Somerville, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...

, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, located just north of Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in the country. It was established as a town in 1842, when it was separated from the urbanizing Charlestown
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...

. Somerville was a 2009 All-America City Award
All-America City Award
The All-America City Award is given by the National Civic League annually to ten cities in the United States.The oldest community recognition program in the nation, the award recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon...

 recipient.

History

Somerville was first settled in 1630 as part of Charlestown
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...

. It was known as "Charlestown beyond the Neck" because it was part of the Massachusetts mainland, not the Charlestown Peninsula. (Charlestown Neck was the narrow strip of land that joined the two.) The incorporation of Somerville in 1842 separated the largely rural town from the urbanizing Charlestown.

The original choice for the city's new name after breaking away from Charlestown was Walford, after the first settler of Charlestown. However this name was not adopted by the separation committee. Mr. Charles Miller, a member of this committee, proposed the name "Somerville" which was chosen. It was not derived from any one person's name. A report commissioned by the Somerville Historical Society found that Somerville was a "purely fanciful name" (though "Somerville" is a surname of Franco-British origin
Somerville (surname)
-Derivation of the name:Sir Gualtier de Somerville was one of William the Conqueror's knights, who came to England in 1066. The name most likely comes from "Saint-Omer," a town about 20 miles south of Dunkirk in Normandy, France.-History of the Somerville Name:...

).

Traffic on the Middlesex Canal
Middlesex Canal
The Middlesex Canal was a 27-mile barge canal connecting the Merrimack River with the port of Boston. When operational it was 30 feet wide, and 3 feet deep, with 20 locks, each 80 feet long and between 10 and 11 feet wide...

 began its famous journey from the mouth of the Charles River in Charlestown (now part of Boston) to Lowell
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, USA. According to the 2010 census, the city's population was 106,519. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Lowell and Cambridge are the county seats of Middlesex County...

 by 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
Charles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...

 to the southwest and the Mystic River
Mystic River
The Mystic River is a river in Massachusetts, in the United States. Its name derives from the Wampanoag word "muhs-uhtuq", which translates to "big river." In an Algonquian language, "Missi-Tuk" means "a great river whose waters are driven by waves", alluding to the natural tidal nature of the...

 to the northeast. For all its problems, Somerville's late 19th and early 20th centuries industrial revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...

 left behind a rich historical record of Sanborn Maps
Sanborn Maps
Sanborn Maps is an American publisher of historical and current maps of U.S. cities and towns that were initially created to estimate fire insurance liabilities. The company's maps are frequently used for preservation and restoration efforts....

, 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
Central Library (Somerville, Massachusetts)
Central Library is a historic library building at 79 Highland Avenue in Somerville, Massachusetts. Noted library architect Edward Lippincott Tilton designed the building, and it is currently part of the Minuteman Library Network....

 of the Somerville Public Library.

Somerville's industrial past left one special legacy, the invention of Fluff
Marshmallow creme
Marshmallow creme is an American food item. It is a very sweet, spreadable, marshmallow-like confection. Marshmallow creme and peanut butter are used to create a fluffernutter sandwich...

, the marshmallow creme. In 1914, the city became the home of the original Economy Grocery Store, which later grew into the Stop & Shop
Stop & Shop
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company is a chain of supermarkets located mostly in the northeastern United States. Its main rivals are Shaw's Star Market and Hannaford in New England, while ShopRite and the A&P family of supermarkets are its main competition in New York and New Jersey.- History :Stop...

 grocery chain. Two related food service chains, Steve's Ice Cream
Steve's Ice Cream
Steve's Ice Cream was an ice-cream parlor chain which attracted media attention and long lines when owner Steve Herrell opened his first establishment at 191 Elm Street in Somerville, Massachusetts in 1973. It introduced the concept of super-premium ice cream and customized ice cream desserts using...

 and Bertucci's
Bertucci's
Bertucci's is a Northborough, Massachusetts-based private company which runs a chain of sit-down Italian restaurants offering brick oven pizza and Italian food. It also offers delivery , take-out and private dining....

, sprung from adjacent lots in Somerville's Davis Square.

One of the earliest American flags
Grand Union Flag
The Grand Union Flag is considered to be the first national flag of the United States. This flag consisted of 13 red and white stripes with the British Union Flag of the time The Grand Union Flag (also the Continental Colors, the Congress Flag, the Cambridge Flag, and the First Navy Ensign) is...

 was raised on Prospect Hill, above Union Square
Union Square (Somerville)
Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, located around the intersection of Washington Street and Somerville Avenue, about half a mile from Inman Square in neighboring Cambridge. The name "Union Square" comes from the square having been used as a recruitment and mustering site...

, on January 1, 1776.

Until the 1990s, Somerville was colloquially referred to as "Slummerville", on account of its blue-collar residents and its reputation for crime, especially in the city's east, where James "Buddy" McLean and Howie Winter
Howie Winter
Howard Thomas "Howie" Winter is an American mobster. He was the second leader of the infamous Winter Hill Gang.-Early life:...

 and the "Winter Hill Gang
Winter Hill Gang
The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...

" were based. The city also had a very high car theft rate, once being the car theft capital of the country, and its Assembly Square area was especially infamous for theft. However, after the gentrification
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...

 period the city went through in the 1990s and an influx of artists to the area, this name has mostly faded from use and the city has instead gained a reputation for its active arts community and effective government including being named Massachusetts' "Best Run City" by The Boston Globe. 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/bike access.

Political history

The first Democratic Mayor of the city was John J. Murphy in 1929. He succeeded on his seventh try by uniting the Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

, Italians, Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....

, and Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....

. There were "Candle Parades" with thousands marching to giant rallies in the middle of Union Square (and other squares too).

