Portland, Maine

Portland is the county capital of Cumberland County as well as the biggest city in the state of Maine in the United States. In April of the year 2020, the population of Portland was 68,408. The metropolitan region that encompasses Greater Portland has a population of over half a million people, making it the 104th biggest metropolitan area in the United States. The Old Port neighbourhood is famous for its lively nightlife as well as its architecture from the 19th century. 

The recovery from four disastrous fires is symbolised by the municipal seal, which portrays a phoenix emerging from the ashes of its predecessor. Portland was named after the island of Portland, which is located in Dorset, England. In response, the city in Oregon that now bears the name Portland was named after Portland, Maine. The term "land around a port" may be traced back to the Old English word "Portlanda," from whence our modern day name "Portland" was formed. The Greater Portland region has quickly become a significant hub for the creative economy, which is also bringing gentrification to the area.

Machigonne was the name the indigenous people of the Portland area gave to the peninsula ("Great Neck"). The city of Portland, Maine received its name from the island of Portland, England, while the city of Portland, Oregon received its name from Portland, Maine. Capt. Christopher Levett, an English naval commander, is credited with being the first European resident. In 1623, he was given 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) in order to establish a community in Casco Bay. Levett, a member of the Council for New England and an agent for Ferdinando Gorges, built a stone house where he left a company of ten men, then returned to England to write a book about his voyage in order to bolster support for the settlement. This was done in order to encourage more people to move to the area. At the end of the day, the community was not successful, and it is unclear what happened to Levett's colonists. In 1630, the explorer took out from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in order to meet with John Winthrop. He never made it back to Maine after their meeting. He is honoured by the naming of Fort Levett on the harbour.

In 1632, a settlement known as Casco, which specialised in fishing and commerce, was established on the peninsula.

The name of the town was changed once again to Falmouth in 1658, when the Massachusetts Bay Colony acquired control of Casco Bay. During the War of King Philip in 1676, the Abenaki were responsible for the destruction of the settlement. It has been reconstructed. During King William's War, a French raiding force and their local allies assaulted Fort Loyal, and in the ensuing Battle of Fort Loyal, they were mainly successful in destroying it again (1690).

During the American Revolution, on October 18, 1775, the town of Falmouth was destroyed by the Royal Navy under the leadership of Captain Henry Mowat. Following the conclusion of World War II, a region of Falmouth known as "The Neck" started to develop as a commercial port and saw explosive growth as a shipping hub. In the year 1786, the people living in Falmouth decided to establish a new town in Falmouth Neck. They decided to call it Portland, after an island that is located off the coast of Dorset in England. Both the Embargo Act of 1807, which prohibited commerce with the British and lasted until 1809, and the War of 1812, which lasted until 1815, put a significant strain on Portland's economy. Both of these events came to an end.

In 1820, Maine was made into a state, and Portland was chosen to serve as the state capital. Augusta, which was located north and east of the previous capital, became the new capital in 1832. The Portland Rum Riot was an incident that took place on June 2, 1855.