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.