Be careful when you visit Portland. You might just end up moving here.
It was just a matter of time before people “from away” began discovering all that this small, eclectic city just two hours north of Boston has to offer. In recent years Portland has made any number of “best of” lists created by national magazines or other organizations.
In 2005 Outside magazine dubbed Portland one of the “New American Dream Towns,” a place where lawyers mingle with lobstermen, the White Mountains are only a short drive away, and a “reassuringly high” number of cars have sea kayaks strapped to their roofs. The magazine cited the area’s low crime rate, growing demographic diversity, large network of green space, and environmental sensibilities.
Portland has garnered other honors as well: TravelSmart, a consumer travel newsletter, called it one of the “10 Safest and Most Culturally Fascinating Cities” in the United States; www.fineliving.com said it is one of the “10 Perfect Places to Live in America”; and the National Historic Trust deemed Portland one of a “Dozen Distinctive Destinations.” The city is often hailed as a great place to raise kids because of its excellent schools and quality of life. It has been called one of the 10 best “art towns” in America because of its distinctive downtown Arts District, excellent art museum, large number of local galleries, art college, and long tradition of encouraging resident artists.
Portland is Maine’s largest city, with a population of more than 62,000—more if you count the “Greater Portland area” of surrounding suburbs. The heart of the city is known by locals simply as “the peninsula,” the finger of land that points into Casco Bay and contains the Downtown District, City Hall, office buildings, restaurants, the Old Port shopping district, the West End and Munjoy Hill and, of course, the waterfront.
The city’s footprint covers an area of just over 26 square miles and is changing rapidly, even as its redbrick architecture—a reflection of a city in survival mode after suffering a few devastating fires in the past—and its Victorian charm remain intact. Commercial and residential development projects are in the works downtown that will bring new opportunities to the area; projects include an ongoing revamping of Portland’s formerly industrial Bayside neighborhood.
Portland’s climate is illustrative of that old saying, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.” Yes, winters can be long and cold, sometimes dipping well below zero, but it’s nothing that an old-fashioned “January thaw,” with the mercury soaring into the 30s and 40s, can’t cure. The city normally gets about 66 inches of snow, with the inch count rising as you move inland. (The warmer ocean air provides a bit of a buffer along the coast during snowstorms.) When the snowmelt comes, along with spring rains, the transition to summer can be muddy some years, hence Mainers’ fondness for calling it “mud season.” But late spring brings flowers and trees popping out all over town. Summer makes everything worth it—as Mainers like to say, if you can’t take the winters here, you don’t deserve the summers. Summer temperatures average in the high 70s, though some days easily reach the 80s and occasionally even the 90s. But when it’s sweltering 30 miles inland, the sea breeze along the coast helps to keep things cool in Portland. Sometime around Labor Day, the weather gods seem to flip an invisible switch, all of a sudden there’s a crisp little nip in the air, and a deep breath becomes a form of refreshment. No matter how glorious the days of summer, the approach of autumn brings a new energy and excitement to the community. Memory of the previous winter’s bluster is safely tucked away, and the crunch of colorful leaves underfoot heralds the exciting approach of the first snowfall.
Although Maine is, overall, a conservative place, Portland is more socially liberal than most rural parts of the state. And it is more racially diverse, as well. About 13 percent of Portland residents are minorities, much higher than the state average of less than 5 percent. The city is also a refugee resettlement area where refugees from Sudan, Somalia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and elsewhere come to start a new life. More than 40 languages are spoken in the public schools here.
As distinct as it is, Portland still struggles with the same issues that preoccupy much of Maine, such as jobs, taxes, and the overall economy.
Portland also experiences some of the “brain drain” that affects the rest of the state, in which young people move elsewhere for more competitive, higher-paying jobs. But the city’s vibrant culture and relatively strong job market have tempered that loss, as folks move here and stay here because of the quality of life and proximity to the outdoors. Portland has all of the advantages of a big city—theater, arts, a symphony orchestra—without the crime, gridlock, and pollution of more populated areas.
