PORTLAND — Maine’s biggest city has been named the best in the country for second acts.

In case you’re wondering what your second act is or when it begins, that’s Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s term for empty-nesters.

The magazine touted the city’s “lively arts scene, highly skilled workforce and inventive cuisine, along with a low crime rate and high-quality medical facilities,” are among the reasons for the city’s number-one ranking.

The magazine said those quality-of-life amenities are attracting professionals, who make Portland their “home base” and telecommute or fly to their jobs.

Portland’s cost of living is slightly higher than average, the magazine said, but housing is affordable and Portland’s downtown “offers boutiques, art galleries and restaurants along cobblestone streets. The arts district includes a symphony, ballet, an opera company, a theater and the Portland Museum of Art. Portland’s renowned food scene offers everything from hardwood-cooked game to its famed steamed lobster.”

The magazine said Portland has its downsides, including increasing homelessness and long, cold winters.

“Locals either wait them out in warmer climates, head north to ski, or pop in to one of the many restaurants for a hot bowl of chowder,” the magazine said.

Sante Fe, N.M., was the magazine’s runner-up, followed by Austin, Texas; Springfield, Ill.; and Barnstable, Mass.

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