What is northern New Englands Hub?

[Loughlin]

Its a very big toss up for me, but i choose manchester because of its Population an industrial power, but the fact that the other two are large shipping centers and summer destinations also makes them good picks.

[Ron Newman]

I don't think 'Northern New England' as a whole can be said to have a hub. It's too difficult to travel east-west through the region, because of topography and how the road network is laid out.

Manchester is only barely in 'Northern New England' anyway, given that it's 25 miles from the Mass. line but hundreds of miles from the Canadian border.

On purely geographical terms you could make a case for Hanover-Lebanon-White River Junction, since it's where I-89 and I-91 cross. But it's not much of a population center, and you can't get there easily from Maine.

[CoreyPortlandME]

I decline to vote becuase I've never been to Manchester, but here's some facts about Portland...

-The population of the city of Portland is 64,358, with 230,000 in greater Portland.

-Since 1998, the port has become the largest port in New England in terms of tonnage with over 21 million tons of cargo landing in 1999

-Each year, Ptld hosts an avg of 40 cruise ships with approx 38,000 passengers

-The first McDonald's to open in Maine was on Saint John Street in Portland, in May of 1963.

-The First Radio Parish Church of America, which premiered on WCSH radio in Portland in 1926, is the oldest continuously broadcast religious radio program in the nation.

-AHL and AA baseball teams

-Amtrak access to NH and MA

[PortlandME]

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

[Vatt]

Manchester is definately the population center of New Hampshire, and I believe it is also the Hub, if there is one, of northern New England.

[Loughlin]

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

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

actully the second biggest city in northern new england is Nasua not Portland, Portland has 64K and Nashua has 87k, but portland is still a much nicer town than both Nashua and Manchester.

[kurtosis]

i will try to settle some arguments-

manchester is clearly the economic hub of NNE

nashua is the gateway to NNE

portland is the "san francisco of NNE" (i.e. the cultural capitol)

that leaves burlington, which is ...

the crunchy,granola capitol?

gateway from Quebec?

[LeTaureau]

I chose Portland over Manch-Vegas.

It seems to me that Portland is more of a cultural, creative class center for Northern New England, but its hard to say since the New England states are so different from each other. Manchester is the Hub of NH, while Portland is the hub of Maine, and Vermont has Burlington.

I love how we New Englanders are so provincial!

[LeTaureau]

And isnt that funny that all three of these cities, Burlington, Manchester, Portland are not the state capitols? Augusta and Montpelier are two of the strangest places I have ever been.

[M. Brown]

They are all queen cities

[LeTaureau]

so does that make NYC a queen city?

[M. Brown]

Well in NYC's case, it would be a king city. I read somewhere that the definition of a queen city is the states largest city but not the capital. So NYC would be a queen city.

[Loughlin]

^Not nicer than Manchester...At Least Equal.  Manchester is growing so fast and has a brighter future than Portland IMO.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'll admit Manchester is getting better and someday will the cultural capital of NH and Northern new england, and its bound to just get bigger, i hope some new high rises are on the way!

[kurtosis]

I read somewhere that the definition of a queen city is the states largest city but not the capital. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So that's where Manchester's nickname comes from? I always wondered what that meant, growing up in NH. But, I'm sorry, there's no way I'll ever refer to Concord as the "King city". There's nothing King-sized about it! Hey, is Frank Yanco's Queen City Chevrolet (or whatever it was called) still around? I only remember the nickname from those TV ads.

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under."

-- Ronald Reagan --

This is off topic I know, but I think we got by pretty well in the 180 or so years before we started calling ourselves "One Nation Under God"!

[kurtosis]

^eh.  Nashua and Salem I guess would be gateway...sorta.  Because of the Pheasant Lane Mall in Nashua and the Rockingham Mall in Salem.  Manchester has The Mall of New Hampshire though.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have they expanded the Mall of NH? I remember when Pheasant Lane opened in the 80's and it blew Mall of NH away.

I grew up in Merrimack so I know Manch and Nash about equally well. I would not call Manchester a gateway to NH or to northern New England. It is undoubtedly the prime city in the state but it is really a New Hampshire city. I've always seen it as the big city in the center of a largely rural state. To me people in Manch feel like "NH people". Nashua has a different feel, it is a border city and in some ways it is not fully part of NH. There is a lot of influence from Mass there, especially from the nearby cities of Lowell and Lawrence. I guess it's subjective but in Manch I always feel like I'm completely in NH whereas in Nashua I feel like I'm between NH and Mass.

