SperlingViews - Somerville, New_jersey

Nice community with the shore an hour away as well as NYC. Good schools. Noted for equestrian events. Jackie O lived not to far from here. Prices of homes have gone up, but so has every town in the nation.[read more...]

I love living in Somerville, which offers the charm of a small town and all of the conveniences of a larger city. Its charming Victorial architecture and a lively Main street make it stand out from the crowd of "cookie-cutter" developments that has sprung out in NJ. There are a lot of great restaurants (over 40!) and Main street bustles with live on weekend nights. Schools are very good and kids get top notch education here. Municipal services are great and parks are well taken care of. Very convenient location to NYC, all the major highways. Taxes used to be considered high (the town does not have a lot of large commercial property), but are no longer higher than the surrounding areas, which have seen increases over tha past few years. The downtown and adjacent areas are undergoing a complete renovation, with new town center developement, which will make a significant contribution to the tax revenue and stabilize the tax base. The town is on the brink of embarking on another huge development, which will complement its quaint downtown image. Overall, a fantastic place to live. If you can, buy property in the west end section - most exclusive, however those properties are hard to come by.[read more...]

The cost of living in Somerville is out of control. Sadly, you don't get much in return for the extremely high taxes you pay. There's an accident waiting to happen on almost every street here - the lack of parking rules/signs and the high amount of speeding that goes on here is a disgrace. As for the people, this is the most UNFRIENDLY place I've ever lived....and I've lived in Brooklyn and Queens! The only streets the town cares about and pays attention to are the Main Street and the streets near the hospital so that visitors will have a good impression -- otherwise, you're in forgotten land...swamp land...very poor drainage. The physical condition of the middle school reminds me of what you'd find in an inner city - the high school is quite run down also. Somerville is definately not worth way you pay to live here![read more...]