Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
, is home to many
neighborhoods
A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; American and British English spelling differences, see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community ...
.
Arts District
Portland's Arts District is based around
Congress Street in downtown Portland. The District includes the
Portland Museum of Art
The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine.
Hi ...
, the
Children's Museum of Maine
Children's Museum & Theatre of Maine is located on Thompson's Point in Portland, Maine, and features a wide variety of interactive exhibits and activities for children and families.
History
Children’s Museum of Maine
The Children's Museum & T ...
, the
Maine College of Art
Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) is a private art school in Portland, Maine. Founded in 1882, Maine College of Art & Design is the oldest arts educational institution in Maine. Roughly 32% of MECA&D students are from Maine. The college is a ...
(MECA) and the
State Theatre. It is a
mixed use
Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...
neighborhood with both apartments and commercial establishments.
Back Cove
Back Cove is a neighborhood off of Portland's peninsula and downtown areas. The neighborhood is mostly residential with some commercial business located within Woodford's Corner and along Ocean Avenue. With views of the Portland skyline across
Back Cove, the Back Cove neighborhood borders the neighborhoods of
Deering Center
Deering Center is a neighborhood in the residential area of Portland, Maine, United States. ,
North Deering
Portland, Maine, is home to many neighborhoods.
Arts District
Portland's Arts District is based around Congress Street in downtown Portland. The District includes the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum of Maine, the Maine College of ...
,
East Deering
Portland, Maine, is home to many neighborhoods.
Arts District
Portland's Arts District is based around Congress Street in downtown Portland. The District includes the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum of Maine, the Maine College o ...
,
Rosemont, and
Oakdale. Neighborhood boundaries are: Washington Avenue (North), Baxter Boulevard (East), Forest Avenue (South), and Canco Road (West).
Within the boundaries of the Back Cove neighborhood are Woodford's Corner, Ocean Avenue,
Cheverus High School
Cheverus High School (simply referred to as Cheverus, formerly The Catholic Institute High School) is a private, Jesuit, co-educational, college-preparatory school in Portland, Maine, United States. It was established in 1917 and is located in t ...
(a private
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
school), and Ocean Avenue School (a
Portland Public Schools elementary school). Landscape architect Carl Rust Parker designed the Boulevard Park subdivision of 110 homes in 1912, while Baxter Boulevard was being constructed. The neighborhood includes many historic homes. The
John B. Russwurm House and the
Sparrow House are located within the Back Cove neighborhood.
The Back Cove Trail is one of the oldest trails in Portland. It is 3.6 miles long and circles Bay Cove and connects to Payson Park, the Bayside Trail, and the East End Trail.
Payson Park is a 48 acre park located within the neighborhood with baseball and softball fields, basketball courts, tennis courts, a playground, an ice skating rink, a sledding hill, ski and snowboarding park, a playground, a community garden, and the Longfellow Arboretum. The small Barrows Park and Heseltine Park and the George Street Cemetery are located within the Back Cove neighborhood.
See also
Back Cove estuary basin in Portland, Maine
External links
City of PortlandOcean Avenue Elementary School
Bayside
Bayside is the downtown neighborhood located between the Old Port and Back Cove. It is a mix of residential and commercial properties and old and new architecture. The neighborhood is bounded by Forest Avenue, I-295, Congress Street, and Franklin Street. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Parkside, the Old Port, and East Bayside. It is represented by the Bayside Neighborhood Association.
Portland High School, whose original building that is the school's middle wing was built in 1863, and
Baxter Academy, a charter high school with a
STEM
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
curriculum, are both located in the neighborhood.
Merrill Auditorium
Merrill Auditorium is a 1,908-seat auditorium located in Portland, Maine, United States. Originally known as Portland City Hall Auditorium, it is located in the eastern section of Portland City Hall.
