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59-540: As a young man, Russwurm moved from Portland, Maine , to New York City, where he was a founder with Samuel Cornish of the abolitionist newspaper Freedom's Journal , the first paper owned and operated by African Americans. Russwurm became supportive of the American Colonization Society 's efforts to develop a colony for African Americans in Africa, and he moved in 1829 to what became Liberia. In 1836 Russwurm

118-670: A concert venue, ice rink, hotels, restaurants, wineries, and breweries. The spire of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception has been a notable feature of the Portland skyline since its completion in 1854. In 1859, Ammi B. Young designed the Marine Hospital , the first of three local works by Supervising Architects of the U.S. Treasury Department . Although the city lost to redevelopment its 1867 Greek Revival post office, which

177-670: A country that kept 90 percent of Black people in bondage, these institutions provided more than social outlets, they meant survival. On March 16 of that year, 27-year-old Russwurm, along with his co-editor Samuel Cornish , published the first edition of Freedom's Journal , an abolitionist newspaper dedicated to opposition of slavery. Freedom's Journal was the first newspaper in the United States to be owned, operated, published and edited by African Americans. During his tenure as editor, Russwurm regularly included material about ancient and modern African history, providing readers on both sides of

236-429: A female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 56.6% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.07 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 36.7 years. 17.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between

295-509: A foot. Annual liquid precipitation (rain) averages 47.2 in (1,200 mm) and is plentiful year-round, but with a slightly drier summer. Annual frozen precipitation (snow) averages 69 in (175 cm) in the city. However, this number can fluctuate seasonally from as little as 30 inches to as much as 150 inches, depending on a multitude of factors. In Southern Maine, snowstorms can be intense from November through early April, while warm-season thunderstorms are somewhat less frequent than in

354-517: A harbor". The Greater Portland area has emerged as an important center for the creative economy , which is also bringing gentrification . The original Algonquin-speaking Eastern Abenaki residents called the Portland peninsula Machigonne ("great neck"). It is also called Məkíhkanək ("at the fish hook") in Penobscot. The first European settler was Christopher Levett , an English naval captain granted 6,000 acres (2,400 ha) in 1623 to found

413-660: A monthly First Friday Art Walk event which attracts more than 3,000 visitors. The Arts District, centered on Congress Street, is home to the Portland Museum of Art , Portland Stage Company , Maine Historical Society & Museum , Portland Public Library , Maine College of Art , SPACE Gallery, Children's Museum of Maine , Merrill Auditorium , the Kotzschmar Memorial Organ , and Portland Symphony Orchestra , as well as many smaller art galleries and studios. Baxter Boulevard around Back Cove , Deering Oaks Park ,

472-692: A more service-based economy . Most national bank institutions and other related financial organizations, such as Bank of America and Key Bank , base their Maine operations in Portland. Unum , Covetrus , TruChoice Federal Credit Union , M&T Bank , ImmuCell Corp, and Pioneer Telephone have headquarters here, and Portland's neighboring cities of South Portland, Westbrook and Scarborough , provide homes for other corporations including IDEXX and WEX Inc . Between 1867 and 2021, Burnham & Morrill Company, maker of B&M Baked Beans, had its main plant in Portland (the B&;M Baked Beans factory ). The city's port

531-549: A new paper, The Rights of All . Freedom's Journal may have only lasted two years, but it quickly opened the door for a wave of Black newspapers. By the time the Civil War started, there were more than 40 Black-owned and -operated newspapers in the United States. Upon emigrating to Liberia, Russwurm started work as the colonial secretary for the American Colonization Society, serving from 1830 to 1834. He worked as

590-517: A previous marriage, accepted as part of the family. The elder Russwurm died in 1815, but his son stayed close to his stepmother, even after she remarried (becoming Susan Hawes). The John B. Russwurm House in Portland was owned by the family. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . Russwurm attended Hebron Academy in Maine, focusing on his studies to finish his education. He earned

649-521: A revitalizing force downtown, attracting students from around the country. The historic Porteous Building on Congress Street was restored by the college. Universities operating in the city are expanding. The University of Southern Maine is improving its Portland campus with a 580-bed dormitory, student center, and an arts center. The University of New England intends to move its medical school from its Biddeford campus to its Portland campus. Northeastern University 's Roux Institute plans to build on

