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Portland, Oregon times 100! Of every place I've ever lived, I liked Portland, Maine the least. That's not to say it's a BAD town, it's just to say I cared for it the least.
Portland, Maine is pretty, but it's a small town. I mean there are only 65,000 people within the city limits and it's not exactly busting at the seams (like Boston and San Francisco are). While the few small blocks that make up the old port are nice as are the West End and Munjoy Hill (those two are residential areas), the rest of the city is less than spectacular. Casco Bay is pretty, but I think the Columbia River is far more scenic (and I'm an oceans guy).
What REALLY turned me off to Portland, Maine was the attitude. There's a real smug, self-congratulatory attitude up there that is incredibly off-putting. I've been lucky enough to travel to and live in some great places. Portland was the worst for the sheer volume of folks bragging about how "Awesome!" every aspect of their city is. How often they compare their city to much larger cities blew my mind. From listening to many locals, you'd think they have a similar culinary scene to NYC (to be fair, it's pretty good for such a small town, but not even close to cities even just a little bigger), nightlife like Miami (which is true-- if your idea of "nightlife" is 7 or 8 dive bars that close between 12:30 and 1am), and all the history and urban charm of Boston (which is also true if the entirety Boston was a mere 12 blocks).
The comparisons to big cities didn't end at the positive. It also carried over to the negative. You'd think crime was as bas as Detroit (it's a VERY safe city even for its size), the Homelessness was the same as San Francisco (high, but not nearly on the same level), and traffic was as bad as Boston or New York (traffic is a non-issue in Portland, ME). The local perspective of their own city (they acted as if it was much larger than it really is) made it incredibly difficult to relate to many people up there. Of course that's a generalization and not everyone is bad (my GF is originally from Portland, now lives in San Francisco with no plans to ever return to Maine). But still, it was tough to handle living there.
On the flip side, Portland, Oregon isn't my top choice for a city, but it's beautiful, vibrant, active and fun. I very nearly ended up moving out there with my company this coming fall, but at the last moment I was given an opportunity to stay and I took it. I like PDX... a HELL of a lot more than Portland, ME. However, I'm happier in Boston. Now if it were New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago Philadelphia or DC, I probably would have made the move.
In the battle of Portland v Portland, I choose Oregon with nearly no contest.
Portland, Maine is the correct answer. Portland Oregon is destination of choice for those who subconsciously either want to be in California or get out of California.
Portland, Oregon times 100! Of every place I've ever lived, I liked Portland, Maine the least. That's not to say it's a BAD town, it's just to say I cared for it the least.
Portland, Maine is pretty, but it's a small town. I mean there are only 65,000 people within the city limits and it's not exactly busting at the seams (like Boston and San Francisco are). While the few small blocks that make up the old port are nice as are the West End and Munjoy Hill (those two are residential areas), the rest of the city is less than spectacular. Casco Bay is pretty, but I think the Columbia River is far more scenic (and I'm an oceans guy).
What REALLY turned me off to Portland, Maine was the attitude. There's a real smug, self-congratulatory attitude up there that is incredibly off-putting. I've been lucky enough to travel to and live in some great places. Portland was the worst for the sheer volume of folks bragging about how "Awesome!" every aspect of their city is. How often they compare their city to much larger cities blew my mind. From listening to many locals, you'd think they have a similar culinary scene to NYC (to be fair, it's pretty good for such a small town, but not even close to cities even just a little bigger), nightlife like Miami (which is true-- if your idea of "nightlife" is 7 or 8 dive bars that close between 12:30 and 1am), and all the history and urban charm of Boston (which is also true if the entirety Boston was a mere 12 blocks).
The comparisons to big cities didn't end at the positive. It also carried over to the negative. You'd think crime was as bas as Detroit (it's a VERY safe city even for its size), the Homelessness was the same as San Francisco (high, but not nearly on the same level), and traffic was as bad as Boston or New York (traffic is a non-issue in Portland, ME). The local perspective of their own city (they acted as if it was much larger than it really is) made it incredibly difficult to relate to many people up there. Of course that's a generalization and not everyone is bad (my GF is originally from Portland, now lives in San Francisco with no plans to ever return to Maine). But still, it was tough to handle living there.
On the flip side, Portland, Oregon isn't my top choice for a city, but it's beautiful, vibrant, active and fun. I very nearly ended up moving out there with my company this coming fall, but at the last moment I was given an opportunity to stay and I took it. I like PDX... a HELL of a lot more than Portland, ME. However, I'm happier in Boston. Now if it were New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Chicago Philadelphia or DC, I probably would have made the move.
In the battle of Portland v Portland, I choose Oregon with nearly no contest.
That's cause Portland Maine is the big city for 1.2 milion people many from towns of 500 or 1000.
Portland, Maine any day! I would never want to live in a big city and I love Maine with all my heart! Portland Maine is the model of what a city should be...beautiful, quaint, safe, and uncrowded. I don't know what "Irfox" is looking for in a city's attitude, but you won't find nicer people than Mainers! Just because they are proud that they do not have a smog problem or terrible commute problems doesn't mean they're bragging. I have lived in Boston, New York, and currently Orlando and although I love all those cities, the people their are so incredibly rude! I would choose Maine any day based on the people alone!!!!!! I grew up in Maine, 40 minutes north of Portland and I have never heard people bragging about how "Awesome" the city is because like any place in the world, there are plenty of problems with the city but compared to a lot of other places, Portland is pretty fantastic. And no, Portland is not NYC, Miami or Boston...it is its own distinct place, we talk about it like it's awesome because to most Mainers, Portland is a huge city! When you come from a farm town of about 4,000 people, Portland is exciting, fun and unique. It's where you go to shop, dine, drink, meet new people and do pretty much anything "city-ish" if you don't feel like driver 2-4 hours to Boston depending what part of Maine you are from. To put it simply, Portland is not for everyone...if you are looking for the city life (e.g. Boston or NYC) than Portland probably isn't your cup of tea, but if you'd like to live in a beautiful city with friendly people and minimal traffic but still feel like you aren't in cow country than Portland is the place to live! I'm not saying it's the greatest place on earth because I could never live there (I prefer the country) but I will defend Portland any day and explain the "attitude" of the people there is nothing but the result of their surroundings. If people were boasting about the city, it's because they actually believe it's the truth....and honestly, you could at least give us that because what else does Maine really have? Let us be proud of something PLEASE AND THANK YOU!
Last edited by MAINER711; 02-26-2012 at 10:54 PM..
Reason: added context
Portland ME seems like a really well put together little city with a lot going for it. But something about the place rubbed me the wrong way. Not sure what, just the overall vibe did not do it for me. Also, it's not like it's that "little" of a city either, I think, the metro area is pretty large. Maybe that's what did it for me, it felt kind of like a hurried, cramped little center town of a larger area, too much busy traffic blowing through and not that sense of small town community. A small city that grew too large for itself or something.
only people from maine would regard portland, oregon as a big city.
i'd choose the west coast one. maine is a vacation destination for me. nothing more.
both portlands, however, have annoying cheerleaders swollen with pride. at least in oregon it's easier to avoid them and get lost in another quadrant of the city. my father lives in portland (or) which some would think makes me biased in favor of it, but actually i have zero interest in living in the same town as him. still, i would choose it over maine any day.
Comparing these two cities is like comparing Philadelphia, PA and Philadelphia, MS.
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