Buzzfeed: Portland one of America’s ‘best-kept secrets’

Tip of the cap here to my colleague, Troy R. Bennett, for pointing this one out to me. Buzzfeed, the prolific producer of many a good time-wasting listicle, posted its “14 Underrated Places You’ll Really Want to Move To” earlier this month.

And you know I wouldn’t be bothering to write about it unless Portland made the list.

Here’s the part of the blog post where I rattle off a few of the numerous national lists Portland has been included on over the past five years or so. Maine’s largest city has been touted as having some of America’s best beer, coffee, brunch, healthy-living opportunities, job markets and family-raising environments, among many, many other plaudits.

Widgery Wharf in Portland. (BDN photo by Robert F. Bukaty)

Widgery Wharf in Portland. (BDN photo by Robert F. Bukaty)

These pats on the back have come from the likes of Business Insider, Forbes, Travel + Leisure, Bon Appetit and Women’s Health, among other high visibility national publications.

So it’s tough for me to think of Portland as being one “of the country’s best-kept secrets,” as Buzzfeed says in its latest ranking. It sort of feels like the cat’s out of the bag on Portland, but maybe that’s because I’m in the middle of it.

Maybe folks in other parts of the country aren’t keeping as close tabs on all these lists as I am.

Anyway, here’s what Buzzfeed tells readers about the Forest City:

This super-hip city in southern Maine is equal parts artsy, nature-y, and all-around cool. Check out the Portland Museum of Art or eat at one of the many amazing seafood restaurants.

If you’re curious, Portland is ranked No. 6 on the list of 14 cities, just behind Asbury Park, New Jersey, and just ahead of Fort Collins, Colorado. The No. 1 spot goes to Eugene, Oregon.

Other New England locations to make the list are No. 2 Burlington, Vermont, and No. 3 Provincetown, Massachusetts.

Seth Koenig

About Seth Koenig

Seth has nearly a decade of professional journalism experience and writes about the greater Portland region.