Augusta Area Towns, Especially Heading Towards The Coast

[namder1]

I certainly share your opinion about Florida!! I lived for a very short time about 45 minutes north of Tampa and didn't like it at all!
You sound like a nice family and we need more Christian conservatives around as well!!
You didn't mention your occupations or why you are looking at the Augusta area only.
Good luck!

[mikeandaija2009]

They all seem like great towns. My wife's job would actually be slightly on eastern side of Augusta, almost on the outskirts. I have spoke with several businesses about bringing my trade to the area, and received nothing but positives from them. I was extremely encouraged by them, unlike other areas of New England we checked into. We love the idea of being close to coast, as I am a saltwater fishing fanatic. That is one of the reasons we moved to Florida. But like everything else down here, it's not the same. My wife refuses to be cooped-up on a small lot, as she likes the idea of having land to roam with the dogs. It's also a huge reason we are heavily considering Maine. Seems we can find a descent, affordable home on 5 or even 10 acres, within a 1/2 hr drive to the coast and a 1/2 hr drive to her work. You will never find that anywhere else in the Northeast, unless you plan on spending a million bucks.

[IHeartMaine]

Maine is a live and let live state.......check your religion and politics at the door and you will find most people in Maine are friendly, neighborly, and caring.......regardless of who they vote for or worship.

[Newdaawn]

I haven't seen Wiscasset mentioned here.. I believe it is fairly close to both Augusta and the coast. We occasionally go to Union Maine as they have a couple of wineries there that sell to the public. It isn't too far from Camden. Very pretty countryside. I agree with you about Florida. Nice place to visit in Jan or Feb. but I sure wouldn't want to live there.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by Newdaawn

I haven't seen Wiscasset mentioned here.. I believe it is fairly close to both Augusta and the coast. We occasionally go to Union Maine as they have a couple of wineries there that sell to the public. It isn't too far from Camden. Very pretty countryside. I agree with you about Florida. Nice place to visit in Jan or Feb. but I sure wouldn't want to live there.

union is a nice little town,,,,as is wiscasset...but you gotta be careful where you are-because of the bumper to bumper traffic on rte one

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

union is a nice little town,,,,as is wiscasset...but you gotta be careful where you are-because of the bumper to bumper traffic on rte one

I was thinking about the traffic in Wiscasset too. I avoid driving through there in the summer months. When we first moved to Maine 4 years ago, we went to Portland for the day. This was in July, and it took us literally 1 hour to drive about 5 miles through the Wiscasset area. It was stop and go all the way. (More stop than go.) Not sure if that was an anomaly, but I wouldn't want to deal with that all summer. (Red's Eats doesn't help the matter!)

Personally, I like Union a lot. It's rural, but close to the coast without having to deal with traffic issues. And it's fairly close to shopping in Augusta!

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by lovemaine

I was thinking about the traffic in Wiscasset too. I avoid driving through there in the summer months. When we first moved to Maine 4 years ago, we went to Portland for the day. This was in July, and it took us literally 1 hour to drive about 5 miles through the Wiscasset area. It was stop and go all the way. (More stop than go.) Not sure if that was an anomaly, but I wouldn't want to deal with that all summer. (Red's Eats doesn't help the matter!)

Personally, I like Union a lot. It's rural, but close to the coast without having to deal with traffic issues. And it's fairly close to shopping in Augusta!

i use to travel rte one thru wiscasset alot- like you said, very very slow going,,

wiscasset main st. in the summer, ....the traffic is backed up on both sides-north and south-i now avoid it altogether

[mikeandaija2009]

Originally Posted by lovemaine

I was thinking about the traffic in Wiscasset too. I avoid driving through there in the summer months. When we first moved to Maine 4 years ago, we went to Portland for the day. This was in July, and it took us literally 1 hour to drive about 5 miles through the Wiscasset area. It was stop and go all the way. (More stop than go.) Not sure if that was an anomaly, but I wouldn't want to deal with that all summer. (Red's Eats doesn't help the matter!)

Personally, I like Union a lot. It's rural, but close to the coast without having to deal with traffic issues. And it's fairly close to shopping in Augusta!

Thank you for all your advice. My wife and I were actually doing a little research on Union. There are a couple homes their that look very promising. It does look like a great little town to raise a family. My wife would be traveling right down Rt.17 to just outside of Augusta. Anyone familiar with that commute? She will be hopefully getting a 2nd or 3rd shift position, so would basically be heading towards Augusta when everyone is heading away from Augusta. Is it a highly traveled Rt in the summer? Is it pretty much a straight drive into Augusta, meaning are there a lot of "slow down" areas like school zones, etc.? I used to drive a rural 20 mile stretch in CT that Google maps said took 25 mins. You could throw that out the window because there were a couple town centers and school zones to go through. You could triple the time if stuck behind an old dump truck or school bus.

[mainegrl2011]

You really need to get out and drive around the areas you are interested in. We have friends in Union. I am going to step out on a limb here and say that Rt. 3 between Augusta and Belfast sees a lot more summer traffic than Rt. 17. Don't forget about snow/ice on the roads in the winter when calculating driving times. Mapquest says 40 minutes--I would add "under perfect conditions"--Why would you or your wife want to drive 40 minutes to work if it's not absolutely necessary....none of my business just something to think about.

lovemaine is right about summer traffic on Rt. 1 in Wiscasset....experienced it first-hand last August taking a little trip down the coast. If you were living in Union, you would be about 15 miles from Camden. I love Camden....lots of summer traffic there too, but not as bad (time-consuming)as Wiscasset.

[Coaster]

Union is a great town, but the commute might be longer than you want. Washington, Maine, is the next town closer to Augusta and is very rural, with a village area well off Route 17 that still has a few businesses but is largely residential.

Wiscasset's major drawback is the summer traffic, and it's a significant issue if you live or plan to travel on Route 1. However! Route 27 is a straight shot to Augusta, and if you live along that in Wiscasset, Alna, or Dresden, you shouldn't have a problem.

And yes, tourist traffic on Route 3 is higher than Routes 17 or 27, but it's still only a fraction of what you'll find on Route 1.

If you plan on having a boat moored somewhere on the coast, any of those highways will lead you to good coastal areas. Wiscasset has a number of recreational boats moored in the (saltwater) Sheepscot River, and both 17 and 3 take you directly to coastal towns.