Living in Southern Maine with children (Portland, Kennebunk: fit in, 2014, rent)

[elizalamar]

Hi,

I have been reviewing this forum for a few months now, as we are considering purchasing property in Southern Maine to build a home. I have searched through this forum extensively but I could only find a few posts about living in Southern Maine as a young family, so I finally decided to create my own post.

Can anyone speak to what it is like to live in Southern Maine (Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, York areas specifically) as a family? I know that these areas are the more "touristy" areas, but we need to be no more than 1.5 hours from Boston and we are only looking at coastal property so these areas fit that requirement.

How is it living in a tourist area for a few months out of the year? I realize that there will be an increase in traffic/people during these times (which are not a bother to us) but is it a complete nightmare?

To give a little background information: We are coming from the suburbs of Detroit but we have also lived in CA and FL. We have a 4 year old daughter who is awesome (of course) and she is also involved in plenty of after school activities, such as karate, gymnastics, swim and soccer. Are these available in these areas?

We plan on sending her to Berwick Academy. Are there a lot of children in these areas that attend that school?

Where do people that live in these areas shop? I know that these areas are relatively close to Portsmouth but do people go all the way out there for the movies, shopping, etc? Or is there somewhere closer that offer a movie theater, shopping, etc?

Basically, I am just trying to get a feel for what it is like to live there on a day to day basis. We are coming out in a few weeks to look at the properties and make a final decision, as well as get more of a feel of the area but I would still like to get some feedback from all of you.

Thank you for your time!

[namder1]

sigh.........nobody moves to the woods anymore I guess.......

[birdinmigration]

Hi There --

I live in York County, I am a city transplant, and I work with schoolchildren in the area.

If you are planning to be year-round residents, you should try to come here not in a "few weeks" but in a few months. A "few weeks" seems to indicate 'middle of the summer' and you will definitely not get a feel for what life is like here in the winter.

Not to mention, schools will be on summer break, and any tours you would take of schools in your target area would not be indicative of school life during the regular year. It sounds like you are pretty set on Berwick Academy, have you called the school to see if there is space in the kindergarten class for 2014-15? It would stand to reason that there are 'a lot of children in these areas' that attend BA, as it is a Day School, so families would have to be within commuting distance.

That said, just as a general thing, I think you will find that kids are very nice here, in all the areas you have mentioned. I mean, in the PUBLIC schools. It is really not necessary to send your child to a private school if you live in the Kennebunks, York, Wells, Ogunquit, and some of the communities further inland. Kids are genuinely friendly, I really don't see bullying behavior, and they are bright, polite, and interesting. I don't see 'stressed' kids, I don't see show-off behavior much, and they are generally tolerant of differences. Most extra-curriculars are available in schools, you will have to do your own google to find specific activities in specific schools. Be aware also that a 4-year-old may not be interested in doing all those things when she's in primary school!

You might want to think about areas on the train line. There are lots of people on the Downeaster for a daily commute, and driving to Boston every day will get old fast. The Downeaster is a breeze.

Where do people in these areas shop, go to movies, etc.? Maine is not Siberia (although it feels like it sometimes, but then you are coming from Detroit...). You will see Target, Whole Foods, other food stores, restaurants, cafes, theaters (movies and live theater), you name it. Kittery is outlet city (blech) and if you have an LL Bean jones, it's right up the road and open 24 hrs. a day.

Anyway, if you have any more questions I'll try to help.

p.s. Really, Mom? "...after school activities, such as karate, gymnastics, swim and soccer..." She's FOUR.

[namder1]

OK, I'm about to get in trouble again but........let's face it(in my humble opinion) Kennebunk, York, Wells, Qgunquit and some others don't really reflect "Maine" anymore. Oh, there's a few holdouts...mostly fishermen, but for the most part they have been returned to Massachusetts. Or NY.

[Newdaawn]

Would the commute to Boston be on all workdays in the week? IMO this would not be fun from the York, Wells, Kennebunk area, especially in the winter. You don't say if you want to be "right on the water" or just a town that is close to it. Why not rent in a town you find appealing before you buy your lot and get a feel for the area.

