Portland is a larger medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of Maine. With a population of 68,424 people and 20 associated neighborhoods, Portland is the largest community in Maine. Portland has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

Portland home prices are not only among the most expensive in Maine, but Portland real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

Also of interest is that Portland has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Portland is also a city of artists. Portland has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Portland’s character.

A relatively large number of people in Portland telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 18.46% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

One thing noticeable about Portland, although not a huge city, is that it has a large population of people who are young, single, educated, and upwardly-mobile career starters. That’s because Portland is full of single people in their 20s and 30s and who have undergraduate or graduate degrees and are starting careers in professional occupations. This makes Portland a pretty good place for young, educated career starters looking to find many people like themselves, with good opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun.

Portland is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

If knowledge is power, Portland is a pretty powerful place. 57.68% of the adults in Portland have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Portland in 2022 was $48,806, which is wealthy relative to Maine and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $195,224 for a family of four. However, Portland contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Portland is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Portland home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Portland residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Portland include Irish, English, Italian, German, and French.

The most common language spoken in Portland is English. Other important languages spoken here include French and African languages.