South Portland Maine Real Estate

A Comprehensive Guide to South Portand and Community Resources

The City of South Portland is a coastal community in southern Maine encompassing an area of 12.93 square miles. It is the fourth largest city in Maine, providing a strong business climate yet many amenities that enhance everday life. The city has been referred to as two cities, with the western half of the city hosting commercial, industrial and advanced technology property and the eastern half of the city sporting a community college, a beach area, several parks, one of the State´s largest marinas, a municipal boat ramp, a maritime museum and the second busiest oil port on the entire East Coast.

South Portland was a primarily a residential community that broke away from Cape Elizabeth in 1895. In 1940 a shipyard was established to build cargo ships for Great Britain and things began to change. 

Now used as a campus for Southern Maine Community College, Fort Preble was once a strategic stronghold during War of 1812, the Civil War, as well as the First and Second World Wars. Today, visitors stroll along the ruins and remaining bunkers whilst admiring views of Fort Gorges, Casco Bay, and the Spring Point Lighthouse.

When the United States became involved with World War II the shipyard expanded and turned out 236 of the 440 foot long Liberty Ships, (more than 10% of all the Liberty ships built during the war years.  At its peak, the shipyard employed some 30,000 people, but eventually ceased operations after the war ended in 1945.

South Portland changed dramatically in 1971 when the Maine Mall opened its first twenty stores of August of that year.  In the last 30 years this area has evolved from farmland into the largest retail, commercial, and office complex north of Boston.

As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,002.

Strong Business Climate

On the west side of town are two world-class computer chip factories, Fairchild Semiconductor and National Semiconductor, Maine headquarters of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield and Wright Express.  These businesses provide employment to approximately 6,000 people.

On the bay side of South Portland, Spring Point is surrounded by Casco Bay and offers great views of the islands and the breakwater. From here you can visit both Spring Point and Bug Light, which guard the entrance to Portland Harbor.

The lighthouses and the ruins of Fort Preble are reachable from the waterfront campus of Southern Maine Technical College on Fort Road. From the park you can see the entire Portland skyline across the water.

Maine Real Estate Options

South Portland is a suburban community, and as such offers many quiet neighborhoods.  It is excellent for family who want to live near the excitement of Portland, yet still have the privacy of a more rural setting.

For those who enjoy the ocean, there are several luxury waterfront communities and beach associations available. Such as Loveitt’s Field and Danforth Cove. Willard Beach offers four acres of scenic coastline overlooking Casco Bay. The cliffs of Spring Point and the Spring Point Ledge Lighthouse can be seen in the distance from north facing Willard Beach homes.

For more information about how South Portland compares to the national average, you can refer to the detail statistics below:

Local Resources

For more South Portland information, including entertainment, dining, city services, education and home sales and real estate statistics, follow any of the links below:

		Portland Maine Real Estate Resources		Quick Home Search
		South Portland Local Area Resources
		South Portland is a suburban community that offers open spaces, parks and recreational areas for residents and visitors. There is a strong balance with local businesses and residents. With close proximity to Cape Elizabeth and Portland, there are many ties to a metropolitan environment.  [Learn More]
		South Portland Education Services & Schools
		South Portland is a growing and dynamic schools system. Its five elementary schools, two middle schools and one high school serve approximately 3,100 students in grades K-12. In the 2005-2006 school year, the city celebrated the completion of the renovation of all it's elementary schools.  [Learn More]
		South Portland Homes Sales & Statistics
		Since 2005 single family home sales (units) have been just over 200 annually.  Sales reached their lowest level in 2008 at 196 transactions.  Condo sales are appromimately 100 per year. Sales in 2012 were up significantly.  [Learn More]
		Moving to South Portland & Southern Maine: Relocation & Lifestyle
		Collecting valuable, concise and accurate information is important in making an informed decision.  When it comes to Southern Maine, our Relocation Services Center is designed to provide you with local data and insight that you can trust. For a complete relocation package to be mailed to you, please complete our online request form.  It features our exclusive Area Guide, sales statistics, community proflies, videos, school updates and local maps. Geo-Spatial Lifestyle Search If you are interested in learning about the area you might also want to try our Lifestyle Search. This interactive geo-spatial map allows you to see, in real-time, what the local area offers along many different lifestyle parameters.  You can locate and plot schools, communities, neighborhoods, restaurants, churches, gyms, shopping and just about any amenity – and identify distances to homes you are interested in.