| Top Reasons
to Choose Portland, Maine |
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Forbes Names Portland America's Most Livable
City
City receives top
marks for quality of life
PORTLAND, Maine -
This month, Forbes Magazine named Portland,
Maine as America's most livable city. Portland
was selected for its income growth, culture,
low levels of crime, cost of living and
unemployment rate. Denver, Colorado,
Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Little Rock,
Arkansas are among the cities that join
Portland in the top fifteen ranked livable
communities in the US.
"It is nice to see
Portland receive such high marks," remarked
Mayor Jill Duson. "Forbes confirms what those
of us that call Portland home already know
that few cities offer the quality of life
Portland can. We have a thriving arts, music
and restaurant scene. Hundreds of miles of
trails, open spaces and year round
entertainment for people of all ages make
Portland a unique place to live and work."
For more information,
visit Forbes.com,
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/01/cities-city-ten-lifestyle-real-estate-livable-cities_print.html. |
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Portland Receives Top Marks from National
Geographic Traveler
Portland's downtown is
ranked 40th among the top historic places in
the world PORTLAND, Maine - In the
November/December issue of the National
Geographic Traveler Top 109 Historic
Destinations in the World, the City of
Portland, Maine was ranked 40th for its
"aesthetic charm as a port city." The
destinations were selected for their
"integrity of place, authenticity, and
stewardship." Six criteria were used for the
evaluation and selection: environmental and
ecological quality; social and cultural
integrity; condition of historic buildings and
archaeological sites; aesthetic appeal;
quality of tourism management; and outlook for
the future. Wachua/Melk Abbey in Austria
received the highest rank with a score of 88.
Portland at 40 received a score of 70.
"Portland's downtown
is rich with history and it is nice to receive
such high marks from the National Geographic
Traveler," remarked Mayor Ed Suslovic. "As a
community, we should be proud of the
commitment we have made to maintain the city's
historic and cultural identity while also
taking steps to create a sustainable and
environmentally responsible city for the
future." Panelists that participated in the
Traveler's fifth survey made the following
statements about Portland: "Charming, with
many evidently successful attempts to reuse
historic buildings while maintaining the
city's historic character."
"Continues to enhance
its aesthetic charm as a port city. Very
impressed with the historic architecture and
restoration works at the waterfront, and the
growing amount of small businesses in the Old
Port section of the city. This is a clear
indicator that tourism is thriving and
benefiting local people."
For more information, visit the National
Georgraphic Traveler at
http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/2008/11/historic-destinations-rated/intro-text.
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Commercial Street Named a Great Place in
America
American Planning Association designates
Commercial Street as one of the 10 great
streets in the US
What: Today, the
American Planning Association announced that
it has selected Commercial Street as one of
the 10 Great Streets in the US for 2008.
Chosen for its unique role in the city,
Commercial Street was singled out for its
distinctive character, strong sense of place,
and mixture of uses including marine and
fishing industries, tourism, retail trade,
commercial offices, and residential housing.
Built in the 1850’s
on top of old piers and fill dumped into Casco
Bay, Commercial Street has evolved through the
decades into the financial center for the city
and served as the linchpin for the Old Port’s
revitalization, economic growth and tourism in
Portland. It is a place where tourists,
fishermen, local businessmen can be found
sharing the same countertop or bench.
As a part of National
Community Planning Month, the APA announced
its selections for 10 Great Streets, Great
Neighborhoods and Public Spaces this morning
to recognize and celebrate places that are
enjoyable, safe and desirable for people to
work and live. For more information about the
APA’s 10 Great Street or to see the other
designees, visit
www.planning.org/greatplaces.
Who: City Councilor
Kevin Donoghue will be joined by Commercial
Street business owners to celebrate this
recent award.
“Commercial Street
has served as the backbone of our city for
more than a century,” stated Councilor
Donoghue. “It’s where Portland’s working
waterfront, tourists and new development
converge and we are honored to receive the
designation of one of America’s Great Places.”
When: Wednesday,
October 8, 2008
2:00 PM
Where: Corner of
Moulton and Commercial Street Portland, Maine |
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| US News and World Report selected
Portland, Maine as one of the best places in
the country to help you live long and be
healthy in your golden years. US News and
World Report released its top ten places to
retire with Portland, Maine receiving high
marks.
"Between Maine's forest-blanketed
mountains and rugged coast lies Portland,
with its seemingly endless hiking-and-biking
trails and an island-studded Casco Bay, is
perfect for outdoor enthusiasts." To read more, visit
www.usnews.com.
