somerville - pro's and con's

[othniel77.livejournal.com]

Dear Somervillians,

I am looking at real estate in the Somerville area specifically, and I was wondering if anyone could give me a list of 3-5 pro's and con's about S'ville.

Also, are there any sections I should specifically avoid due to "safety issues" (i.e., gangs, crackhouses, landlords who enjoy setting fires to collect insurance $, etc.)

Thanks in advance!

Comments

[slavetomrcoffee.livejournal.com]

here's a con: as opposed to medford, parking is basically not allowed on the street unless you pay $$ to the town hall. so you are SOL if you don't have a driveway.

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

Unless it's changed within the last year, the fee for a parking permit is nominal--less than $5 if I recall correctly. And that allows parking anywhere in Somerville, not just in the zone where you live, so it's not that much of a con.

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Partially true. You don't need to bribe any city officials...If your neighborhood is resident-only, you need to buy a resident-parking sticker. Which costs, I think, $10. I wouldn't disqualify Somerville over ten dollars!

You're required to move your car for streetcleaning (twice a month), and for declared snow emergencies in the winter. But I assume the same is true for Medford.

[othniel77.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't mind shelling out $10 for a parking sticker; it's alot more comforting than the risk of getting towed.

[danger-chick.livejournal.com]

I live on top of Spring Hill and I have to pay the $5/year for the parking sticker. My bf lives at the bottom of Spring Hill on the (closer to) Union Sq side five blocks away and all the streets in that area are no-permit. So I think the parking sticker might be localized to only certain areas.

I've lived on the Cambridge/Somerville line for 11 years this fall. I've never had any problems. Of course, I have always lived below Highland Street. Also, I've been here so long that, while I am a student, I might have moved into townie status.

but but but

[arakasi.livejournal.com]

parking on SOME streets is unrestricted. don't need a permit, don't need anything. i never knew this myself until we moved into our current location, went to the somerville office of bitter bureaucrats and were informed that we didn't need to purchase the parking permits we came there for. for some reason, there are just a few streets where anyone can park anytime like they like (except during street cleaning of course!).

Re: but but but

[fidgetmonster.livejournal.com]

Would they give you a permit if you gave them the $5? Yeah, you save five bucks because of where you live, but you don't get the benefit of being able to park anywhere in Somerville! That seems unfair.