Somerville
Somerset County’s lively county seat: a walkable historic downtown with an unusually deep restaurant scene, independent shops, Division Street’s pedestrian plaza, rail access and a rapidly growing residential base.
Welcome to Somerville
Somerville is the county seat of Somerset County and one of Central New Jersey’s strongest traditional downtowns. The borough covers about 2.37 square miles and has grown sharply in recent years, with the U.S. Census Bureau estimating 14,665 residents in 2025, up from 12,346 in the 2020 Census.
Government & County Seat
Somerville Borough Hall
25 West End Avenue
Somerville, NJ 08876
908-725-2300
Somerville uses the borough form of government. The 2026 mayor is Brian G. Gallagher. Borough Hall occupies the historic Daniel Robert House at the western end of Main Street.
Somerville is also home to the Somerset County Courthouse and many county-government offices, giving the borough a substantial daytime professional population.
Education
Somerville Public Schools operates three district buildings:
- Van Derveer Elementary School — PreK–5
- Somerville Middle School — grades 6–8
- Somerville High School — grades 9–12
The district office is at 51 West Cliff Street. Major voter-approved facility improvements are underway across all three schools during the 2026–2028 period.
Downtown Somerville
Main Street and Division Street form the borough’s commercial heart. Division Street is a pedestrian-oriented plaza with outdoor seating, restaurants, shops, events and public art. Downtown Somerville Alliance programming includes live music, seasonal markets, family events, restaurant promotions and major annual street festivals.
The downtown is unusually dense for a borough of Somerville’s size, supporting independent retail, professional offices, salons, arts and entertainment, restaurants, cafés, bars and specialty food businesses.
Parks & Recreation
Carroll Pager Sports Complex
Baseball, basketball, soccer, softball, playground, picnic area and related facilities.
Lepp Park
Pool, spray park, playground, basketball, pavilion and softball facilities.
John Long Park
Playground, picnic area and spray park.
Walck Park
Pool, playground, basketball, pavilion and picnic area.
Van Fleet Gardens
Small landscaped public space and pavilion area.
Peters Brook Greenway
Walking/biking greenway system forming part of Somerville’s local open-space network.
History & Architecture
Somerville grew from an 18th-century crossroads and agricultural center into the seat of Somerset County. Main Street and the Courthouse Green contain important historic architecture, including the Somerset County Courthouse, historic churches and the Daniel Robert House/Borough Hall.
Division Street and Main Street retain a traditional downtown scale while new residential development around the train station and downtown has brought substantial population growth.
Transportation
Somerville Station is one block from downtown on NJ Transit’s Raritan Valley Line. The borough is also served by bus and county transportation options and sits near Routes 22, 28, 202, 206, I-287 and I-78.
Downtown has on-street metered parking and municipal lots. Parking rules and rates change, so visitors should check current signage and the Downtown Somerville parking information before leaving a vehicle.
Library Update
The Somerset County Library System’s Somerville branch at 35 West End Avenue closed July 31, 2026 because the aging building could no longer effectively support library services. The system has announced plans to relocate the branch, so visitors should check SCLSNJ for the latest service-location information.