Southern / Coastal Region
Biddeford
Lewiston
Portland
Sanford
York
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Southern Maine Medical Center is a 150-bed, not-for-profit, full-service medical center with diagnostic & therapy centers in Saco and Kennebunk with a service area over 65,000. SMMC is accredited by the Joint Commission and is affiliated with the MaineHealth network, an affiliation of hospitals including Maine Medical Center. The Medical Staff of Southern Maine Medical Center consists of approximately 180 active physicians. Home health care is provided by SMMC Visiting Nurses. Other specialty units include Mental Health, Women and Infants, and Pediatrics.
Biddeford is conveniently located 30-minutes south of Portland. The downtown area is typically urban in its density and has numerous historic commercial buildings and churches. Just a few miles to the east of the City Center lays a magnificent coastline including vast stretches of sandy beaches. To the west are rolling hills, pastures, and several horse farms.
Saco (just minutes north of Biddeford) is a charming area with a beautiful, historic downtown, ten miles each of riverfront and ocean shoreline. Rich in history and recreation, the region delights visitors with golf courses, amusement parks, lighthouses, hiking trails, fishing, and ready access to beautiful beaches.
A wide selection of recreational activities are available in the Biddeford-Saco Region throughout the year. In the warmer months, share the fun with family and friends of exhilarating water and amusement parks. Maine’s 1st wooden roller coaster in 50 years is housed in Saco. Professional to amateurs will enjoy the many challenging golf courses. There are four courses within easy reach.
Try canoeing down the Saco River, ocean kayaking, or sailing along the gorgeous Saco Bay. Nature lovers will want to experience the many trails and paths for bicycling, hiking, and cross country skiing. Whale watching cruises are available; as well as chartered fishing trips. Take a large or small group with you, either way you’re going to have a good time.
This area also has local facilities for ice skating, bowling, swimming or racquetball for those rainy days when you want to be active indoors. Biddeford offers a Skateboard Park at Rotary Park which includes a mini half pipe, grind rail, quarter pipe, fly box, half pyramid, bank ramp, launch ramp and two boxes and a monster 8′ half pipe. Open dawn to dusk. Also at Rotary Park is the Teen Center, offering pool table, air hockey, foosball, video games, bumper pool, ping-pong, electronic darts and board games.
The Amtrak Station is located in the heart of Saco! Take the family on the train from Saco to Boston year round! It’s a great way to travel to the city since you won’t have to worry about parking or road conditions.
The Biddeford-Saco area offers an assortment of elementary schools, middle schools and high schools; Biddeford High School and in Saco, Thornton Academy a private high school. The school system addresses the needs of all students from Gifted-Talented to those with special needs. The two area Catholic schools import a high quality education within the context of Catholic values to students in grades K-8.
The highly acclaimed Biddeford Regional Center of Technology also offers a broad range of educational programs which provide occupational training at the secondary school level. Examples of programs offered include: drafting, machine trades, computer training, secretarial skills, and health services.
Not only can you find excellent school systems in this area, you will find 3 very fine colleges close by. Biddeford is home to the University of New England, an institution with both undergraduate and graduate programs, including the state’s only medical school, the University Of New England College Of Osteopathic Medicine. The Saco-Biddeford Center of the University of Maine is located in Saco, offering nearly 100 courses each semester for both degree candidates or for personal interest. Course work and schedules are oriented toward servicing non-traditional students who are pursuing higher education on a part-time basis.
Today, the local economy in Biddeford and Saco is strong and diverse. The area is home to numerous manufacturers, many of which are technologically driven. Particularly strong is the presence of high tech, plastics, electronics, composite materials, food products, fabricated metals, and more traditional businesses.
The City of Biddeford has experienced extraordinary economic growth recently, especially in the manufacturing sector. Biddeford is undertaking several major projects to maintain its economic strength and explore future opportunities including the development of its fourth business/industrial park.
The City of Saco is one of the strongest construction markets in southern Maine and York County. A Springhill addition to the Industrial Park located between U. S. Route 1 and Exit 5 of the Maine Turnpike is a major project. The Amtrak station project will also generate significant interest in the downtown business corridor.
Biddeford is home to City Theater. The theater itself was designed by noted architect John Calvin Stevens and first opened in 1896. The 500+ seat theater is recognized as one of the finest Victorian opera houses in the country and has been included on the National Register of Historic Sites. Today you can enjoy a whole range of performances from comedies to dramas with a little old time radio hour mixed in.
