The federal militia sent to put down the rebellion worked from its headquarters in the nearby town of Berlin.

A major fire on the afternoon of May 9, 1872, destroyed a significant portion of the town within just a few hours.

[4] In July 2002, nine miners were trapped for 77 hours, 240 feet (73 m) underground, by flooding in the Quecreek coal mine, just outside Somerset.

The Quecreek Mine Rescue was chronicled by journalists from around the world and was televised globally.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 2.7 square miles (7.0 km2), all land.

Somerset has the ninth-highest elevation of towns in Pennsylvania, at 2,190 feet (670 m) above sea level.

Somerset has a humid continental climate that is affected by the high elevation, rendering it colder much of the winter than Altoona, Johnstown, or State College, despite being well south of these locations.

Its climate is quite similar to those seen in northern Pennsylvania, although the average winter high temperatures are slightly higher.

That same cold snap brought snow to many other Pennsylvania communities, especially in the northern counties.