Somerville, the 4 sq-mile, submarine-shaped city just north of Boston, has long had a bad reputation. Derided as “Slummerville”, a reference to its blue-collar residents and its reputation for crime, it was considered a student enclave – nothing more than a homely, cramped extension of Boston and Cambridge sorely lacking in sophistication and class.
But recently Somerville’s image has begun to change. In the 1990s artsy cafés, gourmet eateries and chic boutiques started opening in its western neighbourhoods, such as Davis Square and Ball Square. Developers began converting old, run-down buildings into sparkling condominiums with luxury finishes, and young professionals, priced out of more established areas, started to move in. Suddenly Somerville was cool.
Today, the renaissance is continuing, with prospective buyers seeing it as an edgy alternative to Boston and Cambridge. According to local estate agents, Union Square – at the juncture of working class East Somerville and the city’s revitalised western sections – is the next hot spot in greater Boston.
“Union Square has beautiful, interesting architecture, a lot of history, a real neighbourhood feel – and, most importantly, it’s still affordable,” says Lisa Johnson, an estate agent with RE/Max Destiny. “It’s this great, newly discovered place that is only a 15-minute walk to Harvard Square.”
To some, Union Square’s revival was only a matter of time. Donald Norton, who has sold houses in Somerville for 26 years and also owns the Somerville News, the local newspaper, says he remembers the neighbourhood’s glory days and is eager for them to return. “When I was a kid, Union Square used to be a vital neighbourhood filled with shops. It was where everyone went to do their Christmas shopping,” he recalls. “Then the 1960s happened, the community changed and half the stores were boarded up. For a long time after that, Somerville was a place that people made fun of. The politicians were corrupt and it was just an unattractive city.”
Nowadays Union Square is coming back to life, he says. “There are several coffee shops that have moved in and there are more on the way. And coffee shops bring in the more educated, artsy crowd.”
A decent cup of coffee aside, one of the main reasons people have become interested in the community is its accessibility. Union Square is a quick car ride to downtown Boston and within easy walking distance of many Cambridge neighbourhoods, which makes it appealing to young families and urban professionals alike.
“It’s so close to Boston that working people want to live there for the convenience,” says Patricia Ng, an estate agent with Century 21 Legacy. “It has always been a vibrant area with lots to see and do but, strangely, people paid it no mind. It’s starting to be noticed now as more nice restaurants and upscale bars come in.”
Union Square will become even more convenient for commuters once Boston’s public transit system – known in the city as the “T” – expands to include a stop there, according to George Ross, owner of Ross Real Estate, who has sold houses in the area for the past 20 years.
“A big part of why Union Square is on the up-and-up is that the T is coming,” he says. “People who are buying property now know it’s going to be worth a lot more five years from now. And in the property business five years is not a long time.”
Union Square still has a reputation of being rough around the edges. “For the longest time, no one would even consider [moving to] East Somerville,” Ross says. “It was always really bad – I never used to let my secretary walk down the street with receipts from the business. [But] today there is greater police presence and a greater sense of community, which have cut back on some of the crime.”
There is also a bright side to the rough reputation: it means there are deals to be had. While properties in Boston and Cambridge are on the expensive side – modest, two-bedroom flats start at $450 per sq ft – there is great value in Somerville and Union Square in particular.
But if recent trends continue the bargains won’t last for much longer. In 2000 the average price of a condominium sold in Union Square was $215 per sq ft, for single-family homes it was $150 per sq ft and for homes divided into apartments $135 per sq ft, according to figures from Multiple Listing Service, the real estate database. Today those costs have risen to $350, $300 and $220 respectively.
Still, buyers get a lot more for their money than in other neighbourhoods in greater Boston, according to Jaime Kidston and Beth York of Coldwell Banker Huron Avenue. “There are lots of properties in Union Square that are being bought and renovated; for buyers this means there is room to add value with a little DIY,” Kidston says. “In these places buyers may need to do a more substantial renovation rather than just a cosmetic update. But for someone who is looking to capitalise on an opportunity, this up-and-coming neighbourhood is a value proposition.”
Johnson, of Re/Max Destiny, thinks buyers are also drawn to the varied architecture. “Most of Somerville and Cambridge is rows and rows of triple-decker [houses]. But Union Square has a good mix of multi-family homes and single-family homes and condos,” she says.
She says the buildings on historic Prospect Hill, which overlooks Union Square, are particularly elegant. The hill is perhaps the area’s most famous landmark. In fact, town lore has it that George Washington, the first president of the US, raised an early version of the American flag there on January 1 1776.
“The stately homes there are beautiful. There are some wonderful streets in Prospect Hill – Columbus Avenue, Boston Street and Summit Avenue – where you can see Victorian architecture, old Queen Annes, as well as early Empire, Italian Renaissance-style homes.”
New residents of Union Square also seem to like its neighbourhood feel. In Somerville, population 80,000, community pride is alive and well, but Union Square – which has sizeable Portuguese, South Korean, Indian and Brazilian populations – has even more small town atmosphere.
This is partly due to the efforts of a local community development organisation, Union Square Main Streets, that is working to revive and preserve the neighbourhood by supporting local business, public transit, gardens and pedestrian and cyclist access. The non-profit group’s endeavours include the farmers market, which takes place every Saturday morning from June to October, and the ArtsUnion, a collaborative programme with the Somerville Arts Council, which sponsors festivals and craft markets. It also helps with business recruitment and assistance.
“There are certain neighbourhoods in Cambridge that over time have become like outdoor suburban malls, with chain stores and chain restaurants. But Union Square has independent shops and vintage stores,” says York. “It also has the opportunity to be a very pedestrian-friendly neighbourhood. It’s not a destination yet but it certainly has potential.”
