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bingo. Portsmouth is a great place to go for younger people. I like it.
Unpopular opinion, Portsmouth had a supper big stereotypical Millennial vibe on my last visit. The organic Kombucha shops, organic coffee roasters lol. Cool place.
Sure, but I think the issue comes down to visiting vs. living. The same applies to Portland. I love visiting both for all of the reasons everyone has already mentioned. There's a decent amount of young people out at the bars and restaurants (though certainly more of a mixed age crowd than you'll find in Boston or Providence) and there are all sorts of cool places to shop, eat/drink and spend time.
I'm hesitant to recommend Portland, Portsmouth, Burlington, etc. as a place to live to anyone in their early/mid-20s who places a priority on actively dating/meeting a partner. mwj119 posted actual numbers for Portsmouth - 5100 people between ages 20-34. To me, that doesn't look great. There are high schools with more people, and most of us aren't raving about our high school's dating pools. On top of that, unless the OP is open to dating all genders, you can reduce that 5100 by around half. And unless our 23 year old OP is open to dating anyone between ages 20-34, you can reduce it further. And then there's the matter of what percentage of the remaining candidates are single/not in committed relationships, actively dating, and looking in the same places the OP is (same apps w/ same criteria, same bars/restaurants/activities, etc.). To me, those numbers don't look too appealing at all.
There are other things to consider too. BBMM hit on the average age of the surrounding areas. Portsmouth, Portland, and Burlington are outliers in their respective states. It's not as if the potential dating pool gets significantly larger as you leave the city limits. Many young single people leave these areas for larger cities. They're also quite rural states and people settle down younger than they do in larger metros. When I was single in my early/mid-20s living in Portland, I was an outlier. Most of my similarly aged coworkers and classmates were in committed relationships, engaged, or even married with kids. Granted, this was 10 years ago, but these are not exactly the most rapidly growing/evolving metro areas. I'm not arguing that it's impossible to be in your 20s and date in these places, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. They're awesome places to visit or settle down with a family (so long as you can land a Job that will enable you to afford the area), but dating is less than ideal.
I don’t know why this surprises you. I know more than a handful of guys and girls who moved to Portsmouth as an alternative to Boston. Others went to Portland. It’s a big water and ski culture thing, but still connected enough to Boston (commuter) and Portland. Pretty much the type of living situation the OP has said they want, given they still want space and access to skiing.
Portsmouth is only 22k in population, but acts as the center of activity for that entire southeast NH region. It’s an easy town to eat and drink and hang on the water.
To be exact, there were 5100 20-34 year olds living within Portsmouth limits. So 25% of the population. Seems about right to me. I’d guess on weekends in season, that number doubles as it’s the best place to eat and drink for that demographic.
I lived there for a decade. It’s the only town with a pulse in the area so it draws all the 20 and 30-something singles. Most of them don’t live in Portsmouth because it’s expensive.
Portsmouth is not my scene but I can appreciate it. I am actually rather take Hampton or Salisbury beach in the summer but it's a little more of a low brow crowd. However it's a very popular town with millenials. I am always shocked how many people from around the country have visited and been enchanted by the city. I am surprised my friends from Oklahoma and even a friend from Puerto Rico have visited Portsmouth and had great things to say about it. I think for many people doing the standard New England tour from Boston up to Portland or Bar Harbor tend to stop there on the way. I'm not sure if it's perfect though the city is very small and expensive. Perhaps Kittery side or Dover/Durham/Exeter are more affordable and still have a fair amount of younger people
Sure, but I think the issue comes down to visiting vs. living. The same applies to Portland. I love visiting both for all of the reasons everyone has already mentioned. There's a decent amount of young people out at the bars and restaurants (though certainly more of a mixed age crowd than you'll find in Boston or Providence) and there are all sorts of cool places to shop, eat/drink and spend time.