One of Maine’s oldest museums, located on Main Street in Saco, has played a significant role in the cultural history of southern Maine since 1866. The Museum houses an exceptional collection from the Federal period (1780-1820), as well as paintings and decorative arts associated with local history from the 17th century to the 20th century. The galleries feature furniture, paintings, textiles, glass, silver and other objects from 18th and 19th century families. An exciting schedule of programming accompanies each exhibit, including art classes, craft demonstrations, movies, lectures and concerts.
People moving into Biddeford or Saco have an exciting range of residential lifestyle choices. You may want to live in a historic Victorian home in town or in a modern colonial or a coastal cape in one of many suburban-type subdivisions, or a few minutes inland, where you might find a country farmhouse or a place to build a new log home. Although southern Maine is a highly desirable place to live, many fine homes are still priced reasonably. Back to Top
The Lewiston-Auburn area, known locally as “LA,” represents two cities which are side by side on opposite banks of the Androscoggin River in south-central Maine. These communities are about half an hour north of Portland. Here, you will find safe, family-friendly communities and excellent private and public schools. You will have the pleasure of living near Bates College, ranked by The Princeton Review in 2005 as the nation’s “Best Value” college. Being so near to Portland, and under three hours from Boston, LA residents have easy access to all the amenities offered by large cities. A 45 minute drive could have you enjoying Maine’s spectacular coast, delighting in the fragrant ocean breeze… or you could be high in the mountains, surveying a panoramic view that extends for dozens of miles in every direction. This central location gives you limitless options!
People moving into the LA area enjoy a full range of residential lifestyle choices: You may elect to live in a suburban setting, or right in the city, or perhaps in one of many quiet rural areas nearby. You could reside in a country or farm style home, or maybe buy some acreage and build a home near the woods if you wish! Stunning lakes and winding streams abound in this area of mostly low, rolling hills – so waterfront living is one of your many options. Affordable real estate is available to satisfy your preference, whatever it might be. Whether you choose to live right in LA, or one of the surrounding towns (such as Mechanic Falls, Greene, Lisbon, New Gloucester, Litchfield, or Poland), you will find excellent residential options and an easy commute to work!
Parents in the twin city area will find an array of public schools and parochial school options. There’s also a very prestigious private school, Hebron Academy where students middle school and high school age students may attend. Students in Lewiston scores beat the state average on standardized tests, and more than 60% of them go on to some form of post-secondary education. Many receive distinguished scholarship awards based on their academic achievement.
Enjoy living in this central location in Maine as part of a growing, sophisticated professional community that still offers the charm of rural living. Lewiston residents are proud of their local waterfalls, and longstanding traditions, like the annual Balloon Festival that draws many thousands of spectators each summer. You’ll find a full range of dining, shopping and services in town, plus a wide variety of educational and cultural opportunities that are unique to a college town. One hot addition to the community landscape is the semi-pro hockey team, the Lewiston Maine-iacs!
Nearby Portland is a terrific asset to LA area residents. In Portland, you are free to enjoy more unique restaurants and shops, plus theatres, a symphony orchestra, and much more – just a few of the reasons why Portland’s harbor has become an increasingly popular destination for cruise ships. Maine’s largest city is also home to two semi-pro sports teams: Portland Sea Dogs Baseball (the farm team for the Boston Red Sox), and Portland Pirates Hockey! Plus, Portland’s modern airport gives you immediate access to the world.
If you enjoy the outdoors, you’ll love life in Maine! You will find a wealth of fun-filled ways to spend your leisure time. Maine’s nickname is the Pine Tree State, appropriate because a full 89% of Maine’s land is still covered by forests! Maine’s downhill skiing is phenomenal (some of the best in New England). Other winter activities include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing. During the summer season, when temperatures are frequently in the 80s and 90s, Maine offers fantastic hiking, biking and backpacking on trails all over the state. Perhaps you would prefer to go camping, try rock climbing, or go fishing or hunting? You can do all of those things and more in Maine. Boating in Maine covers the entire spectrum, from canoeing and kayaking to sailing, motor boating and water skiing and even whitewater rafting! Many newcomers to Maine are content to work on perfecting their lobster cooking technique. Whether you like an adventure, or a quiet game of golf, you will find something to enjoy in Maine, in every season. Back to Top
With a metro population of 230,000, the Greater Portland area (Portland, South Portland, Westbrook, Cape Elizabeth, Gorham, Falmouth, and Cumberland) is home to almost one quarter of Maine’s total population. Portland is an old seacoast town with a population of 64,000. The Greater Portland area has more than 35 miles of trails to hike, jog or cross-country ski. From mountains to lakes, city to country, nature to nightlife- you can find everything within a 15-mile radius. Portland is a modern city filled with galleries, one-of-kind boutiques and shops, and incredible restaurants serving everything from traditional New England clam chowder to nouveau cuisine.