Geography

Somerville is located at 42°23′26"N 71°6′13"W (42.390546, -71.103683), bordered by Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...

, Arlington
Arlington, Massachusetts
Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles northwest of Boston. The population was 42,844 at the 2010 census.-History:...

, Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...

, Everett
Everett, Massachusetts
Everett is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, near Boston. The population was 41,667 at the 2010 census.Everett is the last city in the United States with a bicameral legislature, which is composed of a seven-member Board of Aldermen and an 18-member Common Council...

, and the Charlestown
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...

 neighborhood of Boston.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 4.2 square miles (10.9 km²), of which, 4.1 square miles (10.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square mile (0.258998811 km²) of it (2.61%) is water.

Squares and neighborhoods

Somerville has a number of squares that are bustling business and entertainment centers, as well as a number of other neighborhoods:
  • Assembly Square
    Assembly Square
    Assembly Square is a mixed-use, smart growth development planned for along the Mystic River in Somerville, Massachusetts. The site is two miles from downtown Boston and accessible via I-93 and Route 28/Middlesex Fells Parkway....

  • Ball Square
    Ball Square
    Ball Square is a neighborhood primarily in Somerville, Massachusetts, but also extending into Medford, at the intersection of Boston Avenue and Broadway, located between Powder House Square and Magoun Square. It is primarily a residential area with a handful of shops and restaurants along Broadway...

  • Brickbottom District (north of McGrath Highway, south of Innerbelt District)
  • Davis Square
    Davis Square
    Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :...

     (a.k.a. West Somerville, as in the West Somerville railroad station and post office)
  • East Somerville (East of McGrath Highway, between Washington Street and Broadway)
  • Gilman Square (Medford Street and Pearl Street)
  • Inner Belt District
    Inner Belt District
    The Inner Belt District is a district within Somerville, Massachusetts, named after the proposed Inner Belt Highway. It is bounded by Interstate 93, Route 28, and the Lowell and Fitchburg rail lines. Innerbelt Road runs through the center of the Inner Belt District intersecting with 3rd Avenue to...

  • Magoun Square
    Magoun Square
    Magoun Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts located at the intersection of two major streets, Broadway and Medford Street, with the smaller Dexter Street. It is close to Tufts University in neighboring Medford, Massachusetts. It is a mixed-use urban area...

  • Nunnery Grounds (Mount Benedict)
  • Powder House Square
    Powder House Square
    Powder House Square is a neighborhood and landmark rotary in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. It is also known locally as Powder House Circle. It is the 6-way intersection of College Avenue, Broadway, Warner Street, and Powder House Boulevard...

  • Prospect Hill
    Union Square (Somerville)
    Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, located around the intersection of Washington Street and Somerville Avenue, about half a mile from Inman Square in neighboring Cambridge. The name "Union Square" comes from the square having been used as a recruitment and mustering site...

     (part of Union Square)
  • Spring Hill
    Spring Hill, Somerville, Massachusetts
    Spring Hill is the name of a ridge in the central part of the city of Somerville, Massachusetts, and the neighborhood that sits atop it. It runs northwest to southeast, roughly bounded by Somerville Avenue, Elm Street, Willow Avenue, Highland Avenue, and School Street...

  • Teele Square
    Teele Square
    Teele Square is at the intersection of Broadway, Holland Street, and Curtis Street in Somerville, Massachusetts, a half-mile from Davis Square and the Davis Square stop on the MBTA Red Line, as well as a half-mile from Alewife Brook Parkway and Powder House Square...

  • Ten Hills
  • Tufts
    Tufts University
    Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

  • Union Square
    Union Square (Somerville)
    Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, located around the intersection of Washington Street and Somerville Avenue, about half a mile from Inman Square in neighboring Cambridge. The name "Union Square" comes from the square having been used as a recruitment and mustering site...

  • Wilson Square (Elm Street and Somerville Ave.)
  • Winter Hill
    Winter Hill, Somerville, Massachusetts
    Winter Hill is a neighborhood in Somerville, Massachusetts. The neighborhood gets its name from the 120-foot hill that occupies its landscape, the name of which dates back to the 18th century...



Sullivan Square is just over the Charlestown
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...

 border; Porter Square
Porter Square
Porter Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge and Somerville, Massachusetts in the USA, located around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue, between Harvard and Davis Squares...

, Inman Square
Inman Square
Inman Square is a neighborhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It lies north of Central Square, at the junction of Cambridge, Hampshire, and Inman Streets near the Cambridge–Somerville border.-Location:...

, and Lechmere Square
Lechmere Square
Lechmere Square is located at the intersection of Cambridge Street and First Street in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was originally named for the Colonial-era landowner Richard Lechmere, a Loyalist who returned to England at the beginning of the American Revolution. His lands were later seized...

 are all just over the Cambridge border.

Hills

The following are the "Seven Hills" of Somerville:
  1. Central Hill
  2. Clarendon Hill
  3. Cobble Hill
  4. Mount Benedict (or Plowed Hill)
  5. Mount Pisgah (or Prospect Hill)
  6. Spring Hill
  7. Winter Hill


Paths and parks

The Somerville Community Path
Somerville Community Path
The Somerville Community Path is a project to build a mixed-use path in Somerville, Massachusetts, from the Cambridge border near Davis Square to the Cambridge border near Lechmere Square. Roughly 0.8 miles of the path is finished and in use...

 is a tree-lined rail trail
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...

 that runs from Cedar Street to the Cambridge border near Davis Square
Davis Square
Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :...

