WINDHAM – Data and rankings released last week are proving what many residents of the commercial hub of the Lakes Region say they already knew: Windham is growing fast, and it’s a great place to raise kids.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, which released Maine’s population figures last Thursday, Windham was second only to neighboring Gorham for the title of fastest-growing town in Maine. And a leading finance magazine, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, sweetened the news after posting results from their fifth annual “America’s Best, Affordable Places to Raise Kids” survey listing North Windham as the top spot in Maine in which to raise a family.

The magazine, which picked Portland in 2010, limited its focus this year to communities with populations greater than the state’s median town size but less than 50,000 residents. The ranking, authors Venessa Wong and Joel Stonington wrote in the introduction, “put the most weight on school performance and the number of schools, crime statistics, and cost of living. Other factors included job growth, air quality, ethnic diversity, and access to recreational amenities (within the county), such as parks, zoos, theaters, and museums.”

No reason was given for picking North Windham, which is a part of Windham, over the whole town. (Some maps, however, only list North Windham.) Attempts to reach the article’s authors before deadline were unsuccessful.

Both rankings have local business, school and community leaders giddy with the news, saying it offers confirmation to what they’ve already been hearing, that Windham is growing quickly because it offers families a relatively safe and affordable alternative.

Windham: pop. 17,001

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, which is required by the law to conduct a population survey of the entire country once a decade, Windham grew from 14,904 residents in 2000 to 17,001 in 2010. The 14.1 percent increase makes Windham the 13th most populated town in Maine, just ahead of 14th ranked Gorham, which now boasts 16,381 residents. In 2000, Windham was the 14th most populated town in the state while Gorham was the 15th.

However, with a 15.8 growth rate, Gorham beat out Windham as the fastest-growing town in the state. After Windham, Orono ranked third with 11.7 percent growth from 2000 to 2010.

Another of Windham’s neighbors, Standish, rose from 22nd to 20th in terms of population. Standish’s population rose 6.3 percent, from 9,285 people in 2000 to 9,874 residents in 2010.

By comparison, Maine grew 4.2 percent over the last decade, from 1,274,923 residents in 2000 to a grand total of 1,328,361 residents in 2010. Cumberland County, still the most populated county in Maine, grew 6 percent, from 265,612 residents in 2000 to 281,674 in 2010. York County ranked second, growing 5.6 percent from 186,742 residents in 2000 to 197,131 in 2010.

Charles Colgan, a professor at the Muskie School for Public Service in Portland known for his annual economic forecasts, said Windham, Gorham and Standish “have been seeing fairly significant growth not just in the past 10 years but the last 20 to 30 years.”

Colgan described the southern Lakes Region communities as Greater Portland’s “outer ring” while Westbrook, South Portland, Falmouth and Cape Elizabeth represent the inner ring, with Portland the hub. While he sees the growth trend continuing for the “outer ring,” he said jobs will migrate into the suburbs around Portland as population there increases as well.

“Over the next 10 years while outer ring towns will continue to see growth,” he said, “inner ring communities and center cities will grow significantly, as well, as employment moves into the suburbs.”

‘Location, location’

The proverbial boots on the ground – those who know many of the 2,000-plus new people who have moved to Windham in the past 10 years – are local real estate agents. They say Windham’s growth and recent BusinessWeek ranking as Maine’s top town are in line with what they’ve been hearing for years regarding Windham.

“Location, location, location. Windham is ideally located geographically for recreation and business,” says Ed Getty of Getty Real Estate Services, who has sold real estate in the area for 27 years. “It’s the heart of the Sebago Lake region. It’s commutable to Portland and Lewiston/Auburn. Yet, you have the services people need in North Windham so you don’t have to go to Portland. Plus, when you come home to Windham, you’re already in Vacationland. With skiing and lakes, you live where everybody wants to be. How can you beat that?”

Laurie Champagne, owner of Champagne & Associates, a longtime Windham broker affiliated with the Maine Real Estate Network, said, “What I’ve found is that people are using Windham now as a base to get to Portland, Lewiston and Saco. There are a lot of amenities here and it’s a lot cheaper to own a home here than other towns.”

