Portland – Did You Know?

1. The skating scene in the movie “The Preacher’s Wife” was filmed in Deering Oaks Park in Portland.
2. Portland is the birthplace of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
3. Portland was first temporarily selected as the state capital when Maine became a state in 1820. In 1832 the capital was moved to Augusta.
4. Portland, Oregon, earned its namesake after Portland, Maine.
5. At last count, Portland has 305 food establishments (always changing), and only about 200 of them have a liquor license.
6. Amato’s Sandwich Shops claims to have invented the “Italian” sandwich in 1902, here in Portland.
7. PWM – Portland-Westbrook-Municipal, or The Portland International Airport as we know it, actually lies almost entirely in South Portland.
8. Settled in 1632 by the British, Portland was originally called “Machigonne”. Now a street references the name the Native Americans gave to Portland, located just off Brighton Avenue after Stevens Avenue in the Rosemont neighborhood.
9. Portland is organized into neighborhoods recognized by the residents. Yet the neighborhoods are of no political or legal significance.
10. The Port of Portland is the largest oil port on the United States East Coast.
11. The City of Portland is said to be 2nd in the number of restaurants per capita in the United States, behind San Francisco, CA.
12. Maine has the 3^rd lowest violent crime rate and 8^th lowest property crime rate in the country.
13. Portland offers more than 2,000 arts events each year, more than half of which are free.
14. Portland has over 40 languages spoken in public schools.
15. Each year, Portland hosts an average of 40 cruise ships with approximately 38,000+ passengers.

(source: PortlandMaine.gov)