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Though one city dwarfs the other in population and recognition, both are forces to be reckoned with when it comes to natural beauty.
From Boston's fantastic trails and iconic harbor to Portland's stunning coastline, which city/metro better deserves to be called the scenic crown jewel of the far northeastern U.S.?
Boston is probably the most beautiful LARGE city in the Northeast (Over 250k), but Portland ME is probably one of the prettiest medium-sized cities (~50k-250k). Portland reminds me of a smaller Boston, but definitely more naturally beautiful. Besides, Maine's coastline is gorgeous.
Really? Portland is nice but it's no Boston. No one is taking photos of Portland from the harbor or from across Portland's back cove. Boston filled its Back Bay to create one of the most beautiful urban districts in the country. Portland's back cove is still a cove with a highway along it. There's no public garden or common in Portland. Casco Bay is beautiful but that's not Portland.
Really? Portland is nice but it's no Boston. No one is taking photos of Portland from the harbor or from across Portland's back cove. Boston filled its Back Bay to create one of the most beautiful urban districts in the country. Portland's back cove is still a cove with a highway along it. There's no public garden or common in Portland. Casco Bay is beautiful but that's not Portland.
I agree with you, Portland is not as pretty of a city as Boston. But this is about natural scenery. In that case, I think Portland wins. It's a prettier natural setting. but the gap isn't that big. There are parts of the Boston metro (i.e. Cape Ann) that rival the Portland area's prettiest spots. But Portland has more widespread natural beauty.
Naturally speaking, I think Burlington Vermont is the prettiest city in New England by a solid margin.
I agree with you, Portland is not as pretty of a city as Boston. But this is about natural scenery. In that case, I think Portland wins. It's a prettier natural setting.
I dunno. Casco Bay is nice and all, but the Boston Harbor and the River Basin are no slouches for natural beauty either. And especially if we’re just comparing city propers, Boston has far nicer inland parks. Portland has no answer to the Fens or the Arboretum.
For anyone that doesn’t know the city very well, here’s a photo I took in the Fens around 2 weeks ago (specifically from the Victory Gardens):
Last edited by Boston Shudra; 06-16-2020 at 09:33 PM..
I dunno. Casco Bay is nice and all, but the Boston Harbor and the River Basin are no slouches for natural beauty either. And especially if we’re just comparing city propers, Boston has far nicer inland parks. Portland has no answer to the Fens or the Arboretum.
For anyone that doesn’t know the city very well, here’s a photo I took in the Fens around 2 weeks ago (specifically from the Victory Gardens):
Boston has better urban parks without a doubt. Frankly, I think the built environment in Boston is infinitely better than Portland which isn't particularly attractive outside of the small footprint of the downtown area. But Portland is much smaller and sparsely developed natural scenery exists within and just outside the city limits. For example, this is in the city of Portland. This is 10 minutes from downtown. This is only about 15 minutes from downtown. There are places on Cape Ann that are comparably beautiful, the Harbor Islands are wonderful, and Boston has great access to Cape Cod and beyond. But it doesn't have nearly as much that's so beautiful, so accessible, and so close to the city center. Boston's a very pretty major city. But it can't compete with Portland on the natural beauty front. If you wanted to talk built environment, Boston wins easily. If you want to talk a combination of natural beauty and built environment, I'd also give it to Boston. But purely in terms of natural beauty, I have a hard time saying that Boston is better. Having lived in both, there's no question that there's a lot more natural beauty close in to the center of Portland.
I think you're conflating natural beauty and overall beauty. Of those photos, only one is real natural beauty (and those islands are not exactly easily visible or accessible for most Bostonians). The Back Bay skyline is a great vista because of the towers soaring over the river. Without the buildings, it's a pretty standard river. And even with the artsy black and white touch, it's hard to compare the Fens with Casco Bay and the rugged Maine Coast. Hell, you can even see the White Mountains from Portland. I'll take Mt. Washington over Great Blue Hill, wouldn't you?
I think you're conflating natural beauty and overall beauty. Of those photos, only one is real natural beauty (and those islands are not exactly easily visible or accessible for most Bostonians). The Back Bay skyline is a great vista because of the towers soaring over the river. Without the buildings, it's a pretty standard river. And even with the artsy black and white touch, it's hard to compare the Fens with Casco Bay and the rugged Maine Coast.
Is the Charles River Basin technically a lake? Either way, I do think it would still be a stunning, natural feature even without the skyscrapers in the background. If anything, the [largely fugly] back bay towers detract from the basin’s beauty more than they add to it.
And you were the one who brought up lighthouses in the first place. It’s not like Portland Head is so much more accessible from downtown than Boston Light.
The Fens and Casco Bay definitely aren’t equivalent. While there are some swamps and marshes in Portland, I don’t think the city has turned any into a park. Maybe the Back Cove is the closest thing?
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