Like its narrow hilly streets, Somerville, just north of Cambridge, has seen its share of ups and downs. “Slummerville,” as it was known among Bostonians for years, became synonymous to some with the mobster Whitey Bulger, whose Winter Hill gang was headquartered there. But this densely populated New England city of about 76,000 residents is coming into its own as a hip alternative to both Boston and Cambridge, with cheaper rents and cool mayoral initiatives like urban agriculture. The city’s creative hub, Union Square, has been transformed with restaurant and bar openings, plus new businesses like the indoor farmers’ market Something GUD, and the Aeronaut Brewing Co.

A4 Pizza

The décor is a mix of your grandfather’s go-to dive bar and his garage (strung industrial light bulbs and a taxidermy bear head), but the pizzas are anything but unserious, thanks to dough made with 13-year-old sourdough starter, mozzarella hand-pulled daily and seasonal toppings like butternut squash.

445 Somerville Avenue; 617-764-4190; areafour.com

Union Square Donuts

Since this throwback shop opened in February 2013, locals have lined up every weekend to see which whimsical flavors the pastry chef Heather Schmidt has paired with her yeasted, brioche-like dough, such as brown-butter hazelnut crunch, cocktail-inspired grapefruit juniper, or Fluffanutta, which honors the city’s greatest creation, Marshmallow Fluff.