Casco Bay shapes Portland's identity, with the city's 68,000 residents occupying a peninsula jutting into the Gulf of Maine. Maritime weather patterns bring cool summers averaging in the upper 70s and snowy winters dipping to the teens. The Old Port district preserves historic 19th-century architecture along the working waterfront, while residential neighborhoods climb the hills inland. Portland serves as Maine's economic and cultural center, despite Augusta being the state capital. The city's elevation changes dramatically from sea level to higher points offering panoramic bay views.
