Portland, ND

Portland was first settled in 1871, then laid out in 1881 when the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway reached the site. The first regular train arrived on January 1, 1882, the first schoolhouse began that June, and the city incorporated in spring 1885. The original plat still gives Portland its own civic shape beside Mayville, the larger neighboring city. Together the two are commonly called May-Port.

May-Port CG Public Schools makes that shared geography concrete. The district’s Patriots campus and administrative address are in Mayville, while Portland remains its own city with a separate municipal office and street grid. Portland’s current citizen handbook keeps the early railway, school, and first-settler details in view, while the school district connects students and families across the two communities. With 578 residents in the 2020 census, Portland is small enough for its railroad-era plan to remain legible, yet its present-day routines reach across the short distance to Mayville for school and regional services.