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August 25, 2024 2024 Fact Book: Doing Business in Maine

City of South Portland: “17th Best Place to Live for Families” — Fortune Magazine, 2024

PHOTO Courtesy of the City of South Portland South Portland from the north

South Portland is Maine’s fourth-largest community with a population of 27,000. The city is comprised of more than a dozen neighborhoods, each with its own distinct character. Conveniently located on Casco Bay, along southern Maine’s picturesque Atlantic coast, South Portland is home to over 1,500 diverse and growing businesses, with significant employment in technology, hospitality, manufacturing, logistics, retail, education, medical arts and insurance. In South Portland, we offer all the tools needed to thrive in the modern business environment: a highly educated workforce, convenient access to markets, amenities of a major city, as well as the charm of a classic New England small town.

A Sustainable Lens

The City of South Portland is a state-wide leader in sustainable policies and practices. Our Sustainability Department manages many efforts to promote a healthy community, environment and economy, often working closely with businesses and guided by our climate action and adaption plan: One Climate Future. To assist businesses in transitioning to more sustainable practices, the city offers an extensive menu of incentives and rebates, including those which have been offered through the city’s Electrify Everything program. In order to foster the long-term vitality of the business community, preserve South Portland’s scenic coastline and other outdoor spaces, and support our residents’ well-being, the community understands that we must be good stewards of our resources, which involves planning well into the future. This focus has allowed South Portland to attract a variety of like-minded businesses and residents, who share these values and exemplify their commitment through their engagement in associated civic and nonprofit programs.

SoPo’s Expanding Foodie Culture

In addition to being a great place to work and live, publications, including DownEast Magazine, as well as residents and visitors, are increasingly recognizing South Portland’s emerging food scene. In the last two years, our community has welcomed several new breweries, specialty grocery stores, artisan bakeries, and cafés throughout the city. Many of our eateries are also devoted to locally sourcing their products to the greatest extent possible, through synergistic collaborations with community farms. We have also received significant investments as the Preble Street Resource Center has established a new centralized commercial kitchen facility on Darling Avenue, with the capacity to prepare several thousand meals per day. Another significant success was the move and expansion of Fork Food Lab (FFL) to its newly renovated 40,000 square-foot incubator and event facility, also on Darling Avenue. The move has allowed FFL to more than double its capacity. In just a few months the number of entrepreneurs who have established operations at FFL has grown to nearly 100 bakers, cooks and chefs all honing their craft and developing and growing all manner of food related enterprises. If you are looking for a Foodie you have to come join them.

These facilities will augment existing efforts to enrich the culinary scene in South Portland and the greater region.

PHOTOs Courtesy of the City of South Portland
611 Main St. — Thornton Heights Commons mixed use development

Educating Maine’s Workforce

South Portland is proud to be home to Maine’s largest community college, Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), located on the site of historic Fort Preble, at Spring Point. SMCC and our other education partners are working diligently to deliver tailored workforce-development training and resources for the businesses in our community and region. SMCC, as well as other institutions, are finding innovative ways to cultivate the knowledge and skills of our increasingly diverse and high-achieving students while also meeting the ever-changing demands of the economic environment.

Investments in Housing

The City of South Portland has been fortunate to receive significant investments in several new, affordable, workforce and market-rate housing development projects in the last couple of years. A few of these projects include: Avesta Housing’s development on Westbrook Street, The South Portland Housing Authority’s site on Main Street and Latitudes’ location on Clark’s Pond Parkway. These developments represent a pipeline of several hundred additional housing units.

In South Portland, we strive to fully embody our motto: “Making All Things Possible.” Long a hub for industry in Maine, South Portland’s business community has become increasingly more diverse over time. We make continual progress by balancing the vitality of our residents, the care and management of our unique natural resources, and our ever-growing economy.

We welcome the opportunity to learn about your business goals and offer our support. Please reach out to us so we can put our team to work for you and your business.

City of South Portland

829 Sawyer St., P.O. Box 9422, South Portland, ME 04116

William J. Mann, Economic Development Director
wmann@southportland.org
(207) 767-7603

www.facebook.com/sopoecodevo

www.southportland.org