Union Square (Somerville)
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Union Square is a neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts, located around the intersection of Washington Street and Somerville Avenue, not far from Cambridge's Inman Square. It is the commercial center of a primarily residential neighborhood with many restaurants, bars and neighborhood stores.
As one of the oldest major hubs in the city, Union Square is home to a number of community institutions, including the headquarters of the Somerville police and fire departments. The Prospect Hill monument and Somerville Community Access Television (SCAT) station are both in Union Square.
Union Square's location at the juncture of working-class East Somerville and the city's tonier western sections have made it the focal point of changing demographics. While Union Square still offers ten-dollar Brazilian haircuts in 2005, classy cafes and restaurants opening since the 1990s are bringing Red Line-style gentrification deeper into Somerville, nourishing old-century pedestrian street life but with a highbrow twist.
Historic Prospect Hill's castle and park viewpoint overlook Union Square and points south/west. It is said by some that George Washington first raised an early version of the US Flag on Prospect Hill January 1, 1776. However others claim evidence the flag was flown earlier, and Somerville is one of several locales claiming to have hosted the flag's first raising.
Union Square bars include Tir na nÓg, P.A.'s Lounge, The Independent, Toast, Choices, Sally O'Briens and Irish Eyes. (Irish Eyes closed in May 2006.) International Market and New Bombay market are Indian grocery stores, while Reliable Market features Asian ingredients. Local restaurants include India Palace, The Neighborhood Restaurant, Great Thai Chef, Taquería la Mexicana, and Mama Ginas.
Union Square Main Streets, a local development group, began running a Saturday morning farmer's market in 2005 as one of its first visible efforts in the square. [1] [2] A landscaped community garden [3], with regularly scheduled concerts & artistic events, sits just outside Union Sq at the site of an old school (22 Vinal Ave).
Several MBTA bus routes, including the 85, 86, 87, 91, and CT2, pass through Union Square, and an extension of the Green Line is planned to serve it.
