Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Cumberland County.^[1] The city population was 64,249 at the 2000 Census. Portland is Maine's cultural, social and economic capital. It is also the principal city of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Cumberland, York, and Sagadahoc counties. Tourists are drawn to Portland's historic Old Port district along Portland Harbor, which is at the mouth of the Fore River and part of Casco Bay, and the Arts District, which runs along Congress Street in the center of the city. Portland Head Light in nearby Cape Elizabeth is also a popular tourist draw.

The city seal depicts a phoenix rising out of ashes, which aligns with its motto, Resurgam, Latin for "I will rise again", in reference to Portland's recoveries from four devastating fires.^[2] The city of Portland, Oregon, was named for Portland, Maine.^[3]

The Portland Public School District is the largest school system in Maine.

History

Main article: History of Portland, Maine

City Hall c. 1910

Portland was originally called "Machigonne" by the native people who first lived there. The first European settler of Portland was Christopher Levett, an English naval captain who was granted 6,000 acres (24 km²) from the King in 1623 to found a permanent settlement in Casco Bay. Levett proposed to call the new settlement 'York,' after the town of his birth in England. A member of the Council for New England and an agent for Sir Fernando Gorges, Levett returned to England and wrote a book about his voyage, hoping to drum up support for the settlement.^[4] Levett was unsuccessful in stirring interest in his settlement, and he never returned to Maine. (Levett was in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630 to confer with Governor John Winthrop, but he died aboard the return voyage to England.) It's unknown what became of the men he left behind. Fort Levett in Portland Harbor is named for him.^[5]^[6]

The next (and permanent) settlement by the English came in 1632, as a fishing and trading settlement. The town was then renamed Casco. In 1658 its name was changed again, this time to "Falmouth." A monument at the end of Congress Street where it meets the Eastern Promenade is a tribute to the four historical names for Portland.

In 1675, the village was completely destroyed by the Abanaki people during King Philip's War. The community was rebuilt, to be destroyed by the same natives again several years later. On October 18, 1775, the community was destroyed yet again, bombarded during the American Revolutionary War by the Royal Navy under command of Captain Henry Mowat.^[7]

Following the war, a section of Falmouth called "The Neck" developed as a commercial port and began to grow rapidly as a shipping center. In 1786, the citizens of Falmouth formed a separate town in Falmouth Neck and named it "Portland." Portland's economy was greatly stressed by the Embargo Act of 1807 (prohibition of trade with the British) which ended in 1809 and the War of 1812 which ended in 1815. In 1820 Maine became a state and Portland was selected as its capital. The Abyssinian Meeting House, the 3rd Meeting House founded by Free African Americans, was founded in 1828 on Newbury Street in the East End. In 1832 the capital was moved to Augusta.

In 1851, Maine led the nation by passing the first state law to prohibit the sale of alcohol except for "medicinal, mechanical or manufacturing purposes." The law subsequently became known as the Maine law as 18 states quickly followed Maine. On June 2, 1855, the Portland Rum Riot occurred.

Portland became the primary ice-free winter seaport for Canadian exports upon completion of the Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal in 1853. The Portland Company manufactured more than 600 19th century steam locomotives. Portland became a 20th century rail hub as five additional rail lines merged into Portland Terminal Company in 1911. Canadian export traffic was diverted from Portland to Halifax, Nova Scotia following nationalization of the Grand Trunk system in 1923; and 20th century icebreakers later enabled ships to reach Montreal through the winter months.

The West Mansion on Portland's Western Promenade

The Great Fire of July 4, 1866, ignited during the Independence Day celebration, destroyed most of the commercial buildings in the city, half the churches and hundreds of homes. More than 10,000 people were left homeless.

First National Bank, Middle and Exchange Streets, c. 1910

The erection of the Maine Mall, an indoor shopping center established in the suburb of South Portland during the 1970s, had a significant effect on Portland's downtown.

In the 1990s and 2000s, Rapid development occurred and continues to occur in the city's historically industrial Bayside neighborhood, as well as the emerging harborside Ocean Gateway neighborhood at the base of Munjoy Hill.^[8]^[9]^[10]. revitalizing force in the downtown area, bringing in students from around the country, and restoring the historic Porteous building on Congress Street as its main facility.

