Is Portland, Maine, or Portsmouth, NH, a better place to raise a family?

Question

We're moving from Boulder, CO, to the NE, and want to be near the coast. My husband is a web developer, and there are job opportunities in either city. I'm an artist, and our daughter is 3. We want a fairly safe community, with a UU church, if possible, and some community. Nice (good food, not necessarily fancy) restaurants and good groceries are important.Natural beauty is also a big plus.

Answer 1

I'd say Portland. Portsmouth is arguably more beautiful in some places, but Portland is more of a substantial city: it's over twice the size of Portsmouth and for that reason has a few more choices for shopping, recreation, etc. And depending on what you're looking for, the cost of living is likely to be slightly lower in Portland. Both are a bit more costly than you might expect, though slightly less so if you choose to live away from the downtown area. But if that's not a big issue, you should be able to find a safe, satisfying place to live in either city.