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My family and I are considering a move from Portland, OR to Portland, ME for a job at LL Bean. Trouble is, we've never been to Maine and are truly Pacific Northwest folk, so have no apparent basis of comparison. The overall cost of living seems to be comparable and we don't mind a bit of snow. What we're really wondering is how the people and culture of Portland, ME can be compared, if at all to those of Portland, OR for any of you who have knowledge of both.
We are a professional couple with 3 young children. We live in SE Portland, OR in a very liberal/hippie/bohemian area of town that is very arty and tolerant with lots of interesting people-watching and other things to do. Bicycles nearly outnumber cars and "green" is as close to a religion as many people get in these parts, which we like just fine.
Question is: is Portland, ME ANYTHING like this in any part(s) of the city? If yes, how so? If no, how so? If yes, what are some neighborhoods/towns we might consider? We just have nowhere to start, having never been there, so trying to understand what Portland, ME thru comparison of things we like about where we already live seems like a reasonable place to start.
Also important to us are good schools, safe neighborhoods where kids can play outside, and affordable old restored homes (under $300k?).
My family and I are considering a move from Portland, OR to Portland, ME for a job at LL Bean. Trouble is, we've never been to Maine and are truly Pacific Northwest folk, so have no apparent basis of comparison. The overall cost of living seems to be comparable and we don't mind a bit of snow. What we're really wondering is how the people and culture of Portland, ME can be compared, if at all to those of Portland, OR for any of you who have knowledge of both.
We are a professional couple with 3 young children. We live in SE Portland, OR in a very liberal/hippie/bohemian area of town that is very arty and tolerant with lots of interesting people-watching and other things to do. Bicycles nearly outnumber cars and "green" is as close to a religion as many people get in these parts, which we like just fine.
Question is: is Portland, ME ANYTHING like this in any part(s) of the city? If yes, how so? If no, how so? If yes, what are some neighborhoods/towns we might consider? We just have nowhere to start, having never been there, so trying to understand what Portland, ME thru comparison of things we like about where we already live seems like a reasonable place to start.
Also important to us are good schools, safe neighborhoods where kids can play outside, and affordable old restored homes (under $300k?).
Many thanks
Portland, ME is liberal, but not as liberal as some make it out to be and it is no-where near as liberal as Portland, OR. This is not a flame but the concept of 'Green' seems to be completely lost on most Portlanders, or thought of as too left wing/socialist/etc. Grocery stores will almost literally bag items individually into separate plastic bags, that is an exaggeration--but only slightly. Whole Foods is considering getting rid of plastic bags altogether, but they are the only ones. Now, thee grocery stores do have paper bags, but I have not seen anyone use them and the bagger WILL NOT ask if you want paper or plastic, they'll just use plastic and if you really want to confuse them, tell them that you are going to put it into your backpack. It seems, also, that they only reason why people even recycle is because they just want the deposit money back. This is definitely not a progressive state (for the record, being progressive has nothing to do with any one particular political party).
There are plenty of hippies, artists, students, and others who are socially aware/active, don't get me wrong--it's just not the overwhelming demographic.
The best neighborhood, if you want the best mix of interesting people would be the East End, although pretty much anything on the peninsula would probably fit the bill.
Personally, I think that the entire city would be safe for kids to play in, but I don't have kids, so I dunno, it's just an observation. I will tell you this; in comparison to Portland, OR., you will probably get the impression that crime is non-existent. Crime does happen here-even heinous crimes-just no-where near the same level or frequency.
Coming from Oregon I would bet that you will love it here. While it may not be as 'Green', it is at least no-where near as polluted, and while Mainers may not be as liberal, you will still find them to be extremely friendly people who do value and appreciate the Maine's natural treasures.
Thank you for your reply! That gives me some small sense of culture and demographics. I didn't think we'd find quite as much cultural liberalism on the east coast as we have here in this part of the "Left Coast", but was hopeful we might find some kindred spirits It's more an atmosphere of creativity and tolerance and progressive thinking we enjoy than anything else, combined with being surrounded with natural beauty and lots of trees!
