Portland is a somewhat small coastal town (ie. on the ocean or tidally-influenced rivers) located in the state of Connecticut. With a population of 8,732 people and two constituent neighborhoods, Portland is the 102nd largest community in Connecticut.

Unlike some towns, Portland isn't mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Portland are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Portland is a town of professionals, sales and office workers, and managers. There are especially a lot of people living in Portland who work in office and administrative support jobs (13.29%), sales jobs (10.86%), and management occupations (9.64%).

Also of interest is that Portland has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

In addition, Portland is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates." Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.

Because of many things, Portland is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Portland a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town's good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Portland has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Portland's overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

The town is also nautical, which means that parts of Portland are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and tidal rivers. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

As is often the case in a small town, Portland doesn't have a public transportation system that people use for their commute.

Portland Information and Demographics

The education level of Portland citizens is substantially higher than the average US city or town, as 32.41% of adults in Portland have at least a bachelor's degree.

The per capita income in Portland in 2000 was $28,229, which is middle income relative to Connecticut, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $112,916 for a family of four.

The people who call Portland home come from a variety of different races and ancestries. The most prevalent race in Portland is White, followed by African-American. Important ancestries of people in Portland include Italian, Irish, English, Polish, German, French, Swedish, and French Canadian.

The most common language spoken in Portland is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Italian.