Part of Portland’s charm is its waterfront atmosphere. Trawlers and other fishing boats dock alongside sightseeing vessels and within sight of the huge tankers that regularly churn into port to unload their cargo. The harbor is a working port that, in terms of tonnage, is the largest in New England. The port of Portland is the largest oil port on the East Coast, and the 25th largest port in the United States.
The city is also one of the largest fishing ports in New England. And it is fast becoming a coveted destination for cruise ships. In 2008, the city opened the Ocean Gateway Terminal, a sleek, modern terminal on the east end of Commercial Street that welcomes the city’s cruise ships. That year, 31 cruise ships carrying a total of more than 45,000 passengers landed in Portland. A high-speed ferry known as The Cat runs between Portland and Nova Scotia from late May through mid-October, departing Portland at 2:30 p.m. and reaching Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, at 9 a.m. the next day. The Cat can carry 900 passengers and 240 vehicles.
The Greater Portland area has a number of neighborhoods and districts. Here we provide a brief overview of each of them.
Here in Portland, you’ll find plenty to occupy you and your family for hours. Listed in this chapter are some of the best places to visit—from homes rich with local history to crazy amusement parks and cultural museums with local flair. I have noted some of the best-known spots as well as some of the tiny out-of-the-way sites that locals like to keep to themselves.
I have grouped attractions by subject rather than by location. Most of the attractions listed here are located in or around Portland and are easily reachable on foot or by car.
The chapter also gives a rundown of the city’s guided tours (which seem to have multiplied exponentially in recent years). These tours are a great way to get your bearings when you first arrive in the city and also a good way for natives to better understand their own backyard.
Whatever attraction you choose, you’re bound to have a great time. After all, wherever you go—whether it’s to the former home of the nation’s premier prohibitionist or to the thundering light show in Saco’s Funtown Astrosphere—you won’t be able to escape the distinctive mix of quirkiness and courteousness that defines Portland.
In 1961 one of the city’s most beloved buildings was destroyed. Union Station, a sprawling granite train station on St. John Street in Portland, was razed to make way for a mini-mall. The image of the ornate granite clock tower, the building’s trademark, as it crashed to the ground amid plumes of dust and debris stuck in the minds and hearts of Portlanders concerned that unchecked development might ruin the character of their city. In the wake of the controversial Union Station demolition, preservation activists converged to form Greater Portland Landmarks (GPL) in 1964. For more than 40 years GPL has worked to preserve hundreds of Portland’s architectural treasures, from colonial homes to postmodern museums. Today, Portland has some of the best-preserved historic districts in the country and in 2004 was designated one of the nation’s “Dozen Distinguished Destinations” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Thanks to a city ordinance passed in 1991, landmarks in the city’s historic districts are protected by law against destruction or development that might compromise the building’s architectural integrity.
In this chapter I have organized significant architectural monuments geographically into three main historical districts on the peninsula: the West End, Congress and State Streets, and the Old Port and Waterfront. For those of you set on a particular century, we have listed the date of each building’s construction in its heading.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of Portland’s preservationists, this chapter can never encompass all of the architectural wonders of the peninsula and beyond. Nearly every street in every neighborhood is gifted with well-preserved, beautiful buildings. Instead, we have highlighted notable structures on the peninsula from the West End to Munjoy Hill, where many of Portland’s most famous buildings can be found. While you explore Portland, it is a good idea to remember that preservation efforts in the city have focused largely on neighborhoods rather than on landmarks. If you discover a house or building you particularly enjoy, chances are it will be flanked by other structures with similar detail and designs. For this reason, one way to use this chapter is to zero in on the structures you are most interested in, plant yourself on their sidewalk, and then wander around the neighborhood. For those of you interested in a more organized approach, we’ve come up with our own Insiders’ Walking Tour. This tour will take you through the commercial district in Portland and down streets that have remained virtually unchanged since the 19th century.
If you’re thirsty for more details on the city’s architectural heritage, we have also listed resources for self-guided and guided tours. The book Portland, published by the nonprofit Greater Portland Landmarks, was an indispensable source for much of the architectural information in this chapter.