Also, I had heard the nasty rumor that Mainers are rude and unfriendly to "outsiders". From all I've read, that doesn't seem to be the case, true? Every post I read seems to describe locals as "friendly", which is encouraging.
One more question for anyone in the know: I am a graduate-level mental health professional and have always found jobs in my field to be fairly plentiful out west. Anyone have any experience in mental health work in the Portland, ME area and a sense of job availability (crisis MH, assessment, counseling, etc?)
You will find your new neighbors to be very friendly and welcoming as long as you don't start every sentence with, "Well, back in Oregon we did (fill in the blank) this way". There is no bigger turn off to most of us than someone moving in from out-of-state and then trying to change Maine into wherever they came from.
That being said, if you come with an open mind and a friendly outlook, you will be fine and, I think, very happy that you made the move.
Thank you for your reply! That gives me some small sense of culture and demographics. I didn't think we'd find quite as much cultural liberalism on the east coast as we have here in this part of the "Left Coast", but was hopeful we might find some kindred spirits It's more an atmosphere of creativity and tolerance and progressive thinking we enjoy than anything else, combined with being surrounded with natural beauty and lots of trees!
Also, I had heard the nasty rumor that Mainers are rude and unfriendly to "outsiders". From all I've read, that doesn't seem to be the case, true? Every post I read seems to describe locals as "friendly", which is encouraging.
One more question for anyone in the know: I am a graduate-level mental health professional and have always found jobs in my field to be fairly plentiful out west. Anyone have any experience in mental health work in the Portland, ME area and a sense of job availability (crisis MH, assessment, counseling, etc?)
Thanks
Check out Sweetser, they are the big local mental health agency. I used to work for them in another lifetime. (20 yrs ago) Good luck!
Thank you for your reply! That gives me some small sense of culture and demographics. I didn't think we'd find quite as much cultural liberalism on the east coast as we have here in this part of the "Left Coast", but was hopeful we might find some kindred spirits It's more an atmosphere of creativity and tolerance and progressive thinking we enjoy than anything else, combined with being surrounded with natural beauty and lots of trees!
Also, I had heard the nasty rumor that Mainers are rude and unfriendly to "outsiders". From all I've read, that doesn't seem to be the case, true? Every post I read seems to describe locals as "friendly", which is encouraging.
One more question for anyone in the know: I am a graduate-level mental health professional and have always found jobs in my field to be fairly plentiful out west. Anyone have any experience in mental health work in the Portland, ME area and a sense of job availability (crisis MH, assessment, counseling, etc?)
Thanks
Actually, I think that there are some smaller coastal towns that might be considered fairly liberal as well, but I am not to sure. The only thing that I can say for certain on this is that Amherst, Massachusetts is about the most liberal place that you will find on the East Coast and it is pretty much a solid comparison to Eugene. But, it is in Mass. .
I had a head ache this morning , but there is something that I should point out. There are some on this forum who swing pretty far to the left, others to the right, but in general most Mainers seem to be somewhere in the middle although most Mainers will shy away from the term 'liberal'. Not sure why. Maybe it has to do with some preconceived notion of what the word means, I dunno, but call a Mainer a liberal and they will react as if you just insulted their grandmother; even if their politics are liberal. Most Mainers are extremely self sufficient, growing their own gardens (food) and such and a lot of Mainers would prefer to use the barter system over worrying about money. All in all a good bunch of people no matter how redneck a few may seem
The nasty rumor you heard is both true and false. As long as you aren't trying to change everything or talking about how you wish Maine was like Oregon, then you will find that Mainers are very approachable people.
Not sure about doing mental health work, but I remember seeing something on Maine.gov not to long ago. However, the Health Care section is the biggest part of the want ads although most of the ads seem to be for RN's and pharmacists.
My family and I are considering a move from Portland, OR to Portland, ME for a job at LL Bean. Trouble is, we've never been to Maine and are truly Pacific Northwest folk, so have no apparent basis of comparison. The overall cost of living seems to be comparable and we don't mind a bit of snow. What we're really wondering is how the people and culture of Portland, ME can be compared, if at all to those of Portland, OR for any of you who have knowledge of both.
