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I was hoping you could help my friend and I out with some information about Somerville, MA.
First, a little bit about us: We are both 22-year old, white, females. My friend will be working at Mass General, and I will be looking for a teaching position in the surrounding area. We are both young and looking to be around other young people. We really enjoy going out to bars, trying new restaurants and coffee places, and going to parks and paths. We are hoping to get a little bit more information about the area.
We both come from towns with relatively little crime. Is there any part of Somerville that we should avoid? Is there any of portion of the city that is considered "rough"? What area of the city do you recommend that we look for an apartment?
My friend is hoping to commute to Mass General through public transportation. What is the commute like from Somerville to Mass General? What line would she take? How long is the commute?
I will be looking for a teaching position. Are there any school districts that I should avoid? Which school districts should I look into? I will also have a car. Is there anything I should know about parking, permits, etc.?
Can you recommend any restaurants? Coffee places? Bars? What kind of nightlife is there? What is the best bar for young people? Are there any shops or stores that we should stop by?
I also have a dog, and it is important to me that we live in a dog-friendly area. Would you consider Somerville generally dog-friendly? I did a little bit of research on the dog parks in Somerville and they seem great. Is there anything else I should know?
Also, if you live in Somerville, do you like where you live? Is there anything you dislike about it?
Any other information you can give us would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance for your help!
We both come from towns with relatively little crime. Is there any part of Somerville that we should avoid?
Is there any of portion of the city that is considered "rough"? What area of the city do you recommend that we look
for an apartment?
East Somerville is "rougher" but that mentality is based on looks and a slower rate of gentrification. You will find some
of the better housing deals in this area. I'd look just about anywhere to be honest. Google maps will be very helpful if
you turn on the transit directions, it will give you a better idea of how easy it is to get from place to place. As you get
more towards the subway stops things tend to get more expensive. What is your budget?
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My friend is hoping to commute to Mass General through public transportation. What is the commute like from
Somerville to Mass General? What line would she take? How long is the commute?
Very easy, Red line to MGH stop.
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I will also have a car. Is there anything I should know about parking, permits, etc.?
You will need to register your car in the city to get a parking permit. The permit will allow you to park in resident
parking througout the city. If you can afford it, find a place with off street parking. Things can get bad in the winter with a parking ban.
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Can you recommend any restaurants? Coffee places? Bars? What kind of nightlife is there? What is the best bar for young people?
Are there any shops or stores that we should stop by?
There are too many restaurants and bars to answer this question. What do you like? You have to go out of your way to find places
that don't have young people or nightlife.
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I also have a dog, and it is important to me that we live in a dog-friendly area. Would you consider Somerville generally dog-friendly?
I did a little bit of research on the dog parks in Somerville and they seem great. Is there anything else I should know?
Don't know. But tons of people here seem to have dogs. The only thing would be possibly limiting which apartments you can rent based on allowing dogs/pets of a certain size.
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Also, if you live in Somerville, do you like where you live? Is there anything you dislike about it?
West Somerville, which is more or less the area north/west of Davis Square and Tufts. I live right next to Rt. 16 so I can hop on the highway and get out of town quickly. I can also keep my car parked and walk to restaurants, bars, grocery stores, the train all in under 15 minutes. You won't find many places where this isn't the case, but East Somerville is a bit more barren as far as the grocery stores/shopping is concerned. Bars and restaurants are
slowly making their way in amongst the South American joints on Broadway.
As far as what I don't like, I don't like the city politics and the narrow subset the Mayor caters to. But that is a story for another day.
Last edited by wolfgang239; 06-23-2015 at 05:46 PM..
We both come from towns with relatively little crime. Is there any part of Somerville that we should avoid? Is there any of portion of the city that is considered "rough"? What area of the city do you recommend that we look for an apartment?
Somerville is an urban area, so there will be a certain level of crime present, but overall it is a very safe city. There is no neighborhood that I would say avoid, I dont even think Somerville registered a murder all of last year. There are obviously some areas that have not gentrified as quickly as others, East Somerville comes to mind and is a magnet for new immigrants from Central America (Mostly El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras) because of its relative affordability. The area is completely safe and a bargain for what is offers, but still working class in nature. Otherwise most areas are undergoing rapid gentrification, East Somerville included.
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My friend is hoping to commute to Mass General through public transportation. What is the commute like from Somerville to Mass General? What line would she take? How long is the commute?
MGH is on the Red Line, so if you lived in Davis Square that would be the easiest commute (5 Stops on the T) Otherwise you could live near the Orange Line (East Somerville, Winter Hill, Assembly Row, Ten Hills) and take the OL inbound to North Station and there is a shuttle that takes you directly to MGH from there. The commute wont be horrible regardless.
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I will be looking for a teaching position. Are there any school districts that I should avoid? Which school districts should I look into? I will also have a car. Is there anything I should know about parking, permits, etc.?
I will leave this question to someone more versed in the Teachers market, but why not start by looking into Somerville Public Schools?
