Overview of Somerville: Neighborhoods

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Winter Hill, Located roughly north of Highland Avenue and west of the McGrath Highway, Winter Hill is home to a mix of restored homes and aluminium-sided fixer-uppers, replete with china gnomes and bathtub Virgin Marys. Once known as the home base of Irish gangsters Whitey Bulger (currently on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list), James "Buddy" McLean, Howie Winter and the notorious Winter Hill Gang, Winter Hill is now, like much of the rest of Somerville, experiencing gentrification and a resulting rise in property values and rents. Despite these changes, the area continues to hang onto its neighborhood flavor and is home to a large community of Irish, Italians, Brazilians, Portuguese, Cape Verdeans, and other ethnic groups.

Davis Square, This is a great late-night summer hangout, especially given that J.P. Licks is here. (J.P. Licks is a trendy local ice cream shop, also seen on Newbury Street in Boston.) It's right on the Red Line, and also a major bus transfer point. Tons of college folk linger in the brick plaza. The Somerville Theatre doubles as a second-run movie house and music venue. Davis Square has several coffeehouses, most notably the locally owned Diesel Cafe on Elm Street, that draw people day and night.

Teele Square, Just up the street from Davis Square (heading west) it has a lot to offer in way of local restaurants. It's less crowded than Davis Square and less trendy. Head up this way if you're looking for good subs and pizza (Angelina's), Mexican food (Rudy's), or multi-ethnic Mediterranean fare from the Balkans and beyond (Sabur).

Union Square, It is not on the Red Line, so it's a bit off the beaten path. It is only a 15 minute walk from the Sullivan Square Orange Line station, and there are MBTA www.mbta.com buses arriving from Central, Harvard, Porter, Davis, Lechmere, and Sullivan Square T stops. (It's a nice walk in good weather from the West, but the neighborhoods to the East are less nice. There are a number lots of Brazilian restaurants and stores around, including a Brazilian butcher-slash-convenience store. The Brazilian community extends to Inman Square (Cambridge) and there's another pocket in Allston. There's also Indian, Mexican, and Peruvian fare here. It's a nice, brick-based New England intersection of many roads, but there's not enough public space for pedestrians to linger.

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