Most populous city in the state of Maine, known for its 19th-century architecture and nightlife

How to Get There

From Boston (107 miles): Follow Cambridge St, William Cardinal O'Connell Way and Blossom St to MA-3 S/Charles St. Continue to US-1 N. Take the I-93 N/US-1 N exit from MA-3 S/Charles St. on I-95 N in Peabody. Follow I-95 N to Franklin St in Portland. Take exit 7 from I-295 N. Continue on Franklin St. Drive to Congress St.

Overview

Portland is the most populous city in the state of Maine. Portland's economy relies mostly on the service sector and tourism. The Old Port district is known for its 19th-century architecture and nightlife. Marine industry still plays an important role in the city's economy, with an active waterfront that supports fishing and commercial shipping.

Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland, Dorset. In turn, the city of Portland, Oregon was named after Portland, Maine. The word Portland is derived from the Old English word Portlanda, which means "land surrounding a harbor".

Sites of interest

The Arts District, centered on Congress Street, is home to the Portland Museum of Art, Portland Stage Company, Maine Historical Society & Museum, Portland Public Library, Maine College of Art, SPACE Gallery, Children's Museum of Maine, 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, Western Promenade, Lincoln Park and Riverton Park are all historical parks within the city. Other parks and natural spaces include Payson Park, Post Office Park, Baxter Woods, Evergreen Cemetery, Western Cemetery and the Fore River Sanctuary.

Thompson's Point, in the Libbytown neighborhood, has been a focus of renovation and redevelopment during the 2010s. The location hosts a concert venue, ice rink, hotels, restaurants, wineries, and breweries.

Other sites of interest include:

• Casco Bay Islands
• Cross Insurance Arena
• East End Beach
• Exchange Street (the "Old Port" area)
• Hadlock Field, home of the Portland Sea Dogs
• International Cryptozoology Museum
• Portland Exposition Building, home of the Maine Red Claws
• Longfellow Arboretum
• Neal S. Dow House
• Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
• Martin's Point
• McLellan-Sweat Mansion
• The Portland Club
• Portland Head Light Lighthouse
• Portland Observatory
• Portland Stage Company
• University of New England
• University of Southern Maine (USM)
• Victoria Mansion
• Wadsworth-Longfellow House

Notable buildings

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 its 1867 Greek Revival post office, which was designed by Alfred B. Mullett of white Vermont marble and featured a Corinthian portico, Portland retains his equally monumental 1872 granite Second Empire-Renaissance Revival custom house.

A more recent building of note is Franklin Towers, a 16-story residential tower completed in 1969. At 175 feet (53 meters), it is Portland's (as well as Maine's) tallest building. It is next to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on the city skyline. During the building boom of the 1980s, several new buildings rose on the peninsula, including the 1983 Charles Shipman Payson Building by Henry N. Cobb of Pei, Cobb, Freed & Partners at the Portland Museum of Art complex (a component of which is the 1801 McLellan-Sweat Mansion), and the Back Bay Tower, a 15-story residential building completed in 1990.

477 Congress Street (known locally as the Time and Temperature Building) is situated near Monument Square in the Arts District and is a major landmark: the 14-story building features a large electronic sign on its roof that flashes time and temperature data, as well as parking ban information in the winter. The sign can be seen from nearly all of downtown Portland. The building is home to several radio stations.

The Westin Portland Harborview, completed in 1927, is a prominent hotel located downtown on High Street. Photographer Todd Webb lived in Portland during his later years and took many pictures of the city. Some of Webb's pictures can be found at the Evans Gallery.

Food and beverage

Downtown Portland, including the Arts District and the Old Port, has 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.

Notable restaurants include Fore Street, Duckfat, Amato's, Becky's Diner, Marcy's Diner, Green Elephant Vegetarian Bistro, Back Bay Grill, Street & Co., and Công Tū Bôt.

The city is home to numerous food trucks and food carts, which park on the city streets and at festivals, events and breweries. Most operate in the summer; a few operate year-round.

Parks and recreation

The city of Portland includes more than 700 acres of open space and public parks. The city and surrounding communities are linked by 70 miles of trails, both urban and wooded, maintained by the nonprofit Portland Trails.

Well-known and historic parks include:

• Deering Oaks Park
• Eastern Promenade
• Western Promenade
• Baxter Boulevard
• Lincoln Park
• Congress Square Park
• Payson Park
• East End Beach
• Riverside Municipal Golf Course
• Fort Sumner Park
• Baxter Woods
• Fore River Sanctuary
• Quarry Run Dog Park
• Riverton Trolley Park

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Portland, Maine", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0