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Portland, Maine — travel, stays & events guide
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Portland, Maine city overview
Portland, Maine is a city in USA shaped by its region, population, local economy, landmarks, climate and civic history. This overview summarizes the city itself: where it sits, what defines it, which places anchor its identity and why it matters within the wider country.
City facts
Known forPortland, Maine, Southern Maine, Portland, Maine planning base 3, Portland, Maine planning base 4
RegionUSAUSA
Time zonetbalocal time
Founded580historical origin
City history
The University of Southern Maine is improving its Portland campus with a 580-bed dormitory, student center, and an arts center.
The first European settler was Christopher Levett, an English naval captain granted 6,000 acres (9.4 sq mi; 2,400 ha) in 1623 to found a settlement in Casco Bay.
In 1676, the village was destroyed by the Abenaki during King Philip's War.
During King William's War, a raiding party of French and their native allies attacked and largely destroyed it again in the Battle of Fort Loyal (1690).
In 1786, the citizens of Falmouth formed a separate town in Falmouth Neck and named it Portland, after the Isle of Portland off the coast of Dorset, England.
Portland's economy was greatly stressed by the Embargo Act of 1807 (prohibition of trade with the British), which ended in 1809, and the War of 1812, which ended in 1815.
In 1820, Maine was established as a state with Portland as its capital.
In 1832, the capital was moved north and east to Augusta.
In 1851, Maine led the nation by passing the first state law prohibiting the sale of alcohol except for "medicinal, mechanical or manufacturing purposes." The law subsequently became known as the Maine law, as.
In 1853, upon completion of the Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal, Portland became the primary ice-free winter seaport for Canadian exports.
The 1866 Great Fire of Portland, Maine, on July 4, 1866, ignited during the Independence Day celebration, destroyed most of the commercial buildings in the city, half the churches and hundreds of homes.
By act of the Maine Legislature in 1899, Portland annexed the city of Deering, despite a vote by Deering residents rejecting the motion, thereby greatly increasing the size of the city and opening areas.
The construction of The Maine Mall, an indoor shopping center established in South Portland in 1971, economically depressed downtown Portland.
The Portland Company, located on Fore Street, manufactured more than six hundred 19th-century steam locomotives, as well as engines for trains and boats, fire engines and other railroad transportation equipment.
Worth seeing
Portland, Maine
Portland, Maine is a practical Portland, Maine planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Southern Maine
Southern Maine is a practical Portland, Maine planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Portland, Maine planning base 3
Portland, Maine planning base 3 is a practical Portland, Maine planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Portland, Maine planning base 4
Portland, Maine planning base 4 is a practical Portland, Maine planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Portland, Maine planning base 5
Portland, Maine planning base 5 is a practical Portland, Maine planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Portland, Maine planning base 6
Portland, Maine planning base 6 is a practical Portland, Maine planning anchor: compare its location, transfer time, nearby hotel bases and event timing before you lock the day plan.
Stay overview
Compare Portland, Maine before booking Portland, Maine hotels. Start with the places you will repeat most, then check airport timing, parking, nightly price and event demand before choosing the final base.
Hotels & areas
Compare accommodation options in and around Portland, Maine by area, not only by nightly price. A cheaper room can become expensive when airport transfers, parking, attraction routes, late arrivals or event-week demand add time and cost.
Compare stays in Portland, Maine, USAFlights & airports
Main airport TBC arrival plan
- Portland, Maine airport accessMain gateway TBC.
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Rental cars
Portland, Maine day-trip car use
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Best time to visit
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Transport notes
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Crowds
Prices can jump around festivals, conventions, school holidays, cruise days, ski weeks, race weekends and large sports events.
Booking detail
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Upcoming events
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