"It's definitely becoming gentrified," he says. New residents in Central Square "could care less" about politics, he says.

And while Somerville absorbs Cantabrigians, political life is as active as ever.

"You won't find another city that's more politically active," says Jack Hamilton, who directs the Somerville Community Action Agency, which provides legal advocacy to low-income tenants and immigrants.

"Somerville has historically been one of the most political cities in greater Boston," agrees Somerville Mayor Michael E. Capuano. "We play [politics] as a contact sport over here."

Death of Advocacy

The defeat of rent control advocacy in Cambridge combined with its unique structure of city government may help explain different levels of political activism in the two cities.

Some Cantabrigians say that the clout ofadvocacy groups--traditionally a big part of thecity's political life--has been declining, theresult of rent control's abolition.

"The demise of rent control and the inabilityof rent control advocates to reach a meaningfulaccommodation--because of the stridency of some ofthe tenant advocates--means that serious damage tothe cause of advocacy has been done, in manyrespects," Koocher says.

"The terms of political engagement havechanged," says Charles M. Sullivan, the executivedirector of the Cambridge Historical Commission.

"The rent control gave people a very specificfocus and a lot of leverage over city politicsthat is not there now," he continues.

Moreover, the two cities differ in the electionof their officials. In Cambridge the mayor iselected by the city council, and candidates forthe council are ranked by voters, not electedindividually.

In Somerville, both the mayor and 11 aldermen,Somerville's version of city councilors, arepopularly elected.

In Capuano's opinion, this system makesSomerville more political because voters mustspecifically select one candidate and are forcedto separate themselves into distinct camps,polarizing the political system.

"That makes politics a lot tougher," Capuanosays.

Diversity and Distinction

One attraction for the residents--new andold--of Somerville is the city's strong ethniccommunities.