Northeast from City Hall c. 1910	Western Promenade c. 1908	Soldiers' Monument c. 1908	Photo taken from roughly the same spot as 1908 postcard, but in 2004
Old Library c. 1905 (now Baxter Building)	A house on Chadwick Street in the West End	A view down Carroll Street in the West End	A house on Vaughan Street in the West End

Honors

Ranked #6 on Relocate America's Top 10 Places to Live in 2007.^[11]
Ranked #12 in the world by Frommer's in its list of Top Travel Destinations for 2007.^[12]
Ranked #20 in Inc. Magazine 2006 Boom Town List of Hottest Cities for Entrepreneurs.
Ranked #7 on the 2005 list of the 100 Best Art Towns in America. (The Countryman Press, April 2005)
Named #15 in medium sized Top U.S. Cities for Doing Business. In the overall category of small, medium and large cities combined, out of 25,000 cities examined, Portland ranked #32. (INC. Magazine, May 2005)
Named #1 Top Market in Small Business Vitality. The study suggests Portland to be the strongest small-business sector of any large metropolitan area in the United States and ranked it as the hottest small business market in which to develop a company. (American City Business Journals, January 2005)
Named #14 in Best Performing Cities index, for its economic vitality based on measures that include employment and salary growth, with an emphasis on high-tech industries. (Milken Institute, California, November 2004).
Was one of the cities selected in "50 Fabulous Gay-Friendly Places to Live".^[13]

A complete list of honors can be found at the City of Portland Economic Development Center website.

Cityscape

A panoramic view of the City of Portland from across the Back Cove.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 52.6 square miles (136.2 km²), of which, 21.2 square miles (54.9 km²) of it is land and 31.4 square miles (81.2 km²) of it (59.65%) is water. Portland is located on a peninsula beside Casco Bay on the Gulf of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean.

Portland borders South Portland, Westbrook and Falmouth. The city is located at 43.66713 N, 70.20717 W.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Rec High °F (°C)	64 (17.7)	64 (17.7)	88 (31.1)	85 (29.4)	94 (34.4)	98 (36.6)	99 (37.2)	103 (39.4)	95 (35)	88 (31.1)	74 (23.3)	71 (21.7)
Norm High °F (°C)	30.9 (-0.6)	34.1 (1.2)	42.2 (5.6)	52.8 (11.5)	63.3 (17.4)	72.8 (22.6)	78.8 (26)	77.3 (25.2)	68.9 (20.5)	57.9 (14.4)	47.1 (8.4)	36.4 (2.4)
Norm Low °F (°C)	12.5 (-10.8)	15.6 (-9.1)	25.2 (-3.7)	34.7 (1.5)	44.2 (6.7)	52.9 (11.6)	58.6 (14.7)	57.2 (14)	48.5 (9.2)	37.4 (3)	29.5 (-1.4)	18.7 (-7.4)
Rec Low °F (°C)	-26 (-32)	-39 (-39.4)	-21 (-29.4)	8 (-13.3)	23 (-5)	33 (0.5)	40 (4.4)	33 (.5)	23 (-5)	15 (-9.4)	3 (-16.1)	-21 (-29.4)
Precip inch (mm)	4.09 (103.9)	3.14 (79.8)	4.14 (105.2)	4.26 (108.2)	3.82 (97)	3.28 (83.3)	3.32 (84.3)	3.05 (77.5)	3.37 (85.6)	4.4 (111.8)	4.72 (119.9)	4.24 (107.7)
Source: USTravelWeather.com [2]

Neighborhoods

Eastern Promenade Park, overlooking Casco Bay

East End

Waterfront

Western Promenade

Portland is organized into neighborhoods that are generally recognized by residents, but have no legal or political significance. City signage does, in many cases, name various neighborhoods or intersections (which are often called corners). Some city neighborhoods have a local neighborhood association whose self-appointed responsibility is to liaise with the city government on issues affecting the neighborhood.

Several neighborhoods incorporate the name "Deering" in some way. This is a result of the March 8, 1899 merger of Portland with the neighboring city of Deering, which comprised the northern and eastern sections of the city prior to the merger. Deering High School is also so named as it was formerly the public high school for Deering.

