South Portland, Maine
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South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 23,324.
Geography
South Portland is located at (43.631549, -70.272724)[Geographic references#1GR1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 37.0 km² (14.3 mi²). 31.1 km² (12.0 mi²) of it is land and 6.0 km² (2.3 mi²) of it (16.15%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 23,324 people, 10,047 households, and 6,038 families residing in the city. The population density was 751.1/km² (1,944.7/mi²). There were 10,349 housing units at an average density of 333.3/km² (862.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.80% White, 0.63% African American, 0.33% Native American, 1.59% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.13% of the population.There were 10,047 households out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.9% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 32.2% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,770, and the median income for a family was $52,833. Males had a median income of $32,256 versus $28,630 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,781. About 4.9% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
History
South Portland, Maine was first settled in 1630, and it grew to become a small residential community with many farms. On March 15, 1895, it was incorporated as a town after it broke away from its neighbor, Cape Elizabeth, and three years later, it became a city.In 1940, the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corp (later called the “East Yard”) was established to build cargo ships for Britain. When the United States became involved with World War II, the shipyard expanded to include the South Portland Shipbuilding Corp. (aka the “West Yard”), that later combined with the Todd-Bath yard to become the New England Shipbuilding Corp. These shipyards built 236 of the 440 foot (134 m) long Liberty Ships, more than 10 percent of all the Liberty ships constructed during the war years. At its peak, the shipyard employed some 30,000 people, including thousands of women, who took over the jobs vacated by men going into the service. The shipyard gradually ceased operations after the war ended in 1945.
The city remained relatively quiet until the mid 1960’s when consideration was given to develop a piece of land on the west end of the city. Recognizing the location as having a healthy economic future because Interstate 295 was being built alongside it and because the Portland International Jetport was nearby, the city purchased 137 acres (554,000 m²) from Dwyer’s pig farm. When a developer came to the area looking for a likely spot for a shopping center, South Portland was chosen over Portland, Scarborough and Falmouth. As a result, in August 1971, the Maine Mall opened its first twenty stores to crowds of shoppers. In the last 30 years the Maine Mall area has grown from farmland into the largest retail, commercial, and office complex north of Boston and currently employs more than 3,000 people in 140 businesses.
Today, in the western half of the City where the Maine Mall is located, South Portland has two world-class computer chip factories, [Fairchild Semiconductor] and [National Semiconductor], Maine headquarters of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Wright Express. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department also maintains a nine-hole Municipal Golf course, 525 acres (2.1 km²) of park land (of which 300 are actively maintained), a municipal beach, over 8 miles of walking trails, a community center, and a swimming pool.
Points of interest
- Shoreway Arboretum
- Maine Mall
- Wainwright Fields
External links
- [Maine Shipyards]
- [The Maine Mall]
- [The Portland International Jetport]
- [The South Portland Public Library]
- [The Portland Harbor Museum]
- [The Current, a weekly local newspaper serving South Portland]
| The State of Maine | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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