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

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

East Somerville still feels much less safe than the rest of the city, and West Somerville more safe. Central Somerville is getting nicer all the time, with the slow spread of Davis Squareism eastward.

We bought a house recently on the north side of Highland, south of the commuter rail line, between Lowell and Central, which I gather puts us a bit further into "townie" areas than arakasi and spyrit. It's a mixed neighborhood, slowly gentrifying. The brother of a friend of ours is on the police force; he advised us the neighborhood is generally okay. It's still a city. The bike path CAN be a problem at night.

Does "queer-friendliness" tell you anything? There's a fair number of rainbow stickers on cars on our block and nobody seems bent out of shape. Nice for us, since only one member of our household is straight.

Pros for Somerville: 1. good public transit in most areas, 2. good arts and culture scene, especially Davis Square but elsewhere too, 3. has kept some of the good/energetic diversity while gentrifying in decent ways, 4. has many areas where it feels okay to be non-straight, non-white, or "different" in other ways.

Cons for Somerville: 1. hideously expensive, 2. eventually, the gentrification will probably be a bad thing too, (are you familiar with the history of Harvard or Central Squares, for example?) 3. many houses are in serious need of work despite their high price tags, 4. any kids? watch out for lead paint issues, 5. hideously expensive.

Overall, we like it.

[enochs-fable.livejournal.com]

I am envious of your mighty purchasing power. I'd love to live here (or Medford) one day... but I doubt it.

I'm aware of what has happened to Harvard Square - less sure what you mean about Central Square?

Having worked in Central off-and-on, it feels much safer than, say, five years ago, but it's still struggling, and there are still a number of areas I wouldn't feel safe walking by myself at night.

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

Tradeoffs: safety, diversity, money, etc. Central Square is far nicer than it was five, ten, fifteen years ago. Also much more corporate. Some nice old businesses have been forced out. It's great that any of it is safe, sad that some of its history and charm was the price.

We're aware that, with our purchasing power and whiteness, we represent potential loss of diversity in our neighborhood, even as we are fixing up a house that needed it. The balance is tough.

[othniel77.livejournal.com]

It is a tad on the expensive side, which I've noticed is common to most areas with a T stop (I currently live in Quincy - the South Shore is much pricier).

Culture, arts, and acceptance of diversity very important to me. (I'm "one of those goths" that hangs out at Diesel every Thursday).

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

Quite likely we've crossed on the sidewalk if you frequent the Diesel. :)

I didn't realize the South Shore was pricier than Somerville, though. Egads.

Best of luck. I think Somerville is well worth a look.