Portland, ME Overview

Four times this historic east coast city was destroyed by fire, and four times it arose from the ashes to rebuild itself stronger than before. Unsurprisingly, the city seal depicts a mythical Phoenix over the motto "Resurgam," Latin for "I will rise again." Today it's a vibrant metropolis of around 64,000, and the only big fires burning today are those under the economy. Compared to the national and state average, the city boasts a low unemployment level, and residents enjoy higher incomes than most other Maine communities. Tourism has certainly contributed to those comfortable statistics--in 2007, Portland was ranked 12th in the world by Frommer's on their Top Travel Destinations list. Not hard to believe. Portland boasts all the amenities of a big city--lively arts scene, first rate museums, bustling waterfront, elegant hotels and restaurants, and excellent shopping--with the coziness of a smaller town, and beautiful New England nature only moments away.

History

The history of the Portland area is believed to go back the "Red Paint" people (so named because of the red clay they used to line the graves of their dead), who were descendants of Ice Age hunters. When Europeans finally did arrive, dozens of native American tribes were inhabiting the land. Sadly, only two of those tribes remain today--the Passamaquoddies (1,500), who now live on two reservations, and the Penobscots (1,200) who today live on Indian Island in the Penobscot River.

It's thought that the first European to explore Maine may have been John Cabot, an Italian sailor who explored the waters of North America six years after Columbus first landed in the West Indies. About five hundred years before that, however, Lief Ericson and a crew of about 30 fellow vikings are presumed to have explored the coast of Maine, perhaps even attempting to establish a settlement.

The first European settler of Portland was Christopher Levett, an English naval captain who, in 1623, was granted 6,000 acres by the king to found a settlement. He actually wanted to call the town "York," in deference to his home across The Pond. He wasn't able to stir up enough interest in the settlement to actually bring the plan to fruition, but his legacy lives on as namesake for Fort Levett in Portland Harbor.

The next (and this time successful) attempt at a settlement came in 1632, when a fishing and trading town was established. Originally, it was called Casco, but changed to Falmouth in 1658. The appellation, Portland, didn't come until sometime after the Revolutionary War, when Falmouth was split into two cities, and the busy commercial port became the city we today all know and love.

Of all the fires in Portland's past (the first two were in the late 1600's, and the third during the Revolutionary War), the fourth, the Great Fire of 1866, was certainly the most responsible for the present-day landscape of the city. Begun during Independence Day celebrations, the fire miraculously killed only two people, but destroyed 1,800 buildings, leaving 10,000 Portlanders homeless. After that, a city ordinance was passed requiring that all new buildings downtown be constructed of brick or stone. As a result, the sturdy buildings of Old Port offer one of the finest examples of Victorian-era commercial architecture found in the country today.

Today's Portland is dynamic and often defined by a pulsing arts community, a well-educated, fairly affluent population, and progressive politics. Portland was one of the first cities in the country to pass a gay-right ordinance in 1992, and later in 2002, citizens elected John Eder to the House of Representatives as the only Green Party representative in the country.

Orientation

Portland is divided into neighborhoods that are recognized by residents, but have no official significance. Many of these neighborhoods incorporate the name "Deering," a result of the 1899 merger of Portland with the nearby city of that name. One of those neighborhoods, North Deering, is home to some of the oldest houses in the city, as it was spared the wrath of the Great Fire that razed much of the rest of the city. Old Port is also of note for history lovers, offering cobblestone streets, and the Victorian brick and stone buildings erected after the Great Fire. Historic significance aside, however, the area is also brimming with restaurants and bars, and is definitely the place to go if you "love the nightlife."

The Downtown Arts District definitely serves as the beating heart of the city's culture scene. Here is found the Portland Museum of Art and many of the city's finest galleries and theaters. Downtown and Old Port are also where the highest concentration of the city's best dining options are found, but great restaurants are available everywhere. Excellent seafood is, of course, in no short supply in Portland, but the city is also famous as the birthplace of the Italian Sandwich, southern Maine's signature sandwich. Most locals are on a first-name basis with the favored dish, and just call it an "Italian."