Portland tourist information
The county seat of Jay County, Indiana, is Portland. The county population on July 1, 1999, was 21,686, an increase of 174 over the 1990 census.
Visit Portland and it could be love at first sight. Whether vacationing or relocating , the more you see, the better it looks. Enterprising, progressive and livable-Portland exceeds your expectations in ways you never imagined.
Portland holds a key place in a business corridor extending from New York to Atlantic Canada. At the same time, we offer a welcome relief from big-city life.
Originally called Machigonne (Great Neck) by the Native Americans who first inhabited it, the Portland peninsula was established by the British in 1632 as a trading and fishing settlement. Industry grew and Portland became a mecca for shipping and trading companies. The waterfront was expanded and residential areas like State Street became the fashionable districts of the 1830's.
The Phoenix, the mythical bird that rises from the ashes, aptly symbolizes Portland's legendary rebirth after the Great Fire of 1866 leveled the city for the fourth time. Almost completely rebuilt during the Victorian era, Portland has preserved much of its 19th century architecture and flavor.
History is kept alive in Portland with constant attention to landmark preservation. Downtown, Old World charm mixes with modern buildings while the ornate architecture and cobblestone streets of the Old Port Exchange take one back to a time when the pace of life was slower. Renewed interest in exporting, the prominent fishing industry and the redevelopment of Portland's working waterfront have revitalized this "Jewel by the Sea", as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow dubbed his boyhood home.
Town 6 north, range 5 west, in the government survey, is now known as Portland township, having as boundaries of Lyons township on the north, Danby on the south, Clinton County on the east, and Orange township on the west. Besides having a rich agricultural region, Portland derives from the Looking Glass and Grand Rivers, at Portland village, valuable manufacturing power, and in these substantial and enduring elements of prosperity the township is rightly to be considered as fortunate beyond many of its neighbors. The Grand River flows from south to north in a sinuous course, entering the town at section 33, and leaving it at the line between sections 4 and 5. On section 33--or, more properly, on the line between sections 28 and 33--it receives the waters of the Looking Glass which comes from section 36 in a northwesterly course.
Portland village, covering a tract of territory that measures just one mile and a half square, lies upon the Grand and Looking Glass Rivers, and at about the center of the village the two streams make a junction. Each river possesses at this point a power of no small value, and this consideration was naturally the motive that actuated the founders of the village in making a start where they did.
In 1870 the population of the village was one thousand and ten and in 1880, it was one thousand seven hundred and ninety, or a gain of nearly eighty per cent. The increase in enterprise is shown in the erection of numerous fine business blocks such as few similar towns can boast. A certain substantial and prosperous growth must necessarily mark Portland's progress, for it is the center of a fine agricultural region, it must always be a manufacturing point, and is moreover a station on the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railway, with the prospect of having at no distant day a second railway at its very doors.
Although Elisha Newman made the first land entry in the township of Portland (June, 1833), he did not become a settler until three years later, by which time a few settlers had located in the town. From Mr. Newman's story, it appears that early in 1833, he was visiting friends in Ann Arbor, and during an evening conversation discussed with others the subject of unlocated lands lying west of Ann Arbor. One of the company (Joseph Wood) remarked that he had been out with the party sent to survey Ionia and other counties, and that the surveyors were struck by the valuable water-power at the mouth of the Looking Glass River, saying there would surely be a village there some day. Mr. Newman was at once taken with the idea of locating lands at the mouth of the Looking Glass. Following up his impulse, he made ready to start at once, and, accompanied by James Newman and Joseph Wood, went out to the Looking Glass on a tour of inspection. Being satisfied with the location, he returned Eastward with his companions, and at White Pigeon made his land entry. Newman did not return for a permanent settlement until the spring of 1836, and meanwhile, in November, 1833, Philo Bogue bought a piece of land on section 28, in the bend of the Grand River, where he proposed to set up a trading post. He brought a small load of pork, flour, and whisky with him, put up a tent, and opened traffic with the savages in short order. Unaided he rolled up a log cabin near where the Detroit, Lansing, and Northern depot was located, and when he brought the house into decent shape went over to Hunt's at Lyons for his family, whom he had left there against such time as he should have affairs prepared for their comfort.
Portland was organized as a township by legislative act March 6, 1838, and the first township meeting was held April 2, 1838 at the home of Joshua Boyer. Abram Wadsworth laid out the village in 1837, but no plats were recorded until 1846. And so the town grew in spite of the hardships of that early life. Fever and ague raged through the Village in 1846 and Dr. Beers was hard pressed to care for all the sick.
Portland, Oregon – Despite its’ stature as one of the largest U.S. cities, Portland, Oregon is still one of America’s best-kept secrets. Surrounded by natural beauty and plenty of interesting things to see and do, Portland, Oregon is the perfect place to visit or relocate! With a moderate climate and close proximity to mountains, ocean, and desert, Portland, Oregon represents a unique vacation opportunity for everyone.
The Portland International Airport (PDX) serves over 100 domestic and international cities and is one of the fastest-growing airports in the United States (only 20 minutes from downtown Portland).
The City of Portland, Oregon celebrated its 150th anniversary of incorporation in 2001. This chronological timeline presents dates in the development of the City--highlighting the services, responsibilities, and citizen needs that city government serves.
The Timeline is a chronicle of events and actions in the history of city government and the Portland community. It includes milestones of City programs; events that affected the growth and development of the City; people and organizations which have served citizens; and events such as wars, fires, and floods that have affected life in Portland.
The timeline includes links to history pages on the web sites of individual bureaus and programs where more detailed information can be found concerning specific functions.
Many of the milestone events in the Timeline were identified by consulting the records and sources available at the City of Portland Stanley Parr Archives and Records Center (SPARC), under the responsibility of the Auditor's Office. Written materials and on-line resources on City history have also been provided by staff of City bureaus and commissioners' offices. The right-hand column of the Timeline identifies the bureau which provided the information.
Any time is a good time to visit Portland, but the month of May is an especially good time to visit because that's when we have our annual Strawberry Festival. This event goes back to the early 1940's when strawberries were the mainstay of our area, and we still draw a crowd to the Strawberry Parade and all the other festivities.
Portland is a rural community of 8,459 residents, located in northern middle Tennessee, just five miles south of Kentucky and 35 miles north of Nashville, the State Capitol.
Since Interstate 65 is only five miles west of us, our economy has become a very industrial one, though there are still beautiful agricultural areas surrounding our city, with gently rolling hills, pastures and crops. Our area offers affordable housing, many fine churches and civic organizations, great schools, and excellent parks and recreational facilities. There are job opportunities and 8,459 fine folks!
Although we have a somewhat rural setting, we are only a half-hour away from bustling Nashville (known as the "Athens of the South"), where one can find the Titans, a professional football team; the Predators, a professional hockey team; the Metros, a professional soccer team; the Gaylord Entertainment Center; the Grand Ole Opry; the Tennessee Performing Arts Center; the Nashville Symphony; the Frist Center; Vanderbilt University; major shopping malls and numerous fine restaurants. This gives us easy access to cultural and entertainment opportunities, yet allows us a rural, small-town life-style for our homes and families.
Among our distinguished residents, both past and present, are Country Music artists Ronnie McDowell and Roy Drusky; nationally recognized Scientist and inventor, Samuel Collins; renowned author Opie Read; national award-winning school teacher, Sandra Miller; and state renowned Tennessean columnist and author, Elmer Hinton.
Portland aerial map
Please click on any icon on the Portland aerial tourist map, to find close by places, offering hotels and tourist information. You can zoom in and zoom out our touristical map as well as switch between satelite and map view of Portland.
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