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Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just north of Boston. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 77,478. With only slightly over 4 square miles (10 km²) of land, it is the most densely populated city in New England and the fifth densest city under 100,000 in the United States after Guttenberg, NJ, Union City, NJ, West New York, NJ and Hoboken, NJ according to the 2000 Demographics of the United States. It was established as a town in 1842, when it was separated from the urbanizing Charlestown because it was still largely rural. It was known as Charlestown beyond the Neck
Somerville has a mix of blue collar Irish-American, Italian American and to a slightly lesser extent Portuguese American families who are spread throughout the city; immigrant families from Brazil, Haiti and El Salvador, who live in the area known as East Somerville; South Korea and India in the Union Square area, and college students and young professionals, many of whom live in sections near Cambridge, or near Tufts University, which straddles the Somerville-Medford city line, although the university's formal address is Medford. Davis Square in Somerville and nearby Porter Square in Cambridge have Red Line subway stations providing easy access to Harvard Square and to downtown Boston. Other parts of the city are served by buses that connect to the Green Line's Lechmere station in East Cambridge or to the Orange Line's Sullivan station in Charlestown.
Somerville also has a number of squares that are bustling business and entertainment centers, among them Davis Square, Union Square, Ball Square, Teele Square, and Magoun Square.
A popular and tree-lined rail trail runs through the heart of Davis Square and is called the Somerville Community Path. The city has many dedicated community groups including Friends of the Community Path dedicated to extending the well-loved Minuteman Bikeway/Linear Park from its current ending at Cedar Street in Somerville to the Charles River Path and on to Boston.
Somerville was once colloquially referred to as "Slummerville" and "Scummerville", referring to its blue-collar residents and its reputation for crime, especially in the city's east, where James "Buddy" McLean and the "Winter Hill Gang" were based. However, after the gentrification period the city went through in the late 1990s this name became less prevalent. More recently, lobbying by grassroots organizations is attempting to revive and preserve Somerville's "small town" neighborhood environments by supporting local business, public transit, gardens and pedestrian/biker access.
Somerville, Massachusetts
History
Criminal Activity and Gang Violence in the East Side of Somerville
Geography
Demographics
Culture
Famous people born in Somerville
| | Official Name | Somerville, Massachusetts | | Image Town | DavisSqSomervilleMass20040313.jpg | | Image Town Caption | Davis Square, Somerville | | Image Seal | Somervillelogo.jpg | | Image Map | Somerville_ma_highlight.png | | County Name | Middlesex County, Massachusetts | | Year Settled | 1630 | | Year Incorporated | 1842 | | Government Name | Mayor-council government | | Leader Title | Mayor | | Leader Name | Joseph A. Curtatone | | Area Total | 4.2 Square mile | | Area Land | 4.1 Square mile | | Area Water | 0.1 Square mile | | Population As Of | 2000 | | Population Total | 77478 | | Population Density | 18868.1/Square mile | | Elevation | 12 Foot (unit of length) | | Timezone | Eastern Standard Time Zone | | Utc Offset | -5 | | Timezone Dst | Eastern Standard Time Zone | | Utc Offset Dst | -4 | | Latd | 42 | | Latm | 23 | | Lats | 15 | | Latns | N | | Longd | 71 | | Longm | 06 | | Longs | 00 | | Longew | W | | Website | http://www.ci.somerville.ma.us/ | | Zip Code | 02143, 02144, 02145 | | Area Code | Area code 617 |
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History
Somerville was first settled in 1630 and was officially incorporated in 1842.
Traffic on the Middlesex Canal began its famous route from the mouth of the Charles River in Charlestown (now Boston) to Lowell going through East Somerville, where several historical markers can be discovered today.
Historically Somerville encompassed many of the less desirable railway and industrial lands squeezed between the Charles River to the southwest and the Mystic River to the northeast. For all its problems, Somerville's late 1800s and early 1900s industrial revolution left behind a rich historical record of Sanborn Maps, apparently invented in Somerville in 1867, and subsequently used for fire insurance appraisal across the USA. The delicate, detailed original Sanborn Maps are on display at the main branch of the Somerville Public Library.*.
Somerville's industrial past left one special legacy, the invention of Fluff, the marshmallow creme.