For parking permits you can apply for a street parking permit with a Somerville address and that allows you to park anywhere there is resident parking throughout the city.
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Can you recommend any restaurants? Coffee places? Bars? What kind of nightlife is there? What is the best bar for young people? Are there any shops or stores that we should stop by?
The bar and restaurant scene are pretty great in Somerville now. So I will list my top 5 personal favorites currently:
For nightlife I dont go out as much as I used to other than bars, but I do love reggae night at Bull McCabes. Someone who doesnt have a 4 year old at home can probably help you out a bit better than me.
Also keep in mind that you are right next door to Cambridge which will open up a whole other host of options for eating, drinking and nightlife. Especially nightlife wise where you could hop over to Central Square for a night out. Boston is so compact that its easy to basically get around anywhere, you are hardly confined to Somerville itself.
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Also, if you live in Somerville, do you like where you live? Is there anything you dislike about it?
I dont personally live in Somerville, but in Inman Square Cambridge and can walk to Somerville in under 3 minutes from my home. If I did not live in Cambridge my next choice would be Somerville without a doubt. I love the restaurant and bar scene along with the vibrant art scene. I love the diversity of the area with interesting people from all around the globe that seem to mix well with the long time residents that help it keep a certain level of authenticity, even though gentrification is taking much of that away for better or for worse.
What I dont like are basically the same things I dont like about Cambridge. High housing costs and pain in the neck street parking, but that comes with the territory if you live in desirable urban area.
My friend and I are looking for an apartments that is $1,800 or less. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. We're just hoping for a small two bedroom, one bath. Does that seem realistic? If we could find something for less that would be ideal. We both have a ton of student debt so the cheaper the better!
Do you know hoe much it costs to register a car and get a parking permit?
We would be looking for bars/ nightlife where there is a young crowd, lots of dancing, good music, etc.
My friend and I are looking for an apartments that is $1,800 or less. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. We're just hoping for a small two bedroom, one bath. Does that seem realistic? If we could find something for less that would be ideal. We both have a ton of student debt so the cheaper the better!
Do you know hoe much it costs to register a car and get a parking permit?
We would be looking for bars/ nightlife where there is a young crowd, lots of dancing, good music, etc.
Thank you again!
$1800 is very reasonable. Be prepared to act quickly if you see something you like, the rental market is pretty fierce right now. Watch out for electric heat (expensive). Lots of apartments have drafty windows and no insulation so heating costs can get high. I would advsie spending a few days exploring to get a feel for different neigborhoods.
$30 for a resident parking permit at the city office, I think changing your registration is free (through the RMV).
I think 1800 for a 2 BR may be tough. But you should definitely look in Davis Square - that is a great area for young professionals and it is just off the red line.
We live in Somerville - 20-somethings tend to flock to the areas of West Somerville near Davis square. To get to MGH you want to be close to a red line train stop so Porter or Davis would make the most sense. Rents are higher in those areas but you may find something in your range if you shop around. Union Square is probably the most up and coming neighborhood in the Boston area - it is about to get a train station (2017) so gentrification has taken hold there in the last 2 years and rents are rorbably now on par with Porter or Davis. Prospsect Hill (near Union) and Spring Hill (near Porter) are more residential areas that may have more reasonable rents in exchange for being a 10 minute walk to one of the squares.
As for teaching - the Somerville Public Schools have quite a few teachers retiring and many openings this year so there are quite a few open positions - i believe significantly more than usual. The schools, especially on the West side of the city, have improved dramatically in the last 5-7 years and they attract many applicants when there is a teacher opening.
If you can't find the right place in Somerville, look in the area of Medford around Tufts and Medford Street. You won't have the Somerville address, but will still be walking distance to all the fun spots in Somerville.
For nightlife I dont go out as much as I used to other than bars, but I do love reggae night at Bull McCabes. Someone who doesnt have a 4 year old at home can probably help you out a bit better than me.
Also keep in mind that you are right next door to Cambridge which will open up a whole other host of options for eating, drinking and nightlife. Especially nightlife wise where you could hop over to Central Square for a night out. Boston is so compact that its easy to basically get around anywhere, you are hardly confined to Somerville itself.
...
when i lived in the area years ago these were my favorite places to food in somerville:
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highland creaole cuisine: fried plantain and griot
mama lisas: plain slice
victors deli (ball square): chicken cutlet sub + slice of sicillian
sound bites (ball square): moroccan eggs (brunch)
lyndells bakery (ball square): half-and-half
la ronga bakery: poruguese rolls
too many places to name in davis square
Don't forget the big change in auto insurance costs--
You cannot get a local parking permit with an out of state registered car.
You will need to change your auto insurance and car registration over first to Massachusetts, then get your town parking registration.
FYI - Insurance is based on your "home garaging." You will need an apartment, too, before transitioning. Be prepared for oodles of parking tickets if you fall behind on getting your registration changed over.
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