pwm2txlhopper wrote:Portlander wrote:Portland is much larger than a typical city of around 70,000, especially when it comes to it's downtown core. It's land area of only 22 square miles will always limit the population count unless we annex South Portland which sadly will never happen. Portland's population peaked at 78,000 by the end of WWII and the transformation during the last 40 years is impressive and you will not find the same declining port city you once remembered.
I’ve spent 36 of 38 years here. There’s 65,000 in Portland. The same as it was 40 years ago. The only thing that changed is that Portland gentrified and Maine people can’t afford to live there anymore. Nobody comes aside from May-Sept.The Port is hardly a working port these days. Fishing is dead for the most part aside from lobstering. There’s a small tourist area of downtown, but that’s only a small part of Portland The economy is far from thriving here. And, Maine is one if the least business friendly states. The limited business and leisure traveler are well served.
Mainers like to think it as a city, but it’s really just a large town. Go 10 miles or less and you’re in the woods. Look down at it from 35,000 feet and it’s just a peninsula surrounded by woods.
Seems like you have a pretty negative view of Portland and Maine in general. I've lived in Portland for 7 years now and even in that short time I've seen quite a lot of change. The population of Cumberland and York counties have actually gone up quite a bit in the past 40 years, and the population of the city proper isn't truly representative of the demographics of the entire region. Cumberland County has gained 105K in population since 1970. As "Portlander" mentioned, the city itself is geographically very small, but if you look at the Census data the Fore River cities make up the largest urban area in Northern New England. (243,537 Vs. 158,477 for the Manchester area)
I would say the economy here is actually doing quite well even by national standards. Portland is a small City, but we punch above our weight. We have several major companies headquartered here that are all in the process of expansion, Portland has some of the lowest office and Industrial vacancy rates in New England, and our real estate market remains red-hot.