"Cambridge is becoming [made up of] poorer and more economically advanced people," says Glenn S. Koocher '71, the host of a weekly cable talk show and a former Cambridge School Committee member.

"The middle class may find themselves either forced out or tempted out because of the high yield for houses," he says.

Indeed, this was one incentive for Buckley to switch cities.

"I got a whole lot more house in Somerville [for the same price]," he says.

Besides the lower rents, Somerville also offers a little taste of old-time Cambridge in terms of its ethnic makeup, political activism and local flavor.

But not all Somerville transplants were initially excited about moving to the town that some Cantabrigians derogatorily termed "Slummerville."

"When I was living in Cambridge, I used to think of Somerville as the wrong side of the tracks," says Fred Preffer, who moved to Somerville from Cambridge four years ago, "I found it a lot easier to breathe around here [in Somerville]. There isn't a sense of exclusivity; it's a freer and much more tolerant setting," he says.

Rep. Patricia D. Jehlen (D-Somerville) agrees.

"The image is changing," she says. "Traditionally, there was a lot of prejudice against the city," and it was not until the Red Line T stop at Davis Square was built that the city became more accessible and trendy.

The Political Arena

The emigration of middle class Cantabrigians and corresponding influx of wealthier people have taken their toll on the vibrant political life within the city of Cambridge.

According to city officials, voter turnout at municipal elections fell to an all-time low of 40 percent in 1997, while in Somerville, though lower than Cambridge's, the turnout was consistent with previous years--around 30 percent. And City Council watchers say there is now a lower number of community speakers at once-packed council meetings.

"Poorer people are leaving the city and are being replaced by people where, although there may be a progressive social conscience, a larger number of people don't seem to be interested in local elections," Koocher says.

"The new people who are coming in have no reason to be interested in city government," he says.

John R. Pitkin, president of the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association, sees the same political indifference in the new residents.