Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of
136.2 km˛ (52.6 mi˛). 54.9 km˛ (21.2 mi˛) of it is land and 81.2 km˛ (31.4
mi˛) of it is water. The total area is 59.65% water.
Portland borders South Portland, Westbrook, Falmouth and Casco Bay. The city
is located at 43.66713 N, 70.20717 W. Portland zip codes range from 04101 to
04124.
History
Portland, Maine was originally called Machigonne (Great Neck) by the Native
Americans who first lived there. It was settled by the British in 1632 as a
fishing and trading settlement and renamed Casco. In 1658 its name was
changed again, this time to Falmouth.
In 1675 the city was completely destroyed by Indians during King Philip's
War. The city was rebuilt, to be destroyed by the same Indians again several
years later. In 1775 the city was destroyed yet again, this time by
bombardment by the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.
Following the war, Falmouth developed as a commercial port and began to grow
rapidly as a shipping center. In 1786 the citizens of Falmouth changed the
name to Portland. Portland's economy was greatly stressed by the Embargo Act
of 1807 (prohibition of trade with the British) and the War of 1812. In 1820
Maine became a state and Portland was selected as its capital. By this time
both the Embargo Act and the war had ended, and Portland's economy began to
recover. In 1832 the capital was moved to Augusta.
On July 4, 1866 a fire ignited during the 4th of July 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. After this fire,
Portland was rebuilt with brick and took on a Victorian appearance. Citizens
began building huge Victorian mansions along Portland's (now famous) western
promenade.
The high quality of architecture in Portland is in large part due to the
succession of talented architects who worked here. Charles A. Alexander
(1822-1882) provided many of the designs for Portland's Victorian mansions.
Henry Rowe (1810-1870) specialized in Gothic cottages. George M. Harding
(1827-1910) designed many of the commercial buildings in Portland's Old Port
as well as many of Portland's ornate residential buildings. Around the turn
of the century Frederick A. Tompson (1857-1906) designed many of Portland's
residential buildings.
But by far the most influential and prolific architects of the Western
Promenade area were Francis Fassett (1823-1906) and John Calvin Stevens
(1855-1940). In the 1870s Fassett was the undisputed leader in his
profession. He was commissioned to build the Maine General Building (now a
wing of the Maine Medical Center) and the Williston West Church as well as
several schools and his own home. From the early 1880s to the 1930s Stevens
worked in a wide range of styles from the Queen Anne and Romanesque popular
at the beginning of his career, to the Mission style of the 1920s, but the
architect is best known for his pioneering efforts in the Shingle and
Colonial Revival styles, examples of which abound in this area.
After being destroyed four times, Portland stands as one of the most
beautiful cities in New England. The Victorian style architecture, which was
popular during Portland's rebuilding, has been preserved very well by the
city's strong emphasis on preservation. Most cities have only small traces
of architecture from this era. Portland's unique history and determination
to survive have made it one of the best places to live and visit in the
country. In 1982 the area was entered on the National Register of Historic
Places. In modern lifestyle surveys, it is often cited as one of the best
small cities to live in in America.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 64,249 people, 29,714 households, and
13,549 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,169.6/km˛
(3,029.2/mi˛). There are 31,862 housing units at an average density of
580.0/km˛ (1,502.2/mi˛). The racial makeup of the city is 91.27% White,
2.59% African American, 0.47% Native American, 3.08% Asian, 0.06% Pacific
Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.86% from two or more races. 1.52% of
the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 29,714 households out of which 21.4% have children under the age
of 18 living with them, 32.1% are married couples living together, 10.5%
have a female householder with no husband present, and 54.4% are non-families.
40.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.5% have someone
living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is
2.08 and the average family size is 2.89.
In the city the population is 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
are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100
females there are 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there
are 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $35,650, and the median
income for a family is $48,763. Males have a median income of $31,828 versus
$27,173 for females. The per capita income for the city is $22,698. 14.1% of
the population and 9.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the
total people living in poverty, 20.0% are under the age of 18 and 11.9% are
65 or older.
Famous People
Famous people who were born in Portland include:
Cyrus Curtis, publisher and philanthropist
Stephen King, writer
Linda Lavin, actress
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet
Thomas Brackett Reed, US Representative
Liv Tyler, Actress
Airports
Portland International Jetport
Landmarks
University of Southern Maine (USM)
WMPG
Children's Museum of Maine
Casco Bay Islands, including the Casco Bay Ferry
Downtown Arts District
Portland Museum of Art
Portland Performing Arts Center
Portland Symphony Orchestra
East End Beach
Hadlock Field, home field of the Portland Sea Dogs
Historical Parks
Baxter Boulevard (Back Cove)
Deering Oaks
Eastern Promenade
Lincoln Park
Western Promenade
Maine Medical Center
Maine Narrow Gauge Railroard
Over 100 miles of nature trails
95 Playgrounds
Portland Headlight Lighthouse
Portland Museum
Portland Observatory
Prince of Fundy Cruises
11 Professional golf courses
124 Tennis courts
Victorian Mansion (Morse-Libby House)
Miscellaneous
The city motto is "Resurgam".
The city seal is a phoenix rising out of ashes
