Portland is located on the Highland Rim in extreme northern Middle Tennessee. The region has long been known for its excellent agricultural soils, a superb wildlife environment and a hospitable climate.
Historically, land speculation and dark air-cured tobacco attracted individuals from the tobacco belt in Virginia and the Carolinas to the Highland Rim. Climate and soil conditions here provided ideal growing conditions for dark tobacco. This profitable crop increased land values - greatly benefiting land speculators. These speculators moved away to attempt profits elsewhere, and the farmers remained.
Fountain Head, located a couple of miles south of Portland, is the oldest local settlement. It was founded in 1792 by the James Gwin family. Within a century, it had grown to include a grist mill, tobacco factory, post office, Louisville & Nashville railroad depot and a number of retail stores.
In 1846 near Shun Pike (Jackson Road) in what is now Portland, William Nolan built a school, and the community started to grow.
Portland was originally called Richland. In 1859, the L&N Railroad opened the Nashville-Bowling Green route through Portland. A train depot was built in Richland along the Louisville & Nashville railroad in 1859 on land owned by Thomas Buntin. Buntin became the depot’s first agent and Richland’s first postmaster. The very existence of the City of Portland is due to the site of the L&N depot. The community developed around the depot.
Richland grew during its first year (1859-1860) with the opening of a store built by James Goostree. The Moore, McGlothlin and Payne families contributed greatly to Richland’s early growth.
The seminary in Richland had its beginning in 1874. It was the forerunner of Sumner County High School. Sumner County High School opened in Portland in 1915 and was the first public high school in Sumner County.
In 1887, there were two Richland’s in Tennessee. This caused some concern on the part of the L&N railroad that a telegraph mix-up might result in a train wreck. There was also the inconvenience to postal customers in that mail was frequently misdirected between the two Richlands. Railroad administrators, with the cooperation of postal authorities, decided that Richland would become Portland. The new name was activated on April 10, 1888. In April 1904, the Tennessee Assembly enacted legislation incorporating Portland.
In the 1920s, strawberries became a booming Portland business. The growth of strawberries as a Portland export crop resulted in a growth of industry. Crate businesses were formed. The processing and transporting of strawberries also became major businesses. Beginning in 1941 and continuing through the years to the present, Portland has hosted an annual Middle Tennessee Strawberry Festival to celebrate and remember the importance of the strawberry industry to its heritage.
Today, Portland is an industrial leader with employment figures that exceed its population. It has many assets that other communities its size may not possess. It has an excellent Parks and Recreation system, a superb library, a local newspaper, a local radio station, a local hospital, a complete airport, extremely active civic organizations, a full-service Chamber of Commerce, a wide variety of churches, professional police and fire departments and may community-minded, neighborly people.
Portland is a safe city with good values and perfect for raising a family or retiring, and has about 200 acres of park land with many activities available. Portland has a great school system that is always expanding, we have two new schools that will be built soon and our high school is only a few years old. Hospital, Fire, Police, Sanitation, Water, Sewer, Natural Gas, and Quality Roads are already in place and expanding regularly. The city has seen a great deal of growth in the last few years and there are many places to live in many different price ranges.
The city has seen an explosion of jobs in the last few years and more are expected. Whether you are looking to relax in the country or have a night on the town, Portland is only 30 minutes from Nashville, TN and 20 minutes form Bowling Green, KY. With our proximity to 3 major Interstates, you can maintain your current employment and still live in town.
Located in Northern Middle Tennessee, Portland is near 3 major Interstates; I-65, I-24, and I-40. This has made the Portland community very desirable to live and locate business in.
Real Estate & Area Information -
When buying, selling, or relocating to Nashville or any of our surrounding towns in the Gallatin, Hendersonville, Goodlettsville, Mt. Juliet, Lebanon, Hermitage, Old Hickory, Brentwood, Franklin, Smyrna, or Murfreesboro area, allow the CENTURY 21® System, the largest residential real estate organization in the world make your task a easy one.
No other real estate sales organization comes close to matching the power of the CENTURY 21® System. Whether you are buying or selling a residential home, condominium, investment property, land, lot, farm, estate, or commercial property I will be by your side from beginning to end.
Place your property with a Real Estate Professional that has one of the TOP RANKED - CENTURY 21® Real Estate and Relocation Services website in the Nashville and middle Tennessee area. My services can offer you the benefits of listing your property on the top ranked search engines, coupled with my enhanced MLS/RealTracs multiple listing services. With the Nashville area being one of the leading relocation cities in the United States, my website offers the marketing of your property to a broader range of buyers.
This winning combination offers the ultimate advantage in getting your property "SOLD" & “Purchased”If you are looking to relocate to the Middle Tennessee area, allow my professional Relocation Services to make your transition a smooth and seamless experience.
If you are looking for a Luxury Home, Equestrian Estate, Premium Townhouse or Condo in a spectacular Gated Subdivision, Golf, Lake, or Private Community, please visit my "Nashville Luxury Homes & Estates" website to find the dream home that fits your life style. Nashville Luxury Homes showcases over one hundred of the premier Luxury Subdivisions and Condo's in the Middle Tennessee area.
If you have any questions, or how I can be of service regarding your real estate needs, please do not hesitate to Contact me at your convenience. Thank's again for visiting my Real Estate Website.
Go To "Site Map" Main Navigation To View Additional Information Pages And Over 400-Area Info Links
Geography
Portland is located at 36°34′57″N, 86°30′57″W (36.582482, -86.515707). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.4 square miles (29.7 km²), of which, 11.4 square miles (29.6 km²) of it is land and 0.09% is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,458 people, 3,226 households, and 2,377 families residing in the city. The population density was 739.7 people per square mile (285.7/km²). There were 3,502 housing units at an average density of 306.3/sq mi (118.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.53% White, 2.70% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 1.40% from other races, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.29% of the population.
There were 3,226 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.1% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,644, and the median income for a family was $40,786. Males had a median income of $30,550 versus $21,875 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,559. About 6.7% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 65 or over.
