The tale of two Portlands
A look into the people, culture and history of the two distinct
cities connecting Oregon and Maine
STORY AND PHOTOS BY TARAS KOVCH
Our Lady of Victories, a prominent piece
of culture in Portland, Maine, stands as
a monument to Portland’s soldiers and
sailors of the Civil War.
8 Clackamas Print OCTOBER 28,2015 theclackamasprint.com
There are parallels between different places and by human
nature it’ s normal to compare people, places and things
that share the same name.
There are two famous cities on opposite sides of the
U.S. Their artists, food, sceneries, breweries and much
more are what make them famous. These are two cities
which have same name - Portland.
A few years ago, a couple from Portland, Maine had
a chance to visit Portland, Oregon. Ryan Walker and
Erin Aylward told us about their trip and shared their
observations about the two Portlands.
Both Portland cities are located close to a coast, have a
lot of lakes and have many craft breweries. Portlanders
of the two cities like to spend time on the coast, going to
the mountains, kayaking, sailing, boating, swimming in
lakes and fishing. Aylward also said that Portland, Maine,
has a lot of farm festivals and fairs which we also can find
in Portland, Ore. Both of these cities have somewhat of
a cultural obsession with food carts. Aylward said about
Maine, “We have beaches, very cold beaches,” which is
equivalent to Oregon as well.
There is also a difference between the two cities. In
our conversation, Walker talked about Oregon weather
in Portland; “ Portland, Ore. had winter, but that means
sort of darker and maybe a little bit colder, yet winter in
Portland, Maine is very long and gets a lot of snow and
needs a lot of shoveling.”
The downtown of Portland, Maine, has a lot of shops
and award-winning restaurants. Portland, Maine, is 10
times smaller than Portland, Ore. It has a population of
60,000, whereas our Portland has more than 600,000
residents. The Portland in Maine was established first,
therefore has older buildings, especially in downtown.
In comparison, the Portland here now has many tall
buildings which keep growing taller.
Portland in Oregon was actually named after the
Portland in Maine. According to Matt Dodge, a city guide
in Portland, Maine, one of the founders of the West Coast
Portland wanted to name this city after the successful
port city of Portland, Maine. The other founder wanted to
name it Boston, so they flipped a coin and it was decided
to be Portland.
I wanted to visit Portland, Maine, after seeing some
very beautiful photos from there. Recently, I had a chance
to visit and walked through the small streets of downtown
Portland. Having a chance to meet some people, taste
their food and get a feel of their culture, I was surprised
to see how these two cities are similar and hows its
people are as of the same Portland. I was invited to a
beautiful country style wedding as the photographer. A
strong sense of historical culture was felt, such as the
Old England style, combined of course with the new
American Style. It was an unforgettable experience.