Round numbers have always been a big deal at Yelp. Back in the day, we would all celebrate each…read moreother's 100th and then 200th reviews. That's not as important as it used to be, but this is my 1000th review and we tend to pick them carefully. I suppose that I'm the first to commemorate number 1000 by reviewing Biddeford, Maine but it's no accident. Biddeford is an amazing little city. First, an incredibly abbreviated history lesson. Skip this paragraph if you understand mill towns. Biddeford's mill town community was the workplace and home for generations of immigrants. They came to the mills looking for employment and they started at the bottom, being poorly paid and working under conditions that we would never tolerate today. The mills were busy for years but became obsolete due a new technology called electricity. The old mill buildings became run down and abandoned, the towns were stuck with massive unemployment, crime increased, and it was really bad. Biddeford was luckier than many other mill towns because it became a bedroom community for Portland's workers and because the mills were re-used to make Vellux blankets, but downtown was still depressed. I first saw Biddeford in the 80's and it wasn't pretty. Not only had it been depressed for quite a while, but a huge incinerator called MERC was built downtown and it stunk. And it stayed that way into the 21st century. Fast forward to now and Biddeford is changing fast. The abandoned mills were bought by people with a vision. MERC was finally closed. People have been attracted by the cheap rents in the mills and they're being refurbished at an astonishing rate. I haven't been able to confirm it, but about one-third of the million-plus square feet of mill space has apparently been renovated. There's a group of people who give tours of the old run down mill buildings and they say that in a year or two here won't be anything left to see because it will all have been rebuilt and occupied. There are art galleries, coffee shops, concerts in the local parks, all kinds of ethnic restaurants, and new businesses seem to be opening almost every day. In the last few months, the city has gotten curbside recycling and a new supermarket. This is good stuff for a city that many had written off and I'm glad to write about it for my milestone of review number 1000. I'm giving the city of Biddeford four stars because there's still work to be done and more than a few local politicians act like they prefer the good old days of urban blight. Some bigger businesses have been unable to move to Biddeford because there's not enough parking and there's a big debate about whether the city should build a parking lot. A bright future for Biddeford is within reach and I'm excited to have a ringside seat in my artist studio, located in one of Biddeford's nearly-full mill buildings. And no, I'm not running for office. I'm just excited about where things can go.

I had a house on Hills Beach for several years and loved the neighbors and the beautiful beach and…read moreviews. The history of this mill town is amazing; workers actually walked a rope bridge from what is now Saco, across the river to the mills in Biddeford. I have mixed feelings about the mill buildings' renovations because I hired so many expert tradesmen out of these buildings when I built our present house. The smell of oil and wood as you walked in was wonderful and it was amazing to see rope still being made in the building. I'm glad however to see the renovations and the new housing coming out of it all. Some incredible restaurants are in Biddeford: my favorite Thai restaurant, Napoli-style pizza made by a wonderful Italian pizza maker to name a few. The shopping area with Market Basket and other stores fills a need for those of us in the area. Unlike other rural surrounding towns, Biddeford is a city and has more workers and bars, so it might have a few more problems, but I have never had a problem parking and walking around at night. Most of the people at City Hall have been great; only once was there an error with a tax bill and it was straightened out quickly. I now own another property there, closer to the downtown, and again, the neighbors are great. Plus, the University of New England there is doing well and growing. I collaborate with one of the professors and enjoy the time spent on our project.

The policeman who helped me, he is very good, very kind, I am very grateful for the work he did, my…read morewallet was stolen and he found this person, so I am very grateful

Very Professional and Excellent Emergency Services. I have always had very good to exceptional…read moreassistance from the Scarborough Police and Scarborough Community Services.

Enormous ongoing summer noise ordinance issue for tenants of apartments near Congress and High St…read more We called Portland PD tonight and finally, at least once, the issue was resolved swiftly with no issues, no arrests, no problems at all. Thanks!

Filed a police report two months ago and they just got back to me via email denying it. When I…read morecalled to ask about it they said to respond to the email and hung up. Useless

We recently purchased a home here in the city of Saco, so I came down to City Hall (for the first…read moretime ever!) to file my bill of sale with the Assessor's Office. Everyone I encountered was incredibly helpful and small-town sweet. They seemed genuinely happy that I was joining the community! From the Assessor's Office they sent me to a different area of the building so I could check on the taxes to ensure the previous owners had kept up to date with their payments, which thankfully, they had! My time in City Hall was brief but enjoyable, makes moving from a large city to a small town make sense. I was super confused upon arrival, I didn't know what exactly it was that I was looking for, and had to wander around a bit before asking for assistance to get to where I needed to be. If there was a better way of helping citizens navigate their needs within the building, it would have made me feel more confident in my mission at hand.

The Kennebunk police are truly great. Interacted with Mike who was personable and friendly. They…read morehelped us when we were left without a way home. I am extremely grateful. Thank you so much Mike and team! Keep up the good work.

Shevenell Park is a small park in downtown Biddeford that apparently came into existence when a…read morebuilding was taken down. For many years it was little more than an empty lot with broken glass and the usual garbage that accumulates when no one's watching, but a few years ago some grant money appeared and the lot was cleaned up. Trees were planted, benches were built, and some tables and chairs showed up. Now it's a spot where there are concerts every Wednesday in the park, people drop by to eat their lunch, and the police frequently walk through. There's nothing about the park that's going to put it on the cover of Architectural Digest, but it's one of a hundred little things that can turn a small downtown from a dreary and depressing wasteland into a place where people want to work and live. Not all of those 100 things have been done yet and there's always some guy within a few blocks asking people for spare change, but it's nice to see progress. If you're near Biddeford between 5:30 and 7:00 on a Wednesday night in the summer, check out the music and then walk to one of the nearby restaurants for dinner. Shevenell Park is okay, and that's worth three stars. Actually it's a little more than okay but Yelp won't let me give it 3.5 stars.

St. Anthony's Franciscan Monastery is such a blessing from God and a blessing to our family! A…read morefriend recommended this place and finally I had a chance to visit. A few times now! Beautiful grounds to take a beautiful walk along the coast. Along your walk there are several beautiful prayer stations to stop and reflect. You can even do some off trail type hiking through the forest. Jim in the gift shop is so kind. Such a blessing to be friends with a fellow Catholic. You will be greeted with a big smile and a warm heart! Lots of amazing blessings in the shop to look through. Mass in the chapel was awesome. Lots of cool, tribal, looking art of Mary and Joseph. I really loved this! Lots of places to pray and meditate in the chapel area. Don't forget to ask for a blessing from one of the Franciscans! Thank you St. Anthony's Franciscan Monastery for all you do. Thank you for your service to your community and most importantly to God We appreciate your example!

Beautiful and peaceful place to take a stroll. Lovely little paths and religious vignettes all…read morearound. We visited the week after the Kennebunkport Prelude and there was a beautiful nativity scene set up. Gift shop was very nice too.