. It connects with the Alewife Linear Park, which in turn connects with the Minuteman Bikeway and the Fitchburg Cutoff Path
Fitchburg Cutoff Path
The Fitchburg Cutoff Path is a short, unpaved multi-use rail trail located in suburban Boston, Massachusetts.The 0.8 mile path runs from Brighton Street in Belmont, Massachusetts to the Alewife station at the northern end of the MBTA Red Line in Cambridge...

. Community activists hope to extend the path eastward to Lechmere Square
Lechmere Square
Lechmere Square is located at the intersection of Cambridge Street and First Street in East Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was originally named for the Colonial-era landowner Richard Lechmere, a Loyalist who returned to England at the beginning of the American Revolution. His lands were later seized...

, which would connect with the Charles River Bike Path
Charles River Bike Path
The Charles River Bike Path is a mixed-use path in the Boston, Massachusetts area. It follows both shores of the Charles River from Boston, Massachusetts to Norumbega Park in Newton, passing through Watertown and Waltham...

s and the proposed East Coast Greenway
East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway, or ECG, is a project to create a nearly urban path linking the major cities of the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida, for non-motorized human transportation...

. As of 2010, the city has a total of 63 parks, playgrounds, playing fields, and community gardens.

Government

Somerville has a mayor-city council form of municipal government. The Board of Aldermen consists of 4 at-large (city-wide) positions and 7 ward representatives (each ward is a specific section of the city). The current mayor of the city is Joseph Curtatone
Joseph Curtatone
Joseph A. Curtatone is a Massachusetts politician. A Democrat, Curtatone has been the mayor of Somerville, Massachusetts since taking office in 2004.-Political career:...

.

Somerville is part of Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston and the immediately adjacent cities of Cambridge, Somerville, and Chelsea. With an area of just , it is the smallest by area of Massachusetts's ten congressional districts. It is currently represented...

 for purposes of elections to the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

. It is represented by Rep. Michael Capuano (Democrat), a former mayor of Somerville and a candidate for Ted Kennedy
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore "Ted" Kennedy was a United States Senator from Massachusetts and a member of the Democratic Party. Serving almost 47 years, he was the second most senior member of the Senate when he died and is the fourth-longest-serving senator in United States history...

's US Senate seat following Kennedy's death in 2009.

For representation to the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...

, Somerville is part of the "Second Middlesex" and "Middlesex, Suffolk, and Essex" districts. For representation to the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...

, Somerville is part of the 26th, 27th, and 34th Middlesex districts.
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 15, 2008
Party Number of Voters Percentage
Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

24,456 54.74%
Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

2,128 4.76%
Unaffiliated 17,636 39.48%
Minor Parties 453 1.01%
Total 44,673 100%

Education

Somerville Public Schools operates 11 schools for pre-K to grade 12 students, including the East Somerville Community School, which was temporarily closed after a fire in 2007, and as of 2009 is undergoing demolition and reconstruction. Also included in the school district is the Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences. The former Powder House Community School (which was closed due to low enrollment in 2004) is being considered for redevelopment, either as a consolidated location for city offices if funding is obtained under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, abbreviated ARRA and commonly referred to as the Stimulus or The Recovery Act, is an economic stimulus package enacted by the 111th United States Congress in February 2009 and signed into law on February 17, 2009, by President Barack Obama.To...

 or as some other type of development.

Police, fire and ambulance service

Somerville's Police Department responds to, investigates and prevents crime, responds to non-crime emergencies including fires, medical emergencies and accidents, and enforces traffic. They have divisions including the patrol division, neighborhood policing, special operations, auxiliary, K-9 unit, detective unit and traffic bureau. They operate marked patrol cars, unmarked cars, motorcycles, bikes, paddy wagons, traffic enforcement SUVs, speed monitoring trailers and an incident command truck. The Somerville Police operates out of a headquarters and two neighborhood substations. They respond to approximately 45,000 service calls a year. Somerville police officers all have Certified First Responder
Certified first responder
A certified first responder is a person who has completed a course and received certification in providing pre-hospital care for medical emergencies. They have more skill than someone who is trained in basic first aid but they are not a substitute for advanced medical care rendered by emergency...

 certification or are basic emergency medical technicians. The Somerville Police Department does not have a SWAT team, but relies on Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...

 or NEMLEC (northeastern Massachusetts law enforcement council) for SWAT support. SPD also has a communications division that takes 911 calls for police, fire and ambulance for the city of Somerville.

Somerville is protected full-time by the 150 professional firefighters of the Somerville Fire Department. The department provides fire suppression, training and prevention emergency medical services, hazardous materials response, water rescue, confined space rescue, trench rescue, and natural disaster response). The SFD runs at Basic Life Support
Basic life support
Basic life support is the level of medical care which is used for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries until the patient can be given full medical care at a hospital. It can be provided by trained medical personnel, including emergency medical technicians, paramedics, and by...

 emergency medical services level with about half the firefighters being Certified First Responders. The other half are basic Emergency Medical Technician
Emergency medical technician
Emergency Medical Technician or Ambulance Technician are terms used in some countries to denote a healthcare provider of emergency medical services...

s, and one firefighter is a Paramedic
Paramedic
A paramedic is a healthcare professional that works in emergency medical situations. Paramedics provide advanced levels of care for medical emergencies and trauma. The majority of paramedics are based in the field in ambulances, emergency response vehicles, or in specialist mobile units such as...

. SFD operates out of five fire stations located throughout the city, and maintains a fire apparatus fleet of six engines (one reserve engine in service if staffing allows), three ladders, a brand new heavy rescue unit, a rescue boat, a HAZMAT response truck and decontamination trailer, a rehab squad,a special operations truck, a lighting squad, a flood pump-out squad, an air supply unit, various cars, and a fire investigation unit. The SFD does not provide ambulances, but operates as medical first responders with the Somerville police department. The SFD responds to approximately 9,000 emergency calls per year.