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708-666: A settlement in Casco Bay . A member of the Council for New England and agent for Ferdinando Gorges , Levett built a stone house where he left a company of ten men, then returned to England to write a book about his voyage to bolster support for the settlement. Ultimately, the settlement was a failure and the fate of Levett's colonists is unknown. The explorer sailed from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony to meet John Winthrop in 1630, but never returned to Maine. Fort Levett in

767-534: A time, the city's largest employer and many of its employees were immigrants from Canada, Ireland and Italy. Portland became a 20th-century rail hub as five additional rail lines merged into Portland Terminal Company in 1911. These rail lines also facilitated movement of returning Canadian troops from the First World War in 1919. Following nationalization of the Grand Trunk system in 1923, Canadian export traffic

826-454: Is also undergoing a revival, and the first-ever container train departed from the new International Marine Terminal with fifteen containers of locally produced bottled tap water in early 2016. In January 2020, Portland was announced to be the location of a new research institute that will focus on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Northeastern University was selected by technology entrepreneur David Roux to lead

885-425: Is organized into neighborhoods generally recognized by residents, but they have no legal or political authority. In many cases, city signs identify neighborhoods or intersections (which are often called corners). Most city neighborhoods have a local association which usually maintains ongoing relations of varying degrees with the city government on issues affecting the neighborhood. On March 8, 1899, Portland annexed

944-507: Is published Monday through Saturday and The Maine Sunday Telegram is published on Sundays. Both are published by MaineToday Media Inc., which also operates an entertainment website, MaineToday.com and owns papers in Augusta, Waterville, and Bath. Liberia Herald The Liberia Herald , founded in 1826 is the first newspaper ever published in Liberia which at the time was a colony . It

1003-465: Is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County . Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 550,000 people. Historically tied to commercial shipping, the marine economy, and light industry, Portland's economy in the 21st century relies mostly on the service sector. The Port of Portland

1062-591: Is the second-largest tonnage seaport in the New England area as of 2019. The city seal depicts a phoenix rising from ashes, a reference to Portland's recovery from four devastating fires. Portland was named after the English Isle of Portland . In turn, the city of Portland, Oregon , was named after Portland, Maine. The word Portland is derived from the Old English word Portlanda , which means "land surrounding

1121-1074: Is water. Portland is situated on a peninsula in Casco Bay on the Gulf of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean. Portland borders South Portland , Westbrook and Falmouth . Portland has a humid continental climate ( Köppen : Dfb , closely bordering on Dfa ), with cold, snowy, and often prolonged winters, and warm to hot, yet relatively short summers. The monthly average high temperature ranges from roughly 30 °F (−1 °C) in January to around 80 °F (27 °C) in July. Daily high temperatures reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on only four days per year on average, while cold-season lows of 0 °F (−18 °C) or below are reached on 10 nights per year on average. The area can be affected by severe nor'easters during winter, with high winds and snowfall totals often measuring over

1180-660: The Battle of Fort Loyal (1690). On October 18, 1775, Falmouth was burned in the Revolution by the Royal Navy under command of Captain Henry Mowat . 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, after

1239-568: The Civil War . The 1866 Great Fire of Portland, Maine , on July 4, 1866, ignited during the Independence Day celebration, destroyed most of the commercial buildings in the city, half the churches and hundreds of homes. More than 10,000 people were left homeless. By act of the Maine Legislature in 1899, Portland annexed the city of Deering , despite a vote by Deering residents rejecting

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1298-592: The Eastern Promenade , Western Promenade , Lincoln Park and Riverton Park are all historical parks within the city. Other parks and natural spaces include Payson Park , Post Office Park, Baxter Woods , Evergreen Cemetery , Western Cemetery and the Fore River Sanctuary . Thompson's Point , in the Libbytown neighborhood, has been a focus of renovation and redevelopment since the 2010s. The location hosts

1357-603: The Isle of Portland off the coast of Dorset , England. Portland's economy was greatly stressed by the Embargo Act of 1807 (prohibition of trade with the British), which ended in 1809, and the War of 1812 , which ended in 1815. In 1820, Maine was established as a state with Portland as its capital. In 1832, the capital was moved north and east to Augusta . In 1851, Maine led the nation by passing

1416-559: The Time and Temperature Building ) is situated near Monument Square in the Arts District and is a major landmark: the 14-story building features a large electronic sign on its roof that flashes time and temperature data, as well as parking-ban information in the winter. The building is home to several radio stations. The Press Herald Building , at 390 Congress Street, is strategically located across Congress Street from Portland City Hall and

