Union Square in Somerville, Mass. is among 38 neighborhoods named in Time Out’s 2024 list of coolest neighborhoods in the world.
Locals and business owners in the area seem to agree. From those who have been in Union Square for the majority of their life to those who have moved there in recent years, the neighborhood is filled with activities and has a vibrant culture.
Residents Regan and Ryan Sloan moved to Union Square from California during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the pandemic receded, the couple witnessed the neighborhood take off.
“We came and everything was closed,” Regan said. “We didn’t really get to see Union be Union until a few months after we moved, and we stayed this long because we fell in love with the community.”
Among the community’s appeals are walkability, green spaces and a wide variety of businesses.
“We love the business owners around here,” Regan Sloan said. “Everyone is so friendly and so welcoming, and you really feel like you’re a part of a little family. … It’s been really special seeing some of the businesses from Bow [Market] expand, get into bigger spaces or move on to other spaces.”
One of those new businesses is Maprang Bakery & Cafe, which has been open for the last year and a half. Owner Pilin Junsangsri’s first impression of the community as a friendly place only solidified over time.
“After I picked this spot, that’s when I learned a lot more about [the] culture,” Junsangsri said. “I’m really lucky that I picked this area.”
Resident Matt Hickson, who moved to Union Square two months ago, has made the most of his time there thus far, noting the proximity of all the events held in the area.
“I’ve been to everything from a marching band show to a drag show to arts festivals to the farmers market, and everything that I just described happened within about 100 steps from where I’m standing right now,” Hickson said.
As new parents, the Sloans have come to love the vibrant culture of Union Square and the values of the community.
Ryan said that’s because the community is “so forward-thinking.”
“Inclusivity … allows for us to feel more comfortable bringing a child up in a community that’s more forgiving and empathetic and compassionate,” he said. “I think those are the ideals that we were longing for.”
Junsangsri agreed that residents of Union Square are friendly and welcoming.
“People in this area are really nice. They are friendly as well; they come and talk,” she said. “Festivals happen weekly, including the farmers’ market. … All this culture makes the area a bit more interesting, more attractive to people.”
While residents of Union Square value the contribution that local businesses make to the neighborhood, local business owners and managers appreciate the customers that make up their community.
El Potro Mexican Bar and Grill has been an established restaurant in the area since 2006, and its current business manager Joe Carreiro, born and raised in Somerville, is proud to be giving back to the community that he has been fond of since his childhood.
“For me, to be able to work for a restaurant that has a location in Somerville — which I love, [because] it’s my hometown — is very special for me,” Careiro said.
Careiro has seen the evolution of the neighborhood from his childhood all the way through today.
When the restaurant was created in 2006, Careiro said that Union Square was in a “down phase.”
“A lot of businesses had really been shuttered up,” he said. “We really weren’t seeing a lot of expansion or new businesses.”
But the turning point, Carreiro noted, was the start of work by Union Square Main Streets, a group of residents that work “to strengthen the dynamic neighborhood of businesses and people in Union Square,” according to their website.
“The current [Executive Director] of Union Square Main Streets, Jessica Eshleman, has really led us into a renaissance,” Carreiro said. “She has really taken the bull by the horns and with the development of the farmers’ market, [and] with the development of Union Square Main Streets as a true business association, she has allowed us to develop into a really vibrant square.”
Most importantly, Careiro said, is the fact that Union Square is a neighborhood of small, local businesses that have fostered a collaborative — rather than competitive — environment.
“I oftentimes like to say that there’s no competition in Union Square. We’re all collaborators. We love each other. We love when we support each other.”
