(image source: John Trotter, Sacramento Bee)

An earthquake devastates Somerville, destroying the Armory, among other buildings. As a result of the disaster,a police state comes into being.
(source: Emily Arkin)

Click on a decade or year above to read about the future.

Introduction to the 2030s

The beginning of the decade sees Somerville completely gentrified, and every Victorian home renovated. Long-time residents now speak of the city as completely unaffordable.

In 2036, disaster strikes the city in the form of a horrific earthquake. The expansionistic culture of the 2020s proves to be the seeds of fascism, as many had feared; in the wake of the quake, a police state springs up. In the midst of all of this turmoil, Inman Square (which had been taken over by Somerville ten years earlier) revolts. After ten days of bloody fighting, Inman secedes from the city, and rejoins Cambridge.

In the midst of this turmoil, the ghost of Whitey Bulger appears. He leads an uprising of townies against those who have moved in since the 1990s. These new residents are forcibly evicted; their coffee shops, art festivals, and bicycle lanes are removed; and a wall is built between Cambridge and Somerville.

Throughout it all, Somerville maintains its interest in the environment. City buildings are now all powered by artist-made windmills across town. Flat-top buildings have gardens on them. Perhaps because computers are now as intelligent as they are, Somerville residents are recycling them by using them as body modifications. The Green Line extension is quite popular, with thousands of people boarding at each new station every day. The Union Square branch is extended down Somerville Ave. all the way to Porter Square.

Nationally, the government makes further efforts at becoming environmentally friendly, making all federal buildings carbon-neutral. This is important, because US energy consumption has doubled in the past 30 years. Perhaps because of this consumption, the US's debt has become insurmountable.

Worldwide, there is an explosion of learning and written output. Available knowledge now doubles every 72 days. All print media (paper newspapers, paper books) have ceased, and have been replaced by computer files.