Arts District
Bayside
Bradley's Corner
Cushing's Island
Deering Center
Downtown
East Deering
East Bayside
East End
Eastern Cemetery
Great Diamond Island
Highlands
Kennedy Park
Libbytown
Lunt's Corner
Morrill's Corner
Munjoy Hill
Nason's Corner
North Deering
Oakdale
Old Port
Parkside
Peaks Island
Riverton
Rosemont
Stroudwater
West End
Woodford's Corner

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	2,240	—
1800	3,704	65.4%
1810	7,169	93.5%
1820	8,581	19.7%
1830	12,598	46.8%
1840	15,218	20.8%
1850	20,815	36.8%
1860	26,341	26.5%
1870	31,413	19.3%
1880	33,810	7.6%
1890	36,425	7.7%
1900	50,145	37.7%
1910	58,571	16.8%
1920	69,272	18.3%
1930	70,810	2.2%
1940	73,643	4%
1950	77,634	5.4%
1960	72,566	−6.5%
1970	65,116	−10.3%
1980	61,572	−5.4%
1990	64,358	4.5%
2000	64,249	−0.2%
Est. 2006	63,011	−1.9%
sources:^[14]

Gun recovered from the USS Maine on Munjoy Hill

As of the census^[15] of 2000, there were 64,250 people, 29,714 households, and 13,549 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,029.2 people per square mile (1,169.6/km²). There were 31,862 housing units at an average density of 1,502.2/sq mi (580.0/km²).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Portland's immediate metropolitan area ranked 147th in the nation in 2000 with a population of 243,537, while the Portland/South Portland/Biddeford metropolitan area included 487,568 total inhabitants. This has increased to an estimated 513,102 inhabitants as of 2007.^[16] Much of this increase in population has been due to growth in the city's southern and western suburbs.

The racial makeup of the city was 91.27% White, 3.08% Asian, 2.59% African American, 0.47% Native American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population. Portland also has a large Muslim community, mostly of Somali descent. The largest ancestries include: Irish (21.2%), English (19.2%), Italian (10.8%), French (10.5%), and German (6.9%).[3]

There were 29,714 households out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.4% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 18.8% under the age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,650, and the median income for a family was $48,763. Males had a median income of $31,828 versus $27,173 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,698. About 9.7% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Fishing Vessels c. 1908

Due to being Maine's largest city, its proximity to Boston (115 miles to the south) and having the state's largest port, Portland has become Maine's economic capital. The local economy has shifted over the years from relying primarily on fishing, manufacturing and agriculture towards a much more service-based economy. Most national financial services organizations with significant operations in the state have their Maine base here, such as Bank of America, Key Bank, Fidelity Investments, Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield, and Aetna. Several notable companies headquartered or partially headquartered here include: Unum, TD Commerce Bank, Maine Bank & Trust, ImmuCell Corp, and Pioneer Telephone. Several other notable companies that have an impact on the Greater Portland economy are located in the suburbs of South Portland, Westbrook and Scarborough.

Portland has a low unemployment level when compared to national averages and the state average. Portland and surrounding communities also have higher median incomes than most other Maine communities.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2005 Annual Table Report^{citation needed}, the Port of Portland ranked as:

The largest foreign inbound tonnage transit port in the United States;
the largest tonnage port in New England;
The 25th largest port in the United States; and
The largest oil port on the US East Coast.

The Portland-Montreal Pipe Line, a crude oil pipeline that stretches from Portland to Montreal, was a major contributing factor in these rankings.

Government

The city has adopted a council-manager style government that is detailed in the city charter. The citizens of Portland are represented by a city council which are charged with the responsibilities of making policy, passing ordinances, approving appropriations, appointing the city manager and overseeing the municipal government. The city council is an elected body of nine members for which the citizens of Portland vote. The city is made up into five voting districts, with each district electing a city councilor to represent their neighborhood interests for a three year term. There are also four members of the city council which are elected at-large.^[17] From the nine council members a chairman is elected by a simple majority to serve a one year term presiding over all council meetings. The chairman is popularly known as the Mayor, which is primarily a ceremonial position.

A city manager is appointed by the city council. The city manager is responsible for the daily operations and workings of the city government. Consulting with the city council the city manager appoints heads of city departments and prepares annual budgets. The city manager directs all city agencies and departments, and is responsible for the executing laws and policies passed by the city council.^[17]

Aside from the main city council there is also an elected school committee for the Portland Public School system. The school committee is made up in the same manner of the city council with five district members, four at-large members and one chairman.^[18] There are also three students from the local high schools elected to serve on the board. There are many other boards and committees such as the Planning Committee, Board of Appeals, and Harbor Commission, etc. These committees and boards have limited power in their respective areas of expertise. Members of boards and committees are appointed by city council members.

