Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
And knowing there is a folk & bluegrass music club in Somerville is actually a big drawing card -- rather thought Chicago had the only official Folk Music Stage left, so that's good to know.
Perish the thought! In Harvard Square, Passim (evolved from "Club 47") is folkie Nirvana (the mythical place, not the Seattle grunge band.) Bob Dylan and Joan Baez - among others - received big career boosts there. The tradition continues!
Somerville's folk, bluegrass, and acoustic blues hangout is called Sally O'Brien's.
My not mentioning safety in JP probably stems from how I remember it. In my era as a tenant I lived on its northern outskirts, in a gritty but largely quiet enclave. The section beyond and behind the VA Hospital at that time was where angels feared to tread (but I did. ) White flight in the wake of the school busing disaster had caused property values to tank. Arson was widespread and street crime rampant. A public housing "development," big by Boston standards but not by those of Chicago, didn't exactly help matters. The central and southern portions of the community were dreary "townie" areas with all the basics of life available but nothing unique to recommend them. What a difference three decades can make. Outcroppings of "puddingstone" near the projects, once regarded impassively by residents, now are a magnet for rock climbing yuppies. A grungy "tropical food" grocery store has been supplanted by Whole Foods (the horror! ) Creative-cocktail bars and "new cuisine" restaurants, the kind with prices notated on the menu absent dollar signs + decimal points + cent amounts? JP's got 'em. Vintage clothing stores, purveyors of fair trade coffee and gun-free toy selections? JP's got 'em. "Ethnic" eateries ranging from Cuban to Thai? JP's got 'em. You get the drift. About the only constants from "then" to "now" are the exquisite natural areas - Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum. Oh, and those projects, refurbished of late but still a depressing living environment and a crime incubator. But when communities evolve upward on the socioeconomic scale an increased police presence magically occurs. JP is still measurably more secure the closer to the center and the farther westward you go, though the distinction has lessened greatly.
I will be honest and tell you that except from visit to Arboretum in JP, I am very rarely in this area and would not be able to comment on crime. I do believe that it has more crime than some other areas, but I am unsure how bad or good that aspect of living in JP can be.
Union Square was mobbed with hipsters when I was in Somerville a few weeks ago, more so than Davis. Not a "townie" to be seen. But then, I always thought the Somerville townies were pretty good ones, welcoming to newcomers anyway.
JP was not scary dangerous in the 1980s. Maybe the 1970s, when forced bussing took place over 40 years ago. I often visited several friends without fear. Lots of creative types in those days due to availability of the green line and rent controlled apartments.
The property values shot up once rent control was lifted and long time residents and creatives were replaced with the more affluent.
I thank everyone who responded and appreciate your advice regarding the drive being pretty bad from JP to north, Melrose where my grandson lives. I think this is surely worth considering as well as where I will be working. The reason for my attraction to those two towns particularly, rather than Arlington or Medford, is that I have lived in burbs most of my life with the exception of the last ten yrs in the city, near downtown Chicago. The level of energy there is so much different and I much prefer the activity of a city rather than a quiet burb with safe, dead-end streets -- perfect for young families but not so much for singles. While I think I'd love JP more due to the ethnicity and greenery, I think the advice re the drive makes Somerville probably the better choice. Thanks for all input.
Arlington, like Brookline or West Roxbury, is hardly quiet. It is more like a more suburban zone of a big city.
Medford is very diverse, home of Tufts University, and ranges from very urban parts on the south end to student pockets to an established African American "yankee" community in West Medford to mansions along Mystic Valley parkway with an old downtown with everything from Italian Mom and Pop eateries to new Asian restaurants to trendy cafes and businesses.
Neither one are exactly the bedroom communities you are trying to avoid.
Location: RI, MA, VT, WI, IL, CA, IN (that one sucked), KY
41,940 posts, read 36,720,801 times
Reputation: 40634
Quote:
Originally Posted by 495neighbor
Union Square was mobbed with hipsters when I was in Somerville a few weeks ago, more so than Davis. Not a "townie" to be seen. But then, I always thought the Somerville townies were pretty good ones, welcoming to newcomers anyway.
Union Sq is definitely more hipster central than Davis, outside of perhaps Redbones beer bar and Diesel.
quiet burb with safe, dead-end streets -- perfect for young families but not so much for singles
Not so perfect for families either, depending on your preferences. I live in Somerville near Porter, raising a family here and we love it. You may want to check out the Spring Hill neighborhood - its is more affordable than the squares but still walkable to Porter, Davis, Union and even Harvard depending on your location. Somerville is also very bike friendly, so consider riding a bike if you need to get a place farther out.
If you are looking for folk and bluegrass live music, the Cambridge/Somerville area is hands down the best place to be ,especially for Americana.
Toad in Cambridge (Porter)- two artists every night, no cover, tiny but great place for music. Eddie Vedder dropped in to play a few years ago! G. Love and Tracey Chapman got started there
Lizard Lounge (Porter/Harvard) - Great Americana and folk music. Sessions Americana residencies are a highlight
Johnny Ds (Davis) - great blues club - Neil young dropped in and played a few songs recently
Atwoods (Inman) - Americana, and every Monday night they have Bluegrass. I was at their Monday night bluegrass session last night
Cantab (Central) - Divey but fun bar in Central, bluegrass every Tuesday for at least the last 10-12 years
Club Passim (harvard) - legendary folk club, already mentioned - Joan Baez got her start here and when she brought here unknown friend named Bob Dylan there they only let him play between sets!
