Somerville

City in eastern Massachusetts, in Middlesex County, built on seven hills, along the Mystic River, surrounded by Boston, Cambridge, Arlington, and Medford; population (2000 est) 77,500. It manufactures paper boxes, metal products, and foodstuffs, and is a major commuter community for Boston and Cambridge. It was became a city, and was incorporated, in 1872.

Somerville was part of Charlestown from 1630 to 1842. It was an early agricultural area for Boston. Brickmaking was established after the American Revolution and was followed by other heavy industries including iron and steel, boilers, glass, food processing, and meat packing. The Middlesex Canal (1802) and a railway in the 1830s encouraged industrial growth. Ford cars were also made in Somerville from 1926, however the factory closed in 1958.

Somerville

Town and administrative headquarters of Somerset County, north-central New Jersey, on the Raritan River, 16 km/10 mi northwest of New Brunswick; population (1990) 11,600. While largely residential, it has important commercial, farm trade, and industrial sectors; products include pharmaceuticals and electronic components.

It was settled by Dutch traders in 1683, and was a centre of the American Revolution. It developed with the arrival of the railway in the mid-19th century. Among notable sites are the Wallace House, George Washington's headquarters in 1778–79, and Duke Gardens. It is the seat of Somerset County College (1968).