Written by Danica Loucks
Brunswick has a New England feel with antique stores, boutiques, and restaurants dotting Maine Street, and the town is filled with tree-lined streets, open parks, bed and breakfasts, nice stores, eateries, and much more. Like much of New England, Brunswick boasts an amazing fall with the changing colors, cool refreshing temperatures, beautiful sunsets and sunrises, and an amazing sense of serenity. Maine also has many natural offerings for Bowdoin students. In warmer weather, swimming, surfing, hiking, and boating opportunities are easily accessible, and when winter arrives, students take advantage of skiing at Sunday River, Sugarloaf, and Saddleback Mountain.
Bowdoin’s campus is adjacent to the downtown area and is close to hospitals, shopping, and the ocean. Students coming from larger cities comment that, at times, the town doesn’t offer enough variety to complement their busy lifestyles, but the opposite can be quite true for students coming from more rural backgrounds. Whatever the case, Brunswick is consistently modernizing and encourages college students to engage in local shopping and activities. A number of amazing restaurants exist along Maine Street, and bigger stores are clustered together at Cook's Corner. Student-resident relations generally depend on which organizations students choose to join—programs like Bowdoin Book Buddies or the host family program foster positive relationships. However, interaction with the world outside of the Bowdoin Bubble can be nonexistent or even negative, like when residents call Security to complain about a house party getting too rambunctious. But, in general, Bowdoin does a lot to give back to the community, and on the whole, students have a healthy relationship with Brunswick and often take the five-minute walk downtown for a cup of coffee or a nice sandwich or to find a cozy study spot off campus.