South Portland

South Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States, and is the fourth-largest city in the state, incorporated in 1898. Known for its working waterfront, South Portland is situated on Portland Harbor and overlooks the skyline of Portland and the islands of Casco Bay. Due to South Portland's close proximity to air, marine, rail, and highway transportation options, the city has become a center for retail and industry in the region. South Portland was first colonized in 1630, and it grew to become a small residential community with many farms. In 1858, the City of Portland purchased land near the Fore River for the Forest City Cemetery. On March 15, 1895, it was incorporated as a town after it broke away from Cape Elizabeth, based on a disagreement on a future source of public drinking water. On July 11, 1944, at 4:45 p.m., U.S. Army Lt. Phillip "Phee" Russell was attempting to land his Douglas A-26 Invader at the Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport. For reasons that were never fully determined, Russell lost control of the plane and crashed into a trailer park in South Portland. Nineteen people were killed and 20 people were injuredmostly the families of South Portland shipyard workers. A Long Creek Air Tragedy Memorial was eventually erected to commemorate the crash and honor the victims, but not until 66 years later. The Mill Creek shopping center, built in the 1950s, was the first such "strip mall" built in Maine: a line of stores under one long roof.

History

South Portland is the primary city name, but also Portland, S Portland are acceptable city names or spellings, So Portland on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is South Portland, Maine. South Portland was first colonized 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 Cape Elizabeth, based on a disagreement on a future source of public drinking water. In 1940, the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corp (later called the "East Yard") was established to build cargo ships for Britain. In 1944, U.S. Army Lt. Phillip "Phee" Russell was attempting to land his Douglas A-26 Invader at the Portland-Westbrook Municipal Airport. For reasons that were never fully determined, Russell lost control of the plane and crashed into a trailer park in South Portland's Brick Hill neighborhood. Nineteen people were killed and 20 people were injuredmostly the families of South Portland shipyard workers. A Long Creek Air Tragedy Memorial was eventually erected to commemorate the crash and honor the victims, but not until 66 years later.Over the last few decades, South Portland has become the retail capital of Maine. The Mill Creek shopping center, built in the 1950s, was the first such "strip mall" built in Maine: a line of stores under one long roof and a covered walkway. The oldest neighborhood in SouthPortland, and its former "retail corridor", is called Ferry Village. The Ferry Village Neighborhood Conservation Association (FVNCA) was formed in August 1985 to address the development boom in the 1980s which was altering the character of the city.

Government and politics

South Portland has a council-manager form of government. The city council is made up of seven members elected by the citizens. The council appoints a city manager to oversee the daily operations of the government. In December 2007, then-mayor James Soule proposed that South Portland, along with parts of southern Maine, secede from the state of Maine and form a new state. Soule's proposal was panned by the congressional delegation and by Governor Baldacci, whose spokesman called it "silly" and "counterproductive" Soule nominated himself for reelection as mayor in November 2008, but was defeated by Thomas Blake in a 61 vote. The proposal did not gain any traction, and Soule did not continue to pursue it. The mayor serves as chairman of the council, and the council elects one of himself as mayor every December, which is primarily a ceremonial title. The manager is an employee of the city and has a contract that specifies his or her duties and responsibilities. Ideally, the manager is considered apolitical and is not involved in politics or politics in any way. In 2008, the mayor voted for himself to be re-elected to a second term as mayor, but he lost the election to Thomas Blake, who was also elected to the council. The current mayor of South Portland is John Defterios, who served as mayor from 2003 to 2007, and he was elected in 2008 to a third term in office, which he served from 2007 to 2010.

Geography

South Portland is bordered by Portland to the north, Cape Elizabeth and Scarborough to the south, and Westbrook to the west. The city is located at 43°3754N 70°1622W. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.02 square miles (36.31 km²) The city-owned South Portland Bus Service provides public transportation throughout the city. As defined by the city's Planning Department in a 2018 neighborhood map, South Portland comprises the following districts that could be described in some cases as urban or suburban villages, listed below in bold; historic neighborhoods are in italics. The Maine Mall is the largest mall in the state, with more than 2,000 people living in its parking lot. South Portland is home to the University of Maine at Orono, which has an enrollment of more than 3,000. The University of Oregon at Portland has a campus that opened in the early 1900s. The campus is located in the heart of the city and is known for its art galleries, restaurants, bars, theaters, and other cultural institutions. The university has a reputation for being one of the best places in the country to study art and design. The Portland Museum of Nature and Science is the state's oldest art museum, having been founded in 1872. The museum is located on the site of a former mill, which is now a tourist attraction. It is also home to a number of historic buildings, including the Maine Mall and the Maine State Museum.

Education

South Portland's public school system has five neighborhood elementary schools. The city has two middle schools, Mahoney Middle School and Memorial Middle School. South Portland has one high school, South Portland High School, which has an enrollment of about 900 students.South Portland also boasts three institutions of higher learning: Kaplan University, New England Bible College, and Southern Maine Community College. It also has two private schools: Holy Cross School, a Roman Catholic K8 school, and Greater Portland Christian School,which is a non-denominational Christian K12 school. It has a population of 2.2 million. It is the largest city in Maine. It's also the second-largest city in the state, after Portland, with an population of 1.7 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. It was the first city to be added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It became the first state to be included in the National Park Service in 1978. It had been in existence since 1881. It will be the fourth state to join the National Geographic Society in 2010. It joins Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire in becoming a member of the Geographic Society of New England. The state has been part of the United States since 1883, and has a history of being a member since 1887. It joined the Upscale School District in 1881, and became a member in 1883. It now has a membership of more than 1,000 schools.