The auditorium was built in 1912 and underwen ...
is located in the neighborhood. The state's only
Whole Foods
Whole Foods Market IP, Inc., a subsidiary of Amazon, is an upscale American multinational supermarket chain headquartered in Austin, Texas, which sells products free from hydrogenated fats and artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. A USDA ...
and
Trader Joe's
Trader Joe's is an American chain of grocery stores headquartered in Monrovia, California. The chain has over 569 stores across the United States.
The first Trader Joe's store was opened in 1967 by founder Joe Coulombe in Pasadena, California ...
supermarkets are located in the Bayside neighborhood. Notable buildings in the Bayside neighborhood include the
Schlotterbeck and Foss Building
The Schlotterbeck and Foss Building is an historic factory building at 117 Preble Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1927, it is a particularly rare example of Art Deco architecture in Portland, the only one known by the noted Maine architects Jo ...
, an historic art deco factory building built in 1927 and that is now apartments, and
Franklin Towers
Franklin Towers is a 16-story high-rise building located in Portland, Maine, at the corner of Franklin Street and Cumberland Avenue, rising to a height of . Construction was completed in 1969, and its primary use is residential.
It affords resi ...
, a high-rise apartment building constructed in 1969. Greater Portland Landmarks has documented that Bayside has some of the earliest homes in Portland, including Federal and Greek Revival homes, because most of the neighborhood was not burned in the
Great Fire of 1866. The City of Portland's former Public Works operation center in Bayside has been redeveloped to be a commercial center comprising restaurants, breweries, distilleries, exercise studios, a bowling alley, and many new apartment buildings.
The Bayside Bowl bowling alley is located in the Bayside neighborhood next to the former Public Works operation and since 2014 it has been hosting the
PBA League
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the major sanctioning body for the sport of professional ten-pin bowling in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, the PBA membership consists of over 3,000 members worldwide. Member ...
Elias Cup team competition. The PBA League said Bayside Bowl has rejuvenated its event.
The Bayside Trail begins on Elm Street in the Bayside neighborhood. The trail goes across the Franklin Street divided throughway and then through East Bayside and then connects to the East End Trail and the Back Cove Trail. The Stone Street Playground is located in the neighborhood and is popular in the summertime because of the splash pad fountain and the proximity to the Old Port. The neighborhood association rents plots in the community garden located on Chestnut Street across from the Daymark condominium building that was built in 2022.
Deering Center
Deering Center is a neighborhood that runs from Brighton Avenue to Forest Avenue to
Catherine McAuley High School
Catherine McAuley High School was an all-girls' college preparatory school in Portland, Maine. Run by the Sisters of Mercy, it was located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. The school was established in 1969 and was named for the Sisters' ...
near Wayside Street on Ludlow Street. Formerly known as the
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
of Deering, Maine (named for Capt. James Deering, horse farmer and early resident of Deering), which separated from
Westbrook in 1871. It was incorporated into Portland as Deering Center on March 9, 1899.
Deering Highlands
Deering Highlands is a residential neighborhood on a hill generally bordered by Woodford Street to the north; Stevens Avenue to the west; Deering Street to the east and the sloping hillside of streets in the same area, south of Brighton Avenue. The map on Barry & Anderson's ''Deering: A Social and Architectural History'', p. 15 is ambiguous as to the neighborhood's precise borders.
Deering Highlands was developed in the late 19th century, and maintains much of its original historical character, including numerous examples of architecture by
John Calvin Stevens
John Calvin Stevens (October 8, 1855 – January 25, 1940) was an American architect who worked in the Shingle Style, in which he was a major innovator, and the Colonial Revival style. He designed more than 1,000 buildings in the state of Maine ...
,
Frederick A Tompson, and other regional architects. Among Highlands' most notable historical residents was controversial US Senator
Ralph Owen Brewster
Ralph Owen Brewster (February 22, 1888 – December 25, 1961) was an American politician from Maine. Brewster, a Republican, served as the 54th Governor of Maine from 1925 to 1929, in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1935 to 1941 and in t ...
