I looked along the San Juan Islands and the coast of California, but I couldn’t find the palette of green, granite, and dark blue that you can only find in Maine. – Parker Stevenson
Coolness is subjective of course but we love the Right Coast Maine. It has so much less of the Portlandia vibe, and so much more of the old-timey waterfront feel. Since it’s 10x smaller than the other one it has a really manageable, homey feel with a cool Art’s District, beautiful cobblestone streets, and more micro-breweries than the other Portland has hipsters.
Here's a review from a local on living in Portland:
First of all, the town and surrounding area is awesome. Portland is big enough to find fun things to do; concerts, sports, restaurants, outdoors, ocean activities, White Mountains 1.5 hours away, shopping, etc. But it's not so big you have to deal with crowds, traffic, and the like. So, overall for me, the city and area is great.
A couple of things to think about;
Sometimes you feel caught in a time warp…like 20 years behind the rest of the country. I mean, we got our first Target in the 2000’s. But I like this…the pace of life is good.
I love raising a family here. We have problems like anywhere else (ie: drugs, underage drinking, etc). They just don't seem as prevailing or serious.
For more reviews of what living in Portland is like from locals check out: The Buzz
At just 65,000 residents Portland has a tough time supporting small businesses and as a result there aren’t many jobs. Tourists give you a bit of a boost if you’re a service biz but come winter things get quiet. Simply put it can be hard to make a living here. If you’re moving to be a remote worker, or you’re an empty-nester or retiree then it is amazing but don’t move here to make a living off the city economy.
Here's a local on the state of the economy:
Seriously, are people still considering Portland at this point? Rent is the highest it's ever been and businesses are closing left and right. Personally, I would think Brooklyn or surrounding Boston would be better considering they had population drops once covid hit. I'm considering moving down there myself because the job market is much better and real estate has plummeted.
Portland is SMALL for a well-known city, so expect inventory for buying a condo or renting an apartment to be sparse and for others to be in on the bids. There is new development, mostly in condos, but if you can snag one expect an extremely walkable, liberal, young (for Maine), diverse (for Maine), experience. Lots of breweries, good food, and boutique retail, surround an utterly charming, brick and cobblestone city.
If you want to see all that goes on in Portland check out the calendar of events: https://www.visitportland.com/visit/things-to-do/event-calendar/
Things are crazy out there right now and if you’d like to step back from the craziness (and cost) of Boston, New York or wherever you’re from but maintain some city energy then Portland’s the spot for you. If you’re young it’s amazing; more breweries per capita than any other city on the planet. If you’re empty nesting or retiring the healthy, active, outdoor senior lifestyle is perfect as well.
Old Port is the heart of Portland, and where all the great eating and drinking happens here. The streets are cobblestone and filled with brick bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants, museums and art galleries. If you’re young and want to play a walk from home, then this is your neighborhood. Munjoy Hill is the growth spot for those who want a more “artistic” experience in their neighborhood, galleries and cafes give it a chill vibe. This is the spot for the rising creative class although the actual struggling artists might struggle to find a place they can afford.
Portland is generally LGBTQ+ friendly so you could choose any neighborhood to live in. Downtown however is the most celebrated LGBTQ+ area with a revitalized warehouse district dominating both the living and social experiences. Plenty of great restaurants, bars and shopping are available as well as galleries and theaters all a short walk from home. https://www.gayrealestate.com/news/usa/maine/portland/portland-lgbtq-city-guide.html.
West End is a historic neighborhood of Portland, filled with Gothic and Victorian homes, ideal for families. The neighborhood has some of the best parks in the city and great public schools for the kiddos. West End has its own restaurant and bar scene but it’s also just a short walk from Downtown and Old Port so you can chill at the local spot or walk over to the more jumping areas of the city. Deering Center is another interesting option if you favor a more rural, small-town feel from within the city proper. The area has tons of open spaces including Baxter Woods, 32 acres of trails and trees for keeping your head on straight.
