Portland, ME
| U.S. News Ratings | |
| Population: | 65,979 |
| Crime: | High |
| Cost of Living: | High |
| Health Care: | Comprehensive |
| Housing Price: | High |
| Income: | Low |
Portland is Maine's largest city and the business center of northern New England. The town features a working waterfront that's rare in a modern urban center, with sophisticated trade-related services alongside an active fishing industry. Portland also benefits from a vibrant tourist industry because of the nearby mountain and coastal attractions. The city itself lies on a peninsula in Casco Bay and has a population of 65,979. It's Maine, so winters can get cold, and the ocean keeps average high temperatures in the low 20s in January. Summers are delightful, with highs in the upper 70s.
Portland is a modest city that is comfortable in its contrasts. Modern high-rises stand amid historic Victorian neighborhoods, with many 19th-century homes left from a flurry of rebuilding after an 1866 fire that leveled the city. Homes on hills overlook the downtown, and there are modern artists' studios and boutiques near the waterfront. Portland residents' outlook combines Yankee practicality with an emphasis on healthful living and green thinking.
Ranked No. 1 in this year's America's Most Livable Cities by Forbes.com, Portland sees little traffic congestion even in the busiest summer months. The Old Port area can at times appear almost too quaint, but city leaders have carefully cultivated its historic look and discouraged chain stores or restaurants. Some of the nearby restaurants feature local produce—a reflection of a back-to-the-land movement in the 1970s—and the renowned fresh seafood and Maine lobsters. The Maine College of Art has helped to stabilize and revitalize Portland's downtown. Other arts fixtures are the Portland Museum of Art, the Portland Stage Company, the Maine Historical Society and Museum, and the Portland Symphony Orchestra.
The city's neighborhoods include several islands, such as Peaks Island, whose small population swells with summer tourists. Other coastal communities in and near Portland are big draws with their beaches and views of Maine's rocky coast. Mountains that are only a short drive away attract fans of winter sports and summer hiking, and Portland maintains an expansive network of walking and biking trails.
The Portland Sea Dogs are a class AA farm team of the Boston Red Sox. The American Hockey League Portland Pirates are an affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres, and the new Maine Red Claws are a member of the NBA Development League.
Everything about Portland during the spring, summer, and fall encourages residents to venture outside. Salt air and tidal pools draw residents to explore close-in beaches. Portlanders bike and walk island neighborhoods, where cars are rare, or any of the more than 200 islands in surrounding Casco Bay. An expansive network of trails also promotes biking and hiking throughout Portland, which takes pride in being a compact, walkable city built before the automobile. Carless living isn't unusual in Portland, which Organic Gardening named one of the greenest cities in the nation. Even winter doesn't keep residents inside, with the ocean moderating the chill and nearby mountains inviting downhill and cross-country skiers.
The Maine College of Art is the oldest arts educational institution in the state. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs and also continuing education for students in all stages of creative development. The University of New England grew from the merger of several independent schools operating on picturesque and historic campuses. The Portland campus of the University of Southern Maine, part of the University of Maine system, houses the state's only law school. The campus also has the Edmund Muskie School of Public Service and the Bioscience Research Institute.
Portland serves as a regional health hub. The Maine Medical Center is the largest hospital in the state. The hospital recently underwent a major expansion that improved the emergency center. Mercy Hospital, the state's fourth-largest hospital, is building a new campus in several phases.
The city has shifted from relying on manufacturing and shipbuilding to more of a service economy, including healthcare, financial services, and insurance. International law firms and import-export firms grew from the city's still vibrant port. Biotech firms have sprung up in Portland, a traditional center of agricultural commerce, and there are two world-class computer chip factories in the area.
The median home sale price for the Portland metropolitan area was $229,300 in 2008, a drop of5.5 percent from a year earlier.
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