, who owned the House at 79 Highland Street.
The neighborhood is almost entirely residential, but the largest institutional feature of the Highlands is Maine Medical Center'
Brighton Avenue Campus(formerly known as the Brighton Medical Center). The complex is now home of th
New England Rehabilitation Hospital of Portlandand also houses training facilities and a
urgent care center
Downtown
East Deering
East Deering is the city's easternmost neighborhood. The area was annexed by Portland alongside other Deering neighborhoods. The first Europeans to settle in the area were farmers. Now a suburban and residential neighborhood, it is situated between the
Munjoy Hill
Munjoy Hill is a neighborhood and prominent geographical feature of Portland, Maine. It is located east of downtown and south of East Deering, the neighborhood it is connected to by Tukey's Bridge. The neighborhood historically had a large Ir ...
and
North Deering
Portland, Maine, is home to many neighborhoods.
Arts District
Portland's Arts District is based around Congress Street in downtown Portland. The District includes the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum of Maine, the Maine College of ...
, as well as the town of
Falmouth. East Deering is an economically diverse place, featuring a combination of
public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is usually owned by a government authority, either central or local. Although the common goal of public housing is to provide affordable housing, the details, terminology, def ...
, privately owned apartments, small single-family homes as well as larger, more expensive single-family homes. Much of the neighborhood has views of
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its south ...
and nearby
Mackworth Island. East Deering was bisected by 295 in the 1960s. Major landmarks in this neighborhood include
Tukey's Bridge
Tukey's Bridge is a bridge connecting the neighborhoods of Munjoy Hill and East Deering in Portland, Maine. It is part of Interstate 295, U.S. Route 1, and State Route 26.
History
Several bridges by the same name have existed connecting the a ...
, the Burnham and Morrill Co. (B&M) Baked Bean manufacturing plant, Martin's Point, Presumpscot School,
Grand Trunk Cemetery,
Payson Park, and Lunts Corner.
The major throughways in East Deering are Washington Avenue and Veranda Street.
Martin's Point Bridge connects East Deering to Falmouth.
East Bayside
![East bayside neighborhood](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/East_bayside_neighborhood.jpg)
East Bayside is a neighborhood in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
. It is bordered by
Franklin Street on the west, Washington Avenue on the east, to the north by Marginal Way, and the south by Congress Street. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Bayside, the Old Port and Munjoy Hill. It was first developed a
street network A street network is a system of interconnecting lines and points (called ''edges'' and ''nodes'' in network science) that represent a system of streets or roads for a given area. A street network provides the foundation for network analysis; for exa ...
in the early 19th century. By the 1820s the area was Portland's second seaport via the
Back Cove's ship channel. Much of the debris from the
great Portland fire of 1866 was deposited into Back Cove, significantly increasing the size of East Bayside. Maps produced around 1900 show an extension of the shoreline out to Marginal Way. The shoreline would not change again until the construction of the Interstate in 1974.
East End
![Portland Observatory 5-30-2005](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Portland_Observatory_5-30-2005.JPG)
The East End is a neighborhood on the far eastern end of Portland's peninsula. It is closely linked with
Munjoy Hill
Munjoy Hill is a neighborhood and prominent geographical feature of Portland, Maine. It is located east of downtown and south of East Deering, the neighborhood it is connected to by Tukey's Bridge. The neighborhood historically had a large Ir ...
and the
Eastern Promenade
The Eastern Promenade (Eastern Prom) is a historic promenade, public park and recreation area in Portland, Maine. Construction of the Promenade began in 1836 and continued periodically until 1934. The park was designed by the Olmsted Brothers de ...
. The
East End Community School
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...
, located on North Street, serves the area. The
East End Beach is also located there. Notable buildings include the
Portland Observatory
The Portland Observatory is a historic maritime signal tower at 138 Congress Street in the Munjoy Hill section of Portland, Maine. Built in 1807, it is the only known surviving tower of its type in the United States. Using both a telescope and s ...
at the top of Munjoy Hill.
