
