I was looking over the flap copy of this 1950's folding map of Portland, Maine recently (pictured and click-able above) and I learned that in the past 50 years or so, the population of Portland proper has dwindled from 81,000 to 63,000. Considering the hardship the city weathered prior to the 20th century (it was destroyed four times by fire and three times by war-- hence the Phoenix on the state seal), I am left to wonder what silent power is destroying the city now and whether this Phoenix has a ninth life?
Here's what the map people said back in the 50's (thank goodness for OCR):
PORTLAND INFORMATION
Portland, Maine's largest city, with a population of over 81,000, is the hub of a metropolitan area known as Greater Portland. This area includes South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarboro, Westbrook and Falmouth, with a combined population of more than 155,000.
Portland was settled by two Englishmen, George Cleeves and Richard Tucker, in 1632 and was known by the Indians as Machigonne. It was known as Casco Neck until 1658, when the name was changed to Falmouth. On July 4, 1786, Portland was incorporated as a town; the city charter was adopted March 26, 1852. Portland became the capital of Maine and continued as the capital until 1831, when the state offices were removed to Augusta.
Greater Portland has more than 250 diversified industries. Several, such as pulp, lumber, furniture, paper, boxes, wood turning and cabinet work, and the processing and canning of farm and fishery products, are based on the natural resources of the region. Other products manufactured here are printing and publishing items, foundry products, stoves, wearing apparel, boots and shoes, elevators, industrial machinery. refrigeration equipment, marine hardware, clothespins, candy, card tables, bakery products, metal and paper containers, and metal culverts.
The city proper is located on a peninsula, almost entirely surrounded by water. Portland harbor is recognized as one of the deepest and safest on the Atlantic seaboard. Its piers are closer to the ocean than any other port. Many shipping lines make Portland a regular port of call. Principal cargoes include woodpulp, oil products, coal, grain, china, clay, bauxite, and lumber.
Portland is also the center of transportation and a distribution point for northern New England. It is the present terminus of the 107-mile-long Maine Turnpike which links Portsmouth, New Hampshire with Maine's capital city.
Today, Greater Portland continues as a major recreational area. In summer, public beaches accommodate hundreds daily. Only 15 miles to the south is famed Old Orchard Beach. There are many parks, playgrounds and athletic fields, an 18-hole municipal golf course, nine other courses, tennis courts, yacht clubs, indoor swimming pools, and many other healthful and recreational facilities.
Numerous sites, within easy walking distance, are of historic and scenic interest to visitors in Portland. On Fore Street are the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow birthplace and the sites of the first meeting house, erected in 1680, and the first settler's house. Portland Head Light, built in 1791, under President George Washington, First Parish Church, Fort Allen Park, Fort Gorges, Portland Observatory, and various other scenes and structures merit the attention of visitors.
2 comments:
I'm not sure where you got your numbers from. My research shows that Portland's population reached a peak in about 1950 when it hit 77,000 souls, thanks largely to the 30,000 shipyard jobs created during World War II across the river in South Portland. With the end of the war came the ned of the jobs, and Portland has suffered a long downward spiral ever since. Since I was born in 1953, that's all I've ever known here, depression, recession and lack of opportunity. That's why I left Maine after college to get my first real job in New York. I didn't come back until almost 30 years later, and from what I can see the situation is no better today. The population seems to have leveled off around 65,000, but even with that you have to look at the mix of people and jobs contained in that number. Gone are the manufacturing jobs that once supported a diverse citizenry. Today it's either health care (Maine Medical Center is the largest employer in the state) or web page designing (we must have more per capita web page people here than anywhere in America). That's not much of an opportunity for most people. Still, Maine is a beautiful place, perhaps the most beautiful of places. But our politicians need to realized that a region's long term viability depends vitally on the short term reality of where its citizens collect their paycheck each Friday. In other words, jobs are the key. Always have been. And that's one area where Maine has always lacked, at least during my lifetime, starting in 1953 and continuing to this day. Hell, I might even run for governor to bring this point home. Bike paths, green areas, same sex marriages,and a million other things might all be possible, but first things first. Concentrate on jobs and everything else will fall into place. That's Portland's ninth life, if it has one.
Shame that this post is so old. Its a good question that needs answering. In my research on the state of the abandoned rail network that used to exist in the city, a common complaint that I've noticed is the urban renewal that was going on around the 60's and 70's when the economy as a whole was being transformed to a post-industrial wasteland. Love the city, and had I found something, I probably would have stayed instead of moving out to California. Having a core industrial base does make a big difference since it created the strong middle class that made urban life the choice of the majority of people.
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