BlockBefore

Portland, Texas

13 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1925 and the latest in 1989. It stands in the Portland-Gregory census division. It lies in ZIP code area 78374. The Survey maps it on the Gregory quadrangle. 20,383 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 43 feet above sea level.

Portland within San Patricio County

Population over time

2 figures

Portland grew from 15,099 to 20,383 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201015,099
202020,383+5,284 (+35%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 13 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

17 since 2009

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 17 fires within 5 miles of Portland between 2009 and 2020, burning about 33 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined12
Equipment and vehicle use2
Debris and open burning2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
18 August 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined4.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceINGLESIDE BRUSH
29 July 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS GIRE
29 July 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceBRUSH FIRE
18 July 2011Equipment and vehicle use10 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGARZA
4 May 2010Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest Service181 AT CITY LIMIT
26 May 2019Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS FIRE
2 May 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGRASS/BRUSH FIRE
6 April 2009Missing data/not specified/undetermined4.0 acresTexas A & M Forest ServiceGREGORY FIRE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in San Patricio County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Portland: 2 producers, 1 past producer, 1 plant. 3 still produce. What was taken out: Aluminum, Salt, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Haas Trucking Company OperationSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Texas Brine PlantSaltProducer
(Facility) Sherwin Alumina RefineryAluminumPlant1952
Reynolds Metals San Patricio PlantAluminumPast Producer

Every working recorded in San Patricio County

Storms near this place

29 since 1993

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Portland in 29 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 14 flash flood, 10 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 heavy rain. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
April 2012Tornado (EF1)Portland$2,000,000NWS storm survey concluded a tornado touched down near Lost Creek Drive on the extreme southeast side of Portland. The tornado moved north through the Portland Northshore Country Club producing mainly tree, roof, and fence damage. The tornado moved north into the Bay Ridge subdivision and strengthened. The tornado damaged around 50 homes and several vehicles. Of the homes damaged, 8 received major damage and 15 received minor damage. Maximum sustained winds were estimated to be near 100 mph in this area.
April 2012Flash FloodPortland$270,000Moore Avenue was impassable between 7 and 8:15 AM due to high water on the road.
May 2015Thunderstorm WindPortland$100,000Damaging winds moved across Portland and Gregory. A light pole fell on a truck on Timberline Drive in Portland. Many big tree limbs were blown down. A power pole was blown down on Memorial Parkway in Portland. Power lines were blown down on 2nd Street in Gregory.
April 2012Flash FloodPortland$100,000Major street flooding occurred in Portland with water at a depth of 1 to 2 feet flowing down the streets.
April 2015Flash FloodPortland$5,000Numerous intersections were flooded in Portland. Some vehicles were stranded.|Cars stalled at the intersection of Highway 181 and Buddy Ganem Drive.
November 2025Thunderstorm WindPortland-Measured 69 mph gust by an automated station.
November 2025Thunderstorm WindPortland-Received photos of damage to fence after being hit by an airborne trampoline.
November 2025Thunderstorm WindPortland-Measured 69 mph gust by an automated station.
November 2025Thunderstorm WindPortland-Door ripped off hinges.
November 2025HailPortland-Hail size was estimated from picture.
November 2025HailPortland-A picture was received of hail along with reports of broken windshields.
May 2023Flash FloodPortland-Public reported video of street flooding with water up to the curbs in the west part of Portland.
May 2021Flash FloodPortland-Water over 1 feet deep reported at Trinity Drive and Frio Drive in Portland.
May 2021Flash FloodPortland-Streets flooded in Portland.
June 2020Flash FloodPortland-Water was overflowing the streets in several neighborhoods on the east side of Portland.
September 2018Flash FloodPortland-Photos and videos showed significant street flooding in Portland. Water covered the parking lot of a gas station.
June 2016Flash FloodPortland-Streets were flooded in several areas around Portland with water depth up to a foot and a half in some intersections.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindPortland-Spotter estimated wind speeds of 60 mph in Portland.
April 2015Flash FloodPortland-Rainfall amounts of around 1.75 inches in 20 minutes caused street flooding in Portland around San Saba Drive. Water reached into yards due to the heavy rainfall.
April 2015Flash FloodPortland-Water crossed the roadway along Lang Road near an elementary school. Many streets within Portland were flooded due to the heavy rainfall.
June 2015Flash FloodPortland-Flash flooding occurred over eastern portions of the county. Highway 181/35 was flooded in Portland with feeder roads covered with water. Northbound lane was flooded from Portland to Gregory. Water was a foot deep along Wheeler Street in Aransas Pass.
April 2012Heavy RainPortland-Storm total rainfall of 8.6 inches occurred near Carmel Street.
July 2010Flash FloodPortland-Wildcat Drive, from Lang Road to Memorial Parkway, was flooded and impassable due to heavy rainfall.
February 2003Thunderstorm WindPortland-Power lines reported down in Portland.
May 1999Thunderstorm WindPortland-Strong thunderstorm wind blew off two roofs near County Road 83.
May 1997Thunderstorm WindPortland-NWS spotter report of power poles downed with several large trees uprooted.
May 1993HailPortland-Nickel to dime-size hail was reported in Sinton by the Sheriff's Office. Dime-size hail was later reported in Portland. Wind gusts to 73 MPH were reported at the Reynolds plant in Ingleside.
October 1998Thunderstorm WindPortland-no account filed
April 1997Flash FloodPortland-no account filed

Every storm recorded in San Patricio County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Crescent Center0.2 miles13
Nueces Bay Colonia1.1 miles13
Nueces Bayfront Colonia1.2 miles13
Doyle1.3 miles13
Doyle Addition Colonia1.3 miles13
Gregory3.6 miles13
Midway5.5 miles13
Caruthers Cove Colonia5.9 miles14

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on PortlandAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q980152The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1344378. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.