The City of South Portland is a coastal community in southern Maine encompassing an area of 12.93 square miles.  The city has been referred to as two cities, with the western half of the city hosting commercial, industrial and advanced technology property and the eastern half of the city sporting a community college, a beach area, several parks, one of the State's largest marinas, a municipal boat ramp, a maritime museum and the second busiest oil port on the entire East Coast.

Prior to World War II South Portland was a residential community that broke away from Cape Elizabeth in 1895.  The city was pretty quiet until a shipyard was established in 1940 to build cargo ships for Great Britain.  When the United States became involved with World War II the shipyard expanded and turned out 236 of the 440 foot long Liberty Ships, more than 10 percent of all the Liberty ships built during the war years.  At its peak, the shipyard employed some 30,000 people, including thousands of women, Wendy Welders and Rosie Riveters who took over the jobs vacated by men going into the service.  The shipyard gradually ceased operations after the war ended in 1945.