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  • Congress Street, the main street in Portland

    01Congress Street, the main street in Portland

  • The Standard Baking Company on Commercial Street

    02The Standard Baking Company on Commercial Street

  • Portland port

    03Portland port

  • Inside the VIA advertising agency. The building used to be the city library

    04Inside the VIA advertising agency. The building used to be the city library

  • View from the Portland Observatory over Munjoy Hill

    05View from the Portland Observatory over Munjoy Hill

  • Entrepreneur Eli Cayer at his Urban Farm Fermentory

    06Entrepreneur Eli Cayer at his Urban Farm Fermentory

  • Portland farmer’s market at Deering Oaks Park

    07Portland farmer’s market at Deering Oaks Park

  • Flatiron Building

    08Flatiron Building

  • Munjoy Hill as seen from the Portland Observatory

    09Munjoy Hill as seen from the Portland Observatory

  • Portland fire department

    10Portland fire department

  • House in West Portland

    11House in West Portland

  • Exchange Street

    12Exchange Street

  • Rosemont Market & Bakery, Munjoy Hill

    13Rosemont Market & Bakery, Munjoy Hill

  • People’s United Bank

    14People’s United Bank

  • Peaks Island ferry

    15Peaks Island ferry

  • In front of Duckfat restaurant

    16In front of Duckfat restaurant

  • Chef and co-owner of Fore Street restaurant, Sam Hayward

    17Chef and co-owner of Fore Street restaurant, Sam Hayward

  • Portland citizen Brian Pramick enjoying the sun on the steps of his house

    18Portland citizen Brian Pramick enjoying the sun on the steps of his house

  • Peaks Island coast

    19Peaks Island coast

  • Carolyn Mix (right) and Darcy Doniger of 2 Note Botanical Perfumery

    20Carolyn Mix (right) and Darcy Doniger of 2 Note Botanical Perfumery

  • Cyclists on Congress Street

    21Cyclists on Congress Street

Why we love it

  1. You can’t eat more locally than fish and lobster right off the boats in the harbour.
  2. Portland is famed for its tolerance and is home to more gay bars than most tiny towns.
  3. It’s close enough to Boston and New York for weekend trips – but not too close.
  4. You can get away from it all by simply hopping on a ferry to the Casco Bay islands.
  5. The people who live here – relaxed, friendly and welcoming.

Five fixes

  1. Congress Street has seen a remarkable revitalisation but the homelessness problem must be addressed.
  2. Portland is admittedly already on the case, but it needs to pull in more creative types.
  3. The main waterfront strip should be geared more towards pedestrians, with broader pavements and more beautification.
  4. “Our biggest export is our children,” says chef Sam Hayward. This out-migration should be stopped.
  5. Urban Outfitters just opened downtown. Keep these cookie-cutter stores to a minimum.

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