East Somerville is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of Somerville, United States. The community stretches east along Broadway, from Massachusetts Route 28 to Sullivan Square and Interstate 93 on the city line with the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown. [1]
Originally part of Charlestown, East Somerville is one of the oldest and most densely settled areas of Somerville. Initially a farming community where Charlestown residents pastured their cows, East Somerville later provided respite from the stresses of Boston and city life when roads, bridges and the arrival of the railroad made it an accessible and convenient location.
One of the most significant historic events featuring East Somerville was Paul Revere's "Midnight Ride" in 1775. On his journey, he rode his horse starting from Charlestown down Washington Street and up Crescent Street near the present-day Holiday Inn. Revere then rode directly onto Broadway, which brought him through Winter Hill to Medford. Every year on Patriots' Day, Somerville celebrates the historical ride through the town. [2]
In the 19th century, East Somerville was distinguished by a drumlin, a long, oval mound of clay formed by glacial movement, called Mt. Benedict. Led by a group Roman Catholic Ursuline nuns, the primarily Italian-American Mt. Benedict community founded a convent and school in 1824 overlooking the Mystic River. The school began to enroll primarily the daughters of the Protestant (primarily liberal Unitarian) upper classes of Boston; by 1834 there were 47 students, only six of whom were Catholic. The lower classes of Boston, predominantly conservative Protestants, came to see the perceived union between two classes of people they distrusted as a threat. This inflamed religious tensions in the area, and anti-Catholic protestors in Boston began agitating and crossed into what was then part of Charlestown. During the ensuing conflict, a Protestant mob burned the convent to the ground on August 11, 1834. The land was later sold off and used to fill the nearby marshes. Today, some people still refer to the area north of Broadway as the ‘Nunnery Grounds’ alluding to this incident. [3]
In the 1840s and 1850s, extensive development began with an urban model that called for narrow streets and small residential lots. The buildings from this era provide a distinguished collection of Greek Revival and Italianate style houses that are important to East Somerville. Many examples of this architecture can be found on upper Mt. Vernon, Mt. Pleasant and Perkins Streets. Pearl Street was developed in the 1870s and 1880s as a grand boulevard on the ridge overlooking Boston, with large single family homes that have since been subdivided. [4]
East Somerville is also home to Mudflat, an arts center, the Somerville East Branch Library, and has quick access to the Assembly neighborhood, which is transforming into a busy and lively neighborhood, leaving behind its industrial past and giving way to an innovative future.
Since the 1890s, the area had been inhabited mostly by Irish, Italian, French Canadian and Greek immigrants. The first recent distinct ethnic group to come to Somerville were from Cape Verde, and began to arrive in the 1960s and 1970s. The Cape Verdean American population marked the beginning of a Portuguese language community that has increased ever since. Since the mid-1970s other groups have flocked to the area as well, including Haitians, Salvadorans, Brazilians and people from other Latin American countries. Attracted by the affordable housing, good schools and the proximity to Boston, East Somerville is today the densest and most diverse neighborhood in the city. [5]
Most Salvadorans who reside in East Somerville come from Yucuaiquín, a municipality of La Unión Department of El Salvador. Yucuaiquinences came to East Somerville as early as the 1970s. The neighborhood was their destination of choice when they arrived in the United States, as a result of a friend or relative already living here. [6] As of the early 2000s Yucuaiquinences continue to arrive in East Somerville, but at a much lower rate than earlier years. As Yucuaiquinence immigration into East Somerville decreased, immigration from other Salvadoran municipalities (notably La Palma, Chalatenango and Metapán) have increased.
While several rail lines traverse East Somerville, no rapid transit or commuter rail lines stop in East Somerville. The Sullivan Square station on the MBTA Orange Line is located just to the east of East Somerville, in Charlestown, while the Assembly Orange Line station lies immediately to the north in Assembly Square. Several bus lines also travel through East Somerville, including the 80, 90, 91 and the CT2. These buses provide feeder service to the rapid transit lines and employment centers, but suffer from travel delays on congested local roads. [7] Broadway, or East Broadway, is the neighborhood business corridor, with a variety of restaurants, boutiques, and shops. It is also a major thoroughfare and gives access to Route 28 and Interstate 93.
The Green Line Extension north from Lechmere opened in 2022, with service to East Somerville station (formerly Brickbottom) beginning in December. The station is situated on Washington Street near Joy Street.
Somerville is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area of 4.12 square miles (10.7 km2), the city has a density of 19,671/sq mi (7,595/km2), making it the most densely populated municipality in New England and the 19th most densely populated incorporated municipality in the country. Somerville was established as a town in 1842, when it was separated from Charlestown. In 2006, the city was named the best-run city in Massachusetts by The Boston Globe. In 1972, 2009, and 2015, the city received the All-America City Award. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus along the Somerville and Medford border. Tufts, alongside Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, makes up one corner of the Brain Power Triangle, which thus includes the city of Somerville.
Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States. Also called Mishawum by the Massachusett, it is located on a peninsula north of the Charles River, across from downtown Boston, and also adjoins the Mystic River and Boston Harbor waterways. Charlestown was laid out in 1629 by engineer Thomas Graves, one of its earliest settlers, during the reign of Charles I of England. It was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue. The name is often used to refer to the West Somerville neighborhood surrounding the square as well.
