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**](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/portland-maine?page=buzz)

Just As Cool And Way More Quaint Than The Left Coast

The Best Thing About Portland?

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.*

In-Town Economy

The Worst Thing About Portland?

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/

Competing For A Condo Or Apartment

Lifestyle of Portland

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. 


The Low-Key Vibe

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**The Best Thing About Portland?** Just As Cool And Way More Quaint Than The Left Coast

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. 

**The Worst Thing About Portland?**  In-Town Economy

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.

**How You Living?**  Competing For A Condo Or Apartment

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. 

**Why You Should Move Here Now?** The Low-Key Vibe

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. 
- Old Port
- Downtown
- Munjoy Hill 


Young Professionals

Old Port

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.
- Downtown
- Old Port
- West End


LGBTQ+

Downtown

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. 
- West End
- Deering Center
- Oakdale


Families

West End

Portland Maine

**What is Portland, Maine like?**

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.

- People is Portland are not as closed off as the rest of Maine. But it's still a multi-generational type of community, where it can take effort to meet people and make real friendships. But we did and our kids love living here.

- 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.

- The summer is great. But be careful…if you want hot, hot, you rarely get it here. But we are swimming in our lake from June to October.

- The fall is spectacular. It stays warm longer than you think. And with the lakes and mountins so close, the outdoors in the fall as fantastic.

- The winter is not as cold as you might think. We are controlled somewhat by the Atlantic, so it just is a little warmer than you might expect. Now 30 miles inland…cold. Here's the rub. I originally come from Michigan and at almost exactly the same latitude. The leaves turn color here 3 weeks earlier than comparable in the Midwest, and they bloom 4 weeks later. So the winter, while not bitter cold, is long, long, long.

- The Spring sucks. There is no real spring. The cold water currents in the North Atlantic (we are north of the Gulf Stream), just fights against warming. So we don't get Spring until May, and then it turns to summer.

- Cost of living is high. Remember, you are at the end of the supply chain for most everything…so living is expensive.

- Portland is thriving right now. So you can make a good living. But because of the thin industrial base, the area tends to suffer jus a little more than average in a downturn.
Best rstaurants in the country for the size of the town. Tons of chef owned places, so the quality is awesome.

- Some really great school districts. And the average size of the schools is small, making for a nice environment.

- Nice surrounding communities like Freeport, Kennebunk, Ogunquit, etc. Just helps make the area more cool.
Casco Bay has a bunch of cool islands for day tripping. Get there by ferry and just explore…really fun.
Seacoast has a mixture of sandy beaches and really beautiful rocky coast.

I could go on and on. But you probably figured out, I'm a big fan of Portland Maine!

**What is Portland, Maine like?**

Like other communities that have prospered because of an eclectic and exciting arts scene, soon the gentry moved in, raising the rents and forcing cutting-edge artists to move to the outskirts, or even out of town where affordable rents can be found. At the moment, two places where this movement is going is Biddeford and Lewiston, where more restaurants are also opening up. Sadly, if you are an artist without the backing of a rich parent, Portland will be further down the list to move to than more reasonable places..

**What is it like to move to Portland, Maine?**

My wife, daughter, and I moved from Boulder, Colorado to Portland in September of 2016. We are so happy with our decision. Here are a few notes on our experience so far. Portland has something for everyone.

Housing: Others have said that the peninsula itself is “expensive.” Perhaps it is, but coming from Colorado we were able to get a lovely place on the water on the West End for considerably less than what we were paying for a similar sized home in Boulder, Colorado - and obviously, the Boulder house did not have a view of the ocean. If you have a lower budget you can find a nicely appointed apartment on the interior of the peninsula right next to the action for between $1,500 and $2,500. If your budget is much less than that, you can still find a shared home with separate apartments a couple miles out of the peninsula. The areas are not “shady.” Portland is a real city with a diverse community. Below is a picture of our view from our back patio in the winter.

Food: The food is amazing. Out of all the places I have lived I have never had such wonderful seafood. You would expect great seafood here, but Portland is more than just seafood. The pizza is the best I have ever had, and don’t get me started on the bakeries. Consistently great dining at most restaurants at every price point. Even if you don’t move here, you should spend a month here just eating.. So good.

Food is really not expensive here compared to most urban centers. There are specialty fish and meat shops at the top of the price curve, a Whole Foods and Trader Joes in the middle, and a Hannaford grocery for those with a lower budget. Even Hannaford has quality organic produce and fresh seafood. Eating will be one of your favorite parts of living here. Here is just a random food picture my wife took of a scallop while we were eating on Peak’s Island. Here is a link to my review of the restaurant.

Community: Portland is extremely diversified and “feels” like a big city. The people that we have met have been very warm and welcoming to us. The culture is unlike any other city I have been to. Portland has a very active arts and dance culture that feels very authentic. They have an event called “First Fridays” every first Friday of the month where all the local artists (and there are hundreds of them) put their art out on the public street. It’s like walking through the world’s largest, most diverse art gallery - without any pomp or pretension. Another amazing benefit of living in this small-big city is you can get OUT of the city and within five minutes, be driving along some of the most beautiful coastline anywhere in the world.

Conclusion:

You will love it here. This town is amazing. There is a rich, authentic culture you will not find in any other city in the world. The city is growing, and there is no better time than now to get in on a vibrant city rich with culture and opportunity.

**What is it like to live in Portland Maine?**

Well. I actually grew up in boston, moved to portland maine for high school, went back to boston for college, and now that ive graduated im back in portland and working (im 24, m) so i think i should be able to help.

the first thing i compared when i came back was the bar scene. unlike boston where there are multiple neighborhoods to go out to (fenway, boylston/the pru, fanueil hall, etc.) portland isnt as spread out.

yes there is the old port, the monument square area, state street/congress bars, etc., so theres still multiple places to go. just not as many. then as you go further from downtown theres little niches with bars in them around. but still, there is a very high density of bars in the downtown portland area, a pretty decent nightlife with high turnover. meaning i dont run into high school buddies everywhere i go, id say 95% of people i see at bars ive never seen before, but the local colleges probably have a lot to do with that. so that scene i still find pretty fun (only downside is last call is 1am....awful....but i also live downtown so i usually have ppl over after to continue the evening)

the culture is also pretty cool, theres a huge gay/lesbian/etc. presence in portland, which you wont really find elsewhere in maine. during warmer months theres farmers markets twice a week in portland, lots of volunteer groups, AMAZING local music scene...seriously, if youve ever spent time seeing local music in cambridge, for instance, the portland scene seriously rivals it. though IMO the portland scene is better (more local, community support for the bands, makes the shows more fun i think)

in winter some of the day-to-day culture 'events' dont really happen, but if your into skiing you're that much closer to the mountains. however since the college students are all around in the winter the bar scene doesnt take a hit at all, in fact since winter hit i prolly go out to bars 4-5 days a week (there are some pretty great happy hours around too)

between the spring - fall though portland is quite an awesome place. not sure if you know about the islands off the coast, but theres a ferry system downtown that goes to a group of islands which people do live on year round, but in the summer some cool stuff happens there. for instance, EVERY weekend in the summer there is a reggae festival on Peaks Island. Also, every thursday downtown theres something called "Alive at Five" in monument square, basically from 5-8pm theres a free concert outside, pretty cool stuff. theres all kinds of festivals, other outdoor shows, etc. that happen during the summer months. portland is a pretty big tourist spot so its a pretty busy place.

Portland Maine, Maine

Sea Dogs

Looklyloo Score: 95