Best Web Design in Somerville, MA (2026)

Web Design for Somerville, Massachusetts

Somerville is a small, extraordinarily dense city just north of Boston in Middlesex County, packed with triple-decker homes, immigrant communities and one of the highest concentrations of working artists in America. Once a gritty, blue-collar meatpacking town nicknamed "Slummerville," it reinvented itself after the Red Line reached Davis Square in 1984 into one of the hippest, most walkable places in New England. It is the birthplace of Marshmallow Fluff and throws a festival to prove it.

AppWT works with Somerville, MA businesses from Livonia, Michigan, mostly online and travelling as needed.

About Somerville

Also known as. City of Homes. Slummerville (older derogatory nickname, now used affectionately). The Chicago of New England (industrial-era meatpacking nickname).

History. First settled in 1630 as part of Charlestown; broke away to become a separate town in 1842 and was incorporated as a city in 1872. During the Powder Alarm of September 1, 1774, British regulars seized gunpowder from the Old Powder House, one of the first hostile provocations leading to the Revolution. Historians believe the Continental (Grand Union) flag was first raised at Prospect Hill's fortification on January 1, 1776. By 1920 Somerville produced about 73% of Massachusetts's meatpacking output, and a Ford Motor Company assembly plant opened in 1926. The city's population peaked at 105,883 residents in 1940.

Local economy. Historic economy built on meatpacking, brick manufacturing and dairy processing near the freight rail corridors. Top current employers include the City of Somerville (~1,400), Cambridge Health Alliance (~1,150), bluebird bio, Stop & Shop and 3D-printing company Formlabs. The Assembly Row / Assembly Square district was redeveloped into a major retail, dining and office hub; the Mass General Brigham health system moved its headquarters there in 2016. Business birthplace: Marshmallow Fluff was invented in Somerville, the 1914 Economy Grocery Store grew into the Stop & Shop chain, and both Steve's Ice Cream and Bertucci's started in Davis Square.

Culture and community. After New York City, Somerville has one of the highest numbers of working artists per capita of any U.S. city. Somerville Porchfest, launched in 2011, fills residential porches with roughly 200 bands each spring. HONK! festival brings activist and experimental street brass bands from around the world. "What the Fluff?" festival in Union Square (since 2006) celebrates hometown invention Marshmallow Fluff. Venues include the historic Somerville Theatre in Davis Square and the Crystal Ballroom; Davis Square was named one of the 15 hippest places to live in the U.S. by Utne Reader in 1997. Somerville native Bobby "Boris" Pickett co-wrote and sang the novelty hit "Monster Mash."

What makes Somerville distinct. In July 2020 Somerville became the first U.S. city to legally recognize polyamorous domestic partnerships. It is the most densely populated municipality in New England (roughly 19,600 people per square mile). The Grand Union flag is believed to have first flown here at Prospect Hill on January 1, 1776. Marshmallow Fluff was invented in Somerville, and the city celebrates it with an annual festival. Once mocked as "Slummerville," it is now repeatedly ranked among the region's most desirable places to live.

Somerville Landmarks and Local Life

• Prospect Hill Tower / Prospect Hill Park - site of the early flag raising
• The Old Powder House in Nathan Tufts Park - a stone windmill turned Revolutionary-era magazine
• Davis Square - the Red Line hub and cultural heart of the city
• Assembly Row - a waterfront shopping and dining district on the Mystic River
• Dilboy Stadium - named for Medal of Honor recipient George Dilboy
• The Somerville Community Path - a tree-lined rail trail