East Somerville

For the reasons stated above, East Somerville is quickly becoming akin to Brooklyn’s hipster enclaves, Williamsburg and Greenpoint. Cheap rent and easy access to Boston’s industries and colleges make it ideal for young adults with a penchant for the creative. As a bit of local evidence, rather than a shopping mall or Best Buy, there are two schools for pottery and one for martial arts within this nabe. It has the requisite low-rent apartments and eclectic culture suitable for those right-branded Bostonians.

To keep those hipsters entertained, Broadway is chock-a-block full of restaurants (and killer tacos at Taco Loco), some good watering holes (Tavern at the End of the World), and public events.

Even if you don’t decide to move out here for the thriving culture, make sure to visit East Somerville during the summer for a laid-back afternoon that won’t burst your wallet. To be sure, if it’s popularity continues to grow, East Somerville’s offerings will transform into something that’s more of a tourist/dilettante trap than anything else.

Ryan B.

East Somerville is a gentrifying, community-focused neighborhood with cheap eats, apartments and fun neighborhood festivals like the Fluff Fest (celebrating the creation of that marshmallow-y goodness) and summer and spring main street celebrations.

There is still a working class, blue collar vibe, but it’s mixed with young professionals who are looking for cheaper rent and a strong community vibe. There’s restaurants like the lobster-mecca Mount Vernon and cheap eats like Taco Loco within walking distance.

Nearby Union Square has great dining and bar options like The Independent and The Journeyman. Transportation links are good, with the Orange Line at Sullivan Square and bus routes running through. Safety used to be more of a concern in East Somerville, but it’s gotten better in the last few years or so. Still, I would be careful walking around at night, especially around Foss Park.

This is a really adorable town full of people that really seem to want to be part of a little community. Everyone really seems to be involved in making improvements to the nabe and it shows. It’s a working class neighborhood and super diverse ethnically and even when it comes to age (a more recent development) with more young people (a lot of couples) moving out here because it’s close to Cambridge. Rent isn’t super high and spaces are fairly large which are both bonuses! Back to the community aspect, it seems like the nabe tries to do a lot of collective things: festivals, they have a cookbook, and movie nights etc. It’s really endearing and refreshing to see a neighborhood maintain this sense of “togetherness.” This being said, this is definitely more of a family oriented neighborhood and doesn’t really cater to you swingers and shakers out there who crave a hopping nightlife!

Mallory C.