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236 Liberty Ships were built in South Portland during World War II.

In 1940, the Todd-Bath Iron Shipbuilding Corp (later called the “East Yard”) was established to build cargo ships for Great 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 long Liberty Ships, 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.

The city remained relatively quiet until the mid 1960’s when consideration was given to develop a piece of land on the west end of the city. Recognizing the location as having a healthy economic future because Interstate 295 was being built alongside it and because the Portland International Jetport was nearby, the city purchased 137 acres from Dwyer’s pig farm. When a developer came to the area looking for a likely spot for a shopping center, South Portland was chosen over Portland, Scarborough and Falmouth. As a result, in August 1971, the Maine Mall opened its first twenty stores to crowds of shoppers. In the last 30 years the Maine Mall area has grown from farmland into the largest retail, commercial, and office complex north of Boston and currently employs more than 3,000 people in 140 businesses.

Today, in the western half of the City where the Maine Mall is located, South Portland has two world-class computer chip factories, Fairchild Semiconductor and National Semiconductor, Maine headquarters of Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, and Wright Express. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department also maintains a nine-hole Municipal Golf course, 525 acres of park land (of which 300 are actively maintained), a municipal beach, over 8 miles of walking trails, a community center, and a swimming pool.

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