Notable buildings

Old Post Office c. 1905

The spire of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception has been a notable feature of the Portland skyline since its completion in 1854. In 1859, Ammi B. Young designed the Marine Hospital, the first of three local works by Supervising Architects of the U.S. Treasury Department. Although the city lost to redevelopment the 1868 Greek Revival Portland Post Office by Isaiah Rogers, it retains the equally monumental 1873 Italianate Portland Custom House by Alfred B. Mullett. Another significant structure is at 477 Congress Street, a 14-story commercial building completed in 1924, and known to locals as the Time and Temperature Building due to a large electronic sign on the top of the building that has flashed that data for decades.

A more recent building of note is Franklin Towers, a 17-story residential tower completed in 1969 and regarded^clarify as Portland's (as well as Maine's) tallest building. This building is next to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the Portland skyline. During the building boom of the 1980s, several new buildings rose on the peninsula, including the 1983 Charles Shipman Payson Building by Henry R. Cobb of I.M. Pei at the Portland Museum of Art, and the Back Bay Tower, a 15-story residential building completed in 1990.^[19]

Education

See also

Colleges and universities

Maine College of Art
University of Maine School of Law
University of New England (Westbrook College Campus)
University of Southern Maine

High schools

Casco Bay High School (public-expeditionary)
Catherine McAuley High School (private)
Cheverus High School (private)
Deering High School (public)
Portland Arts & Technology High School (public-vocational)
Portland High School (public)
Waynflete School (private)

Culture

Sites of interest

Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad c. 2004

Riverton Park c. 1910

Wadsworth-Longfellow House c. 1910

Downtown Arts District, centered around Congress Street, is home to the Portland Museum of Art, Portland Stage Company, Maine College of Art, Children's Museum of Maine, SPACE Gallery, Merrill Auditorium, the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ, and Portland Symphony Orchestra, as well as many smaller art galleries and studios.

Baxter Boulevard around Back Cove, Deering Oaks Park, the Eastern Promenade, Lincoln Park, Riverton Park and the Western Promenade are all historical parks within the city. Other parks and natural spaces include Payson Park, Post Office Park, Baxter Woods, Evergreen Cemetery and the Fore River Sanctuary. The non-profit organization Portland Trails also maintains an expansive network of walking and hiking trails throughout the city and neighboring communities.

Other sites of interest include:

Casco Bay Islands, including the Casco Bay Lines
Cumberland County Civic Center, home of the Portland Pirates.
Eastland Park Hotel
East End Beach
Exchange Street (the "Old Port" area)
Hadlock Field, home to the Portland Sea Dogs.
Longfellow Arboretum
Maine Mall
Neal S. Dow House
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad
Martin's Point
Old Port Exchange
The Portland Club
Portland Conservatory of Music
Portland Financial District
Portland Head Light Lighthouse
Portland Observatory
Shaarey Tphiloh Synagogue
University of Southern Maine (USM)
Victoria Mansion
Wadsworth-Longfellow House

Media

Portland is home to a concentration of broadcast and publishing companies, advertising agencies, web designers and commercial photography studios.

The city is served by a daily newspaper, The Portland Press Herald, The Maine Sunday Telegram, and the free weekly lifestyle magazine The Maine SWITCH. All three are published by The Blethen Newspapers, Inc..

Portland is also home to The Portland Phoenix, a weekly alternative newspaper, published by the Phoenix Media/Communications Group which also publishes the quarterly lifestyle magazine, Portland {STYLE}, The Portland Forecaster, a community newspaper published by the Sun Journal, The Bollard , The West End News, The Munjoy Hill Observer, The Baysider, The Waterfront and The Companion, an LGBT publication.

The Portland broadcast media market is the largest one in Maine in both radio and television. A whole host of radio options are available in Portland, including WFNK (Classic Hits), WJAB (Sports), WTHT (Country), WBQW (Classical), WHXR (Rock), WHOM (Adult Contemporary), WJBQ (Top 40), 98.9 WCLZ (Adult Album Alternative), WBLM (Classic Rock), and WCYY (Modern Rock). WMPG is a local non-commercial radio station, run by community members and the University of Southern Maine.

The area is served by local television stations representing most of the television networks. These stations include WCSH 6 (NBC), WMTW 8 (ABC), WGME 13 (CBS), WPFO 23 (FOX), WPME 35 (MyNetworkTV), and WPXT 51 (The CW). There is no PBS affiliate licensed to the city of Portland but the market is served by WCBB Channel 10 in Augusta and WMEA Channel 26 Biddeford.

Portland and its suburbs are the subjects of two monthly lifestyle magazines Portland and Port City Life.

