Portland, ME smokes your hometown, kmp1284

I live in Boston, not to be anal but by what kind of backwater logic do you convince yourself you have the same amenities as a city ten times the size of your meaningless little municipality?
 
That was a little uncalled for. Patrick is just having fun on here and likes Portland. The change in thread title was humorous. We can drive down in an hour and a half to all your same amenities. I can also go to any part of my city by car in fifteen minutes or less. If we suck so bad then I wonder why half the plates intown in the summer and fall are from Mass.
 
I think its a valid question. That's great that patrick likes portland, I frankly found it to be deathly boring and horrid when it comes to lodging, dining and drinking. Don't worry though, I hate pretty much all of maine and nh, its not just Portland. The only part of the state I can honestly say is tolerable is the North Haven area and even then I could only last for 36 hours, max. I do not understand why those Mass. people go there, perhaps they simply can't afford to go to Europe or anywhere better. Maybe they like the primitivity. Seriously though, I think Maine is a fine place if one likes the simple things, I however prefer to be able to go to more than one place in the city and order a martini and have it made with something better than beefeater or gordons. After having lived in New York, London, Cleveland, Philadelphia and now Boston, my standards are probably just incredibly high. The worst thing is bs'ing yourself and I think if you really believe portland is that great, you are. If its all you've seen, which appears to be the case, go to the Benelux, you will see towns of 5,000 that make Portland look like a sleepy little hamlet in that counties region or whatever that useless part of the state is called.
 
I could say the exact same back to you if I was from New York. They look at Boston as a bunch of hicks for the most part.

Who says "deathly boring"? Are you from Devil Wears Prada? Look, I know how much a lot of it sucks here, I live here. But I don't think I'd be cracking on our dining and we have a variety of bars. Just because a Whiskey Park wouldn't work here doesn't mean we are a bunch of fucktards.

I love going to Boston but after a day of staying there I am usually ready to go back home. You can only go to one bar at a time and one restaurant at a time. As I said, I can leave Portland at 1030 in the morning and be eating lunch in the North End by 1230. I don't have to deal with the off the wall crime and traffic here. I can go fifteen minutes to Freeport and I can walk down the street to the Casco Bay Lines and go to the different islands in the summer. A trip to Peak's on a summer night to eat and have a drink outside pretty much owns anything else you can do in the city.

We do have a lot of work to do here, but I think we have a bright future . Now, if I were single, I'd let you shit all over Portland till the moose come home.
 
KMP - you are, quite obviously, moronic.

I think you meant to write "country's" with an apostrophe "s" instead of "countries" with an 'ies' as in the plural of country. Learn how to spell before you start calling a place backwater. What, don't they teach English in London there ol' chap?

Having not traveled to Europe, I cannot speak about towns there. But having lived in New England, and traveled across the United States, i can say quite truthfully that Portland is rare. You think Boston is the shit? It should be evaluated on a block by block basis, some parts are nice, even outstanding, and some parts are full of shitty three deckers with duct taped windows. So, which part are you talking about? I doubt you mean the whole city. so, lets just assume you mean the nice parts, ok? aright. so now what you're saying is that you are willing to stew in traffic for hours every day for martinis in the nice part of town. You dont make any sense there buddy.

Portland has more amenities than practically any town of its size in the country. Did I say it was San Francisco? D.C.? Even Boston? Nope, but I did say it is one of the best places in the country to live, and my opinion remains unchanged. Most people agree with that statement, in fact it is consistently ranked as having one of the highest standards of living in the country. I would argue that Portsmouth, NH is quite similar, and what it lacks in population compared to Portland is made up for by its proximity to Boston.

Lets just get one thing straight....because there are more exciting cities to live in than Portland in no way detracts from the quality of life here, it simply means there are, well, cooler places on earth, something I never disagreed with.

But find me another city of 64,000 with the west end, old port, minor league affiliates of the red sox, islands, millions of annual tourists, and a premier hospital. That is my point, it cannot be done.

And unlike Boston, I love my city from head to toe, from the intown housing projects to the trails, beach, islands and elitist western prom. I have no worries walking anywhere here.

