Where to raise young children in Maine? (Portland, Brunswick: sale, real estate)

[maineboundgirl]

We're moving move to Maine with our two children under 2 in the next few months, but still haven't decided where. Part of me is nervous about starting off in a new place with such young kids and feeling isolated. (I stay home with the kids.)

Which towns in Southern Maine are good for raising young families? We're looking for desirable areas that have a good number of other families with children (not mostly retired people for example) and activities for them, very good schools, but that are also relatively affordable. (Preferably a nice classic New England downtown too... doesn't have to be big.)

An affordable town with all those qualities doesn't exist in Massachusetts (North of Boston), where we live.

Having family in Maine growing up, I love the more relaxed quality of life. We have been talking about doing this for years and are really looking forward to finally making the move.

Thanks so much.

[CoastalMaineiac]

How about Damariscotta? I can't speak to the schools, as I don't live there--nor do I have any kids. But it's a nice town, and only an hour's drive from Portland.

It doesn't have any sort of an isolated feel to me, and you'd be near the ocean.

If you're willing to look farther north, there's also Camden and Belfast on the coast. Both of them have vibrant downtown areas.

All three towns have Hannaford and Reny's as well. Hannaford is a grocery chain and Reny's is a Maine department store. I know Belfast has several hardware stores, and I think the others do as well. So you can get a lot of your day-to-day necessities right in town.

[mainebrokerman]

most all towns in maine are decent...
come up drive around,,see whch areas you like..

[Radio Flyer]

^That's what I'd suggest too...then go home and research the school departments online.

Also, make a list of what else is important to you, i.e. stores, libraries, public swimming, etc. Either be on the look-out when you explore, or like the school departments, research online. It can get tedious researching every little thing, but it's worth it. Driving and hour or two for something that you're used to getting in a minute or two gets old very fast.

Some folks love being out in the boonies and long drives are the price they gladly pay for seclusion. If you're not one of those people, best to research, research, research.

[Mark S.]

If you can, you REALLY ought to visit before you take the plunge. You can learn a lot online, at your library, etc., but nothing compares to personal experience. We compiled a list of likely places before our move. There were places we thought we'd love that we didn't like very much. There were places we thought we wouldn't like that we ended up liking quite a lot. And we ended up moving to a place that hadn't even made our list.

Affordable ... ? That's relative, isn't it?

As someone who moved here "from away," I'd really recommend communities north of Portland. There are surely some nice towns Portland southward, but something about them just doesn't feel "Maine" to me. Whenever we go south then come home, I don't really feel like I'm back in Maine until we hit Portland. So many of the towns south of Portland, while nice in places, feel like suburban Boston to me.

As for towns, I can only speak from my own experience.

Brunswick. Great elementary schools. Decent high school. I have not been impressed with the junior high. Loads of activities for the kiddos, both in school and through the community. Great theater at Bowdoin. Train station to Portland, Boston, and points southward. Very safe community. More affordable than it used to be. With the closing of BNAS, real estate prices took a hit, though they're starting to come back. There are definitely some neighborhoods where I wouldn't recommend buying a house, but there's no place too dangerous to walk alone in the daytime, and precious few I'd worry about at night. Great downtown area. The city floods the village green in the winter for ice skating.

Topsham. Right across the river from Brunswick. Decent schools from what I've heard, though I've heard from my own kids that drug use is heavier at the high school in Topsham than Brunswick. Topsham lacks a charming downtown area, but it has some great residential neighborhoods. But really, you can easily live in Topsham and shop in Brunswick -- or vice versa.

Bath. More affordable than Brunswick and Topsham. Fantastic downtown area. Very charming community. More "blue collar" than Brunswick. I've heard mixed things about the schools. Folks tell me the elementary schools are fine, but the junior high and high school are not so great.

Freeport. Good schools. The "shopping center" of Maine. In summer, you can walk downtwon and hear five languages and two dozen accents spoken. Housing is more expensive than the above towns.

Yarmouth. Some of the best schools in the state. More expensive than any of the above.

[moughie]

If you are looking for Southern Maine, then anywhere in the greater Portland area is wonderful! There is a great Children's Museum in downtown Portland. More importantly there are fantastic outdoor areas where you can teach your children to bond and be comfortable with nature. Bradbury Mountain, Ida Noyes Park in S Freeport, beaches all around Portland , Mackworth Island State Park in Falmouth, etc.

[slyfox2]

Do you already have a job? If not, where you live will be dependent on where you find employment.

[Howland123]

Hi, I just googled where to raise a family in Maine and came across this post. I am wondering if you ever made the move, and if so, to where? My husband and I are literally looking for the exact same qualities! We have a 16 month old, I stay home, and we live south of Boston. We are currently looking into Freeport. Any info you have would be appreciated!

[ladyalicemore]

My sister raised both her children in the Boothbay area, and (she is not rich) both went on to scholarships. The thing is, they both love Maine and would have loved to stay there. No jobs in Boothbay and they just closed the hospital despite the original charter forbidding this.

As far as I can tell it is a great community. Boothbay started some crazy customs, including local businesses donating school supplies, just before Labor Day, to all local children.

According to my sister, they started the "pajama parties" at Christmas time, a sale around the town at Thanksgiving where there is a deep discount if you show up in your pajamas before 8AM. I love the feeling in Boothbay. I think it will mean early death for people each year if they are half an hour away from a hospital, though.

Perhaps I am not remembering her stories correctly. I've been visiting since the 1970s, though, and that is a great town with a great spirit.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Howland123

We are currently looking into Freeport. Any info you have would be appreciated!

Freeport is a nice little town, though it gets VERY busy during the summer and Christmas season. It's right on the rail line. You could easily get on the train in Boston and come up for the day.

Freeport schools are good. It's about 15-20 minutes north of Portland. It is the "retail hub" of coastal Maine and home of L.L. Bean. Because of that, on a busy summer day you can literally meet people from all over the world. It's not unusual to meet people from England, Germany, Italy, France, China, Japan, India, or even far out places like Boston.

The downtown area is very walkable. We usually park (lots of free parking) and walk everywhere we want to go. Kids love the horse-drawn wagon rides at L.L. Bean around Christmas time. Bean also has free summer concerts and fireworks at the 4th of July.

Brunswick and Topsham are just to the north. Yarmouth and Falmouth to the south. The Atlantic Ocean is to the east. Durham and 'Salem's Lot are across the highway to the west, so you do have to watch out for vampires on the back roads.

As a rule of thumb, real estate is more expensive the closer you are to Portland. The farther you go from Portland, the more affordable real estate becomes.

Freeport is the second-to-last stop on the Amtrak Downeaster. So from there you really can easily get to Boston and all points beyond.