Before moving to Somerville, MA, know that the city's personality is concentrated in its squares. Davis Square is the cultural center — the Somerville Theatre (a gorgeous 1914 movie palace), Redbones BBQ, craft coffee shops, and bars that fill up with the after-work crowd. It's the Red Line's last stop before the suburbs, which has made it a social hub for decades. Union Square, historically the scrappier sibling, has been reborn — the Union Square station on the Green Line Extension opened in 2022, and restaurants, breweries, and shops have flooded in. Bow Market, a converted warehouse turned micro-retail village, is one of the most creative commercial spaces in the Boston area. Assembly Row, a mixed-use development near the Mystic River, has added an IKEA, outlets, restaurants, and a cinema along the Orange Line.

Housing is expensive — this is metro Boston, after all — but Somerville is slightly more affordable than Cambridge for comparable apartments. A one-bedroom runs $2,000 to $2,800, and roommate shares average $1,100 to $1,600. Triple-deckers dominate the housing stock, and splitting a floor with one or two roommates is the standard arrangement. The September 1st lease cycle applies here too — start looking months in advance.

Most residents commute to jobs in Cambridge (Kendall Square biotech), downtown Boston, or increasingly to local employers. The MBTA Red Line (Davis Square), the new Green Line Extension (Union Square, East Somerville, and beyond), and the Orange Line (Assembly) give the city three subway connections — a transit upgrade that was decades in the making. The Community Path connects to the Minuteman Bikeway for car-free cycling. The climate is identical to Cambridge — cold, snowy winters and short, sweet summers.

Somerville packs more personality per square mile than any city in the Boston area. Davis Square and Union Square are walkable, fun, and filled with independent restaurants and bars. The Green Line Extension has been transformative. The food scene is outstanding for a city this small. The trade-offs are high rents (roommates are essential), brutal winters, tight parking, and the September 1st moving chaos. For young professionals and creatives who want the Boston area's best neighborhood energy without Cambridge's academic intensity, Somerville is the answer.