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

[jencallisto]

Just want to put in a word for the Union Square area. I've lived on Prospect Hill (in the area sort of between Union Square and McGrath Hwy) for three years now and have always felt safe. Admittedly, I wouldn't necessarily want to walk west towards Sullivan Square alone in the middle of the night, but there are so many other options that it doesn't much matter. Union Square is a great, diverse little neighborhood -- an interesting combination of longstanding families, immigrant families, and young professional and student renters, but at least on the Hill it seems to be perfectly amicable. There are lots of terrific restaurants, and it's pretty cheap in comparison to the Davis Square area because it's not on the Red Line. But there are many convenient buses (to Central, Harvard, Porter, Davis, Kendall during working hours, Lechmere, and Sullivan).

Admittedly, I'm moving to the Davis Square area (this Sunday! eep!), which I love too, but I know I'm going to miss Union Square and Prospect Hill.