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Portland
has been named the top green city of its
size (cities under 150,000) in the United
States by Organic Gardening Magazine. The
magazine cited Portland's numerous parks and
trails, its climate-protection agreement,
anti-idling ordinance and use of biodiesel
for city-owned vehicles. The article can be
accessed at:
click here. |
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Portland
named #1 Top Vacation Resort Area for People
with Dogs by DogFriendly.com,
DogFriendly.com announces its 2007 list of
the Top 10 Dog-Friendly Vacation Resort
Areas to Visit In The United States.
1. Portland, ME - This dog-friendly town has
it all. Walking tours, cruises, beaches,
parks and islands to visit. A number of
off-leash dog parks. Read more
click here. |
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Business Week picks Portland as one of the best places to raise kids. Read more
click here
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Portland noted as one of two "Best Cities
for Mid-Level Professionals" in Kiplinger's
Personal Finance magazine, June 2007. Read
more
click here.
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Portland
Ranks 8 out of 72 cities in the country in
the 2006 Urban Environment Report. Read more
click here. |
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Portland named among the top twelve
surprising, thriving and emerging world
travel destinations for 2007 by Frommer's
Travel Guides and Frommers.com. |
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Portland Ranked #2 in Self Magazine's
2006 Healthiest cities for women. |
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Portland Ranked #20 in Inc Magazine's
2006 Boom Town List of Hottest Cities for
Entrepreneurs. |
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Portland named among the top 50 "Best
Places for Business and Careers in the U.S."
These rankings combine nine factors,
including cost of doing business, job
growth, income growth, educational
attainment and crime rates. (Forbes
Magazine, May 2006). |
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The Port of Portland emerged as one of
the Nation's leaders in four separate
categories in 2005 according to the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers Annual Table Report.
The Port of Portland ranked as: 1. The
largest foreign inbound tonnage transit port
in the United States; 2. The largest tonnage
port in New England; 3. The 25th largest
port in the United States; 4. The largest
oil port on the US East Coast. |
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Maine named the second-safest and
fourth-healthiest state in the nation.
(Morgan Quitno Press, 2006). |
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Portland named as one of the top 100
"Best Performing Cities" in the nation.
(Milken Institute, 2006). |
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Portland ranked #7 on the 2005 list of
the 100 Best Art Towns in America. |
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Portland named #15 in medium sized Top
U.S. Cities for Doing Business. In the
overall category of small, medium and large
cities combined, out of 25,000 cities
examined, Portland ranked #32. (INC.
Magazine, May 2005). |
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Portland Named #1 Top Market in Small
Business Vitality. The study suggests
Portland to be the strongest small-business
sector of any large metropolitan area in the
United States and ranked it as the hottest
small business market in which to develop a
company. ( American City Business Journals,
January 2005). |
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Portland Named #14 in “Best Performing
Cities” index, for its economic vitality
based on measures that include employment
and salary growth, with an emphasis on
high-tech industries. (Milken Institute,
California, November 2004). |
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Portland Named “One of the 10 Great
Adventure Towns” (National Geographic
Adventure Magazine, August 2004). |
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Portland named #23 in the Top 25 Cities
For Doing Business In America (INC.
Magazine, March 2004). |
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Portland Named #6 as one of the ten
safest, culturally most fascinating US
Cities (Travel Smart Consumer Newsletter,
January 2004). |
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Portland named Bike Town U.S.A. (Bike
Town Magazine, January 2004). |
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Portland, Maine Named One of America's
Dozen Distinctive Destinations (National
Trust for Historic Preservation, April 2003)
For the city's remarkable collection of
historic buildings, its outstanding physical
setting on the coast of Maine, and its
wealth of big-city amenities balanced with
the ease and friendliness of a small town.
The Trust noted Portland's vibrant arts
district, traditional working waterfront,
diverse retail and dining opportunities.
Portland boasts a comprehensive trail system
and numerous historic parks, as well as
ready access to spectacular natural settings
and outdoor activities. |
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Portland is ranked 4th among the 10
"perfect places to live in America," (Fine
Living Cable Network 2003). |
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Portland is Rated "One of North
America's 10 dream towns" (OutSide Magazine,
1999). |
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Portland is Rated "Most Livable City"
for its commitment to programs for
low-income, ailing and homeless residents,
and for pooling public and private resources
to help people function independently.
(Partners for Livable Communities). |
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