My family and I are thinking of relocating to Bangor from Auburn, Alabama.

I just wouldn't expect someone from Boston, Framingham, Marlboro, or Worcester to head to Nashua to save 5 percent. The gas would probably negate the cost of the sales tax, unless it was a huge ticket item.

Even then, I'm just over an hour from Nashua and about an hr 20 from Portsmouth/Newington. I wouldn't think of going to New Hampshire just because it's 6 percent cheaper.

ummm... there's a TON of people north of the pike only half an hour from nashua and salem. yes, they go there for tax free shopping.

there's not a whole lot south of the border to draw people, except jordan's furniture (which has an IMAX) and some bigger stores in burlington, like LL Bean.

I doubt people are going to go that far from Massachusetts into New Hampshire to go save 5% on purchases. Who from anywhere near the Mass Pike is like... let's go to Nashua, that 5% hurts me. Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill on the other hand, yes.

But then again, what is put on the Massachusetts side of the line to draw shoppers from New Hampshire? Massachusetts doesn't offer something like a Kittery across the border to drag people in on a regional level.

I think retail in Manchester suffers from cross border shopping. There's lots of retail stacked on the Mass. line to entice people across for tax free shopping. Retailers are trying to capture the 4 million people on the other side, and Manchester is too far away for them to travel. Portland doesn't have that problem.

I see you haven't been to Manchester or Nashua lately. Yes Manch only has on TV channel. who cares. Nashua may have BAE (where my dad works) and some other companies, but Manch has many high tech jobs as well, Rockwell Animation, Jewell Intruments, Sylvania, Comcast, Allegro Microsystems, Texas Instruments, DEKA, Riverside Assc, etc. And Nashua is not miles ahead of Manch in the retail sector. What makes you think that? Manch has the Mall of New Hampshire, and about 3 miles away in the suburb of Bedford is the Bedford Mall. And I do agree that Portland has more of an influence in its own state than, Manch has in its own state.

After a few months, I got to thinking more about this topic. I don't believe Northern New England has a hub at all, nor do I believe that Boston is the hub of all New England. The question should be more like, "What Northern New England city has the greatest dominance over the cities and towns that surround it?" The Portland Community Chamber did a study of how the Portland Economy effects the state of Maine. The report was released on Tuesday, October 30, 2007, and is available on Adobe. The report compared Portland's economy to other metro areas in Maine, plus some national benchmark areas that contained a city with similar population to Portland. What the study found was that a full 43 % of Maine's gross state product came from the Portland region. 44 percent of Maine's total personal income came from the Portland region, as compared with only 12.2% for the national benchmark cities; Manchester being one of them. Although this doesn't make Portland a hub for all of Northern New England, the study shows that Portland is certainly a major hub for Maine. I don't believe there's any part of Southern Maine (and much of the midcoast) that doesn't look to Portland as its economic center. Portland's economic area stretches for 40 miles in three directions. Manchester cannot make that statement. All one has to do is travel 18 miles to the south, and already,in Nashua, you've got a city that exceeds Manchester in high-tech employment, and is miles ahead of Manchester in the retail sector. Even then, Nashua owes much of its success to its proximity to the 3,000,000 residents of the Boston metro. My friends in the North Conway region have no reason to shop in Manchester. If they don't shop in North Conway, they come to Portland, because it's the closest major retail center. Even though WMUR is available on their cable, Portland channels are what they watch most, because Manchester only has one channel; Portland has all the networks.
If a true hub does exist for Northern New England, Burlington VT and BangorME too have greater dominance over their hinterlands as well, because the land is mostly rural, and there are no other cities to compete with them. Manchester may be a hub for Bedford, Goffstown, or Hooksett, but beyond that, I don't think so.

I remember when I was a small child and lived in Manchester my mom and I used to take the bus from the end of our street to Elm Street for shopping. Back then, there was Pariseau's, McQuade's, and Leavitts. But when you think about it, Leavitts was hardly much more than an oversized disount store, and the other two department stores catered to women. Even back then, Manchester's Elm Street never had the array and selection that was found on Portland's Congress Street, with Owen Moore, Rines, Benoit's, and Northern New England's largest department store, Porteous Mitchell and Braun. When we visited my grandfather, who lived in Gorham, Me, we would go to Portland,. and I can still recall how crowded the streets were, and so many stores! Of course, all of those stores have closed, but the feel of the two streets is still there. Elm Street has pulled much of its urban landscape down, and the new structures are for the most part ugly to my eye. Congress Street has kept its urban landscape pretty much intact, and when one considers the Old Port district, that has more than doubled the number of retail stores and restaurants, there is another reason why Portland is the hub of Northern New England. As far as the census is concerned, the figures to me are perfectly accurate.
Manchester is pushed up next to Nashua and Boston, limiting its dominence over other smaller communities around it. Portland does not have that disadvantage. There's no major city to the north at all, and no major city for 100 miles to the south. Therefore it becomes much more of a true central place.