One of the earliest American flags was raised on Prospect Hill, above Union Square, on January 1, 1776.
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Criminal Activity and Gang Violence in the East Side of Somerville
Somerville was known for having offices and homes for members of the Winter Hill Gang in the 1960's and 1970's.
While the west end of Somerville, near Teele, Davis, and Ball Squares has seen rapid gentrification since the mid-1980s, the east side of Somerville continues to struggle with many of the city's traditional difficulties with crime and poverty, even as residents are increasingly squeezed out by rising land values. While the east side of Somerville encompasses many separate neighborhoods--including Ten Hills, Assembly Square, Winter Hill, and Union Square--the area is often known for its history of organized crime and current problems with street gang activity. In the 2000s the area saw a rise in gang violence. A violent branch of the MS13 Gang was the most notorious of these street gangs. In recent years this gang has been responsible for many violent crimes throughout the community, especially in the vicinity of Foss Park at the intersection of Broadway and McGrath Highway. The most notorious incident occurred on October 24, 2002, when a 17-year old deaf girl who suffers from cerebal palsy was raped by four suspected members of MS13 in the park.
Another gang that is big in the crime business is a medium-sized Haitian gang (H-Block) unique to East Somerville. [ http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2004/07/somerville_poli.html][ They often get into fights with MS13. In recent years there have been shootouts between the two gangs at local drive-thrus.]
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Geography
Somerville is located at (42.390546, -71.103683).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.9 km² (4.2 mi²). 10.6 km² (4.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (2.61%) is water.
The seven hills of Somerville (in alphabetical order) are
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Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 77,478 people, 31,555 households, and 14,673 families residing in the city. The population density was 7,278.4/km² (18,868.1/mi²). There were 32,477 housing units at an average density of 3,051.0/km² (7,909.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.97% White, 6.50% African American, 0.22% Native American, 6.44% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.96% from other races, and 4.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.76% of the population.
There were 31,555 households out of which 18.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.2% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 53.5% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.06.
In the city the population was spread out with 14.8% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 18 to 24, 42.6% from 25 to 44, 16.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 94.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $46,315, and the median income for a family was $51,243. Males had a median income of $36,333 versus $31,418 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,628. About 8.4% of families and 12.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over.
Somerville has experienced dramatic gentrification since the Red Line of Boston's subway system was extended through Somerville in 1985, especially in the area between Harvard and Tufts Universities, centering around Davis Square. This has led to tensions between long-time residents and recent arrivals, with many of the former accusing the latter of ignoring problems of working-class families such as drugs, gang violence, and suicides. Incidents such as anti-"yuppie" graffiti appearing around town have highlighted this rift. *
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Culture
Though formally listed as being located in Medford, Tufts University is also located in Somerville. The Somerville-Medford line actually runs through Tufts' campus. The school employs many local residents and has many community service projects that serve the city, especially those run through the Leonard Carmichael Society and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, the latter of which especially emphasizes public service in Tufts' host communities.
Mystic Projects(a housing development in Somerville) is the cities most infamous part of the city. Mostly Haitian and Irish families in poverty live in this area and suffer to survive in a community where the price of rent is rising. They have their own police force who have always been critized for doing illegal work in the development at Mystic and at the Clarendon Hill Projects which is close by.
Somerville is home to a thriving arts community. Regular arts-related events, such as the annual "ArtBeat" festival, occur throughout the year. In addition, numerous galleries and music clubs showcase the talents of residents and others.
A major art studio complex is located in former industrial buildings known as the Brickbottom complex, between Union Square and the Cambridge line.
Davis Square is home to a lively coffeehouse scene with several coffeehouses each boasting its own fiercely loyal clientele. It is also known for its mom-and-pop shops, vintage stores, and other independent retailers.
The volunteer-operated Somerville Museum preserves memorabilia chronicling Somerville's roots, with historical and artistic exhibits. It is located on 1 Westwood Road, on the corner with Central Street.
The Somerville Arts Council and Somerville Open Studios both host annual events involving the community in homegrown arts.
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Famous people born in Somerville
Nick Gomez, television and movie director (b. 1963)
Keri Rodrigues, radio and television personality, social commentator (b. 1979)
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