The Best New England City for a Staycation is Right Here in Maine

A new report is shining a positive light on Portland.

WalletHub, a popular personal finance website, has published its annual report on the best American cities for a staycation. That's the act of staying home or local for a vacation (I know, it's a clever name). Not only can Portland be found near the top, but it's also the highest-ranked New England city on the list.

Portland ranks as the 20th best city for summer job opportunities. That's out of a list of 182 cities that were used in WalletHub's survey. I have to say, that's a very reputable ranking for Portland, especially with it being one of the highest in all of the Northeast.

Maine scored a 52.85 out of a possible 100 points. The scoring system is based on three major categories: recreation, food & entertainment, and rest relaxation. These categories are broken down into 42 subcategories to make it as detailed as possible. You can read about the methodology here.

Maine absolutely cleaned house in the recreation category, which is no surprise. It finished with the 2nd highest ranking. Portland offers folks an incredible wealth of activities, like its massive trail system and countless water sports. Plus, it seems that the city is always adding more tours for people to enjoy. Heck, there's even a donut tour.

Portland found itself further down the ranking (66th) in the food & entertainment category, which seems insane. The city is well-known for its culinary excellence. I would put it up against any small city in America as the best in the category. So perhaps Portland falls down the rankings here due to entertainment? However, I'd disagree here. There are wonderful museums, numerous pro sports teams, and iconic music venues. I'm really failing to see how there are 65 better cities in this category.

Portland's lowest ranking came in rest & relaxation, where the city came in 104th. The major issue here is the lovely weather we have. The lack of a consistent forecast, especially in the summer, is a major issue. I totally get it. Nobody is looking to enjoy a week off in a climate where it could rain four out of the seven days, even in the middle of July. Or even worse, a nice snowstorm in April.

Even with that low ranking, Portland still managed a top-20 finish, and still ended up as the number one New England city for staycations. The next highest was Burlington, Vermont, which finished with a ranking of 47. So basically, Portland lapped the field with the rest of the region.

Portland was also not the only Maine city represented. The city of Lewiston was in the survey, and finished a little further down the list at 157th. The city's highest ranking came in recreation at 111th.

So what was the top city on the staycation list? That would be Orlando, Florida. The amusement park-heavy city finished just ahead of Honolulu, Cincinatti, and Las Vegas.

You can check out the entire list here.