Creativeportland.com Website Review

Connect + Visit | Portland, Maine

Planning a visit? New to Portland? Want to know more? Portland has made a reputation as a great city for eating and drinking, but where do you begin? Where should you go for the best art and music experiences? What are some shops that you can't find anywhere else? And where can you find an adventure or a scenic spot? If you're mobile or just want to get a lay of the land, use our interactive map and guide to discover places you might otherwise miss. If you have more time, check out the personal favorites of creative locals in the plan your weekend section. And for a er read on what Portlanders like to do around town, peruse these profiles. For people who are thinking about making the move or planning an extended stay, 2 Degrees Portland is here to help. If you're curious about what it might be like to live here, we can connect you to people who already do and are ready and willing to talk to you about it. How to Get Here Portland is accessible by a variety of public transit options, as well as Interstate 95 and the famous U.S. Route 1 (which begins in Fort Kent, Maine on the Canadian border).  The Portland International Jetport (PWM) is served by Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United, and U.S. Airways. The jetport is less than ten minutes from downtown Portland and there are a variety of ground transportation options. The Amtrak Downeaster rail service extends from Brunswick, Maine to Boston's North Station (note that all other Amtrak lines in Boston depart from South Station or Back Bay Station). There are five daily round trips between Portland and Boston, with eight stops in between. The travel time is approximately 2 hours 25 minutes, and there is a cafe car and free WiFi on board. Two bus lines serve Portland: Concord Coach Lines and Greyhound. The Greyhound system connects Portland to New England and beyond from the station on Congress Street. Concord Coach Lines picks up and drops off at the Portland Transporation Center (shared with the Amtrak Downeaster). The line extends from the University of Maine at Orono to Boston. Trips to and from Boston's South Station and Logan International Aiport leave regularly throughout the day. Travel time for the airport express bus is generally just under two hours, and there is complimentary WiFi and a movie on board.   photo credits (clockwise from top left): Stacey Cramp, Tonee Harbert, Woods Wheatcroft courtesy of Aurora Photos, Tonee Harbert, Cara Slifka, Stacey Cramp, Cara Slifka, Stacey Cramp 

Connect + Visit

Portland, Maine

Connect to a Portlander

What People Say About Us | Portland, Maine

We might be biased, so here's a sample of what some third parties have to say:

Portland, Maine

What People Say About Us

About Creative Portland | Portland, Maine

10,000 Creatives. 10 Years. Creative Portland is a nonprofit organization that leverages, grows, and sustains Portland’s creative industries, enterprises, and workforce. As the City’s official local arts agency, we also pay particular attention to supporting the artists and cultural institutions that are central to Portland’s identity, economy, and community. In 2010, highlighting the critical need for a skilled workforce to sustain a prosperous economy, our founding president Andy Graham called on Portland to adopt this BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal): Attract 10,000 creative-minded people in 10 years. Not 10,000 artists, but 10,000 people who value arts and culture. Portland is a destination for young people fresh out of college, highly skilled professionals, retirees, entrepreneurs—anyone who wants to become part of Portland’s distinctive zeitgeist. We welcome visitors, but what we really want are new residents who share our sensibilities and values. If you like what we do, please let us know and share with others.    What We Do Creative Portland strives to attract people who value our creative community and support the artists and creative entrepreneurs who already live here. Here are some of our key projects: Creative Portland promotes Portland as an ideal place to live and work. While Maine is universally recognized as tourist destination, we want people to consider Portland a great place to start a business, pursue a career, retire, or raise a family. So we are connecting members of Portland’s broad creative community to one another and to like-minded people in other cities who may consider moving here. “In Portland, it’s two degrees of separation, not six.” 2 Degrees Portland is a networking service for creative types (engineers, artists, entrepreneurs, designers, “big thinkers”) who want to find out what it’s like to live and work in Portland. When someone contacts 2 Degrees, our coordinator puts them in touch with someone with similar interests who can answer their questions about who to know, which neighborhoods to live in, where to walk the dog, where to buy local produce, or the best place to launch their kayak. We also host 2 Degrees mixers so that our volunteers can get to know one another and new arrivals have a place to meet new friends. First Friday Art Walk, which began in 2000, has blossomed into a monthly arts and cultural event that takes place on the first Friday of every month (regardless of weather) throughout the city, centered primarily in the Arts District. Over 3,000 people come downtown each month to visit galleries and museums, see live performances, buy work from street artists, and greet friends as they stroll along city streets. Creative Portland launched a Professional Development Series: Business Basics for Artists in partnership with Maine College of Art and the Maine Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in 2012. We continue to offer workshops specifically designed for artists, artisans, and creative entrepreneurs, addressing such topics as grant-writing, money matters, pricing art work, and starting a creative business. For more information about these and other projects, please contact us. The City of Portland website has more information about the Creative Portland Corporation.    

About Creative Portland

Portland, Maine

What We Do

2 Degrees Portland | Portland, Maine

Welcome to 2 Degrees Portland - A Creative Portland Project Part of Portland's allure is that people are connected by much less than six degrees of separation. Here, we think it's two. 2 Degrees Portland is a network of people who want to sustain and grow the city's economy by welcoming creators, innovators, entrepreneurs, and thinkers to the area — a sort of 21st century welcome wagon. We're here to connect you to the people you want to meet. If you're interested in moving yourself, your family, or your business to Portland, fill out this short form and you'll hear back from Randy Ferrell, our 2 Degrees Portland community manager.  If you live or work in the Portland area and would like to be a Connector for 2 Degrees, fill out this short form and tell us about yourself, what you enjoy talking about, and the type of people you'd most like to meet. What's in it for you? 2 Degrees Portland holds informal gatherings every other month, so that we can break out of our domain silos and get to know the diverse array of people who make Portland a great place to live and work. While we have a good time, we also strengthen our creative community and help newcomers tap into our growing network of talented, motivated people. Since our conception of the Creative Economy includes everyone from marine scientists to photographers, web designers to biotech PhDs, and ballet dancers to civil engineers, you won't meet the same people you usually do. 2 Degrees is a place for cross-pollination of ideas, as well as a way to build the critical m we need to thrive. Please join us.   Thanks to Our Sponsors NortheastBank.com Vitalius.com       Like 2° Portland on Facebook Join the 2° Portland Conversation on LinkedIn    

Welcome to 2 Degrees Portland - A Creative Portland Project

Portland, Maine

Thanks to Our Sponsors

Contact Us | Portland, Maine

Creative Portland P.O. Box 4675, Portland, Maine 04112 207-370-4784 General Inquiries : info[at]creativeportland.com Profile/Account/Site Resources : info[at]creativeportland.com First Friday Art Walk Inquiries : emily[at]creativeportland.com 2 Degrees Portland Inquiries : program istant[at]creativeportland.com Donate Today Support Creative Portland by making a tax deductible financial contribution. Creative Portland Dinah Minot Executive Director dinah[at]creativeportland.com     Emily Southard Program istant emily[at]creativeportland.com

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Portland, Maine

Creative Portland