Portland, Maine

Portland is the <a href="/facts/List_of_municipalities_in_Maine/Je27KDh3">most populous city</a> in the <a href="/facts/U.S._state/PFwcRIYQ">U.S. state</a> of <a href="/facts/Maine/7ww4UY8B">Maine</a> and the <a href="/facts/County_seat/ItAWPoWw">seat</a> of <a href="/facts/Cumberland_County%2c_Maine/pBJGbSwp">Cumberland County</a>. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The <a href="/facts/Portland_metropolitan_area%2c_Maine/6SkIUMW9">Greater Portland</a> metropolitan area has a population of approximately 550,000 people. Historically tied to commercial shipping, the marine economy, and light industry, Portland's economy in the 21st century relies mostly on the service sector. The <a href="/facts/Port_of_Portland_(Maine)/rwUHmHu4">Port of Portland</a> is the second-largest tonnage seaport in the <a href="/facts/New_England/ufw2BmSl">New England</a> area as of 2019.
The city seal depicts a <a href="/facts/Phoenix_(mythology)/2upk0hlf">phoenix</a> rising from ashes, a reference to Portland's recovery from four devastating fires. Portland was named after the English <a href="/facts/Isle_of_Portland/wmzwRaA9">Isle of Portland</a>. In turn, the city of <a href="/facts/Portland%2c_Oregon/wwBx1Hrv">Portland, Oregon</a>, was named after Portland, Maine. The word Portland is derived from the <a href="/facts/Old_English/9rsmQG2a">Old English</a> word Portlanda, which means "land surrounding a harbor". The Greater Portland area has emerged as an important center for the <a href="/facts/Creative_economy/F4VX91A2">creative economy</a>, which is also bringing <a href="/facts/Gentrification/kk1nchr7">gentrification</a>.
In 2022 and 2023, <a href="/facts/U.S._News_%2526_World_Report/5dUQWa8D">U.S. News & World Report</a> ranked the city as one of the "best places to live" in the United States.

Portland, Maine open-in-new

Portland, Maine