Portland

Portland is the third most populous city in Kingston and Boyce, with a 2011 population of 565,876 citizens. It is situated on the Southern seabord of the country. Portland is the traditional and sportive hub of Kingston and Boyce, drawing millions of tourists into the city year by year. The city was founded in 1899 as a small mining town, and grew rapidly during the Gold Rush to become a national center of commerce. It is the largest city in the Union of Boyce and hosts the House of the Union, of of the two Kingstonaise Chambers of Parliament.

History
Portland's History is deeply connected to the history of the Nation and the Native clans settling on Echo Island. During the stages of settling by the Canadian Fur Traders, some native clans left the Island of Mainland in fear of having to live in slavery or of getting killed. Seven native families settled on Echo Island, in loose tent villages in the deep forest, hunting mostly for deer.

On May 11th, 1898 Captain Johnathan Felixen gathered a crew to discover Echo Island and to work out a treaty with the native clans, in exchange for their land. As Echo Island did not only feature rich and healthy forests, and Gold or Silver were discovered, this island has become a topic of British Royal interest. Felixen's crew spent two weeks on Echo exploring the island. They were hosted by a Mowak Family. Two weeks after the exploration of Echo, a decree of her Majesty Queen Victoria of England ruled the 'immediate conquest of the islands'. A treaty with the natives was formed, which declared the Islands of Shatt, Echo, Ellea, Como, Poulula and Nyham as British Crown territory under the reign of the Dominion of Canada. In return, the Natives were promised not to be harmed in their settlements, their health or their traditions.

Native Settlements exist until today, suburban cities like Eerie and Harley have been created on the sights of the native villages, and were awarded the native names.



Following the news of the detection of Gold and Silver on Echo Island, a second Gold Rush started. On March 28th, 1899 the City of Portland was founded as a gold mining town, and the gold rush drew many people to the city, and it was one of the quickest expanding cities worldwide at that moment. On January 1st, 1900 a census stated that 14,000 people were living already in Portland and surroundings. Around the Gold mines cities and villages formed; Morrison, Langley and Kelly all emerged around the central mine. Portland grew in importance to the Governour, and it was decided to build the House of the Union in Portland.

Portland's economy grew over the years, and in 1918, the Outer Harbour was opened. The construction of a port meant a large economical boost for the city, as goods had shorter transportation until they got shipped into the world. In the exploration of the Portside area, Oil was found in subterran basins but consequential exploitation didn't start until the late 1970s.

In the afterward of the Nation's Independence, Portland gained more wealth by hosting the Parliament of the Boyce Union. Many Politicians reside in Portland's noble quarter of Valley, making it one of the city quarters in Kingston with the highest per-capita income. Portland has been in Liberal hand for decades but Portland elections always remained a strong political statement and were seen as a nationwide survey, staging always 3 months before the Elections for the House of the Union. Whoever wins in Portland, is most likely to win in the Union.

Climate
Portland's climate is temperate by North American standards and is usually classified as Oceanic or Marine west coast, which under the Köppen climate classification system would be Cfb. The summer months are typically dry, with an average of only one in five days during June and August receiving precipitation. In contrast, precipitation falls during nearly half the days from November through March.

However, Portland is one of the wettest cities in Kingston and Boyce, but precipitation varies throughout the metropolitan area. Annual precipitation as measured at Portland Waterfront averages 1,199 millimetres (47.2 in), compared with 1,588 millimetres (62.5 in) in the Airport area and 2,044 millimetres (80.5 in) in Hutchingson, north of Portland. Summer months are drier and sunnier with moderate temperatures, tempered by sea breezes. The daily maximum averages 22 °C (72 °F) in July and August, with highs rarely reaching 30 °C (86 °F).

The highest temperature ever recorded was 36.4 °C (97.52 °F) on July 30, 2003.

On average, snow falls on eleven days per year, with three days receiving 6 cm (2.4 in) or more. Average yearly snowfall is 48.2 cm (19.0 in) but typically does not remain on the ground for long. Winters in the Greater Portland area (including Manchester) are the mildest of Kingstonaise Cities, thanks to its southernmost ocean-site. Portland's growing season averages 221 days, from March 29 until November 5, longer than any other major city in Kingston.

Demographics
Portland is home to 565,876 people, while the metropolitan area has a population of 1,003,234 people (together with Manchester). The population of the city has been stable in recent years while the population of the surrounding cities have been ceasing in population. Portland's waterside areas are the most populated, with suburbs like Nanaimo and Valley being the most populated ones. In 2010, the birth rate stood at 1.72% while the mortality rate stood at 4.94%. The young population of the city (average age 33) can get future generations into big problems, and new employments are needed soon. Portland has one of the highest rates of foreign-born people in Kingston and Boyce. in 2010, the rate stood tall at 28.3%. Most of these Immigrants come from Asia, mostly China and Japan, however many Europeans are drawn to the city as well. At the same time, Portland is the city with the highest native rate, 19.78% of the Portland inhabitants are of native descent. Portland is home to one university and 3 colleges, and so, the rate of people with a major degree stands tall at 41.34%.

Public Transit


Portland features a very well constructed public transportation network. Most of the public transportation is handled by the Portland Subway, a network of three lines. While running underground in within most parts of Downtown Portland, the suburbs are mostly reached on elevated tracks. Biggest transfer point in the system is Portland Central Station connecting CityExpress, RegioXPress, RegioRunners, Subway and Bus with each other. Annually an approximate of 12 million passengers transfers through the station. It is terminus station for 4 CityExpress lines, 16 RegioXPress lines and 5 RegioRunners. Also, the Portland Subway Red Line terminates in a separate turnaround in between both main platform halls.

Sports
The Greater Portland Area is home to 5 major league sports teams. 1 Hockey team, one soccer team and three Baseball Teams draw their attention in the city. The Portland Pirates (Hockey) are a rather unsuccessful team, having qualified for the KBHL Playoffs only twice in the last 10 years. However, they will go for a spot in the STHL for the beginning of next season. All three KBL- Portland clubs have been stable medium sized teams. The Portland Cats are the biggest of them. Their best mark stands at reaching the Semi-Finals in 2007, however they did not succeed any further. The Franklyn Orioles have just moved to Portland at the beginning of last season, after the North Westminster market was too unstable. the Wilbury Chiefs are the smallest team, however their team is quite good, having many former allstars in their team. Nonetheless, they did not manage to pull up to the expectations so far. Portland's most successful team to date is the Portland FC, a soccer club staging its games at the Nanaimo Excelsior Arena. After a mediocre season, the FC qualified for the final playoff spot with a last-minute win over Wyswater. The playoffs marked a incredible cinderella run for Portland, defeating the high favourites from Manchester Soccer 2-0, then defeating the Boyce Nationals to reach the finals against the Kingston Stars. The final was tied until the 115th minute in overtime until Kingston striker Joo Pefter scored the go-ahead goal for Kingston. Two minutes later however, Portland defender Marc Lu tied the game again and it went to a penalty shootout. Portland won 5-4 after Kingston striker Joo Pefter put his ball into Portland's keeper Rick Foster's arms. It was Portland's first major league title.