Soils throughout greater Portland are contaminated with high concentrations of lead. The presence of lead arises primarily from lead-based paint in housing existing prior to 1978. Additionally, the Portland peninsula has a history of heavy industry and manufacturing; including stove foundries, tanneries, boat building, and scrap metal recycling. Therefore, soil contaminated with lead is a concern for Portland residents. Lead poses a significant health risk to the nervous system, impairing development in children, and cases of severely poisoned children have been identified in Portland. Exposed residential soil provides an exposure pathway for lead. The objective of this study was to determine the soil lead distribution throughout the Bayside, Parkside and West End neighborhoods of Portland, Maine. Bayside is a low-income, racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood and is home to the largest number of refugees and immigrants than any other neighborhood in Portland. Parkside is the most densely populated and ethnically diverse square mile of Maine, with over 8000 residents. Within Parkside, 25% of the residents live below the poverty level. The West End neighborhood was developed after Portland's “great fire” in 1866, and approximately 84% of the housing was built before 1950. We sampled 104 residential properties and 1129 surface soil samples were collected and prepared in accordance with EPA's Lead Safe Yard Protocols and method 3050b for soil acid digestion. Soils were then analyzed for Pb, Cd, Ni, Co, Cu, Cr, As, Mn, and Hg; using an inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES). Concentrations for most metals were below EPA critical limits; however lead concentrations varied from 17 mg/kg to 25,100 mg/kg. Lead concentrations were mapped using GIS. The spatial distribution maps show lead distribution patterns that are currently being analyzed for relationships with past industrial activities, proximity to major roads, and prevailing wind patterns.