Places of worship

Christian churches in the area include the First Baptist Church of South Portland (Baptist), Holy Cross Church (Roman Catholic), Peoples United Methodist Church (Methodist) and South Portland Church of the Nazarene (Nazarene) There is also a Buddhist Peace Center, and a Reform Judaism congregation locally. The area is also home to a number of non-denominational churches, including Christ Fellowship Church, Eastpoint Christian Church and GreaterPortland Church of Christ (Christian, nondenominational) The area has a population of about 3,000 people. It is located in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is home to the Portland International Airport, a major international airport, and the University of Oregon. The town's population is about 2,000, with the majority of its residents living in South Portland and the surrounding areas. It has a history of being a center of religious activity, particularly in the early 1900s. It also has a long history of religious dissent, particularly among its white population. The city's population has a high percentage of people of African descent, and many of its churches are African-American. The majority of the town's residents are white, but there are also Hispanic and Asian-American residents as well. The population of the South Portland area is about 1,500 people, with most of the majority living in the city's South Portland neighborhoods. The community has a large Hispanic population, with many Latino and African-Americans living in and around the city.

Economy

Home to the Portland-Montreal Pipe Line, millions of barrels of oil are shipped to South Portland each year. It is the northernmost oil port in the United States, and has over 120 oil storage tanks. The Maine Mall is the largest and busiest mall in the state. The main runway of Maine's busiest airport, the Portland International Jetport, is located within the city of South Portland. Sea level rise projections show a 27% chance that the South Portland Terminal will flood by 2050. The city is also home to manufacturing facilities for the technology companies ON Semiconductor (formerly Fairchild Semiconduct), and Texas Instruments (formerly National Semicconductors) The city's largest shopping mall is the Maine Mall, which attracts thousands of shoppers each year and is located in the city's downtown area. The passenger terminal of the Port of Portland is also located in South Portland, as is the airport's main runway, which is located inside the city. The port is home to one of the world's busiest airports, with a capacity of more than 1.5 million passengers a day. The airport is located near the town of Portland, Maine, which has a population of 1.2 million. The Port ofPortland is the only major port to be located in New England, and the only one in the U.S. with a population over 100,000. It also has a major portion of the inbound tonnage entering the port, which accounts for over half of all tonnages entering the Port.

Points of interest

South Portland has a number of parks and open spaces. The city's waterfront has several recreational marinas and is home to the last free beach in the area, Willard Beach. The historic Greenbelt walkway is a three-mile (5 km) paved trail that crosses through several neighborhoods and provides views of the harbor. Mill Creek Park is located in South Portland's downtown area and has landscaped pond area and rose garden. Other local parks include Wainwright Farm, which is a recreational facility and Hinckley Park, a 40-acre (160,000 m2) wooded area that has two ponds. Other attractions: Calvary Cemetery, Fort Preble, the Maine Mall, the South Portland Armory, and the Maine Historical Society, among other places to visit in the city. In the summer, South Portland hosts several local events, including summer concerts, Art in the Park, holiday tree lighting and ice skating in the winter. South Portland has one of the highest crime rates in the state, with more than 30 murders per 100,000 residents in 2012. The town has a population of about 3,000. In 2013, the city had a record-breaking 4.2 million visitors, making it the second-highest city in Maine after Portland, Maine, with 4.3 million visitors. The state's economy is strong, with a growth rate of more than 2.5 per cent over the past three years. The unemployment rate is at 2.7 per cent.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 25,002 people, 10,877 households, and 6,197 families residing in the city. There were 11,484 housing units at an average density of 957.8 per square mile (369.8/km²) The racial makeup of the city was 91.1% White, 2.1%, African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.8% Asian, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.2% of the population. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was2.84. The median income for a household in theCity was $42,770, and the median income. for a family was $52,833. The per capita income for the city is $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%. The city is located on the banks of the Mississippi River, which runs through the city's downtown area. The Mississippi River is a tributary of the Red River. The Red River is one of the few rivers in the state that flows into the Mississippi. The city's name is derived from the word "red", which means "river" or "red". The river is also the name of the town where it was once located.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in South Portland, Cumberland County, Maine = 93. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 69. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 50. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in South Portland = 2.8 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 26,498 individuals with a median age of 41.9 age the population grows by 1.82% in South Portland, Cumberland County, Maine population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 2,200.10 residents per square mile of area (849.49/km²). There are average 2.21 people per household in the 10,500 households with an average household income of $53,270 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 6.30% of the available work force and has dropped -3.42% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 26.86%. The number of physicians in South Portland per 100,000 population = 441.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in South Portland = 43.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 71.5 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 131. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 196. 78 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 13 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 56, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in South Portland, Cumberland County, Maine which are owned by the occupant = 62.30%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 53 years with median home cost = $174,140 and home appreciation of -3.48%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $15.24 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $8,782 per student. There are 11.9 students for each teacher in the school, 1022 students for each Librarian and 253 students for each Counselor. 11.00% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 19.07% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 8.74% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).