I'm hesitant to recommend Portland, Portsmouth, Burlington, etc. as a place to live to anyone in their early/mid-20s who places a priority on actively dating/meeting a partner. mwj119 posted actual numbers for Portsmouth - 5100 people between ages 20-34. To me, that doesn't look great. There are high schools with more people, and most of us aren't raving about our high school's dating pools. On top of that, unless the OP is open to dating all genders, you can reduce that 5100 by around half. And unless our 23 year old OP is open to dating anyone between ages 20-34, you can reduce it further. And then there's the matter of what percentage of the remaining candidates are single/not in committed relationships, actively dating, and looking in the same places the OP is (same apps w/ same criteria, same bars/restaurants/activities, etc.). To me, those numbers don't look too appealing at all.
There are other things to consider too. BBMM hit on the average age of the surrounding areas. Portsmouth, Portland, and Burlington are outliers in their respective states. It's not as if the potential dating pool gets significantly larger as you leave the city limits. Many young single people leave these areas for larger cities. They're also quite rural states and people settle down younger than they do in larger metros. When I was single in my early/mid-20s living in Portland, I was an outlier. Most of my similarly aged coworkers and classmates were in committed relationships, engaged, or even married with kids. Granted, this was 10 years ago, but these are not exactly the most rapidly growing/evolving metro areas. I'm not arguing that it's impossible to be in your 20s and date in these places, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it. They're awesome places to visit or settle down with a family (so long as you can land a Job that will enable you to afford the area), but dating is less than ideal.
I get it but there is alot of young people traffic. For New England, it has pretty good foot traffic and good for young people. Relative.
Sure, but I think the issue comes down to visiting vs. living.
I'm hesitant to recommend Portland, Portsmouth, Burlington, etc. as a place to live to anyone in their early/mid-20s who places a priority on actively dating/meeting a partner. mwj119 posted actual numbers for Portsmouth - 5100 people between ages 20-34. To me, that doesn't look great. There are high schools with more people, and most of us aren't raving about our high school's dating pools. On top of that, unless the OP is open to dating all genders, you can reduce that 5100 by around half. And unless our 23 year old OP is open to dating anyone between ages 20-34, you can reduce it further. And then there's the matter of what percentage of the remaining candidates are single/not in committed relationships, actively dating, and looking in the same places the OP is (same apps w/ same criteria, same bars/restaurants/activities, etc.). To me, those numbers don't look too appealing at all.
There are other things to consider too. BBMM hit on the average age of the surrounding areas. Portsmouth, Portland, and Burlington are outliers in their respective states. It's not as if the potential dating pool gets significantly larger as you leave the city limits. Many young single people leave these areas for larger cities. They're also quite rural states and people settle down younger than they do in larger metros. When I was single in my early/mid-20s living in Portland, I was an outlier.
Thank you for saying what I really didn't have the energy to. I went to college with plenty of kids from NH ME VT. They all hated it after just moving to Hartford and were ready to move. None of them moved back to those states. My brother moved back to Maine to coach at Bowdoin and left after 2 years. Granted- he is a large black man...
Nowhere in any of Northern NE actively attracts young people. I said 3000 people age 20-30 and I'm probably not too far off. Maybe 3500? How active a dating scene can that really be compared to boston or Providence?
I get it but there is alot of young people traffic. For New England, it has pretty good foot traffic and good for young people. Relative.
I think they're pretty good for Northern New England, but the problem is that's still not great. Portsmouth has a fun bar scene, but it's pretty small. And while it gets decidedly more active in the summer, the influx is mostly tourists, not locals. It's a fun town to visit, but it's not a great place to be single and trying to date.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonBornMassMade
Thank you for saying what I really didn't have the energy to. I went to college with plenty of kids from NH ME VT. They all hated it after just moving to Hartford and were ready to move. None of them moved back to those states. My brother moved back to Maine to coach at Bowdoin and left after 2 years. Granted- he is a large black man...
Nowhere in any of Northern NE actively attracts young people. I said 3000 people age 20-30 and I'm probably not too far off. Maybe 3500? How active a dating scene can that really be compared to boston or Providence?
I know it might not come across this way, but I actually love the Northern New England cities like Portland, Portsmouth, and Burlington. They're highly regarded here and beyond for good reason. But I think that because they're relatively small and quiet, and they're popular among tourists, they're often viewed through very rose colored lenses. Most people are basing their opinions almost entirely off of leisure weekend trips. While fun (I literally just got back from a Portland day trip yesterday), those visits don't offer a whole lot of insight on what it's like to actually live there.
Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are hemorrhaging young people. They have been for decades and the continued trend is well-covered in local media. Burlington, Portsmouth, and Portland are outliers in their states because they're the only places where young people are going. But they're still small cities (very small in the case of Portsmouth) and compared to the rest of the U.S., they're not that young. And there's still the issue that outside of these small cities, the state and metro area is still relatively old/rural which is not the case in many more active metro areas. Lots of young people are still leaving these states in droves to be in younger metro areas with better economies. I'm marrying one of them - she left Vermont after graduating college to be in Boston for work and to date. She did not consider Burlington to be an option - too small, and the young people moving there were mostly not professional types. The ones that return, often do once they're married and ready to have a family (this is a common theme in the Maine forum). Portland/Portsmouth/Burlington are great places to raise a family (beautiful, safe, good schools, clean, more than enough amenities). The Portland area in particular is booming with couples and young families relocating in the remote/hybrid work world. But that doesn't translate at all to being great places to be young and single. They're still not that. And I feel for anyone who is young, single, and moves to one of these places with an emphasis on meeting someone/dating. It's not easy to do there. For that, you really need to stick to the larger metros in Southern New England.
I think they're pretty good for Northern New England, but the problem is that's still not great. Portsmouth has a fun bar scene, but it's pretty small. And while it gets decidedly more active in the summer, the influx is mostly tourists, not locals. It's a fun town to visit, but it's not a great place to be single and trying to date.
I know it might not come across this way, but I actually love the Northern New England cities like Portland, Portsmouth, and Burlington. They're highly regarded here and beyond for good reason. But I think that because they're relatively small and quiet, and they're popular among tourists, they're often viewed through very rose colored lenses. Most people are basing their opinions almost entirely off of leisure weekend trips. While fun (I literally just got back from a Portland day trip yesterday), those visits don't offer a whole lot of insight on what it's like to actually live there.
Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont are hemorrhaging young people. They have been for decades and the continued trend is well-covered in local media. Burlington, Portsmouth, and Portland are outliers in their states because they're the only places where young people are going. But they're still small cities (very small in the case of Portsmouth) and compared to the rest of the U.S., they're not that young. And there's still the issue that outside of these small cities, the state and metro area is still relatively old/rural which is not the case in many more active metro areas. Lots of young people are still leaving these states in droves to be in younger metro areas with better economies. I'm marrying one of them - she left Vermont after graduating college to be in Boston for work and to date. She did not consider Burlington to be an option - too small, and the young people moving there were mostly not professional types. The ones that return, often do once they're married and ready to have a family (this is a common theme in the Maine forum). Portland/Portsmouth/Burlington are great places to raise a family (beautiful, safe, good schools, clean, more than enough amenities). The Portland area in particular is booming with couples and young families relocating in the remote/hybrid work world. But that doesn't translate at all to being great places to be young and single. They're still not that. And I feel for anyone who is young, single, and moves to one of these places with an emphasis on meeting someone/dating. It's not easy to do there. For that, you really need to stick to the larger metros in Southern New England.
Yeah totally get your point. My idea was OP would probably live nearby and go to Portsmouth like once a week. Then thats fine. But odds OP finds a unit in Portsmouth proper? Little to none. But still a real cool city to be around.
Yeah totally get your point. My idea was OP would probably live nearby and go to Portsmouth like once a week. Then thats fine. But odds OP finds a unit in Portsmouth proper? Little to none. But still a real cool city to be around.
Definitely. Ultimately it comes down to what the OP prioritizes. I was focusing on the dating scene. None of the Northern New England cities are going to compete with the larger southern New England metros on that front. But if the OP places much more emphasis on access to the mountains/wilderness, then those Northern New England cities have the advantage. If I'm skiing or hiking every weekend and only bar hopping or going out to eat a couple of times per month, Burlington/Portland/Portsmouth are great. If I'm bar hopping and going out to eat a few times per week and hiking/skiing once a month, I'd definitely lean towards a place like Providence. The issue of whether or not the OP can find employment to live comfortably in or near one of those Northern New England cities is a different story entirely, and one of their other big disadvantages.
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