1475-662: The Atlantic with a curated source of information about the continent. The literary education Russwurm provided in the Herald also included canonical texts of English literary education. In the poetry column of this first issue, for example, he reprinted "Prediction of the Origin of Rome", an excerpt from John Ring. When Cornish resigned from the paper in September 1827, Russwurm used his position to advocate for voluntary emigration of Black people from

1534-518: The Lieutenant-Governor of Monrovia and member of the influential McGill family . The couple had a daughter and four sons. In 1850, shortly before his death, Russwurm returned to Maine for a visit, bringing two of his sons with him. They were enrolled at North Yarmouth Academy between 1850 and 1852, and lived with his stepmother, Susan Russwurm Hawes. He had stayed close with her after his father's death years before. A statue of John Russwurm

1593-556: The Midwestern, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeastern U.S. (although their frequency has increased in recent years). Direct strikes by hurricanes or tropical storms are rare, partially due to the normally cooler Atlantic waters off the Maine coast (which usually weaken tropical systems), but primarily because most tropical systems approaching or reaching 40 degrees North latitude recurve (due to the Coriolis force) and track east out to sea well south of

1652-512: The Old Port, Parkside, Peaks Island , Riverton Park, Rosemont, Stroudwater, West End , and Woodfords Corner . From the early 2000s onward, many of Portland's neighborhoods have faced gentrification , causing many local residents to be "priced out" of their neighborhoods. In 2015, the Portland Press Herald published a series of articles documenting the "super-tight apartment market" and

1711-472: The Portland area. Extreme temperatures range from −39 °F (−39 °C) on February 16, 1943, to 103 °F (39 °C) on July 4, 1911, and August 2, 1975. The hardiness zones are 5b and 6a. See or edit raw graph data . Portland is becoming increasingly affected by global warming and the rise of sea levels. The coast is one of the fastest-warming saltwater bodies, and is predicted to see an increase to about 10–17 inches by 2030, in comparison to

1770-548: The U.S. Census Bureau, Portland's immediate metropolitan area ranked 147th in the nation in 2000 with a population of 243,537, while the Portland/South Portland/Biddeford metropolitan area included 487,568 total inhabitants. This has increased to an estimated 513,102 inhabitants (and the largest metro area in Northern New England) as of 2007 . Much of this increase in population has been due to growth in

1829-511: The United States to Africa. Although such ideas were unpopular with many in the Black leadership, and despite Russwurm's reservations about the American Colonization Society 's racist tendencies, Russwurm believed that Black people were more likely to prosper in Africa than in the United States. As a result, he resigned as editor in March 1829 and emigrated to Liberia. Cornish, who rejected emigration, started

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1888-419: The age of 18 living with them, 32.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 54.4% were non-families. 40.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.89. In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.8% under

1947-459: The age of 18, 10.7% from 18 to 24, 36.1% from 25 to 44, 20.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 35,650, and the median income for a family was $ 48,763. Males had a median income of $ 31,828 versus $ 27,173 for females. The per capita income for

2006-480: The ages of 18 and 24; 33.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 64,250 people, 29,714 households, and 13,549 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,029.2 inhabitants per square mile (1,169.6/km ). There were 31,862 housing units at an average density of 1,502.2 per square mile (580.0/km ). According to

2065-464: The building boom of the 1980s, several new buildings rose on the peninsula, including the 1983 Charles Shipman Payson Building by Henry N. Cobb of Pei, Cobb, Freed & Partners at the Portland Museum of Art complex (a component of which is the 1801 McLellan-Sweat Mansion ), and the Back Bay Tower, a fifteen-story residential building completed in 1990. 477 Congress Street (known locally as

2124-471: The city was $ 22,698. About 9.7% of families and 14.1% of the population were below the poverty line , including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over. Race/ethnicity composition Portland has become Maine's economic capital because the city has Maine's largest port, largest population, and is close to Boston (105 miles to the southwest). Over the years, the local economy has shifted from fishing, manufacturing , and agriculture towards

2183-484: The city was 85.0% White (83.6% non-Hispanic White alone), down from 96.6% in 1990, 7.1% African American , 0.5% Native American , 3.5% Asian , 1.2% from other races , and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.0% of the population. 40.7% of the population had a bachelor's degree or higher. There were 30,725 households, of which 20.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.7% were married couples living together, 10.1% had

