Has Portland, Maine Finally Outgrown the ‘Underrated’ Label?

Portland has been a very popular tourist destination for quite some time now.

The food scene is superb, the attractions are top quality, and the landscape and scenery might be second to none.

So, why on Earth does Portland continue to be put on lists of the best underrated cities in America?

Is Portland, Maine, Actually Underrated?

The latest comes from the folks at the popular travel site Bobo & Chichi. The article in question features the 25 most underrated cities in America, and wouldn’t you know it, Portland is right smack in the middle.

It may seem a little strange to still see the “underrated” tag thrown around Portland, considering all the accolades the city receives. However, it’s also easy to forget just how small the city is compared to its counterparts. I mean, you could probably fit 2,500 Portlands in New York City. My math might be off, but you get the point.

Here’s a little from Bobo & Chichi on why Portland made the list:

While the West Coast’s Portland surely gets more attention, Portland, ME, is certainly worthy of a city break… and in fact, you may find yourself liking it more than Portland, OR! Portland is a small but scenic city known for its Old Port neighborhood, with cobblestone streets, funky boutiques, and delicious restaurants to dine in.

This little write-up is fine, but it does make it sound like these are all new discoveries. And to be fair, for a vast majority of the reading audience, they probably are. I admit that it can be difficult to realize that not everyone knows about Portland’s incredible reputation. It’s easy to take many of these things for granted when you can experience them every day. However, I guess it’s still a very new city to countless tourists who are finally starting to recognize how amazing Portland and the rest of the state are.

But doesn’t it feel like we’ve been saying this for the last two decades? It just seems like Portland should have graduated from “underrated” by this point. Then again, to be fair, you could probably make the same argument for the majority of the cities on this list.

Is Portland, Maine, Actually Properly Rated?

So, I guess Portland is still technically underrated. However, it’s difficult to live with that designation for very long. And once something gets called underrated enough, it eventually becomes overrated. We don’t want that to happen, do we? But let’s not worry about that… yet.

READ MORE: Maine’s Hearts of Pine Smash Attendance Records in First Season

Now I’m intrigued to know how this city will be described a few decades from now.