The Cataldo Ambulance Service
Cataldo Ambulance Service
Cataldo Ambulance Service and Atlantic Ambulance Service provide dedicated ambulance services to twelve communities throughout the Greater Boston and North Shore areas in the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts...

 provides BLS and ALS, emergency and non-emergency ambulance coverage to the city of Somerville.
Engine Company Truck Company Special Unit Command Unit Address
Engine 1, Engine 4 Tower 1 651 Somerville Ave.
Engine 2 Ladder 2 Rescue 1 Car 2 (Deputy Chief) 378 Massachusetts Ave.
Engine 3 255 Somerville Ave.
Engine 6 Ladder 3 6 Newbury St.
Engine 7 Car 3 (District Chief) 265 Highland Ave.

Demographics

Somerville has a mix of blue collar
Blue collar
Blue collar can refer to:*Blue-collar worker, a traditional designation of the working class*Blue-collar crime, the types of crimes typically associated with the working class*A census designation...

 Irish-American, Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...

 and to a slightly lesser extent Portuguese American
Portuguese American
Portuguese Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates in the southwest European nation of Portugal, including the offshore island groups of the Azores and Madeira....

 families who are spread throughout the city; immigrant families from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

 and El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

, who live in East Somerville, from South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, in the Union Square
Union Square (Somerville)
Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, located around the intersection of Washington Street and Somerville Avenue, about half a mile from Inman Square in neighboring Cambridge. The name "Union Square" comes from the square having been used as a recruitment and mustering site...

 area, and college students and young professionals, many of whom live in sections near Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...

 where Harvard and MIT are located, or near Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

, which straddles the Somerville-Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...

 city line.

With only slightly over 4 square miles (10.4 km²) of land, Somerville is the most densely populated city in New England according to the 2000 Demographics of the United States
Demographics of the United States
As of today's date, the United States has a total resident population of , making it the third most populous country in the world. It is a very urbanized population, with 82% residing in cities and suburbs as of 2008 . This leaves vast expanses of the country nearly uninhabited...

.

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 77,478 people, 31,555 households, and 14,673 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 18,868.1 people per square mile (7,278.4/km²). There were 32,477 housing units at an average density of 7,909.1 per square mile (3,051.0/km²). 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
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, 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
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 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
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 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
Gentrification
Gentrification and urban gentrification refer to the changes that result when wealthier people acquire or rent property in low income and working class communities. Urban gentrification is associated with movement. Consequent to gentrification, the average income increases and average family size...

 since the Red Line
Red Line (MBTA)
The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...

 of Boston's subway
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 system was extended through Somerville in 1985, especially in the area between Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...

 and Tufts
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

 Universities, centering around Davis Square
Davis Square
Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :...

. Gentrification has historical cycles in the city of Somerville due to its proximity to these and many other colleges and universities. This was especially accelerated by the repeal of rent control
Rent control
Rent control refers to laws or ordinances that set price controls on the renting of residential housing. It functions as a price ceiling.Rent control exists in approximately 40 countries around the world...

 in the mid-1990s being directly followed by the Internet boom of the late 90s. Residential property values approximately quadrupled from 1991 to 2003 and the stock of rental housing decreased as lucrative condo conversions become commonplace. 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
Yuppie
Yuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...

" graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....

, appearing around town, have highlighted this rift. The economic clash between several areas of the city of Somerville and its neighboring cities of Boston, and in particular Cambridge, has created a culture of anti-intellectualism and anti-gentry sentiment that has spanned many generations.http://somervillenews.typepad.com/the_somerville_news/2005/10/somebody_hates_.html Symptoms of this include petty crime, and in some cases, violence against outsiders.http://www.provost-citywide.org/where-lexpark.html Recent years have seen the arrival of community groups such as Save Our Somerville (SOS), dedicated to improving relationships between old and new residents and ensuring that the concerns of the Somerville working class remain at the forefront of the city's political concerns. SOS in particular is headed by young residents of the city who claim to desire unity between all residents but also focus on the difficulties that young adults in Somerville face. They enjoy support from a number of well-known, local adults, including elected officials. Many such community-led groups find it difficult to attract wide support as many would-be advocates choose to move to other towns due to the density of the population or to the strong economic forces that have made Somerville an expensive city to live in.

In November 1997, the Utne Reader
Utne Reader
Utne Reader is an American bimonthly magazine. The magazine collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment from generally alternative media sources, including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music and DVDs...

named Davis Square
Davis Square
Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :...

 in Somerville one of the 15 hippest places to live in the U.S. The article illustrates how Somerville is in an era of socio-economic change shared by many other working-class and industrial areas of the country.

Culture

Though formally listed as being located in Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...

, Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

 is also located in Somerville. The Somerville-Medford line runs through Tufts' campus splitting the main library. The school employs many local residents and has many community service projects that benefit the city, especially those run through the Leonard Carmichael Society and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service
Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service
The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, is a college of Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts...

.

Similarly, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...

 lists its address in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...

, but has its main entrance on Beacon Street in Somerville.

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. Live music performance venues include Johnny D's, Somerville Theater, Precinct, Sally O'Briens, PA's Lounge, and others.

Two major art studios, the Brickbottom Artists Building and the Joy Street Studios, are located in former industrial buildings in the Brickbottom District of Somerville, located between McGrath Highway and the Fitchburg Line
Fitchburg Line
The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the...

 railroad tracks, adjacent to the Inner Belt District
Inner Belt District
The Inner Belt District is a district within Somerville, Massachusetts, named after the proposed Inner Belt Highway. It is bounded by Interstate 93, Route 28, and the Lowell and Fitchburg rail lines. Innerbelt Road runs through the center of the Inner Belt District intersecting with 3rd Avenue to...

