Your Guide to Buying a Home in Somerville, MA

Buying a Home in Somerville, Massachusetts

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Somerville is located in Middlesex County

The City of Somerville offers a wide spectrum of services for its residents and businesses. The community's electrical and energy needs are served by the Boston Edison Company, Boston Gas and Commonwealth Gas. Somerville's municipally owned water and sewer system successfully provides residents with some of the lowest rates in the Greater Boston area. Somerville was the first community in the Commonwealth to offer residents a choice in cable television providers. Today, RCN Corporation, AT&T Broadband and Bell Atlantic all service Somerville via an advanced fiber-optic network.

Throughout this compact, vibrant community over fifty different languages are spoken and over fifteen religions are practiced. The international flavor of Somerville guarantees that you will feel at home. Diversity is a key component of Somerville's attractiveness to residents and business owners.

Somerville's array of restaurants offers samples of cuisine from all over the world. Both Union Square and Davis Square are dining and entertainment destinations for Greater Boston. And of course, you are just minutes from the array of cultural opportunities in Boston and Cambridge.

Somerville is a city of neighborhoods and squares; each area has its own distinct flavor, offering visitors and residents a wide variety of attractions.

Union Square features an eclectic mix of ethnic restaurants, Mom 'n' Pop gift shops, small businesses and offices. Just up Prospect Hill, the first American flag was raised on January 1, 1776; and the hill features one of the most spectacular, panoramic views of the Boston area. For the small business owner, Union Square offers excellent values in commercial real estate. The square is served by MBTA buses, with direct service from Cambridge's Central Square and Harvard Square; Charlestown's Union Square; and Somerville's Davis Square.

Nearby, the Brickbottom Condominiums and Vernon Street Studios house many of Somerville's artists, and both places often offer open studios where you can not only see art, but see artists at work.

In 1997 Davis Square made Utne Reader's list of the top 15 "hippest" neighborhoods in the country. Davis Square has something for everyone: bookstores, coffee shops, music stores, restaurants, and nightlife will help anyone while away the time day or night. Commercially, the square features some prime office space, and houses high-tech corporations; national non-profit organizations; small businesses of every stripe; financial services businesses, banks, and insurance companies. Davis Square also houses many health care providers, from large medical practices to a variety of alternative health care services. Besides being served by a variety of MBTA bus lines, Davis Square is a stop on the Red Line subway. And Davis Square is a major stop on the Minuteman Commuter Bikeway.

Somerville's recently inaugurated 2-hour meterless parking program has made it super-easy to shop in Teele Square, Magoun Square, Ball Square, and Lower Broadway. Teele Square is more residential than Davis Square, but has grown into another "hip" mecca, featuring several excellent restaurants and shops. It's walking distance from Davis Square, and close enough to Tufts University to be a popular spot for living off-campus.

Magoun Square is an old-fashioned yet vibrant neighborhood where you can see the merchants sweeping the sidewalks at 10 a.m. every morning. You can buy everything from clothing to hardware in Magoun Square. And Ball Square is another Somerville treasure, with retail stores, cafes, and restaurants galore. Lower Broadway is close enough to the Holiday Inn to nip out for some down-home cooking.