Maine’s largest city is also home to two semi-pro sports teams: Portland Sea Dogs Baseball and Portland Pirates Hockey! The Portland Jetport is a modern airport, giving you immediate access to the world – or you can drive. From Portland, Boston is a short 90 minute car ride or travel down via southern Maine’s new commuter rail service.
If you enjoy the out of doors, you’ll find many fun-filled ways to spend your leisure time in Maine. Portland is minutes away from miles of sandy beaches along the coastline. Moor your sailboat or power boat in any number of local marinas. Our downhill skiing is spectacular! From Portland, you’re just an hour’s drive from premier ski resorts. You might also enjoy other winter activities such as snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ice fishing.
Maine schools are outstanding! Portland and surrounding communities boast some of the finest schools in the State. You have your choice of public, catholic and private schools. Not long ago the National Education Goals Panel ranked Maine as having the best education system in America – two years in a row. Maine ranked above all other states in high-school completion rate and student performance in reading, math and science.
Mainers also value higher education. The University of Southern Maine, with campuses in Portland and nearby Gorham, is a branch of the University of Maine system offering 50 majors and more than 40 academic programs to over 11,000 enrolled students. Also in Portland, the Southern Maine Community College offering technical, career development and liberal arts courses of study, and the Maine College of Art offering courses in a variety of artistic mediums.
The economy has shifted over the years from relying primarily on fishing, manufacturing and agriculture towards a much more service-based economy. Today, Portland is Maine’s business, financial and retail capital. Most national financial services organizations with significant operations in the state have their Maine base here. You will also find major international law firms, technology based companies, import/export companies, and modern high-rise office buildings in the Greater Portland Area.
Portland is said to be the strongest small-business sector of any large metropolitan area in the United States and is the hottest small business market in which to develop a company. When compared to national and state averages, Portland has a low unemployment rate as well as higher median incomes than most other Maine communities.
Currently, Portland stands as one of the few working waterfronts left in the United States, acting as New England’s largest tonnage seaport and second largest fishing port. Portland’s “Old Port” is one of the most successful revitalized warehouse districts in the country. Seamlessly connected to the waterfront, the Old Port is working waterfront and a chic shopping, dining, and entertainment district. The Old Port is also the site for the Annual U.S. Cellular Old Port Festival. This energetic event has been going on since 1973 and offers guest 10 stages of music, food and arts/crafts vendors, as well as children’s activities.
Uptown, a few blocks from the waterfront, is Portland’s secret treasure—the Arts District. With Congress Street as its spine, this once traditional shopping street has turned into a Mecca of art galleries, antique shops, and artist studios. The world class Portland Museum of Art, the Children’s Museum of Maine, the Institute of Contemporary Art at the Maine College of Art, the Center for Cultural Exchange, the State Theater, the Portland Stage Company, the Center for Maine History, and the stunningly-renovated Merrill Auditorium all line Congress Street.
Walking Congress Street provides a glimpse of office buildings intermingled with historically preserved buildings. The Wadsworth-Longfellow House is the 19th century childhood home of the poet. The First Parish Church has an original cannon ball from the revolutionary war as a chandelier. Portland’s City Hall was built by Carrere and Hastings, best known for their design of the New York Public Library. And, Portland High School is the oldest standing high school in the country.
