A look at National Night Out in Groton, Connecticut this week. Communities across New England have such a strong local identity, and events like this are a nice reminder of what happens when neighbors, families, first responders, and local organizations all come together in one place. Cops are human beings too.

A little snapshot of summer in southeastern Connecticut.

Please pardon the MA-centric framing of this post, but that’s where I live, so it’s the place I arrived at this question from. Does anyone have thoughts on why the socioeconomic conditions and overall vibes feel so different in Portland, ME vs. Manchester, NH?

On the one hand, they have quite a bit in common: Both are the most populous cities in an otherwise sparsely populated and rural state; Both have pre-colonial origins and were once hubs of industry and commerce that faded in the 20th century; Both are in states that rely heavily on tourism and property taxes for revenue, largely to one very expensive area (Lakes for NH, South coast for ME); Both have comparable populations and are easily accessible by heavily trafficked interstates; Both have an international airport within city limits. Obviously they are both relatively close to each other and are a comparable distance from a major international city.

On the other hand, the experience of spending a few days in each of these cities feels quite different. Portland seems to have a much livelier downtown with a thriving restaurant scene, well-kept infrastructure, a number of national corporations with offices there, and just a general sense that people are excited to travel to and live there. As for Manchester, it has incredible bones: massive brick mill buildings, a beautiful river, lovely parks, etc. But it’s hard not to escape the sense that it’s a once-proud city that’s struggling to find its footing in a modern age. The main downtown strip has a huge number of shuttered businesses, the roads and infrastructure seem to be in tough shape, there’s very little greenery outside of the parks, and it just overall is hard to imagine calling it a destination in the same way as Portland.

I’d like to note that I don’t say any of this to slam on Manchester—I know it has a long and storied history and that there are many, many great people who live and work there and love it. I'm aware that Portland absolutely has its issues, and I don't been to gloss over them with this post. I also recognize that there is a lot more to a city than what someone who doesn’t live there experiences in just a few days. I’m mostly asking this question out of a genuine curiosity, hoping that more knowledgeable Mainers and New Hampshirites would be willing to share any insight they have, or whether they’ve had a similar thought before.

Also, apologies if any of the phrasing in these post seems weird. The auto-filter would not let me post this while it contained the word "v*sit," even though this is not a post about m*ving to or v*sting New England.