Portland Named Best Minor League Town in America

Portland, Maine- Portland, Maine has been ranked as the Best Minor League Baseball Town in America. In a study of the 159 minor league baseball towns in America, conducted by financial technology company, SmartAsset, Portland came out on top.

The study scored towns based on two scores - a Quality of Life score and a Minor League Baseball Experience score. The Quality of Life score looked at a city's crime rate, unemployment rate, disposable income and entertainment, while the Minor League Baseball Experience score was determined by taking team win percentage, stadium experience and minor league class into consideration. 

With a Quality of Life Score of 97.47 and a Team Score of 99.37, Portland is the only city on the list to rank in the top 10 in both categories. The study recognized the city of Portland as having the 16th highest disposable income of the minor league towns examined and the 15th lowest unemployment rate.

"This is a tremendous honor both for the Sea Dogs organization and the City of Portland," said Sea Dogs General Manager Geoff Iacuessa. "We are fortunate to call such a beautiful city home and we are very grateful for the way the community has embraced this baseball team."

The Sea Dogs have been playing baseball in Portland since 1994, when professional baseball returned to Maine's largest city for the first time since 1949. The Sea Dogs have welcomed over 8 million fans to Hadlock Field, produced over 230 Major League Baseball players, and have reached post-season play eight times including capturing the 2006 Eastern League Championship.  

The Sea Dogs have been the recipient of numerous awards and accolades including the Bob Freitas Award (Presented by Baseball America in 1999), John H. Johnson Award (presented by Minor League Baseball in 2000), Education at Work for Maine Award (presented by FAME in 2005), and the Economic Development Award (presented by the City of Portland in 2007). The John H. Johnson award is Minor League Baseball's top honor; it is presented to the complete baseball franchise based on franchise stability, contributions to league stability, contributions to baseball in the community, and promotion of the baseball industry.  

Off the field, the Sea Dogs' "Strike Out Cancer in Kids" program has raised over 4 million dollars for the Maine Children's Cancer Program.  

In 2014, the Sea Dogs produced their best record in franchise history; 88-54 capturing the Eastern Division title by five games over Binghamton before falling in the first round of the playoffs. The Sea Dogs 2014 roster included some of the top prospects in all of Minor League Baseball including Mookie Betts, Henry Owens, and Blake Swihart.

The Sea Dogs and the City of Portland will host the 2015 Eastern League All-Star Game at Hadlock Field on July 15th. Tickets for the All-Star Game and single game tickets for the 2015 season will go on sale on Saturday, November 1st.  

About SmartAsset:
SmartAsset is a financial technology company that provides transparent, automated, and accurate advice on mortgages, retirement planning, life insurance policies, credit cards, student loans and other large personal finance decisions. SmartAsset guides and helps users arrive at the answers and make the decisions that are best for them. SmartAsset is based in New York City, and is backed by investors including Y Combinator, Javelin Venture Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, Quotidian Ventures, Peterson Ventures and more.