You will have a range of residential lifestyle choices around the Portland area. Choose a chic apartment or townhouse or condo, a historic Victorian home in town, a modern colonial in one of several wonderful suburban-type subdivisions, a country farmhouse with some acreage, or maybe travel a few minutes out of the city to find land on which to build. Portland has been rated one of the country’s best cities when it comes to raising children in a study that ranks cities for “kid friendliness” based on population, health, education, public safety, economic, and environmental indicators. Back to Top
The Sanford area offers a lifestyle that is uniquely small-town. A balance of industry- and retail-based businesses provide a diverse blend within the local economy, ensuring both strong employment opportunities, and the type of extensive consumer choices to which people coming from larger cities are accustomed. Sanford (and nearby Springvale) offer an atypical blend of the old and the new — the rural, and the metropolitan.
Located just 15 minutes inland from the Atlantic Ocean and the famous sandy beaches of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport, Sanford area residents can conveniently enjoy many beach and water activities such as swimming, boating, fishing, body surfing, sunbathing, and even board surfing. If saltwater isn’t for you, this area also boasts 24 freshwater lakes and ponds where most of these same activities can be enjoyed. For the wilderness lover that prefers to stay dry, there are several area campgrounds where you can pitch a tent and enjoy the outdoors. In the winter, when camping and swimming are less popular, you can enjoy cross-country skiing on the trails around McDougal Orchards, where you can also pick your own apples during the fall growing season.
Goodall Park is a 784-seat roofed stadium that your family’s baseball fans can enjoy. Built in 1914, this stadium is one of Sanford’s treasured historical sites. Another perk for the baseball fan is Sanford’s easy proximity to Boston, just 90 minutes to the south by car, or via southern Maine’s new commuter rail service. That’s close enough for you to enjoy a Red Sox game in person! For families that prefer going to the movies, you’ll want to make sure you visit Chunky’s Cinema, where you can watch feature films in the comfort of leather Lincoln Town Car chairs.
Sanford is proud of its school system. With six elementary schools, a middle school, a high school and a regional vocational center, parents may wish to tour the area and get oriented before selecting a neighborhood in which to settle. There are also three colleges located in York County area: the University of New England, which includes Maine’s only school of Osteopathic Medicine; York County Community College, which offers Associates Degrees and Certificate programs; and University College at Sanford, where students earn anything from a Certificate to a Master’s Degree, depending on their educational objectives. Sanford also offers a Community Adult Education program. In nearby Portland, you will also find a range of universities, technical and community colleges, plus business and fine arts schools from which to choose.
Homes in Sanford and Springvale are affordable, and plentiful. You’ll have the option of buying land and building that perfect house you’ve always wanted, or buy an old farm house, if that’s your dream. One of the great things about living in Sanford is the ability to enjoy small town living while still having access to all the cultural amenities of larger cities. Located just 40 minutes south of Portland and 40 minutes north Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and 90 minutes from Boston, Sanford residents are close enough to the action to easily enjoy big city events! Back to Top
York is one of Maine’s southernmost coastal towns, located about 30 minutes south of Portland, just a few minutes from the New Hampshire border, and about 90 minutes from Boston. Best known for its beaches, there is much more to this charming town than sand and surf! With its rocky shoreline and sandy beaches, lobster dinners and handmade ice cream, beach-side arcades and carousels, York offers something for everyone.
York Village (also known as Old York) is a quaint Maine town with steepled churches, a village green, and several historic Revolutionary-era buildings that are part of the Old York Museum. In York Harbor and York Village, both quieter than York Beach, you’ll find shops and art galleries, tree-lined streets, and stately homes with eye-popping views. York Harbor is full of working lobster boats and grand yachts. At the end of Harbor Beach is the famed Cliff Walk, a path winding between the sea and beautiful old summer cottages and ocean-side estates.
York hosts Harvestfest every October, featuring food and sidewalk sales, plus live entertainment and a craft fair. York Days is a week-long celebration of summer at York Beach. The Old York Historical Society operates a community museum that includes the oldest jail in America. Kids and families love York’s Wild Kingdom, Maine’s largest zoo and an amusement park with family rides, paddle boats, an 18-hole miniature golf course, a petting zoo, arcade games, scenic picnic grounds and a Haunted House.
People moving into the York area have an exciting range of residential lifestyle choices. You may want to live in a historic Victorian home in town or in a modern colonial or a coastal cape in one of many suburban-type subdivisions, or a few minutes inland, where you might find a country farmhouse or a place to build a new log home. Although southern Maine is a highly desirable place to live, many fine homes are still priced reasonably. Children get an excellent education in Maine, where the primary education system was ranked #1 in the U.S. by the National Education Goals Panel. Back to Top
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