Your posts smell of jealousy. No one else on this board who prefers a place like Boston over portland goes so far out of their way to be a dink.

lastly, if a place has a higher percentage of major city amenities than it does the associated hassle of those amenities, then, using simple ratio logic, it is understood that place has a higher quality of life. What, dont understand math? too many martinis? I thought only old women drank those anyway......if you wanna pound a 40, I'll be at the boot and buckle on warren ave, the only bar in the city, where we line dance on thursday nights! yee haw.
 
kmp1284 said:
I live in Boston, not to be anal but by what kind of backwater logic do you convince yourself you have the same amenities as a city ten times the size of your meaningless little municipality?
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Portland, Maine offers eclectic sights, soothing sounds and the great salt air. A combination of big city life blends nicely with its cozy appeal. Only 1-1/2 hours from Boston, Portland offers all the amenities of the big city: arts districts, waterfront, museums, parks, elegant hotels, diverse shopping opportunities; but within minutes, one can be strolling through the Maine woods, canoeing down a river, or skiing some of the most thrilling mountains in New England. Portland is located in Maine's South Coast Region.

http://www.maineguide.com/portland/


and 1/10 the hassle of living in a big city. P.S. in the event that you were unaware, portland is a center city, meaning, like hartford, it is a regional business capital where although not many people live tons of people filter in to work every day. the city more than doubles in population every day, and most of them are centered in two square miles on the peninsula. thats a density of about 40,000 ppl per sq. mile. not too bad for us hicks.
 
Interesting discussion going on here.

I love Portland. Pretty much everyone I know and care about lives within an hour of this city so I don't know if I'd really want to move away.

Of course Portland can't compare to world class cities such as Boston and London but it's great for what it is, nothing more and nothing less.
 
Corey said:
Interesting discussion going on here.

I love Portland. Pretty much everyone I know and care about lives within an hour of this city so I don't know if I'd really want to move away.

Of course Portland can't compare to world class cities such as London but it's great for what it is, nothing more and nothing less.
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well put!
 
But find me another city of 64,000 with the west end, old port, minor league affiliates of the red sox, islands, millions of annual tourists, and a premier hospital. That is my point, it cannot be done.
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Just to answer Patrick's question, I think my hometown of Charlottesville, VA could challenge that statement. Granted, it only has 40,000, but I think it is very similar to Portland. We have one of the most successful pedestrian malls in the country with stores and services very similar to what I found in old port. We are 2 hours south of DC. We have a major university (UVA, consistently ranked either #1 or #2 public school in the country), which includes a very premiere hospital and a very popular sports scene. Our legacy of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison attracts millions of tourists a year (not even Portland can claim the back of the nickle!). We have Shenandoah National Park at our doorstep. We get major touring acts (rolling stones, cirque du soleil, justin timberlake, yo yo ma, bill cosby, dave matthews band). We have a density of 4389.7/sq mi. And finally, you can always find a publication somewhere in the world that ranks Cville #1 in America. Ok, I'm done hijacking this thread, you can continue discussing Portland now. I just felt I had to represent my hometown :)
 
Rep it Lex. Sounds like a fun place to live.

Sadly, I think we could and should be lightyears ahead of where we are now as a city. We have very poor leadership at a city and state level.

The biggest factor besides all that is a serious lack of college, not art college, students living intown. Boston is driven by their college population and everything that comes with it. We have a lot of useless fucks roaming the streets.

With no interference from officials, we are going to look vastly different in ten years. I basically need to hit Powerball and take control of this town is what needs to happen.
 
lexicon506 said:
But find me another city of 64,000 with the west end, old port, minor league affiliates of the red sox, islands, millions of annual tourists, and a premier hospital. That is my point, it cannot be done.
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Just to answer Patrick's question, I think my hometown of Charlottesville, VA could challenge that statement. Granted, it only has 40,000, but I think it is very similar to Portland. We have one of the most successful pedestrian malls in the country with stores and services very similar to what I found in old port. We are 2 hours south of DC. We have a major university (UVA, consistently ranked either #1 or #2 public school in the country), which includes a very premiere hospital and a very popular sports scene. Our legacy of Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison attracts millions of tourists a year (not even Portland can claim the back of the nickle!). We have Shenandoah National Park at our doorstep. We get major touring acts (rolling stones, cirque du soleil, justin timberlake, yo yo ma, bill cosby, dave matthews band). We have a density of 4389.7/sq mi. And finally, you can always find a publication somewhere in the world that ranks Cville #1 in America. Ok, I'm done hijacking this thread, you can continue discussing Portland now. I just felt I had to represent my hometown :)
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dont worry about highjacking this thread, it has already veered WAY off course.

Charlottesville sounds like a wonderful city.

but with all due respect (and I mean that, I really do) it is not half the city Portland is.

I DO NOT mean that in a negative way, I hope you believe me.

But it is a University town.

It has a metro area of less than 200,000, whereas portland has one of over half a million (622,000 according to emporis.com).

