Moving to Somerville: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Somerville means moving to Somerset County's real, current seat -- a genuinely walkable historic downtown anchored by an 18th-century Revolutionary War history and an in-borough NJ Transit rail station.
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Learn moreA real, historic county-seat downtown
Somerville is Somerset County's real, current seat, with a genuine 18th-century history -- the Wallace House (built 1776) served as George Washington's headquarters from December 1778 to June 1779, and remains a state historic site today. Two-thirds of Somerville's core carries National Register-eligible structures, including the 1909 white-marble courthouse.
A real rail station, with a genuine transit-usage gap
Somerville station sits on NJ Transit's Raritan Valley Line, near the walkable Division Street downtown corridor, and has been wheelchair-accessible since December 2010. Despite this real access, only 1.9% of Somerville commuters actually use public transit -- a genuine, disclosed gap worth knowing before assuming a car-free commute.
Budget for a real, elevated property-tax rate
Somerville's effective property tax rate (2.581%) runs above both Somerset County's own average and New Jersey's already nation-leading statewide average -- a real, material cost to build into a relocation budget.
A genuinely below-state-average household income
Somerville's median household income ($99,435, 2024) runs a real 4.9% below New Jersey's own statewide figure, consistent with its role as a county-seat downtown hub rather than a purely high-income residential suburb.
Key takeaways
- Somerville is Somerset County's real, current seat, with a genuine Revolutionary War history at the Wallace House.
- A real NJ Transit Raritan Valley Line station sits in-borough, though actual transit ridership is genuinely low (1.9% of commuters).
- Somerville's 2.581% effective property tax rate runs above both the county and New Jersey's own statewide averages.
- Median household income runs a real 4.9% below the New Jersey statewide figure.
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