Personally I'd probably rather be on the coast somewhere like Belfast...

Where in Vermont is even high enough and close enough to Boston to be able to see Boston in the distance?

I know you somewhat can from Mount Washington, but that's at 6200 feet up with major visibility around. And I think that's closer to Boston than much of Vermont.

There are no high rises in store. I don't think so at least. But there is construction going on downtown with the new downtown highway and the rebuilding of granite street. There is a ton of housing going up across the city which is a good thing.

Yeah, I think if you're looking at Bangor it should be because you're interested in what the rest of Northern Maine has to offer. Personally I'd probably rather be on the coast somewhere like Belfast, or ideally, way Downeast like Machias. If you're looking for a city vibe, Portland is the way to go, and even there, Maine's great outdoors is right nearby.

Manchester is deffinately the hub of NNE. The census statistics for Manchesters metro area are very misleading, only including a few towns when portlands "metro area" includes basically all of southern maine. Manchester hands down.

My family and I are thinking of relocating to Bangor from Auburn, Alabama. We've been in the South now for about 8 years and that's been 8 years too long. Had enough - want out. It looks like a good place to raise children, but I would like to hear from all of you that have experience with the place. Thanks for any info you can provide.

Very interesting and informative thread! Learned quite a bit, and enjoyed the pics.

Anything new being proposed for downtown?

i would've put that somewhere in the midwest... that's surprising.

somebody determined for some reason

the towns surrounding portland have more population than the towns surrounding manchester. also, boston's metro area pushes more into new hampshire i think (without looking at what it includes) than it does in maine (if at all in maine). there's a big gap in populated areas between nashua and manchester, and even between manchester and concord is more sparsely populated than around portland, which has the big advantage of being on the coast.

i think someone said it already... but it could be argued that boston is northern new england's hub.

Manchester is part of Boston's metro area, just as Providence and Worcester are (they are all more or less the same distance from Boston). Portland is not in Boston's metro, though there are some commuters from southern Maine and Portland to Boston, many commuters on the Downeaster Amtrak line.

the towns surrounding portland have more population than the towns surrounding manchester.

Manchester is deffinately the hub of NNE. The census statistics for Manchesters metro area are very misleading, only including a few towns when portlands "metro area" includes basically all of southern maine. Manchester hands down.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems so touristy to me.

Sheesh. What happened to Manchester's lead?

The winner should go to the biggest northern New England city, so definetly Manchester. Portland Maine would come next.

Portland by far. Manchester kind of reminds me of a big suburb. It doesn't have the urban sophisticated feel that Portland does, nor does it have the bustle of Portland. In my view, culture counts and of the choices given Portland walked away with the trophy.

I found some renderings of some interesting projects in Vermont... They look old but I couldn't for the life of me find any dates anywhere on the site.

Burlington
South Burlington
Montpelier

Anybody know anything about these?

“We originally scheduled the Rolling Stones, but we canceled them when we figured out that Senator Obama would sell more tickets,” Gov. John Lynch said.

The Nubanusit Neighborhood and Farm, now under construction, will be the state's first "cohousing" development, a type of collaborative, condominium-style living that originated 40 years ago in Denmark by people frustrated by the limits of traditional single-family homes. In cohousing, residents have the privacy of their individual homes, but they agree on a set of values by which to live, share some common space and often make decisions through consensus.

At Nubanusit, the community will be based on friendliness, generosity of time and energy, and environmental stewardship, its founders say. It is being designed as a distinct contrast to the growing landscape of sidewalk-free suburbs and big box supermarkets. All cars will be parked near the entrance and walkways will connect the homes, commercial condominiums and recreational trails along the river, encouraging neighbors to interact. People will gather often for potluck dinners in a 4,250-square-foot common house, and they'll have the option of buying much of their food from an on-site farm.

Ok, here are the rest of the Manchester photos...


Sorry I didn't take any photos of the ballpark, but there are other good ones of it here on the UP boards and the lighting was just so, so bright that I knew it wouldn't work, so I just kicked back and enjoyed the game .

- Garris

I think this is a nice view of the skyline. Manchester just needs to add few more skyscrapers into the mix. Are there anymore proposed for the city?

Its not closed, but it has a rep around here of having not so great food.

They have an awsome downtown! Has a European feel

Off Bypass 1, they had an EXCELLENT restarant called Bickfords i dined in a few times, but i heard it closed

Centex plans to build 800 total condominium units in the South Peak development, essentially a town in itself.

They have an awsome downtown! Has a European feel

Off Bypass 1, they had an EXCELLENT restarant called Bickfords i dined in a few times, but i heard it closed