Exchange Street is a main commercial

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highwa ...

in the Old Port 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 metropo ...

, U.S. It features a number of designer clothing stores, as well as several small, locally owned businesses. There are also a couple of coffee shops, one of which doubles as an

Internet café An Internet café, also known as a cybercafé, is a café (or a convenience store or a fully dedicated Internet access business) that provides the use of computers with high bandwidth Internet access on the payment of a fee. Usage is generall ...

. In the summer of 2015, an independent ballet school and dance studio opened, Exchange Street Studio. Exchange Street is known locally as the main hub of the Old Port. Before the 1970s, Exchange Street and the Old Port area had become largely run-down and deserted.

Gentrification Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...

began in the early 1970s and continues to this day. Historically, Exchange Street was where many printers and newspapers were located. At the top of Exchange Street, strategically located across Congress Street from Portland City Hall, is the

Press Herald Building The Press Herald Building is an historic building 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 metropolita ...

built in 1923 and expanded in 1948 as the headquarters of the ''

Portland Press Herald The ''Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram'' is a morning daily newspaper with a website that serves southern Maine and is focused on the greater metropolitan area around Portland, Maine, in the United States. Founded in 1862, its roots e ...

.'' In 2015, the renovated building became the Press Hotel. PortlandME ExchangeSt

References

Streets in Portland, Maine {{Maine-road-stub

See also

References