. The Brickbottom Artists Association has been hosting annual open studio events in the fall since 1987.

Davis Square
Davis Square
Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :...

 is home to lively coffee houses, vintage stores and other independent retailers. It is also home to the Somerville Theatre
Somerville Theatre
The Somerville Theater is a movie theater and concert venue in Davis Square, located just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, in the city of Somerville in the United States of America. It is currently the only operating movie theater in Somerville since the closing of the theater complex at Assembly...

, which houses the Somerville branch of the Museum of Bad Art
Museum of Bad Art
The Museum of Bad Art is a privately owned museum whose stated aim is "to celebrate the labor of artists whose work would be displayed and appreciated in no other forum". It has two branches, one in Dedham, Massachusetts, and the other in nearby Somerville...

 and plays host to the Independent Film Festival of Boston
Independent Film Festival of Boston
The Independent Film Festival of Boston is a not for profit film festival in Boston, Massachusetts.- History :The Independent Film Festival of Boston was created in 2003 by the non-profit organization the Independent Film Society of Boston. The festival takes place each April in the Boston area's...

 each spring.

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. The Boston chapter of the Dorkbot
Dorkbot
Dorkbot is a group of affiliated organizations worldwide that sponsor grassroots meetings of artists, engineers, designers, scientists, inventors, and anyone else working under the very broad umbrella of electronic art...

 community meets in Somerville at the Willoughby & Baltic studio (in the Brickbottom district).

The Boston Review
Boston Review
Boston Review is a bimonthly American political and literary magazine. The magazine covers, specifically, political debates, literature, and poetry...

, a political and literary magazine, has its offices in the city and the public radio show Living on Earth
Living on Earth
Living on Earth is a weekly, hour-long and award-winning environmental news program distributed by Public Radio International.Hosted by Steve Curwood, the program features interviews and commentary on a broad range of ecological issues, exploring how humans interact with their landscape. The show...

is recorded in Davis Square.

Candlewick Press
Candlewick Press
Candlewick Press, established in 1991 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is the American division of the British publisher Walker Books Ltd....

, a major children's book printing company, is operated in Somerville.

Somerville boasts a large number of restaurants and taverns, including Redbones, The Independent, Gargoyles on the Square, Namaskar, Diva, Highland Kitchen, Taqueria la Mexicana, Dali and others. The Rosebud is a 1941 diner. Noteworthy cafes include Sherman's, Diesel, Bloc 11, True Grounds, The Biscuit, and the cupcake bakery Kickass Cupcakes.
There are numerous National Register of Historic Places listings in Somerville, Massachusetts.

Major highways

Massachusetts Route 28 runs north/south through Somerville, separating East Somerville from the rest of the city. Rte. 28 is called "McGrath Highway" from Cambridge to Interstate 93, and it is called the "Fellsway" north of I-93 and on into Medford.

Interstate 93
Interstate 93
Interstate 93 is an Interstate Highway in the New England section of the United States. Its southern terminus is in Canton, Massachusetts, in the Boston metropolitan area, at Interstate 95; its northern terminus is near St. Johnsbury, Vermont, at Interstate 91...

 runs northwest/southeast through Somerville, separating Ten Hills and Assembly Square
Assembly Square
Assembly Square is a mixed-use, smart growth development planned for along the Mystic River in Somerville, Massachusetts. The site is two miles from downtown Boston and accessible via I-93 and Route 28/Middlesex Fells Parkway....

 from the rest of the city. This massive highway is elevated for almost its entire length through Somerville and runs directly alongside and/or above Mystic Avenue (Massachusetts Route 38).

Rail

At present, rail transit serves periphery points of Somerville: to the northwest, Davis Square
Davis Square
Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :...

 on the Red Line
Red Line (MBTA)
The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...

 and to the southeast, Sullivan Square on the Orange Line
Orange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...

 at the border with Charlestown, providing easy access to Harvard Square
Harvard Square
Harvard Square is a large triangular area in the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street, and John F. Kennedy Street. It is the historic center of Cambridge...

 and to downtown Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

. Porter Square (just over the Cambridge border) also has Red Line service and an MBTA Commuter Rail
MBTA Commuter Rail
The MBTA Commuter Rail serves as the regional rail arm of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in the United States. It is operated under contract by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Company a joint partnership of Veolia Transportation, Bombardier Transportation and Alternate...

 station, providing access to Boston's North Station and to locations westward on the Fitchburg Line
Fitchburg Line
The Fitchburg Line is an MBTA line that runs from Boston's North Station to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The line is along the tracks of the former Fitchburg Railroad, which was a railroad line across northern Massachusetts, United States, leading to and through the Hoosac Tunnel. It is one of the...

.

Massachusetts state officials have agreed, both in court settlements and legislation, to extend the Green line
Green Line (MBTA)
The Green Line is a streetcar system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the United States. It is the oldest line of Boston's subway, which is known locally as the 'T'. The Green Line runs underground downtown and on the surface in outlying...

 rapid transit
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 system through Somerville. This would bring rail transit service to the core sections of Somerville. This commitment was made, in part, to offset the additional burdens in traffic and pollution within the city due to completion of the Big Dig infrastructure. The Green Line Extension would be built along existing commuter rail rights-of-way, and would extend service to much of central Somerville, to Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...

 and surrounding areas of Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...

, and (along a separate spur) to Union Square
Union Square (Somerville)
Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, located around the intersection of Washington Street and Somerville Avenue, about half a mile from Inman Square in neighboring Cambridge. The name "Union Square" comes from the square having been used as a recruitment and mustering site...