[elizalamar]

@Newdawn: No, the commute is not on a daily basis. My husband will have an office where ever we live so the daily commute it not a factor. We are looking to buy ocean front so a town close by is not an option for us. One of the main reasons for moving to Maine is for waterfront living. However, thank you for the suggestion.

@ birdinmigration: Interesting comments. I am not sure why it affects you that my daughter is involved with activities outside of school, but yes she is and she loves them. To help make you feel better about it, the only activity that overlaps with others is swim. In our opinion, swim lessons don't necessarily count as an extracurricular activity, as it more of a survival tool. In our opinion, children should learn how to swim the same way they learn how to walk, especially being around lakes and pools as often as she is. Further, karate teaches discipline and confidence. The program that we have her in also teaches how to protect oneself against strangers (self defense) as well as anti-bullying. As a family, we are pretty confident in our choice of extra curricular activities so your unwarranted opinion is not really necessary, especially since the post was about relocation not, "Do you have an opinion on whether or not our daughter has too many outside activities."

You also touched on the public school system. I have heard many wonderful things about York and Kennebunk and Wells public school system. However, for personal reasons, we are interested in Berwick Academy. It is nice to hear that the children that attend public schools are not "showy" and that they are bright kids. Since we are building our home, there is no way she would be able to attend in 2014 so availability for the next school year is not an issue right now.

Thank you for your comments on shopping. I was just trying to get a feel as to where people in the area shopped. I realize through research that Maine is not in Siberia and that there is plenty to offer but in the areas that we are looking, there didn't appear to be a lot of big box stores near by (which is GREAT!!) so I was interested to see where people went who lived in Kennebunk and the surrounding areas shopped (i.e Portland, Portsmouth, is there something else close by?)

Everyone comments on the weather. However, I live in MI and I went to college in Erie, PA. I am NOT saying that they are similar but I am familiar with cold, wet and snowy seasons. I have read that Maine gets a lot of sunshine throughout the year, which will be a welcome change since the majority of the winter season in MI is gloom and doom. We went two whole weeks in March without sun. I gather it will be a change but I don't think that it will be so significant that I will be shocked. And I am sure that this will probably eat away at you birdinmigration but this will give us an opportunity to take ski lessons (the horror!! My daughter in another activity!).

I am still looking to see if there are any parents with young children in the Kennebunk area that could comment. That would be greatly appreciated!

[moosehunter]

living in the southern tip of the state is NOT REALLY living in Maine ;-(..just my opinion ;-)....




"they come and they change ...;-) "

[elizalamar]

Ok...So I guess I won't REALLY be living in Maine. Great! So who do I pay my taxes to if I am not REALLY living in Maine?

This is bringing back memories of the NorCal/SoCal debate, except in California, NorCal left SoCal alone and vice versa. Why can't Maine do the same? It's an ongoing debate that neither side will ever win so why bother?

What is the big deal to YOU if I choose to live in Southern Maine? We are a young and growing family, we enjoy the ocean and all that comes with it but we also like to be close to a city do city life things. Southern Maine fits that for us. I guess you should be HAPPY that we aren't coming up your way, seeing as how we wouldn't fit in anyways.

Finally, I am not coming to Maine to CHANGE it (yikes..I said the forbidden word in Maine). I am coming to enjoy what Maine has to offer. Living in Southern Maine will give us that opportunity, as well as be able to take advantage of being closer to cities and those types of activities. The best of both worlds for OUR FAMILY.

Is it custom for the people of Maine to put all new residents through the ringer? And I thought California was bad. You guys take the cake!

[elizalamar]

Is there a Southern Maine board? Perhaps I have posted my original question in the wrong location?

[namder1]

Having lived in Norcal.....thank God, I know what you mean...
You are not being put thru the ringer either.........we just stated the fact that the southern tip of Maine has drastically changed over the years. Really not for the better........
We woods hicks like it here better up here is all. Huntin', fishin' .........it's our form of karate....LOL.