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Sponsored by: South Portland Economic Development
Updated: July 30, 2018 2018 Fact Book: Doing Business in Maine

City of South Portland

Photo Courtesy of the City of South Portland South Portland’s western “downtown” Maine Mall and West End neighborhoods looking toward the Portland Jetport.
Photo Courtesy of the City of South Portland South Portland’s eastern “downtown” Millcreek and Knightville neighborhoods looking out toward Casco Bay.

Live, Work, and Play

The City of South Portland is a vibrant community of more than 25,600 residents located on Casco Bay along southern Maine’s picturesque Atlantic coast. South Portland is known for its working waterfront, retail, and industry sectors. South Portland is recognized as a New England Top 10 Best City based on economy, prosperity, and quality of life. In 2017, South Portland was chosen as one of Money Magazine’s 100 Best Places to Live in the United States.

Originally settled in 1632, South Portland was incorporated as an independent city on March 22, 1898. Today South Portland, Maine’s fourth largest community, is home to more than 1,200 diverse businesses of all sizes and types. These businesses operate in almost every economic sector with significant clusters in: education, hospitality, logistics, medical arts, retail, and technology. More than a dozen residential neighborhoods offer the charm, character, friendliness, and easy walkability of a classic New England small town.

Whether you are coming to visit for pleasure or business, it is easy to get to South Portland. The City has several exits along the Maine Turnpike (Interstate 95) and Interstate 295. Ample transit options include the local South Portland City Bus Service, as well as access to the Concord Trailways Bus Line, and Amtrak passenger rail service. The Portland International Jetport (PWM) offers several direct flights to most major East Coast cities, as well as several Midwest cities, and Halifax, Nova Scotia. South Portland is less than two hours by car from Boston and just over five hours to New York City. Nearly 700,000 people live or work within an hour’s drive of South Portland and 3.6 million people are within a two-hour drive.

The City’s multimodal options offer ease to markets via truck freight transport with several carriers based in our community. Several air-carriers operate out of the Jetport and Pan-Am Railways provides rail service. Barge-to-rail service is also available. The Port of Portland/South Portland is the nearest American port to European markets.

South Portland is proud to be home to Southern Maine Community College, located on the site of historic Fort Preble, at Spring Point. Our libraries and public schools are among the best in the state. We offer a full array of recreational opportunities, including Willard Beach, public boating access to the ocean, golf courses, a state-of-the-art athletic field complex (Wainwright Fields), and nearly two dozen parks. Part of Maine’s urban core, South Portland remains connected to our natural environment, boasting a well-developed greenbelt/trail network that stretches along the Eastern Trail/East Coast Greenway. All told, we have over 350 acres of parkland and trails in our community.

In South Portland, you will find the benefits of 21st century infrastructure, a great and highly educated workforce, convenient access to markets, the amenities of a major city, and the charm of a small town all conveniently located on the pristine Maine coast.

South Portland maintains an open-minded, proactive, and business-friendly approach to business and economic development. This is accomplished through the availability of a robust set of incentive programs, attractive locations, skilled workforce, collaborative city officials, and residents who care about, understand, and support the balance between residential life and economic growth.

Some of the programs South Portland has developed to assist in the growth and expansion of existing businesses as well as the attraction of new businesses include:

  • The designation of seven development areas within the city as part of a “Growth Area” TIF program.
  • In the spring of 2018, much of the “West End” of our community was designated as a federal Opportunity Zone; investments made within this area are eligible for additional tax incentives.

As part of our ongoing review of city zoning, the City has recently updated the Master Plans for our Millcreek and West End neighborhoods allowing for greater mixed-use development, higher densities and more flexible parking requirements.

South Portland truly is a great place to Live, Work, and Play. Call us, so we can put our team to work for you and your business.

South Portland Economic Development

City of South Portland
496 Ocean St., P.O. Box 9422 / South Portland, Maine 04116
William J. Mann, Economic Development Director
(207) 767-7603 / wmann@southportland.org
www.southportland.org