2242-541: The city's southern and western suburbs. The racial makeup of the city was 91.27% White , 2.59% African American , 0.47% Native American , 3.08% Asian , 0.06% Pacific Islander , 0.67% from other races , and 1.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.52% of the population. The largest ancestries include: British (including Scottish, Welsh, and English) (21.2%), Irish (19.2%), French (10.8%), Italian (10.5%), and German (6.9%). There were 29,714 households, out of which 21.4% had children under

2301-590: The editor of the Liberia Herald He resigned from this post in 1835 to protest America's colonization policies. Russwurm wanted to exercise power in the political arena, and felt that Liberia offered him that opportunity while the United States did not. Furthermore, because the United States was not the land of his birth, he did not feel any strong allegiance to it. Russwurm also served as the superintendent of education in Liberia's capital, Monrovia . In 1836 he became

2360-660: The first Black governor of Maryland in Africa , a colony that later became part of Liberia in 1857. He held this post until his death in Cape Palmas on June 9, 1851. He continued to encourage the immigration of African Americans to the Republic of Maryland, and supported its development of agriculture and trade. During his time in Liberia, Russwurm learned several of the native languages. He encouraged trade and diplomatic relations with neighboring countries as well as with European nations. In 1833, Russwurm married Sarah McGill, daughter of

2419-765: The first state law prohibiting the sale of alcohol except for "medicinal, mechanical or manufacturing purposes." The law subsequently became known as the Maine Law , as eighteen other states quickly followed. The Portland Rum Riot occurred on June 2, 1855. In 1853, upon completion of the Grand Trunk Railway to Montreal , Portland became the primary ice-free winter seaport for Canadian exports. The Portland Company , located on Fore Street , manufactured more than six hundred 19th-century steam locomotives , as well as engines for trains and boats, fire engines and other railroad transportation equipment. The Portland Company was, for

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2478-552: The former B&M Baked Beans factory campus in East Deering. Portland is known as a walkable city, offering many opportunities for walking tours which feature its maritime and architectural history. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 69.44 sq mi (179.85 km ), of which 21.31 sq mi (55.19 km ) is land and 48.13 sq mi (124.66 km )

2537-552: The harbor is named for him. The peninsula was settled in 1632 as a fishing and trading village named Casco. When the Massachusetts Bay Colony took over Casco Bay in 1658, the town's name changed again to Falmouth. In 1676, the village was destroyed by the Abenaki during King Philip's War . It was rebuilt. During King William's War , a raiding party of French and their native allies attacked and largely destroyed it again in

2596-404: The institute that will include programs that will allow graduate student research. Portland also has a large subsidized housing industry, with several large real estate companies in the business. The city is described as one of the "best places to live" in the United States. Portland has a long history of prominence in the arts, peaking the first time in the early 19th century, when the city

2655-520: The levels in 2000. This is a major threat to the residents and ocean life around the area. In 2022, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a report that showed sea level in Portland could rise by six inches by 2050, two feet by 2060 and two to six feet by 2100. In January 2024, Portland experienced a record-high tide of 14.57 feet (4.44 m). Combined with heavy rainfall and strong winds, it caused severe flooding. Portland

2714-754: The motion, thereby greatly increasing the size of the city and opening areas for development beyond the peninsula. In 1967, the city began the controversial razing of Franklin Street to construct a limited-access highway to improve access in and out of the city for non-residents. The reconstruction of the street demolished 130 homes and businesses and caused an unknown number of families to be relocated or displaced. The construction of The Maine Mall , an indoor shopping center established in South Portland in 1971, economically depressed downtown Portland. The trend reversed when tourists and new businesses started revitalizing

2773-615: The neighboring city of Deering. Deering neighborhoods now comprise the northern and eastern sections of the city before the merger. Portland's Deering High School was formerly the public high school for Deering. Portland's neighborhoods include the Arts District , Bayside, Bradley's Corner, Cliff Island, Cushing's Island, Deering Center, Deering Highlands, Downtown, East Deering , East Bayside, East End, Eastern Cemetery , Great Diamond Island , Highlands, Kennedy Park , Libbytown , Little Diamond Island , Lunt's Corner, Morrill's Corner, Munjoy Hill , Nason's Corner, North Deering , Oakdale,

2832-559: The nickname "Honest John". Graduating in his early twenties, he taught at an African-American school in Boston . Several years later he relocated to Maine to live with his stepmother and her new husband. They helped Russwurm pay for further education when he enrolled in Bowdoin College in 1824. Upon graduation in 1826, Russwurm became the first African American to graduate from Bowdoin College and