Libbytown
Libbytown
is a neighborhood in southern and western Portland, wedged between the Stroudwater, Rosemont, Oakdale, and Parkside neighborhoods, and separated from the city of
South Portland by the
Fore River.
Maine's busiest public transit hub, the
Portland Transportation Center
Portland Transportation Center is a bus and train station in Portland, Maine, United States, served and run primarily by Concord Coach Lines (18 round-trips a day) and Amtrak '' Downeaster'' passenger trains (five round-trips a day). It is also ...
, is in Libbytown.
It was originally settled by Irish Catholic immigrants. Described as cohesive, it began to decline following the 1961 destruction of Union Station on St. John Street. It is named after the Libby family, who immigrated from Ireland in the mid-nineteenth century and set up three businesses between Park Avenue and outer
Congress Street. It extends to the intersection of
Stevens Avenue
Stevens may refer to:
People
* Stevens (surname), including a list of people with the surname
Given name
* Stevens Baker (1791–1868), farmer and member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada
* Stevens T. Mason (1811–1843), territorial g ...
and Congress Street.
Tony's Donuts, a donut shop, was established in the neighborhood in 1965.
Nasons Corner
The area around outer Brighton Avenue is Nasons Corner. While part of the independent town of
Deering in the 1890s, the area was primarily agricultural, with acres of strawberries and fields of hay. Capisic Brook runs through part of the neighborhood, and its banks were home to the Lucas and Hamblet family-run brickyards, which were sold throughout
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
. In 1898, Nasons Corner and the rest of Deering was annexed by the City of Portland. The earliest housing developments in the neighborhood were built beginning around that time and were called Brighton Avenue Terrace and Portland Garden (now Holm Street and Taft Street). The Glenwood project was underway by 1900. It included affordable
bungalow
A bungalow is a small house or cottage that is either single-story or has a second story built into a sloping roof (usually with dormer windows), and may be surrounded by wide verandas.
The first house in England that was classified as a b ...
style homes named for English counties (Devon, Dorset, Essex, Kent, and Warwick). The Glenwood Baptist Church was built by the 1950s. The park will be part of a greening effort to restore its intended use as a "Learning Environment" by building new natural play scapes. A partnership between the City of Portland, the Nason's Corner Neighborhood Association, Breakwater School and Portland Trails. They broke ground on Tuesday, October 29, 2013, and should be completed by the fall of 2014
Sagamore Village
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, many rural Mainers moved to Portland due to labor shortages in the booming defense industry based around Portland harbor. In 1943, Sagamore Village was built to ease the housing shortage. It was owned and operated by the federal government until 1953. It was a multiracial and multiethnic community, which was unique for many of the residents. Following the end of the war, the federal government sought to sell housing developments like Sagamore and Redbank in neighboring
South Portland. Initially, the
City Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
rebuffed calls to purchase the housing development but in 1950, it reversed its position due to public pressure and purchased the housing complex. It was opened for low income individuals.
North Deering
![FirstBaptistChurchMaine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/FirstBaptistChurchMaine.JPG)
North Deering is the northernmost neighborhood of the city of
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
. It is situated next to the Riverton and
East Deering
Portland, Maine, is home to many neighborhoods.
Arts District
Portland's Arts District is based around Congress Street in downtown Portland. The District includes the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum of Maine, the Maine College o ...
neighborhoods of the city, as well as the town of
Falmouth. It is home to some of the oldest surviving houses in the city, because the neighborhood was spared all of the four fires that plagued much of the rest of the city in the past. In North Deering's early history it had an agriculture and lumber based economy, but with the spread of the automobile, North Deering became more economically connected to the rest of the city. Today it has become a suburban neighborhood with some
retail
Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...
activity. It is home to
WGME
WGME-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Portland, Maine, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to Waterville-licensed Fox affiliate WPFO (channel 23) under a loca ...
