Government

Downtown Somerville           

Main Street Somerville today maintains most of its historical buildings, although many are now boutique specialty shops. Somerville has quite a diverse and large selection of restaurants that draw people from the surrounding area. In many ways, Somerville remains Somerset County's downtown, and is the heart of its designated Regional Center. Explore the many options for Dining, Shopping and Services at FindSomerville.com. Several of the factories in Somerville were abandoned and replaced with modern office buildings or remodeled as apartments. 

Somerville today and historically has had an important African American community, a distinguished member of which was Paul Robeson. Another famous Somerville native was famed character actor Lee Van Cleef. One of the founders of modern American Dance, Ruth St. Denis, made her first professional debut at Somerset Hall, once a vaudeville theatre and today a local restaurant. The mix of modern amenities and an interesting and diverse past make Main Street, Somerville a unique destination for dining, strolling and visiting.

Future redevelopment

The shopping center on the west side of the downtown area has be demolished and a new shopping center, town homes and other amenities are being built on the shopping center land and on adjacent land in the former borough landfill to the south. Town planners envision a transit village style redevelopment centered around the Somerville train station.