Also, charlottesville has zero high rises, and about only 4 or 5 buildings 9 stories tall before they drop off to 8 stories and less. and at least a few of them are university buildings.

we have like 20 before we hit the 8 story mark, none of them university buildings. we have had a 275 foot skyscraper proposed, too. I do not mean to bag on charlottesville, which seems awesome, but I do mean to emphasize the facts about portland that not many people really realize.

Charlotteville also has no profeesional sports teams, even if portland only has minor league teams, they are still professionals.

It does have a nice new college arena though.

and an awesome college.

and more diversity.

and higher density.

So it is all around a nice city, nicer than most of its size.

But I think Portland is at least equal.

Burlington, VT reminds me a lot of charlottesville (or I should say the other way around).

At any rate, such cities are the exception and not the rule, and that was my basic point.

And Gritty's portland does need more college students, and they are on their way. recall the bayside student housing breaking ground thi syear for USM...
 
Sorry Patrick, I've just booked my plane ticket to Charlottesville. I'm sick of coulda shoulda woulda. Well, I'm either going to Des Moines or Charlottesville.

Screw it, it's more fun being agonized here.
 
Gritty's --

nothing I mentioned was could have, should have, or would have.

and

from the sounds of it, charlottesville is a town, not a city.

that does not mean it is not a nice place to live, though, so have fun. I like portland whether or not we build mor ebuildings....that would just make it better.....it is fine the way it is right now for me. To tell you the truth, if I moved somewhere else it would be san francisco, or somewhere in the surroundign area. but that would be too expensive. for all of the places I have travelled (florida, DC, San Diego, Little Rock, Tennessee, burlington, manchester, boston, lowell, lawrence, lynn, worcester, and a million other towns in New England) I still come home and find myself wondering why more people dont live in portland, because it smokes everywhere else I have been in the long run. portsmouth, NH comes very close, but it too has no real city element to it. portland may be small, even postage stamp sized, but it is an american city.

Ill stand by this city until I am mayor, and then Ill stand atop it.
 
Don't get me wrong, from everything I hear about Portland (my parents who use to live there and all I hear on here), I know I'd love it, but I can name a few cities that easily compare with Portland, some come close but aren't quite better, and a few I would probably say are better. Also, I just hafta be a dink and say it, does it bother you that some suburbs of cities offer just as much if not more than the City of Portland? The obvious example of Cambridge, MA comes to mind. Also, if anyone has ever has the chance to check out Evanston, IL (suburb of Chicago), it has a lot to offer. Lots of restaurants, 8 square miles is the size of the city and it has a population of around 75,000. Thats pretty dense. Lots of tall buildings too. Excellent hospital and world class college. Lots of diversity. Patrick, I think you'd like it.
Anyhow, since it's not quite fair to compare suburbs of major cities to Portland, let's try some other ones:
For the "come close but maybe not better" category I'll go with:
Savannah, GA - excellent tourist destination... decent density
Charleston, WV - 33 sq. miles, 51,000 pop in city, 65 mid/high rises. Not exactly a prime tourist destination, but has some nice density.
And now for a city I think may be better than Portland.....
Madison, WI - 53 sq. miles, 144 mid/high rises. Regional destination, lots of tourism, excellent hospital, good schools, high density, nice amenities (between 2 lakes), etc...
Of course it's a matter of opinion which city is better, but I think Madison gives Portland a lot of competition.
Portland is one of a very small handful of small/medium sized cities that really has a lot to offer. If I had to live in a small/medium sized city, I'd be lucky if it was Portland, however, the US is a big place, and Portland isn't the only great small/medium sized city. Madison, among the other small cities listed certainly proves that Portland may not be all that unique...
 
Thanks for your mostly positive reaction to Cville, I've grown to like living there quite a bit. What Patrick says is right though, Charlottesville is still a town, a large and growing town, but a town nonetheless. So it's unfair to compare it equally to Portland, which is the center of a large metro area. We also have our fair share of problems trying to get tall buildings approved (height limit at 9 stories). BUT, our metro area is one of the fastest growing in at least the northeast (yes, I consider cville the last frontier of the northeast due to its very liberal politics). So when we catch up to you in population, lift that height limit, and build our proposed streetcar system....Portland better watch out :twisted:


Also, another candidate for Portlandesque American City is Asheville, NC
 
lexicon506 said:
So when we catch up to you in population, lift that height limit, and build our proposed streetcar system....Portland better watch out :twisted:
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No doubt about it, charlottesville looks very pleasant and indeed we would have a lot to look out for (not that its a competition).

I wish portland would bring its trolly system back. way back in the day of cobblestone streets it used to extencd way otuside of the downtown.
 