PAs lounge - Union - Americana every Monday
I also would not worry one bit about Somerville being too transient. If you are planning to stick around, there are more than enough long term locals in all neighborhoods. Yes there are also young transients. My block has a combination of triple decker rentals, triple decker condos, and and equal number of single family and multi-family houses. The rentals are very transient - turning over every year or two. Condos every 4-5 years. But the multi-family and single family residents tend to be longer term with no plans to leave. I have many neighbors on the block that bought when the T came in the 80s. Long term residents stick together, and because this place is so dense, you will have more long term residents close to you than you would in Arlington.
I would also challenge the argument that students outnumber the rest of the residents. Not even close - the only area where undergrads live is near Powerhouse and Tufts. My neighborhood near Porter has a handful of graduate students, no undergrads I am aware of. I would say students are less than 10% of the population of my immediate neighborhood.
Not so perfect for families either, depending on your preferences. I live in Somerville near Porter, raising a family here and we love it. You may want to check out the Spring Hill neighborhood - its is more affordable than the squares but still walkable to Porter, Davis, Union and even Harvard depending on your location. Somerville is also very bike friendly, so consider riding a bike if you need to get a place farther out.
If you are looking for folk and bluegrass live music, the Cambridge/Somerville area is hands down the best place to be ,especially for Americana.
Toad in Cambridge (Porter)- two artists every night, no cover, tiny but great place for music. Eddie Vedder dropped in to play a few years ago! G. Love and Tracey Chapman got started there
Lizard Lounge (Porter/Harvard) - Great Americana and folk music. Sessions Americana residencies are a highlight
Johnny Ds (Davis) - great blues club - Neil young dropped in and played a few songs recently
Atwoods (Inman) - Americana, and every Monday night they have Bluegrass. I was at their Monday night bluegrass session last night
Cantab (Central) - Divey but fun bar in Central, bluegrass every Tuesday for at least the last 10-12 years
Club Passim (harvard) - legendary folk club, already mentioned - Joan Baez got her start here and when she brought here unknown friend named Bob Dylan there they only let him play between sets!
PAs lounge - Union - Americana every Monday
I also would not worry one bit about Somerville being too transient. If you are planning to stick around, there are more than enough long term locals in all neighborhoods. Yes there are also young transients. My block has a combination of triple decker rentals, triple decker condos, and and equal number of single family and multi-family houses. The rentals are very transient - turning over every year or two. Condos every 4-5 years. But the multi-family and single family residents tend to be longer term with no plans to leave. I have many neighbors on the block that bought when the T came in the 80s. Long term residents stick together, and because this place is so dense, you will have more long term residents close to you than you would in Arlington.
I would also challenge the argument that students outnumber the rest of the residents. Not even close - the only area where undergrads live is near Powerhouse and Tufts. My neighborhood near Porter has a handful of graduate students, no undergrads I am aware of. I would say students are less than 10% of the population of my immediate neighborhood.
Yes, Yes and Yes to all of this. If you find the right neighborhood in Somerville, you will feel like you made out so good that you must be guilty of a crime. Spring Hill is a great suggestion. I would also look at some of the neighborhoods that border Cambridge off of Beacon street. Relative to the density and economic diversity this area is insanely safe and wonderful. Rentals, houses and condos will be less expensive in these places than almost anywhere in Cambridge or in Davis.
The nice parts of JP are really, really nice and really, really expensive. I don't know that area as well, but as others have said you are more isolated from Cambridge, Boston etc. The one thing you will be much closer to is some of the higher crime neighborhoods in all of Boston. JP itself is reasonably sort of safe for the most part. If you go a few blocks in the wrong direction, different story.
it depends on your vibe. both areas are very liberal. somerville is denser. a lot of students and recent graduates live in that area. in jamaica plain there are also students but the median age is higher. more families and more awesome parks. i would pick JP any day. There's a lot of sub neighborhoods that are safe and fun. I would stay away from eggleston square
Ok, here are my new impressions, comparing JP to Somerville/Cambridge, JP more of a West Coast vibe, more relaxed pace, more artist artists than Somerville, lots of color in gardens and exteriors of houses, more crunchy and less techie, more idealistic, better parks, more free-spirited. Few but high quality independent places to eat, more vegan and organic.
Somerville, more geeky, hipster, trendy, faster-paced, wired and plugged in, more restaurants and music venues, open later at night like Chicago and New York.
Last edited by 495neighbor; 08-24-2014 at 03:08 PM..
Don't buy anything until you've lived here for a while...
Jamaica Plain has it rough areas, but the wealthy areas are growing, and unfortunately so are the price tags; it's also a little off the beaten track, but still within city limits..
Somerville is the Home of Triple Deckers, so if you're not a fan of this housing type, look elsewhere. The city used to be nicknamed "Slummerville", but some sections have become very expensive, as they have attracted all the Cantabridgians that have been priced out of Cambridge. It's very densely populated, so it's not a city of suburban-type homes with expansive lawns--just the opposite.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.