She uses a three-bedroom, one-and-a-half bath, Cape-style home as an example. In South Portland, she said, property taxes would cost a homeowner $1,000 more a year for the same house.

“So, it’s more affordable and the average commute time is about the same,” she added.

Karen Tufts, owner of Coldwell Banker Team Real Estate located in Windham, says she “couldn’t agree more completely” with BusinessWeek’s recent survey.

“Proximity to Portland, good schools, recreational opportunities – it’s been a well-kept secret for a long time but the secret’s out. We’ve become one of the top choices for people choosing to live outside of Portland.”

Windham, with its many lakeside and wooded properties, is also what people from outside of the state think of when they think of Maine, Tufts said.

“We afford a buyer here in Windham what they imagine when they think about moving to Maine,” she said. “Plus, we have the close proximity to Portland, where they will probably be working.”

All this good news is making the town’s economic development director, Tom Bartell, upbeat about the future. Positive news about Windham might mean the end to a spate of sadder stories, such as recent business closings.

“The way I put it is this: Do you want to live in a growing community or a dying community? I personally would want to live in a growing one since it affords opportunities a dying one doesn’t,” Bartell said. “It can support a strong retail sector as well as job growth in manufacturing. All of these things come to town only if you have the people available.”

Pointing to subdivision applications as an indicator, Bartell said most of Windham’s growth came in the early part of the decade, not only in North Windham but all over town, and has dwindled since 2006 when housing starts fell off as the overall economy shrank. But in recent years, to make up for the recession, he said local officials have been actively promoting the town through commercials and newspaper advertisements showing Windham as a great place to live and own a business.

“It’s all part of it, I believe,” Bartell said. “You’ve got to put yourself out there and we are definitely trying to do that.”

Schools

Since BusinessWeek’s survey focused on families with school-aged children, schools played prominently in the results. Windham, which is part of Regional School Unit 14, the Windham-Raymond school district, boasts a school population of 3,323 students as of March 18. Windham High School alone has 1,035 pupils. Those are big numbers, meaning those moving to Windham usually have kids in tow.

Superintendent Sandy Prince points to the many and varied accomplishments in recent years, ranging from scholastics to sports, that show how Windham is excelling and attracting new students.

Among items he points to are a 2010 Maine Education Policy Research Institute report which found RSU 14 as a “higher performing (than state average) and cost efficient school system;” college enrollment figures jumping from 51 percent in 2009 to 60 percent in 2010; RSU 14 being the only district in Maine to win two awards for its health and wellness program; and 500 people taking part in the Windham Primary School’s 20th year anniversary celebration.

“The area is growing and I think the schools play a part in that. The quality of life and having a great school system entices people to move to this area,” Prince said.

Redistricting

Windham’s growth figures will likely affect legislative districts, according to state Sen. Bill Diamond, whose district now comprises Windham, Raymond, Casco, Standish, Frye Island and Hollis. If a redistricting change takes place, however, the new district wouldn’t be formed until the 2014 race.

“Maine takes relatively longer to do its redistricting compared to other states. They’ll work on it 2012 and 2013 and it’ll take effect in 2014. I expect my district will be smaller in geography, however, based on these population totals,” Diamond said.

The math formula for the 35-member Senate may sound simple – divide the population of 1.3 million into 35 Senatorial districts – but where those lines are drawn makes a political difference.

And then there’s the House of Representatives. With 151 members, districts since 2000 have been drawn around an average population of 8,400 people. Using the updated 2010 state population figures, a House member would represent 8,797 people.

In Windham, which had 17,001 people in 2010, Diamond believes the 2014 race could be the first time Windham has two full-time representatives, depending on how districts are drawn.

“We have Gary (Plummer) who represents Windham full-time, but Mark (Bryant) represents part of Windham and part of Gray. I’m thinking you might see Windham having two full-timers. It’ll be close though,” Diamond said.

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