About Somerville
Somerville was incorporated in 1842, and as of the 2010 census, it is home to 75,754 residents in its 4.2 square miles.- making it the most densely populated municipality in New England, and second only to the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area in all of United States. Historically, Somerville had its beginnings as an industrial and working class residential neighborhood. However, with recent urban development, the growth of Harvard and Tufts campuses, and the extension of the Red Line to Davis Square, Somerville has become home to a diverse populace with roots in every corner of the world, a thriving arts community, and a vibrant coffeehouse scene. The Utne Reader named Somerville one of the 15 hippest places to live in the United States.
Somerville has is made up of the following neighborhoods:
- Assembly Square
- Ball Square
- Davis Square (West Somerville)
- East Somerville (East of McGrath Highway)
- Gilman Square (Medford Street and Pearl Street)
- Magoun Square
- Powder House Square
- Teele Square
- Union Square
- Wilson Square (Elm Street and Somerville Ave)
Sullivan Square is just over the Charlestown border; Porter Square, Inman Square, and Lechmere Square are all just over the Cambridge border.
Somerville is also known as the city of “Seven Hills”: Central Hill, Clarendon Hill, Cobble Hill, Mount Benedict (or Plowed Hill), Mount Pisgah (or Prospect Hill), Spring Hill, and Winter Hill.
Public transportation to Boston and surrounding communities is provided by MBTA Bus, and several trains: Red Line, Green Line, and Commuter Rail.