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PORTLAND  Portland is Maine's business, financial and retail capital and the largest city in the state. Seascapes and cityscapes blend harmoniously in Portland, perched on a peninsula, jutting out into island-studded Casco Bay. The metropolitan hub of Maine's south coast region, Portland is a progressive, lively city incorporating the character of yesteryear into a modern urban environment. Historic architecture blends gracefully with the new as you stroll along her working waterfront or the cobblestone streets of the restored Old Port section of the city.
The economy is strong. Bumper-to-bumper traffic and gridlock are unheard of. Portland is an easygoing city with friendly, hardworking people. Ranked nationally as one of the ten safest, culturally most fascinating US Cities and one of the top cities for doing business, housing is affordable, the schools and healthcare are outstanding. Portland was originally called "Machigonne" by the native people who first lived there. It was settled by the British in 1632 as a fishing and trading settlement and renamed Casco. In 1658 its name was changed again, this time to "Falmouth." A monument at the end of Congress Street where it meets the Eastern Promenade is a tribute to the four historical names for Portland. In 1675, the village was completely destroyed during King Philip's War. The community was rebuilt, to be destroyed by the same natives again several years later. On October 18, 1775, the community was destroyed yet again, bombarded during the American Revolutionary War. Following the war, a section of Falmouth called "The Neck" developed as a commercial port and began to grow rapidly as a shipping center. In 1786, the citizens of Falmouth formed a separate town in Falmouth Neck and named it "Portland." In 1820 Maine became a state and Portland was selected as its capital. By this time both the Embargo Act and the war had ended, and Portland's economy began to recover. In 1832 the capital was moved to Augusta. Statistics-Population: 63,668 Area: 19 square miles Tax Rate per thousand: $16.31 Median Household Income: $40,364 Median Home Value: $265,500 Per Pupil Expenditures: $7,657 Essentials- School Department: 207-874-8100 School Information- Student to Teacher Ratio: 8th Grade MEA Testing: 11th Grade SAT Testing:
Biddeford Maine Dept. of Ed School Profiles
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