We are a professional couple with 3 young children. We live in SE Portland, OR in a very liberal/hippie/bohemian area of town that is very arty and tolerant with lots of interesting people-watching and other things to do. Bicycles nearly outnumber cars and "green" is as close to a religion as many people get in these parts, which we like just fine.
Question is: is Portland, ME ANYTHING like this in any part(s) of the city? If yes, how so? If no, how so? If yes, what are some neighborhoods/towns we might consider? We just have nowhere to start, having never been there, so trying to understand what Portland, ME thru comparison of things we like about where we already live seems like a reasonable place to start.
Also important to us are good schools, safe neighborhoods where kids can play outside, and affordable old restored homes (under $300k?).
Many thanks
The city of Portland does tend to be more liberal than most of the state, a little research will show that they have elected Green party candidates to the state legislature and the city council is a broad, diversified group. In the past few presidential elections, the state has voted for the Democrat candidate with much of the support coming from the Portland area. I see somebody mentioned the East and West Ends and in your price range you will not find much yard for kids to play in, it's more of a townhouse, urban feel and the homes tend to be pricier in the city. I recommend you google articles on the political climate and see if you can get a feel for what I'm referring to.
I would also recommend that you come visit for a few days, tour the city and surrounding areas and get a feel for the neighborhoods to see if you can visualize your family living there. In the meantime, you might want to get in touch with a real estate agent and get some sample homes e mailed to you that fit your specific criteria. Should you hit it off with that agent when you arrive in town, you might consider entering into an Exclusive Buyer Agency Agreeement, where the agent then owes you fiduciary responsibilities and will take care of all the details of house hunting while you secure your employment and finish up your affairs in the "other" Portland.
My Aunt and Uncle live in St. Helens, OR and the above posters are spot on when they say that Portland, ME isn't nearly as "green" or left as Portland, OR. All said and done though, Portland, ME is a much friendlier place and about as far left as you are going to find here. So true about calling the Liberal Mainers - liberal though. Don't know why either, but it can raise a few hackles. Come for a visit, stay for a lifetime!
I grew up in Portland, Oregon and have visited Portland, Maine a couple of times. I actually see a lot of similarites between the two cities, which I find very interesting considering Portland, Oregon got its name from Portland, Maine. (You have heard the coin flip story, right?)
They both have a vibrant downtown with lots of independent shops, restaurants, art galleries, etc. In both Maine and Oregon, the two Portlands are the economic center of their respective states, so there is also plenty of commercial activity in each city. Keep in mind, though, that Portland, Oregon is considerably larger than Portland, Maine. Roughly 2 million people vs. 250K-500K depending on what you include.
Portland, Maine sits on Casco Bay and so there is an active waterfront right there in the heart of the city. Portland, Oregon sits on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers and there are always cargo ships coming and going, but it's not quite the same. If you imagine taking the fishing ports of Astoria or Newport or other town from the Oregon coast and grafting it onto the city of Portland, you would have something very similar to Portland, Maine.
My impression was that Portland, Maine does not have the same "green" lifestyle as Portland, Oregon. I was going to say that maybe I just didn't spend enough time in Portland, Maine to see it, but it looks like other posters have said the same thing.
Anyway, I suggest taking a trip there and experiencing it for yourself. If nothing else, you will have had an enjoyable vacation. But I suspect you'll like it, and isn't LL Bean known as one of the best companies to work for? Sounds like quite an opportunity. Best of luck with your decision!
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It's more an atmosphere of creativity and tolerance and progressive thinking we enjoy than anything else, combined with being surrounded with natural beauty and lots of trees!
.
, but there is something that I should point out. There are some on this forum who swing pretty far to the left, others to the right, but in general most Mainers seem to be somewhere in the middle although most Mainers will shy away from the term 'liberal'. Not sure why. Maybe it has to do with some preconceived notion of what the word means, I dunno, but call a Mainer a liberal and they will react as if you just insulted their grandmother; even if their politics are liberal. Most Mainers are extremely self sufficient, growing their own gardens (food) and such and a lot of Mainers would prefer to use the barter system over worrying about money. All in all a good bunch of people no matter how redneck a few may seem 