. Controversy has surrounded the repeated delays by the state in providing funding for the project, most recently when Governor Deval Patrick
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick is the 71st and current Governor of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served as an Assistant United States Attorney General under President Bill Clinton...

 decided to delay work an additional two years in order to seek up to $300 million in federal financing for the project. This decision makes it unlikely that the previous completion date of 2014 will be met.

In April 2008, Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a $3.5 billion transportation bond bill that includes the $600 million necessary to fund the Green Line extension. The target completion date remains 2014.

A new Orange Line
Orange Line (MBTA)
The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...

 station has been proposed, to be built near the Assembly Square Mall in eastern Somerville, between the existing Sullivan
Sullivan Square (MBTA station)
Sullivan Square is a station on the MBTA rapid transit Orange Line, and a major bus transfer point. It was also a major transfer point on the old Charlestown Elevated, with two streetcar loops for free transfers, later converted for trackless trolleys and buses.The first Sullivan Square station...

 and Wellington
Wellington (MBTA station)
Wellington is a MBTA station on the Orange Line, located in Medford, Massachusetts, USA on the Revere Beach Parkway slightly east of its intersection with Route 28....

 stations.

Bus

The city is served by buses that connect to these subway stations:
  • Orange Line
    Orange Line (MBTA)
    The Orange Line is one of the four subway lines of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. It extends from Forest Hills in Jamaica Plain, Boston in the south to Oak Grove in Malden, Massachusetts in the north. It meets the Red Line at Downtown Crossing, the Blue Line at State, and the Green...

     stations:
    • Sullivan Square in Charlestown
    • Wellington in Medford
    • Malden in Malden

  • Red Line
    Red Line (MBTA)
    The Red Line is a rapid transit line operated by the MBTA running roughly north-south through Boston, Massachusetts into neighboring communities. The line begins west of Boston, in Cambridge, Massachusetts at Alewife station, near the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Route 2...

     stations:
    • Davis Square in Somerville
    • Kendall, Central, Harvard, and Porter in Cambridge

  • Green Line
    Green Line (MBTA)
    The Green Line is a streetcar system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the United States. It is the oldest line of Boston's subway, which is known locally as the 'T'. The Green Line runs underground downtown and on the surface in outlying...

     stations:
    • Lechmere in East Cambridge
    • Cleveland Circle and Reservoir, at the Brighton/Brookline line


Local news media

The city is served by a number of news sources, including:

Notable residents

  • Isaac Asimov
    Isaac Asimov
    Isaac Asimov was an American author and professor of biochemistry at Boston University, best known for his works of science fiction and for his popular science books. Asimov was one of the most prolific writers of all time, having written or edited more than 500 books and an estimated 90,000...

    , science fiction author, while a professor at Boston University
    Boston University
    Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...

     in the 1950s (1920–1992)
  • Robert A. Bruce
    Robert A. Bruce
    Robert Arthur Bruce was an internationally recognized cardiologist and a professor at the University of Washington...

    , academic cardiologist (1916–2004)
  • Mat Bruso, vocalist, former lead singer of Bury Your Dead
    Bury Your Dead
    Bury Your Dead is an American metalcore band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States, formed in 2001. To date they have had eight releases; one EP: Bury Your Dead, one live DVD: Alive, and six studio albums: You Had Me at Hello, Cover Your Tracks, Beauty and the Breakdown, Bury Your Dead, It's...

  • Steve Buckley, Boston Herald sports columnist
  • Michael E. Capuano, US
    United States
    The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

     Congressman
    United States House of Representatives
    The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

    ; Mayor of Somerville (1990–1998) (b. 1952)
  • Haroutioun Hovanes Chakmakjian
    Haroutioun Hovanes Chakmakjian
    Haroutioun Hovanes Chakmakjian was a published scientist, as well as the father of American composer Alan Hovhaness.-Family/Early background:...

     (1878–1973), chemistry professor, Armenian scholar, and father of Alan Hovhaness
    Alan Hovhaness
    Alan Hovhaness was an Armenian-American composer.His music is accessible to the lay listener and often evokes a mood of mystery or contemplation...

  • Richard Carle
    Richard Carle
    Richard Carle was an American film actor. He appeared in 132 films between 1915 and 1941.He was born as Charles Nicholas Carleto in Somerville, Massachusetts...

    , comic film actor (1871–1941)
  • Gosder Cherilus
    Gosder Cherilus
    Gosder Cherilus is an American football offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions 17th overall in the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Boston College.- Family :...

    , starting offensive tackle for the Detroit Lions
    Detroit Lions
    The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...

     football team
  • Hal Clement
    Hal Clement
    Harry Clement Stubbs better known by the pen name Hal Clement, was an American science fiction writer and a leader of the hard science fiction subgenre.-Biography:...

    , science fiction author (1922–2003)
  • Hal Connolly, Olympic gold medalist in the hammer throw (1931-2010)
  • Bob Cousy
    Bob Cousy
    Robert Joseph "Bob" Cousy is a retired American professional basketball player. The 6'1" , 175-pound Cousy played point guard with the National Basketball Association's Boston Celtics from 1951 to 1963 and briefly with the Cincinnati Royals in the 1969–70 season...

    , NBA Hall of Famer
  • George Dilboy
    George Dilboy
    George Dilboy , , Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company H, 103d Infantry, 26th Division is thought to be the first Greek-American to receive the Medal of Honor during World War I, for leading an attack on a machinegun position and continuing to fire at the enemy despite being seriously...

    , recipient of Medal of Honor
    Medal of Honor
    The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...

