| South Portland, Maine |
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GEOGRAPHY South Portland is located at (43.631549, -70.272724). According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 37.0 Km&2 (14.3 Mi&2 ). 31.1 km&2 (12.0 mi&2) of it is land and 6.0 km&2 (2.3 mi&2) of it (16.15%) is water. DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census of 2000, there were 23,324 people, 10,047 households, and 6,038 families residing in the city. The Population Density was 751.1/km&2 (1,944.7/mi&2). There were 10,349 housing units at an average density of 333.3/km&2 (862.9/mi&2). 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 Cape Elizabeth , based on a disagreement on a future source of public drinking water. Three years later South Portland became a city, destined to receive its drinking water, like Portland, from Sebago Lake. 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 Ship s, 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. Remnants of the shipyards are visible, and there is a memorial to the shipyard and the workers at Bug Light Park. 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. Mill Creek has changed and grown significantly since, but the original layout still forms the core of the stores. Beginning construction of the Maine Mall in the late 1960's on the site of a former piggery marked the start of a major transition in this western part of South Portland: from a rural, agrarian landscape to the large retail center that exists today. South Portland is home to Rigby Yard, the largest railroad yard in New England. The yard is owned and operated by Pan Am Railways . POINTS OF INTEREST EXTERNAL LINKS
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