Union Square is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. It is centered on Union Square proper, which is located at the intersection of Washington Street, Webster Avenue, and Somerville Avenue.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) operates 152 bus routes in the Greater Boston area. The MBTA has a policy objective to provide transit service within walking distance for all residents living in areas with population densities greater than 5,000 inhabitants per square mile (1,900/km2) within the MBTA's service district. Much of this service is provided by bus. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 91,459,700, or about 322,600 per weekday as of the third quarter of 2024.
The Boston Elevated Railway (BERy) was a streetcar and rapid transit railroad operated on, above, and below, the streets of Boston, Massachusetts and surrounding communities. Founded in 1894, it eventually acquired the West End Street Railway via lease and merger to become the city's primary mass transit provider. Its modern successor is the state-run Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), which continues to operate in part on infrastructure developed by BERy and its predecessors.
The Grand Junction Railroad is an 8.55-mile (13.76 km) long railroad in the Boston, Massachusetts, area, connecting the railroads heading west and north from Boston. The line is notable for its railroad bridge over the Charles River that passes under the Boston University Bridge between Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Sullivan Square station is a rapid transit station on the MBTA subway Orange Line, located adjacent to Sullivan Square in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is a major transfer point for MBTA bus service, with 12 routes using a two-level busway. The station has two island platforms serving the two active Orange Line tracks plus an unused third track. The Haverhill Line and Newburyport/Rockport Line pass through the station on separate tracks but do not stop.
Winter Hill is a neighborhood in Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. It takes its name from the 120-foot hill that occupies its landscape, the name of which dates back to the 18th century. Winter Hill is located roughly north of Medford Street, west of McGrath Highway, and east of Magoun Square.
East Cambridge is a neighborhood of Cambridge, Massachusetts. East Cambridge is bounded by the Charles River and the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston on the east, the Somerville border on the north, Broadway and Main Street on the south, and the railroad tracks on the west. Most of the streets form a grid aligned with Cambridge Street, which was laid out to directly connect what is now the Charles River Dam Bridge with what in 1809 was the heart of Cambridge, Harvard Square. The northern part of the grid is a roughly six by eight block residential area. Cambridge Street itself is retail commercial, along with Monsignor O'Brien Highway, the Twin Cities Plaza strip mall, and the enclosed Cambridgeside Galleria. Lechmere Square is the transportation hub for the northern side. The southern half of the grid is largely office and laboratory space for hundreds of dot-com companies, research labs and startups associated with MIT, biotechnology firms including Genzyme, Biogen and Moderna, the Athenaeum Press Building, light industry, an NRG Energy power station, and various small businesses. This half of the neighborhood is generally identified with Kendall Square. Along the waterfront are several hotels and taller apartment buildings.
Orient Heights station is a rapid transit station in Boston, Massachusetts. The station serves the MBTA Blue Line. It is located off Bennington Street in East Boston's Orient Heights neighborhood. Formerly a Boston, Revere Beach and Lynn Railroad station under various names from 1875 to 1940, it reopened in 1952. The 1952-built station was closed in March 2013 for a complete rebuilding to provide full accessibility and reopened on November 26, 2013.
The history of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) and its predecessors spans two centuries, starting with one of the oldest railroads in the United States. Development of mass transportation both followed existing economic and population patterns, and helped shape those patterns.
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 six-way intersection of College Avenue, Broadway, Warner Street, and Powder House Boulevard. Powder House Square stands at the southern tip of Tufts University's main Somerville/Medford campus, and borders the northern edge of Nathan Tufts Park. The square takes its name from the 18th century Powder House, which overlooks the rotary from Nathan Tufts Park.
The Inner Belt District is a 126-acre (0.51 km2) industrial district located in the southeastern portion of Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. Along with nearby Brickbottom, the Inner Belt is a historically industrial zone of Somerville, with factories, warehouses, distribution centers, railroad connections, regional maintenance facilities, MBTA and Amtrak offices, retail stores and a hotel.
The Green Line Extension (GLX) was a construction project to extend the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line light rail system northwest into Somerville and Medford, two inner suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts. The project opened in two phases in 2022 at a total cost of $2.28 billion. Total ridership on the 4.3-mile (6.9 km) extension is estimated to reach 45,000 one-way trips per day in 2030.
Ball Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located at Ball Square in Somerville and Medford, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.
Gilman Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located at Gilman Square in Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.
East Somerville station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located in southeastern Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Medford Branch. It opened on December 12, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line, and is served by the E branch.
Union Square station is a light rail station on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Green Line located in the Union Square neighborhood of southeastern Somerville, Massachusetts. The accessible terminal station has a single island platform serving the two tracks of the Union Square Branch, which parallels the Fitchburg Line. It opened on March 21, 2022, as part of the Green Line Extension (GLX), which added two northern branches to the Green Line.
Brickbottom is an industrial district located in southeastern Somerville, Massachusetts, United States. Along with the nearby Inner Belt District, Brickbottom is a historically industrial zone of Somerville, with factories, warehouses, distribution centers, railroad connections, regional maintenance facilities, MBTA and Amtrak offices, retail stores and a hotel.
42°23′06″N71°04′59″W / 42.385°N 71.083°W
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