WindyCity said:
Don't get me wrong, from everything I hear about Portland (my parents who use to live there and all I hear on here), I know I'd love it, but I can name a few cities that easily compare with Portland, some come close but aren't quite better, and a few I would probably say are better. Also, I just hafta be a dink and say it, does it bother you that some suburbs of cities offer just as much if not more than the City of Portland? The obvious example of Cambridge, MA comes to mind. Also, if anyone has ever has the chance to check out Evanston, IL (suburb of Chicago), it has a lot to offer. Lots of restaurants, 8 square miles is the size of the city and it has a population of around 75,000. Thats pretty dense. Lots of tall buildings too. Excellent hospital and world class college. Lots of diversity. Patrick, I think you'd like it.
Anyhow, since it's not quite fair to compare suburbs of major cities to Portland, let's try some other ones:
For the "come close but maybe not better" category I'll go with:
Savannah, GA - excellent tourist destination... decent density
Charleston, WV - 33 sq. miles, 51,000 pop in city, 65 mid/high rises. Not exactly a prime tourist destination, but has some nice density.
And now for a city I think may be better than Portland.....
Madison, WI - 53 sq. miles, 144 mid/high rises. Regional destination, lots of tourism, excellent hospital, good schools, high density, nice amenities (between 2 lakes), etc...
Of course it's a matter of opinion which city is better, but I think Madison gives Portland a lot of competition.
Portland is one of a very small handful of small/medium sized cities that really has a lot to offer. If I had to live in a small/medium sized city, I'd be lucky if it was Portland, however, the US is a big place, and Portland isn't the only great small/medium sized city. Madison, among the other small cities listed certainly proves that Portland may not be all that unique...
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The original title of this thread was why portland is one of the best places to live, bot the best place tolive. So that means I am saying it is in the same league as the other cities you have listed, not necessarily in a league of its own, on top of everything else. It is, I believe, one of only a handful of municipalities with the statistics it has that pumps out real city life and has city character. and amongst even the others in that handful, it is one of the better ones, imo.

The cities you listed that were suburbs of larger cities are intriguing and sound nice, but it is not fare, you are right, to compare them to portland, as they benefit from the added traffic of a major metropolitan core nearby. Cambruidge is for all intents and purposes Boston. not to mention even if it stood on its own it still has a dramatically higher population. so does madison, which has a population in the 200,000 range, whereas we only have 64,000.

Savannah looks nice, but it too has a lot more population, and it has high rates of violent crime. we don't.

Also, for many of the cities you listed, even thoguh some of them have taller buildings, they dont seem to be as densely settled as portland, because we have around 120 buildings 6 stories and over (low and high rises as defined on emporis.com) and at least a few you mentioned only had about 50-60, and not to mention smaller metro areas.

anyway, the fact remains that cities like portland are the exception and not the rule and that was my point. cities like portland give you a lot more flavor than their population would suggest they should, and it comes at a lower price (both in the cost of living and in associated hassle like traffic congestion etc.). thats my only point.
 
Madison Wisconsin smokes Portland in almost every category. I was amazed when I spent a week out there. You want to talk about what a giant college can do for a city. Two arenas that hold around 18,000 each, great hospital, great lake, traffic isn't bad, people are friendly, hot ass girls everywhere you look, great bars, etc.

It is a very liberal city but a smart liberal city. Portland is a dumb liberal city. Difference between art students and legit students. Plus they have Bucky the Badger.
 
grittys457 said:
Madison Wisconsin smokes Portland in almost every category. I was amazed when I spent a week out there. You want to talk about what a giant college can do for a city. Two arenas that hold around 18,000 each, great hospital, great lake, traffic isn't bad, people are friendly, hot ass girls everywhere you look, great bars, etc.

It is a very liberal city but a smart liberal city. Portland is a dumb liberal city. Difference between art students and legit students. Plus they have Bucky the Badger.
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1. the fact that madison smokes portland is irrelevant. its like saying shaq can dunk over a schoolgirl. madison has 4 tiems the population of portland. It is a major mid sized city, not even comparable to portland, and like you said it has a university with more students than lewiston has people.

2. but there are areas in which portland still, oddly enough, out does even madison.

their airport handles 1.6 million people a year, our handles 1.5 million a year. somethign sound off here? especially for a major university town? doesnt sound like too many people are flying into or out of there.

but they do have an 80,000 seat arena. and a women's semi-professional football team. so, if youre into government buildings and women in football uniforms feel free to indulge. 8)

no honestly, MAdison sounds like a great place and all, but if I were going to go for a larger city than portland (anything over 100,000 people, I would head for somewhere really major, not an inbetween place. but thats just me. I think I would head for San francisco if I was looking for a real city.
 
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