Pros and Cons of Living in Somerville
Somerville's core trade-off pairs a real, walkable county-seat downtown, genuine historic identity, and in-town hospital access against a genuinely elevated property-tax rate and a below-state-average household income.
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Learn morePro: a real, walkable historic downtown and in-town hospital
Somerville's genuine Division Street/Main Street downtown, its 18th-century Wallace House history, and its in-borough 355-bed hospital are real, substantial community assets rarely all found together in one small NJ downtown.
Pro: a genuinely low crime rate
Somerville's crime rate runs well below the national average across multiple sources -- a real, disclosed safety positive.
Con: a genuinely elevated property-tax rate
Somerville's 2.581% effective property tax rate runs above both Somerset County's own average and New Jersey's already nation-leading statewide average -- a real, material cost.
Con: a below-state-average household income
Somerville's median household income runs a real 4.9% below New Jersey's own statewide figure, worth weighing against the borough's still-above-national housing costs.
Key takeaways
- Pro: a real, walkable historic downtown, genuine Revolutionary War history, and an in-borough 355-bed hospital.
- Pro: a crime rate well below the national average.
- Con: a genuinely elevated 2.581% effective property tax rate, above both the county and state averages.
- Con: median household income runs a real 4.9% below the New Jersey statewide figure.
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