, Portland's local
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
affiliate. The
Presumpscot River Preserve, a nature preserve, is located in North Deering. It was purchased and preserved in 2001 by the Land for Maine Future program as well as the City Land Bank Commission and Portland Trails.
It is served by Harrison Lyseth Elementary School, and Lyman Moore Middle School (which also serves the
East Deering
Portland, Maine, is home to many neighborhoods.
Arts District
Portland's Arts District is based around Congress Street in downtown Portland. The District includes the Portland Museum of Art, the Children's Museum of Maine, the Maine College o ...
and
Munjoy Hill
Munjoy Hill is a neighborhood and prominent geographical feature of Portland, Maine. It is located east of downtown and south of East Deering, the neighborhood it is connected to by Tukey's Bridge. The neighborhood historically had a large Ir ...
neighborhoods). North Deering high school aged students choose between attending
Portland High School,
Deering High School
Deering High School (DHS) is a public high school in Portland, Maine, United States. The school is part of the Portland Public Schools district.
It is one of the three public high schools located in Portland, the others being Portland High Scho ...
, or
Casco Bay High School
Casco Bay High School is a public high school in Portland, Maine, United States. Casco Bay High School describes itself as an Expeditionary Learning educational experience, which the school describes as being based on the Outward Bound learning ...
, all three of which serve the entire city.
Oakdale
Oakdale is a primarily suburban neighborhood and is home to the Portland campus of the
University of Southern Maine
The University of Southern Maine (USM) is a public university with campuses in Portland, Gorham and Lewiston in the U.S. state of Maine. It is the southernmost of the University of Maine System. It was founded as two separate state universitie ...
. The
Nathan Clifford School
The Nathan Clifford School is a former elementary school building at 180 Falmouth Street in Portland, Maine. Built in 1907–09 to a design by John Calvin Stevens and his son John Howard Stevens, it was hailed as a model elementary school by the ...
, built in 1907, was the neighborhood school until it was closed in 2011. In 2013, it was sold for $1 to the Developers Collaborative in 2013. It was supposed to primarily include "high-density affordable housing" but instead was "remodeled the building to create 22 market-rate apartments." On January 27, 2014, the former schoolhouse was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
.
Oakdale's residents are part of the Woodfords-Oakdale Neighborhood Association.
Old Port
The Old Port (sometimes known as the Old Port Exchange) is a neighborhood of
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, known for its
cobblestone
Cobblestone is a natural building material based on cobble-sized stones, and is used for pavement roads, streets, and buildings.
Setts, also called Belgian blocks, are often casually referred to as "cobbles", although a sett is distinct fro ...
streets, 19th-century brick buildings and fishing piers. The district is filled with boutiques, restaurants and bars. Because of its reputation for nightlife, the Old Port is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of
Bayside,
East Bayside
East Bayside is a neighborhood in Portland, Maine. It is bordered by Franklin Street on the west, Washington Avenue on the east, to the north by Marginal Way, and the south by Congress Street. It is bordered by the neighborhoods of Bayside, the O ...
,
Munjoy Hill
Munjoy Hill is a neighborhood and prominent geographical feature of Portland, Maine. It is located east of downtown and south of East Deering, the neighborhood it is connected to by Tukey's Bridge. The neighborhood historically had a large Ir ...
and the
West End.
Parkside
![Sacred Heart Church - Portland, Maine](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Sacred_Heart_Church_-_Portland%2C_Maine.JPG)
Parkside neighborhood, located at the base of the Portland peninsula, is bordered by Interstate 295 on the far side of
Deering Oaks
Deering Oaks is a public park in Portland, Maine, which has a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a playground, and a pond. It is located west of downtown Portland and is bordered by Deering Avenue on the west, Forest Avenue on the east, Park Ave ...
, Forest Avenue on the East, Congress Street on the south, and Weymouth Street on the west. Parkside borders the neighborhoods of West End. Bayside and Libbytown.
