Tell us your SomerStory: I choose to live or work in Somerville because… What I love most about this city and community is… My hopes as I consider my future in Somerville are…
Use this form to submit your answers. Personal narratives help us understand the personal impacts of our goals and policies. All submissions will be shared with the SomerVision Committee.
“I like living in Somerville because you can walk in any direction and hit civilization – somewhere to eat, some public place to sit, public transit. I remember one of my first outings with my son Sam, facing inward in a borrowed baby carrier. We walked from our house on Mountain Ave. (small dead-end) off Porter Ave. down what was then 7-11, now Cumberland Farms. I got one of those Drakes coffee cakes, two to a packet, and was voraciously eating till I noticed I was dropping crumbs on Sam’s head. He didn’t seem bothered. I was so happy to be out and about, feeling safe, with my baby. Being connected to my surroundings was especially important because we didn’t have any grandparents to step up and babysit. And there was no Facetime or WhatsApp, instant digital connection. I think a lot of what we need is just more of the same – public transit that runs north-south, bikepath extension and improvements, more open space where possible, better policing of car-bike-pedestrian rules of the road, and affordable housing for young families. Also more support groups for people of all ages – anyone can become isolated, which is ironic is such a densely populated place.”
Sarah Fishman, Somerville Resident