[M. Brown]

They did expand the Mall of NH. I actually think Manchester is the gateway to Northern NH because of the Airport. And when they finish the Highway Access road into the Airport its gonna make it even more of a gateway. Manchester Airport is a HUGE deal in Northern NE and Mass. Manchester Airport is call "The convenient alternative to Logan." And it is. They are also almost done with the new Air traffic control tower as well. Its cool driving into the Airport becuase the road goes under one of the Taxi ways. It's real neat.

[kurtosis]

Good point about the airport. Although since it's essentially a cheap alternative to Logan it's not so much the "gateway to Northern NE" as it is the "backdoor to Boston"

I think Nashua is unique b/c it's the one city that really feels on the cusp of the Northern/Southern New England split, not just in terms of malls or airports but the character of the city. Manchester is also an anomaly b/c it's so unlike they "typical" northern NE cities (i.e. Portland,Burlington,Portsmouth) which tend to be smaller and have more of a crunchy/granola/artsy vibe, if that makes sense

[KRC]

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.

[M. Brown]

I don't think Manchester feels like a suburb. Definately not as much as the border cities. Especially Salem. Manchester is an hour away From Boston. Manchester is too New Hampshirey to feel like a suburb of Boston.

[KRC]

^Not nicer than Manchester...At Least Equal.  Manchester is growing so fast and has a brighter future than Portland IMO.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No disrespect, but as an outsider who's familiar with both Manchester and Portland I'd have to say the opposite is true. Manchester does not have a city feel to it, while Portland does. I'm not saying Manchester is bad; however, you really can't say they are equal. They are not the same. Portland is a small city, Manchester is a big suburb. Manchester has a bigger skyline, but that too doesn't make a place a city. Dunwoody, GA has a number of highrises and it's still nothing more than a suburb of Atlanta. Of course, I'm a diehard city boy so my view of suburban areas tends to be slanted negativly.

[M. Brown]

^Manchester is definately not a suburb. It is in every way a city and a city that can hold its own. If it wasnt then it wouldnt have Minor League teams. It is as much as a city as Portland mabey even more.

[KRC]

^Manchester is definately not a suburb.  It is in every way a city and a city that can hold its own.  If it wasnt then it wouldnt have Minor League teams.  It is as much as a city as Portland mabey even more.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I lived in Worcester for a few years and Manchester strikes me as exactly the same type of urban area. Worcester, while incorporated as a city and is even bigger and denser than Manchester, does not feel like what I consider a city. Sure, it's got a few tall buildings downtown and, indeed, has a downtown. However, it's got a more suburban feel to it. Perhaps it's a lack of a certain type of bustle and/or culture that I'm looking at here. You know, it's what lights my fire for a place. Portland reminds me more of Boston or Providence. Granted, it is much smaller, but it gives off that same urban feel to me.

Again, I'm not dumbing on Manchester at all. It's just that of the ones we could choose, I picked Portland.

[kurtosis]

While we're on the subject, what's Manchester like these days? I mean more in terms of the neighborhoods, not big projects like the airport or ballpark. I haven't spent much time there in a while. Is there much going on downtown, around elm st? I know Nashua is trying to get more of a city vibe down around main st. they now even have a "manhattan style" bar there. Both of the cities could use more of that. Portsmouth, for instance, is much smaller but has, from what I've seen, the nicest downtown in NH. Although it's quite gentrified. Manch-vegas for me was all about hanging out at Bickford's at 2am, chatting with chain-smoking bikers. We defintely kept it real back in high school B)

[M. Brown]

^ Manchester is awesome these days. You guys should pay a visit to Manchester and see how much it has improved.

KRC- You might think its a suburb but its still the hub of northern NE. I'm not trying to be a baby or anything if you think that. I kinda sound sensitive opposition.

[KRC]

^ Manchester is awesome these days.  You guys should pay a visit to Manchester and see how much it has improved.

KRC- You might think its a suburb but its still the hub of northern NE.  I'm not trying to be a baby or anything if you think that.  I kinda sound sensitive opposition.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey, you are obviously proud of your hometown and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I can tell you that I don't feel the same about my hometown so perhaps I'm a little jealous. If I did offend you, please accept my apologizes. That wasn't my objective. I haven't been in Manchester since last October so you're right, I should get up there and check it out.