Herb Adams, a local historian, resides in and represented the district in the
Maine House of Representatives
The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. The House consists of 151 voting members and three nonvoting members. The voting members represent an equal number of districts across the state and are elected via p ...
. The neighborhood began following the
1866 Great Fire of Portland, Maine
The great fire of Portland, Maine, sometimes known as the 1866 great fire of Portland, occurred on July 4, 1866—the first Independence Day after the end of the American Civil War. Five years before the Great Chicago Fire, this was the gre ...
when most of Portland's waterfront and downtown were burned. Residents moved south across the peninsula and laid out Sherman Ave. and Grant Ave. (now streets), named after Civil War generals
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
and future President
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
. The homes in the neighborhood are primarily
triple decker
A three-decker or triple-decker, in the United States, is a three-story ( triplex) apartment building. These buildings are typical of light-framed, wood construction, where each floor usually consists of a single apartment, and frequently, or ...
buildings and soon after its founding became home to much of Portland's
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
immigrant populations. The neighborhood was previously known for rampant drug use and prostitution.
Peaks Island
Peaks Island is the most populous island in
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. The city of Portland sits along its south ...
,
Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
and is part of the city of
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
. It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) from downtown. The island is served by
Casco Bay Lines
Casco Bay Lines (also known as the Casco Bay Island Transit District, CBITD) is a publicly run transportation company that services the residents of the islands of Casco Bay. These islands include Peaks Island, Little Diamond Island, Great Diam ...
and is home to its own elementary school, library, and police station. It is the only island in Casco Bay that allows cars throughout the island due to its size.
Riverton
![Riverton Park, Portland, ME](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Riverton_Park%2C_Portland%2C_ME.jpg)
Riverton neighborhood is located in northwestern Portland. The
Riverton Trolley Park, established in 1896, was located in the neighborhood. The park closed in 1929. At the time, it was a premier leisure destination. A
trolley brought people from
Monument Square to the area.
A branch of the
Portland Public Library
Portland Public Library is the main library of the public library system in Portland, Maine, USA. It is located at 5 Monument Square (Portland, Maine), Monument Square on Congress Street (Portland, Maine), Congress Street in the Old Port of ...
is located there as well.
Riverton Elementary School
The Riverton Elementary School, at 12830 S. Redwood Rd. in Riverton, Utah, was built during 1925-30 and is the oldest public school building surviving in Riverton. According to its NRHP nomination in 1996, it is significant historically as repres ...
serves as the neighborhood school. The
University of New England merged with
Westbrook College
Westbrook College was a liberal arts college in Portland, Maine, founded 1831 as Westbrook Seminary in Westbrook, Maine. It closed in 1996 and merged with the University of New England, which uses its old campus.
History
In 1831, Westbrook Semi ...
in 1996, with Westbrook College's campus in Riverton becoming UNE's Portland Campus. It is home of the
Westbrook College Historic District
The Westbrook College Historic District is a historic district in the Deering neighborhood of Portland, Maine. It is centered on the campus of the former Westbrook College, founded in 1831 as the nation's first coeducational boarding school ...
.
Rosemont
Rosemont is a neighborhood in Portland located close to Deering Center and other off-peninsula neighborhoods. Longfellow Elementary School, Lincoln Middle School and Deering High School are located here. The local branch library, Burbank Library, is one of the highest circulating libraries in Maine. Capisic Pond, an important recreational site, is located here.
Saint John Valley
The Saint John Valley Neighborhood is located between the West End and Libbytown neighborhoods, bordered by the Parkside Neighborhood and the Fore River.
Northern Boundary: Interstate 295
Eastern Boundary: The Western Promenade, including the Maine Medical Center Campus; Congress Street, and Weymouth Street continuing along the north side of
Hadlock Field
Hadlock Field is a minor league baseball stadium in Portland, Maine. It is primarily home to the Portland Sea Dogs of the Eastern League but also the Portland High School Bulldogs and Deering High School Rams baseball teams. The stadium is name ...
to I-295.
