Tides & Towns
Maine · ME

Portland

A port city that has burned and risen again, as its motto promises.

Population
68,408 (2020 census)
Motto
Resurgam, “I will rise again”
Portland Head Light
Lit January 10, 1791
Tides
Two highs, two lows a day

Then

  1. 1632

    Settlers build a village called Casco on the peninsula the Abenaki call Machigonne, “great neck.” It is renamed Falmouth in 1658.

  2. 1775

    On October 18, the Royal Navy under Captain Henry Mowat burns Falmouth.

  3. 1786

    Residents form a separate town on July 4 and name it Portland, after the Isle of Portland in England.

  4. 1791

    Portland Head Light, begun under George Washington's direction, is first lit on January 10. It is Maine's oldest lighthouse.

  5. 1820–1832

    Portland serves as the capital of the new state of Maine until the capital moves to Augusta.

  6. 1866

    A fire that starts during July 4 celebrations destroys most of the commercial district and leaves more than 10,000 people homeless.

Now

The Old Port's cobblestone streets and brick warehouses are the city's busiest neighborhood. Shipping and fishing built Portland; services drive it now.

Portland has a national reputation for food: Bon Appétit named it Restaurant City of the Year in 2018. Portland Head Light stands just outside the city in Cape Elizabeth.

On the water

From NOAA's predictions for Portland, ME over the next 365 days. Heights are in feet above mean lower low water (MLLW).

Pattern
Two highs and two lows a day, close in size
Typical daily range
9.8 ft
Biggest swing
13.3 ft on Dec 25
Smallest swing
6.2 ft on Oct 19
Highest high
11.6 ft, Dec 25 at 11:24 AM
Lowest low
−1.8 ft, Jan 23 at 5:38 PM

18 tide stations around Portland

Show all 18 stations

Sources