Somerville is one of the top residential markets in Greater Boston, and below, we have detailed several of the qualities that contribute to the town’s high housing demand.

1. A “Model City” – Somerville’s local government is among the most admired in all of Greater Boston. Not only did Boston.com select the town as the “best run” in all of Massachusetts, but it is also a fixture in the National Civic League’s All-American City Awards, which recognizes areas that engage residents in innovative, inclusive and effective efforts to tackle critical challenges.

2. The Art Center – Somerville is a haven for artists – in fact, the city’s website claims it has the second most artists per capita in the U.S., behind only to New York. Along with such art organizations as ArtsUnion, Brickbottom Artists Association and the Somerville Arts Council, there are also numerous art events, including ArtBeat Festival, a weekend celebration that the Somerville Arts Council hosts.

3. An Educated Populace – Home to Tufts University, Somerville has one of the most educated populaces in the country. According to TownCharts, 89 percent of residents in Somerville has a high school degree, and 56 percent has a bachelor’s degree or better (compared to 48 percent of the U.S.).

4. A Top-Selling Market – Finally, with those aforementioned qualities, it is not surprising that Somerville is one of Greater Boston’s top-selling areas, ranking among both top-selling condo markets and suburbs; its condo market saw a 9.1 percent increase last month, while home sales are up 5.71 percent.

Photo Credit: Mangostar, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bow_Street.jpg