     (1896–1918)
  • Antje Duvekot
    Antje Duvekot
    Antje Duvekot is a singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Somerville, Massachusetts. holds three top songwriting awards, including the Kerrville New Folk Competition's Best New Folk Award, Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act and Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting...

    , singer/songwriter
  • Jonathan Franzen
    Jonathan Franzen
    Jonathan Franzen is an American novelist and essayist. His third novel, The Corrections , a sprawling, satirical family drama, drew widespread critical acclaim, earned Franzen a National Book Award, and was a finalist for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction...

    , author (lived in Somerville during his early writing career; references to Tufts and Somerville appear in his Strong Motion)
  • Nick Gomez
    Nick Gomez
    Nick Gomez is an American film director and actor. He has directed for a number of television and film studios. He has also acted in a few minor films...

    , television and movie director (b. 1963)
  • Arthur Skinny Graham
    Arthur Skinny Graham
    Arthur William "Skinny" Graham was an outfielder for the Boston Red Sox. He played for the Red Sox in 1934 and 1935. His career as a major leaguer was ended by an injury to his left elbow caused by a collision at home plate.- External links :* at baseball-reference.com...

    , Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

     outfielder (1909–1967)
  • Henry Kimball Hadley
    Henry Kimball Hadley
    Henry Kimball Hadley was an American composer and conductor.-Life:Hadley was born into a musical family in Somerville, Massachusetts...

    , composer and conductor (1871–1937)
  • Hank Hansen, raiser of the first flag in the Battle of Iwo Jima
    Battle of Iwo Jima
    The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...

  • Alan Hovhaness
    Alan Hovhaness
    Alan Hovhaness was an Armenian-American composer.His music is accessible to the lay listener and often evokes a mood of mystery or contemplation...

    , composer (1911–2000)
  • James Hutchinson
    James Hutchinson (musician)
    James "Hutch" Hutchinson is an American bassist best known for his work with Bonnie Raitt.-Early life:James Hutchinson grew up in Cambridge and Somerville Massachusetts.- Career :...

    , musician
  • Pagan Kennedy
    Pagan Kennedy
    Pagan Kennedy is an author and pioneer of the 1990s zine movement, along with writer/publishers like Lisa Crystal Carver of Rollerderby, Jim Goad of ANSWER Me! and Larry Crane of Tape Op. Her autobiographical zine Pagan's Head detailed her life...

    , author
  • Moses E. Kiley
    Moses E. Kiley
    Moses Elias Kiley was a Canadian-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Trenton and Archbishop of Milwaukee .-Early life and education:...

    , Roman Catholic Archbishop of Milwaukee
  • Jake Kilrain
    Jake Kilrain
    Jake Kilrain was the popular name of John Joseph Killion, a famous bare knuckle fighter and glove boxer of the 1880s.- Early life :...

    , famous bare knuckle fighter and glove boxer of the 1880s
  • Jennifer Kimball
    Jennifer Kimball
    Jennifer Kimball is a vocalist and songwriter who is notable for being part of the acclaimed folk duo The Story. She is a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter and has released two albums Veering from the Wave and Oh Hear Us....

    , singer/songwriter
  • Steven Levitt
    Steven Levitt
    Steven David "Steve" Levitt is an American economist known for his work in the field of crime, in particular on the link between legalized abortion and crime rates. Winner of the 2004 John Bates Clark Medal, he is currently the William B...

    , economist and author
  • Howie Long
    Howie Long
    Howard "Howie" Matthew Moses Long is an American former National Football League defensive end and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000...

    , NFL player, member Football Hall of Fame
    Pro Football Hall of Fame
    The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...

     (b. 1960)
  • Marc Maron
    Marc Maron
    Marc Maron is an American stand-up comedian and podcast host.He has been host of The Marc Maron Show, and co-host of both Morning Sedition, and Breakroom Live, all politically-oriented shows, produced under the auspices of Air America Media. He was also the host of Comedy Central's Short Attention...

    , comedian, host of WTF with Marc Maron
    WTF with Marc Maron
    WTF with Marc Maron is a twice-weekly podcast hosted by stand up comedian Marc Maron. The show launched in September 2009. The program primarily consists of interviews with comedians and comedy writers, as well as others in the entertainment and radio communities...

  • Claire Messud
    Claire Messud
    Claire Messud is an American novelist. She is best known as the author of the 2006 novel The Emperor's Children.-Early life:...

    , novelist
  • F. Mark Modzelewski
    F. Mark Modzelewski
    Francis Marek Modzelewski is a technology entrepreneur, investor and pundit born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, USA.Modzelewski is involved in co-founding and developing new technology companies and was recently involved in the launch of microbial fuel cell company Trophos Energy...

    , entrepreneur
  • Connie Morella
    Connie Morella
    Constance Albanese "Connie" Morella is a Republican United States politician who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2003. She also served as Permanent Representative to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development from 2003 to 2007. She...

    , former U.S. Representative from Maryland
    Maryland
    Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

  • Randall Munroe
    Randall Munroe
    Randall Patrick Munroe is an American webcomic author and former NASA roboticist as well as a programmer, best known as the creator of the webcomic xkcd...

    , creator of xkcd
    Xkcd
    xkcd is a webcomic created by Randall Munroe. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." It has been recognized in such mainstream media as The Guardian and The New York Times....

  • Barack Obama
    Barack Obama
    Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

    , (while attending Harvard Law School
    Harvard Law School
    Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...

    ) President of the United States
  • Howard Petrie
    Howard Petrie
    Howard Alexander Petrie was an American radio, television, and film actor.-Early life:Howard Petrie was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on November 22, 1906...

