The editors of U.S. News & World Report have made it official: Maine鈥檚 largest city is among the best places to live in America.
, the eighth-best place to live among the 150 most populous cities in the U.S., the safest place to live in the country, the ninth-best place to live for quality of life, and the 33rd best place to retire.
The high national rankings come as no surprise to USM President Glenn Cummings (below), who has lived within walking distance of the University鈥檚 Portland campus for more than 30 years.
鈥淥ur host community of Portland is at the cultural and economic heart of the great state of Maine,鈥� Cummings said. 鈥淲ith our close proximity to the historic Old Port, Portland鈥檚 beautiful coastline, its many innovative businesses and companies that employ our graduates, and the city鈥檚 vibrant arts scene, it鈥檚 not just a great place to live. It鈥檚 an outstanding place to learn and earn a college degree. As a parent and longtime resident of Portland, I can also say that it鈥檚 a wonderful place to raise a family.鈥�
Portland鈥檚 high U.S. News & World Report rankings come at the same time USM will welcome its largest incoming class of students in fall 2021 鈥� fueled by a 33% increase in out-of-state students over 2020 and 26 percent over the previous peak in 2018.
Jared Cash, Vice President of Enrollment and Marketing, says many of Portland鈥檚 virtues also make USM a top choice for students.
鈥淏ecause of everything Portland offers, we can provide students with unmatched opportunities for internships and jobs as well as many of the things that students tell us they are looking for: strong academics, fun places to eat and gather, and beautiful places to recreate,鈥� Cash said.
Living in Portland is not without its challenges. The editors of U.S. News & World Report note that everything that makes the city highly desirable also contributes to its shortage of affordable housing.
That’s one reason the University has broken ground on the 580-bed Portland Commons residence hall adjacent to a new Career & Student Success Center and one-acre campus quad. Scheduled to open in June of 2023, the first residence hall on USM鈥檚 Portland Campus will provide undergraduate and graduate students as well as University of Maine School of Law students with affordable housing within walking distance of the city鈥檚 picturesque Back Cove area and many of its restaurants, shops, and businesses.
The Portland Commons residence hall has been designed and is being built to achieve Passive House Certification, one of the most aggressive green building standards in the world for energy and indoor air quality. Once completed, it will use 50% less energy than a building without Passive House construction of comparable size. Portland Commons is on track to be the second-largest Passive House construction of any university building in the U.S. and the seventh-largest Passive House construction of any type in the nation.
鈥淏uilding the Portland Commons residence hall achieves two vital goals for USM: developing affordable, on-campus housing for our students and creating sustainable campus buildings on the leading edge of environmental best practices,鈥� Cummings said. 鈥淎s a longtime resident of the city and an educational leader of its public university, I couldn鈥檛 be more proud that Portland has received this much-deserved recognition.鈥