Western Boundary: Along the Fore River from Veterans Bridge to I-295.
Southern Boundary: The intersection of Valley Street, Veterans Bridge, and Commercial Street.
The Saint John Valley Neighborhood Association was created in 2008 in an effort to define an area of the city that lacked funding and recognition. Since its inception, many improvements have been made and more are planned, such as traffic calming, beautification, and over-all streetscaping to create a more pedestrian friendly environment. The area north of I-295 and south of St. John Street is claimed by both The Saint John Valley and Libbytown Neighborhood Associations.
Stroudwater
Stroudwater is located in the southwest corner of Portland, bordered by the Nasons Corner and Libbytown neighborhoods to the north and east, the city of
Westbrook to the west, and the city of
South Portland to the south.
Maine's busiest airport, the
Portland International Jetport
Portland International Jetport is a public airport two miles (3 km) west of downtown Portland, Maine, United States. It is owned and operated by the City of Portland. A portion of the Jetport's property, including the main runway, is loca ...
, originally known as Stroudwater Field, is located here. Stroudwater is home to a number of historic structures, including the oldest standing publicly accessible building in Portland, the
Tate House and Museum, which was built in 1755. The
Stroudwater Historic District is also located here. It is home to the mouth of the
Stroudwater River
The Stroudwater River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 30, 2011 river located mostly in Cumberland County, Maine. The river begins as a small stream at Duck Pond ...
. The James Forder house, built in Stroudwater in 1730 at 1235 Westbrook Street, is recognized as the oldest house in Portland.
Stroudwater was founded as a
hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
which, with power generated by the Stroudwater River and
Fore Rivers, was an important producer of masts for the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. In the 2000s, Stroudwater was considered a quiet suburb of Downtown Portland, though it is still officially within the city boundaries.
West End
![Maine Medical](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Maine_Medical.jpg)
The West End is a neighborhood in
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...
. Located on the western side of Portland's peninsula, it includes a number of historical and well-preserved architecture.
Noted for its architecture, the West End is home to a number of historical homes and the
Western Promenade Historic District
The Western Promenade Historic District encompasses a large late 19th- and early 20th-century neighborhood in the West End (Portland, Maine), West End of Portland, Maine. This area of architecturally distinctive homes was home to three of the c ...
. In 2010, it was called "one of the best preserved Victorian neighborhoods in the country".
study in architecture: Portland, Maine
Star Tribune, June 19, 2010 The Western Promenade
The Western Promenade is a historic promenade, an public park and recreation area in the West End neighborhood of Portland, Maine. Developed between 1836 and the early 20th century, it is one Portland's oldest preserved spaces, with landscapin ...
features prominently in the neighborhood. Other historical buildings include The Gothic House, Harrison B. Brown House, A.B. Butler House, Joseph Holt Ingraham House, Morrill Mansion, William Minott House
The William Minott House is a historic house at 45 Park Street in Portland, Maine. It is one of Portland's few Federal period houses, notably surviving the city's devastating 1866 fire. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...
and Waynflete School
Waynflete School is a private, coeducational, college preparatory day school established in 1898 for early childhood education (from age 3) to twelfth grade, in Portland, Maine.
History
In 1898, Waynflete School was established by Agnes Lowell ...
. The Western Cemetery, Portland's primary cemetery from 1829 to 1852, is located in the neighborhood as well. Maine Medical Center
Maine Medical Center (commonly abbreviated to ''MMC'' or contracted to ''Maine Med'') is a 700-licensed-bed teaching hospital in Portland, Maine, United States. Affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine, it is located in the Western P ...
, Maine's largest hospital and Portland's largest employer, is also located in the West End. Queen Anne's Hospital was established in the West End in 1918. Renamed Mercy Hospital, it is now the fourth largest hospital in Maine.
References
{{Portland, Maine