About Davis Square
Davis Square is a Somerville neighborhood where Elm Street, Highland Avenue, Holland Street and College Avenue meet, with the Tufts University campus a short walk north on College Avenue. Davis station on the Red Line sits in the middle of the square, and since the Green Line Extension opened, Ball Square, Magoun Square and Medford/Tufts on the E branch are within walking distance as well. Its rental stock is dominated by two- and three-family houses with few purpose-built apartment buildings, and the Somerville Theatre, Seven Hills Park and the Somerville Community Path anchor the area.
Spot Easy lists Davis Square apartments from verified agents, with real-time availability, filters for bedroom count, bathrooms, pets, parking, laundry and no-broker-fee listings, and photos or 3D tours on most units.
Teele Square apartments lie half a mile northwest along Holland Street, with Porter Square apartments southeast across the Cambridge line and Ball Square apartments to the northeast. Somerville-wide median asking rents by bedroom count, with sample sizes and percentiles, are published in the Spot Easy Rent Index.
FAQ about Davis Square Apartments for Rent
How is transit access in Davis Square?
Davis station on the Red Line sits in the middle of the square, one stop from Porter and two from Harvard. Since the Green Line Extension opened, Ball Square, Magoun Square and Medford/Tufts on the E branch are all within walking distance as well, which gives Davis a choice of two lines it did not have before 2022. Bus routes 87, 88, 89, 90, 94 and 96 terminate or pass through the square.
Where is Davis Square?
Davis Square is in northwestern Somerville, where Elm Street, Highland Avenue, Holland Street and College Avenue meet. Teele Square is half a mile northwest along Holland Street, Porter Square is southeast across the Cambridge line, and the Tufts University campus sits just north on College Avenue.
What kinds of buildings are in Davis Square?
Davis Square is dominated by two-family houses, with three-families the next most common type. Purpose-built apartment buildings are scarce and large ones almost nonexistent. Most listings here are a floor of a wood-frame house, so hardwood floors are common and elevator access is limited to a small number of buildings near the square itself.
Are there elevator buildings in Davis Square?
A few, but they are the exception. The neighborhood is built almost entirely of two- and three-family wood-frame houses, most of which have stairs and no elevator. The handful of mid-size buildings closer to the station are where step-free entry and elevator access are realistic. Filter for elevator explicitly if it is a requirement rather than assuming it from the listing photos.
Is Davis Square walkable?
Yes, and it is also one of the better-connected squares for cycling and walking beyond the neighborhood. The Somerville Community Path runs through Davis Square, and its extension alongside the Green Line tracks opened in 2023, giving a continuous car-free route east toward East Cambridge and the Charles River. Most of the neighborhood is within a ten-minute walk of the station.
What is there to do in Davis Square?
The Somerville Theatre, a 1914 venue that shows films and hosts live music, anchors the square. The surrounding blocks carry a dense concentration of restaurants, bars, bookshops and cafes for a neighborhood of this size, and Seven Hills Park sits beside the station at the head of the Community Path.
When should I start looking for an apartment in Davis Square?
Davis runs on the September 1 turnover common across Somerville, so inventory is widest between April and July and thins quickly in August. Because most of the stock is small wood-frame houses rather than large managed buildings, good units are listed and taken individually rather than in batches. An alert for your bedroom count is more effective here than waiting for a peak week.