    , actor (1906–1968)
  • Bobby "Boris" Pickett, composer "Monster Mash
    Monster Mash
    "Monster Mash" is a 1962 novelty song and the best-known song by Bobby "Boris" Pickett. The song was released as a single on Gary S. Paxton's Garpax Records label in August 1962 along with a full-length LP called The Original Monster Mash, which contained several other monster-themed tunes...

    " (1938–2007)
  • Harry Nelson Pillsbury
    Harry Nelson Pillsbury
    Harry Nelson Pillsbury , was a leading chess player. At age 22, he won one of the strongest tournaments of the time , but his illness and early death prevented him from challenging for the World Chess Championship.- Early life :Pillsbury was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, moved to New York City...

    , chess
    Chess
    Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

     champion (1872–1906)
  • Archibald Query
    Archibald Query
    In 1917, Archibald Query invented Marshmallow Fluff, a special formula of marshmallow creme. Query developed the recipe in his kitchen, initially selling it door-to-door. With the advent of World War I there were serious shortages of sugar, one of the basic ingredients. With his business faltering,...

    , inventor of Marshmallow Fluff
    Marshmallow creme
    Marshmallow creme is an American food item. It is a very sweet, spreadable, marshmallow-like confection. Marshmallow creme and peanut butter are used to create a fluffernutter sandwich...

  • Josh Ritter
    Josh Ritter
    Josh Ritter is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and author who performs and records with The Royal City Band. Ritter is known for his distinctive Americana style and narrative lyrics. In 2006 he was named one of the "100 Greatest Living Songwriters" by Paste magazine.- Early life :Josh...

    , singer-songwriter, while beginning his music career
  • Lloyd Schwartz
    Lloyd Schwartz
    Lloyd Schwartz is an American poet who is Frederick S. Troy Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts Boston...

    , poet, scholar and Pulitzer Prize-winning critic (b. 1941)
  • John Shea
    John Shea
    John Victor Shea III is an American actor and director who has starred on stage, television and in film. He is best known for his role as Lex Luthor in the 1990s TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and also starred in the short lived 1990s TV series WIOU as Hank Zaret...

    , playwright (b. 1964)
  • Paul Sorrento
    Paul Sorrento
    Paul Anthony Sorrento is a former first baseman in Major League Baseball. From 1989 through 1999, Sorrento played for the Minnesota Twins , Cleveland Indians , Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Devil Rays . He batted left-handed and threw right-handed...

    , Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball
    Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

     player from 1989 to 1999 (b. 1965)
  • Daniel C. Stillson http://www.bochynski.com/stillson, inventor of the Stillson pipe wrench
    Pipe wrench
    The pipe wrench is an adjustable wrench used for turning soft iron pipes and fittings with a rounded surface. The design of the adjustable jaw allows it to rock in the frame, such that any forward pressure on the handle tends to pull the jaws tighter together. Teeth angled in the direction of turn...

    , (1830–1899)
  • Leonard H. Tower Jr.
    Leonard H. Tower Jr.
    Leonard "Len" H. Tower Jr. is a free software activist and one of the founding board members of the Free Software Foundation,where he contributed to the initial releases of gcc and GNU diff. He left the Free Software Foundation in 1997....

    , free software activist
    Activism
    Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...

    , software hacker, and founding member of the Board of Directors
    Board of directors
    A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...

     of the Free Software Foundation
    Free Software Foundation
    The Free Software Foundation is a non-profit corporation founded by Richard Stallman on 4 October 1985 to support the free software movement, a copyleft-based movement which aims to promote the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software...

  • David Warsh
    David Warsh
    David Warsh is a journalist and author who has generally covered topics in economics and finance. Since 2002, he has written and published Economic Principals, a weekly series of essays about economics and economists....

    , economics journalist
  • David Foster Wallace
    David Foster Wallace
    David Foster Wallace was an American author of novels, essays, and short stories, and a professor at Pomona College in Claremont, California...

    , author
  • Winter Hill Gang
    Winter Hill Gang
    The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...

    • Alex Rocco
      Alex Rocco
      Alex Rocco is an American actor. His roles have ranged from comedy to playing gangsters in Mafia movies.-Early life:...

      , Emmy Award-winning actor, Winter Hill Gang
      Winter Hill Gang
      The Winter Hill Gang is a structured confederation of Boston, Massachusetts-area organized crime figures, predominantly Irish-American with a small Italian-American faction. It derives its name from the Winter Hill neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts north of Boston. Its members have...

       (b. 1936)
    • James "Buddy" McLean, Winter Hill Gang boss (1929–1965)
    • James "Jimmy" Simms, Winter Hill Gang
    • Salvatore Sperlinga, Winter Hill Gang
    • Howie Winter
      Howie Winter
      Howard Thomas "Howie" Winter is an American mobster. He was the second leader of the infamous Winter Hill Gang.-Early life:...

      , Winter Hill Gang boss
  • James Wood
    James Wood (critic)
    James Wood is a literary critic, essayist and novelist. he is Professor of the Practice of Literary Criticism at Harvard University and a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine.-Background and education:...

    , literary critic
  • Paul Wylie
    Paul Wylie
    Paul Stanton Wylie is an American figure skater and 1992 Olympic silver medalist.-Biography:Born in Dallas, Texas, Wylie began skating at the age of three. At age eleven, his family moved to Denver, Colorado, where he began to train with Carlo Fassi...

    , U.S. Olympic figure skater (1992 Silver Medalist) (b. 1964)
  • Evan Ziporyn
    Evan Ziporyn
    Evan Ziporyn is an American composer of post-minimalist music and music for Balinese gamelans. He plays the clarinet, bass clarinet, saxophone, and metallophone, borrowing from classical music, avant-garde, and jazz...

    , composer (b. 1959)

External links

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