Sports

Club	League	Venue	Established	Championships
Portland Sea Dogs	EL, Baseball	Hadlock Field	1994	1
Portland Pirates	AHL, Ice hockey	Cumberland County Civic Center	1993	1
Portland D-League team	NBA D-League, Basketball	Portland Exposition Building	2009	0

Portland Sea Dogs, in May 2007, with the Portland Exposition Building in the background

The city is home to two minor-league teams. The AA Portland Sea Dogs, a farm team of the Boston Red Sox, play at Hadlock Field. Additionally, there are the American Hockey League Portland Pirates. Skating at the Cumberland County Civic Center, they are an affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. Also expected is a NBA D-League team to play in the Portland Exposition Building for the 2009-10 season.

The Portland Sports Complex, located off of Park and Brighton Avenues near I-295 and Deering Oaks park, houses several of the city's stadiums and arenas, including:

Hadlock Field - baseball (Capacity 7,368)
Fitzpatrick Stadium - football, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, and outdoor track (Capacity 6,000+ seated)
Portland Exposition Building - basketball, indoor track, concerts and trade shows (Capacity 2,000)
Portland Ice Arena - hockey and figure skating (Capacity 400)

The Portland area has eleven professional golf courses, 124 tennis courts, and 95 playgrounds. There are also over 100 miles (160 km) of nature trails.

Food and beverage

Boiled Maine lobster dish served in Portland

The downtown and Old Port districts have a high concentration of eating and drinking establishments, with many more to be found throughout the rest of the peninsula, outlying neighborhoods, and neighboring communities. Local lore holds that Portland ranks among the top U.S. cities in restaurants and bars per capita. According to the Maine Restaurant Association, Portland is currently home to about 230 restaurants.^[20]

Portland has also developed a national reputation for the quality of its restaurants and eateries. In the spring of 2007, Portland was nominated as one of three finalists for "Delicious Destination of the Year" at the 2007 Food Network Awards.^[21] Many local chefs have also gained national attention over the past few years.^[22]^[23]^[24]

The city and outlying region played host to Rachael Ray in an episode of her Food Network Series $40 A Day.

Portland is home to a number of microbreweries and brewpubs, including the D. L. Geary Brewing Company, Gritty McDuff's Brewing Company, Shipyard Brewing Company, Casco Bay Brewing Co., Sebago Brewing Company, and Allagash Brewing Company.

Portland is the birthplace of the "Italian sandwich." Southern Maine’s signature sandwich, it is called simply "an Italian" by locals. Italian sandwiches are available at many stores, but most famously at Amato's Italian delicatessens, which claims to have originated the sandwich (hence the name).[4]

Infrastructure

Hospitals

Maine Medical Center is the largest hospital in Maine and is continuing to expand its campus and services. Mercy Hospital, a faith-based hospital, is the fourth-largest hospital in the state and began construction on its new campus along the Fore River in late 2006. The project is expected to be constructed in several phases, with completion of the first phase scheduled for 2008.[5]

Two formerly independent hospitals within the city are now being utilized in a different manner. The former Brighton Medical Center is now owned by Maine Medical Center, housing a minor emergency room and care center under the name Brighton First Care. The former Portland General Hospital is now home to the Barron Center nursing facility.

Transportation

See also: Portland, Maine (Amtrak station)

Portland from above, looking north along I-295.

Portland is accessible from I-95 (the Maine Turnpike), I-295, and U.S. Route 1. Also, U.S. Route 302, a major travel route and scenic highway between Maine and Vermont, has its eastern terminus in Portland.

Concord Coach Lines bus service connects Portland to 14 other communities in Maine as well as to Boston's South Station and Logan Airport. Amtrak's Downeaster train service connects the city with Boston's North Station. Both Concord Coach Lines and Amtrak's Downeaster can be found at the Portland Transportation Center on Thompson Point Road. Greyhound Lines on Saint John Street connects to 17 Maine communities and to more than 3,600 US destinations.

Commercial air service is provided by Portland International Jetport, which is located west of the city's downtown district.

Ferry service is available year-round to many destinations in Casco Bay. Since May 22, 2006, The Cat high speed ferry offers summer passenger and car ferry service to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, making the trip in five hours. Until 2005, Scotia Prince Cruises had offered service that took eleven hours.

The Portland Explorer is a service that connects various transportation centers within the city. METRO provides public bus transit throughout Portland and the surrounding area.