I have been to Portland, Maine myself and I thought it was a gorgeous, little city. It seems to have become a trendy place the last 5 years, whereas Portland, Oregon seems to have fallen off a bit. The latter is known abroad for its music scene and DIY community thanks in part to Portlandia the TV show, which heavily focused on the hipster stereotype Portland, Oregon is associated with.

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  2. Portland, ME is so obviously superior for my personal interests.

    Or, perhaps more accurately, I’d live in ME, I like to visit OR.

  3. Having been to both, Portland, Maine is a nice city in my opinion. Portland, Oregon just felt dirty in many places and I didn’t feel overly safe. It’s by no means the hellhole that some media outlets make it out to be, but in terms of wanting to go back or live there? I’ll pass.

  4. >Portland, Oregon seems to have fallen off a bit

    That’s an understatement. 20 years ago it was a nice place.

    Portland Maine wins this one easily.

  5. Portland Oregon is the only Portland I’ve been to, but I think I’d prefer that over the one in Maine.

  7. Never been to Portland Maine but i would assume it is 100x better than what Portland Oregon has become…..plus Maine has lobsters and lumber jack competitions

  8. I might be biased but Portland ME obviously.

    Aside from the fact that I’m a lifelong New Englander, I also just generally prefer smaller cities.

  10. I’ve only been to OR, I loved it so much that my husband and I had a serious discussion about moving there.

    I’m sure ME is a wonderful city but with the weather they get, I know that I would choose OR

  12. Both are pretty cool places to visit. I lived in Portland, OR for a few years and hated living there as some of the issues with the city got really depressing for me living with them day in and day out, but every time I’ve been back to visit since, about twice a year for work, it’s been very fun and has lots of cool, unique little bars and restaurants and things to do. That said as someone who’s spent most of their life in New England and loves it here, Portland, ME would be the winner for me. It’s got a lot of what Portland OR has, great restaurants and tons of breweries, but is also on the water and has nice architecture which I love, and has less of the issues of Portland, OR.

  13. Maine.

    I like their coast line and the silly little Christmas train they do every year. Oregon almost ruined Clyde Drexler’s career but he saved it by leaving.

    Also, Portland, OR is the only place I’ve ever been where the panhandlers on the street wore business casual (late 2000s).

  14. The cities are on opposite sides of the country, and I would bet few people have been to both long enough to adequately compare them. So this thread is just going to be “I like this one because it’s the only one I’ve been to” or “I like this one because it’s the closest to me”, etc.

    Side note, I really wish that coin flip had turned out differently and the city would have been named Boston, OR. That would have been an interesting comparison between namesakes.

  15. Oregon because it’s the only one I’ve heard of. Small towns in Maine are extremely low on places I want to visit.

    Whew some people are *mad* over how irrelevant Maine is

  17. Portland, OR is the only one I’ve been to, so I guess it kind of wins by default.

  18. I’ve only visited Maine’s Portland, so that would be my vote.

    I like nearby Cape Elizabeth better, but I don’t believe Oregon has one of those.

  20. I’ve never been to Maine, but as long as it’s not overtaken by crime and drugs like Oregon is I think Portland Maine wins.

  21. As someone who has visited both I definitely prefer Maine. I met my husband there and even though it has changed a bit it still retains that New England city charm.

  23. It’s wild to me. When I was a kid, and traveled anywhere outside of the PNW when I said “Portland” almost everyone assumed Maine, and few knew of Portland, Oregon.

    That changed about 25 years ago. Somehow Portland, Oregon became a *thing*, and suddenly people knew it existed. Even people who didn’t live in Oregon or Washington! That’s Washington state, not the District of Columbia (another common misconception when talking to anyone outside of the region in the 1990s). The Portland, Oregon that became famous was certainly a different place than I the one I had known growing up, but it was a much more interesting place than the mostly industrial city that I had known as a child.

    Evidently now Portland, Oregon is “over”. I’m not exactly sure what that means, or if it was ever the thing that caught the imagination of the people moving here. I’m not sure if “Portlandia” ever really existed. Certainly, there were little pockets of hipster subculture, and we had a really weird and grimy gay scene for a bit in the early 2000s, but the popular perception always seemed a bit of a manufactured idea with only a toe tethered in reality. Eugene really strikes me as closer to the “Portlandia” idea than Portland, but it was always mostly a fantasy.

    I certainly enjoyed my time in Portland when I rented a room for $200, and didn’t own a car, but that was mostly due to the people that surrounded me at that time. House parties, hot springs, kayaking and floating the river, gay clubs, and street festivals were how we mostly spent our time.

    I don’t think I’d want to live there again at 40, but if it was my only option for living in the PNW, I probably would. If my only other option was moving to New England, it would be an easy choice. I never want to leave the west coast for more than a year at a time. My people are here

  24. This should be easy enough to settle.

    The town with the most tattoos wins!

    No, wait, the most coffee shops wins!

    Er, no, maybe most small music venues!

    Micro breweries? Craft distilleries?

    Ah fuck, I give up.

  25. I’ve never been to either Portland. I have been to Maine, though, and it is beautiful, so I guess I’ll say Maine.

  26. Portland, Maine has been one of the more ‘hidden gems’ I’ve ever visited. Portland, Oregon is a fine city with some great features but is in the running with Austin and Nashville for most overrated city in the US.

  27. Maine, because Portland OR is a shithole. I’ve only been to Maine and it was pretty good other than more homeless than there should be

  29. Most people will have visited one of these places since they are so far away from each other. Portland, OR is closest to me. I have never been to Maine.

  32. PWM is where it’s AT!
    But don’t think about moving here, housing is a hot mess.

  33. I haven’t been to either but Portland Oregon because I sometimes forget there is one in Maine. The Oregon one is just known for more things like rain, quirkiness, that neon sign, streets named for the Simpsons, etc…

  34. I’ve been to both. Maine is a fine state, and NE is a fine region.

    Oregon is Oregon, and the PNW is the PNW. It wins by default.

  35. Maine, I’ve never been there but I lived in Portland OR. While 30 years ago it was a nice town it was clear even then the powers that be were encouraging the behavior resulting in the dystopian mess they have now.

  38. Portland,ME the other Portland is dead where only junkies live, liberal experiment horribly gone wrong in that city.

  39. I’ve never been to either but I’m a huge soccer fan so I will one day, when I have the funds to really travel and comfortably enjoy, be going to Portland, OR to live my best life watching the Thorns.

    If I wasn’t a soccer fan, I’d probably be more drawn to Maine just because I don’t love big cities and I prefer the east coast.

  40. Definitely Portland Maine. Portland Oregon is a gross and disgusting shit hole

  42. I’ve only been to Portland OR because that’s where my brother lives while I haven’t been to Portland ME so I can’t really say for sure

  44. This question ultimately comes down to whether you prefer a quaint coastal city with less than 100,000 people, or a large urban area near big mountains that has millions in its metro region. People will zero in on stuff like “I don’t like the weather in Maine” and “I hear on Fox News that Portland OR is a shithole” etc but really, you are just comparing apples and oranges.

    For what it’s worth, I live in Oregon and I quite like Portland. I agree with others who say that rumors of its demise are greatly exaggerated. (Like, to an absurd degree.) I haven’t been to Portland Maine since I was a kid so I don’t have much to say about it.

  45. OR atm, but it’s not because of anything good. I just watched a documentary about their drug problems there, and oh boyyyy

  46. I only have experience with OR. I loved it and would live there.

    All these comments make me curious about Maine now though

  47. Portland, OR obviously. I can’t imagine being forced to live on the east coast, that would be dreadful!

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