2891-683: The old seaport, a part of which is known locally as the Old Port . Since the 1990s, the historically industrial Bayside neighborhood has seen rapid development, including attracting a Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's grocery stores, as well as Baxter Academy for Technology and Science , a charter school . Other developing neighborhoods include the India Street neighborhood, near the Ocean Gateway, and Munjoy Hill , where many modern condominiums have been built. The Maine College of Art has been

2950-497: The third African American to graduate from an American college. Russwurm moved to New York City in 1827. The New York City of their day boasted the largest population of Blacks in any Northern city—an estimated 15,000, which was 10 percent of the 150,000 free "colored" people living in the North. By the early 1800s, these free Blacks and escaped slaves, who lived in a segregated world, had developed their own churches, schools and clubs. In

3009-482: The trauma caused by evictions and steep jumps in monthly rent. Also in that year, city landlords raised rents by an average of 17.4%, which was the second-largest jump in the country. As of the census of 2010, there were 66,194 people, 30,725 households, and 13,324 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,106.2/sq mi (1,199.3/km ). There were 33,836 housing units at an average density of 1,587.8/sq mi (613.1/km ). The racial makeup of

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3068-771: Was "a rival, and not a satellite of either Boston or New York." In that period, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow got his start as a poet and John Neal held a central position in leading American literature toward its great renaissance , having founded Maine's first literary periodical, The Yankee , in 1828. Other notable literary or artistic figures who were contemporaries include Grenville Mellen , Nathaniel Parker Willis , Seba Smith , Elizabeth Oakes Smith , Benjamin Paul Akers , Charles Codman , Franklin Simmons , John Rollin Tilton , and Harrison Bird Brown . Since 2000, Portland has hosted

3127-605: Was built in 1923. It was expanded in 1948 for use as the newspaper's headquarters. The Westin Portland Harborview , completed in 1927, is a prominent hotel located downtown on High Street . Photographer Todd Webb lived in Portland during his later years and took many pictures of the city. Some of Webb's pictures can be found at the Evans Gallery. The city is home to one daily newspaper, The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram , founded in 1862. The Press Herald

3186-463: Was designed by Alfred B. Mullett of white Vermont marble and featured a Corinthian portico , Portland retains his 1868 United States Custom House on Fore Street . Franklin Towers is a 16-story residential tower. Between 1969 and 2023, at 175 feet (53 meters), it was Maine's tallest residential building. It was surpassed by 201 Federal Street , which is 29.5 feet (9.0 m) taller. During

3245-458: Was diverted from Portland to Halifax , resulting in marked local economic decline. Icebreakers later enabled ships to reach Montreal in winter, drastically reducing Portland's role as a winter port for Canada. On June 26, 1863, a Confederate raiding party led by Captain Charles Read entered the harbor at Portland leading to the Battle of Portland Harbor , one of the northernmost battles of

3304-408: Was erected at his burial site at Harper , Cape Palmas, Liberia. In 2002, scholar Molefi Kete Asante named John Brown Russwurm on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans . The John Brown Russwurm House at Bowdoin College was named after Russwurm in 1970, and houses the school's African American Center. Portland, Maine Portland ( / ˈ p ɔːr t l ə n d / PORT -lənd )

3363-521: Was founded by Charles Force who died shortly after the first issue was published. In March 1827 Samuel Cornish and John B. Russwurm founded Freedom's Journal , the first African American newspaper in New York, as co-editors. In 1829 Russwurm resigned and emigrated to Liberia under the auspices of the American Colonization Society, there founding the Liberia Herald . From 1830 to 1834, the chief editor of

3422-602: Was selected as governor of Maryland in Africa , a small colony set up nearby by the Maryland State Colonization Society . He served there until his death. The colony was annexed to Liberia in 1857. Russwurm was born in Port Antonio , Jamaica, in 1799, the mixed-race son of an English merchant father, John R. Russwurm, and an unknown Black slave mother. The family stayed in Jamaica until 1807, when Russwurm

3481-507: Was sent to Quebec . In 1812, father and son moved to Portland, Maine (then part of Massachusetts ), where the elder Russwurm married widow Susan Blanchard in 1813. (Before the marriage, Russwurm's guardian was Calvin Stockbridge.) Blanchard (now Russwurm) insisted her husband acknowledge "John Brown", as the boy was then known, and grant him his surname. He did so. "John Brown Russwurm" lived with his father, stepmother, and her children from

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