Anybody out there with info on Lubec? (Bangor, Brunswick: real estate, houses) - Maine (ME) - City-Data Forum

wingnut mommy · 10-30-2006, 03:17 PM

My huband and I want to move to Maine (desperately so) and have been looking @ Lubec and Eastport area. We have a 5yr old and a 3yr old. We like the idea of quiet, we're coming from the dc metro area. Please any info good or bad about the area would be the a help.

Longing to live in Maine

bigchuckie · 10-31-2006, 12:47 AM

First the bad What do you plan to do for work? Both Lubec and Eastport are quite limited in job oppurtunities. Unless you are a lobsterman or a boat builder
jobs are quite hard to find. Washington county is a very poor place. Ok now for some good both towns are very beautiful and real estate is still very reasonable compared to the rest of the cosatl areas of Maine

wingnut mommy · 10-31-2006, 01:12 PM

Thanks for the info. My husband is a photographer. Figured he would have an endless supply of beauty in the area. Am I wrong? Not to mention from looking @ real estate sites. They could use a bit of help with photos on their sites.

bigchuckie · 10-31-2006, 11:26 PM

No you are not wrong take 191 from Lubec to Cutler that is some of the most beautiful scenary in the state

bgrasser · 12-07-2006, 02:37 PM

Are you aware of the two LNG facilities that will be built ; one in Eastport and the other in Robbinston. These projects are estimated to last three years, so you can expect three minimum.
There will be an influx of at least three hundred construction workers.Big projects like these go with union labor, so figure the tradesman will come from as far away as timbucktoo.
Some are predicting a negative impact with regard to quality of life while in construction and long term negitive impact to real estate value.

mharrell · 01-02-2007, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wingnut mommy

My huband and I want to move to Maine (desperately so) and have been looking @ Lubec and Eastport area. We have a 5yr old and a 3yr old. We like the idea of quiet, we're coming from the dc metro area. Please any info good or bad about the area would be the a help.

Longing to live in Maine

I too have been thinking of moving to the Lubec/Eastport area from the DC area. My family lives in Thomaston, ME. However, I visited Eastport last month and the residents are convinced that the quality of life will go way down when the Natural Gas projects kick in. LOTS of construction and roads messed up, etc. Now I'm looking further south.

Coaster · 01-03-2007, 03:08 PM

I wouldn't worry too much about the LNG terminals in Maine. First, two offshore LNG terminals were just approved by the governor down in Massachusetts, plus another terminal is already under constructionin St. John, New Brunswick. That takes a lot of pressure off the need for new LNG capacity in New England. And Canada has already said it will NEVER approve passage of LNG tankers through Head Harbour Passage, which is the only usable entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay. Even if Canada changed its mind, the hearings and approval process for an LNG terminal in Maine would take at least a decade by the time all the court battles were over. Neither of the applicants has pockets deep enough for that kind of fight.

More important for WM is earning a living in Lubec. Do not count on photography as a meal ticket. Real estate agents take their own photos because they can't afford to hire it done, and the market for pretty pictures of Maine is already saturated. Does your husband already have a market for his photos, or is he planning on trying to develop one when you all move up there? Do you have an outside source of income that doesn't depend on finding a job immediately? That part of Maine is the poorest in a poor state for a reason.

If you're just looking for quiet, especially compared to D.C., you can find that almost anywhere in the state. Look at towns like Brunswick or Bath or Thomaston or even Saco and Sanford. You'll be in an area with a larger population base and more options for employment, as well as better educational systems for your children.

ADSLubec · 01-16-2007, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coaster

I wouldn't worry too much about the LNG terminals in Maine. First, two offshore LNG terminals were just approved by the governor down in Massachusetts, plus another terminal is already under constructionin St. John, New Brunswick. That takes a lot of pressure off the need for new LNG capacity in New England. And Canada has already said it will NEVER approve passage of LNG tankers through Head Harbour Passage, which is the only usable entrance to Passamaquoddy Bay. Even if Canada changed its mind, the hearings and approval process for an LNG terminal in Maine would take at least a decade by the time all the court battles were over. Neither of the applicants has pockets deep enough for that kind of fight.

More important for WM is earning a living in Lubec. Do not count on photography as a meal ticket. Real estate agents take their own photos because they can't afford to hire it done, and the market for pretty pictures of Maine is already saturated. Does your husband already have a market for his photos, or is he planning on trying to develop one when you all move up there? Do you have an outside source of income that doesn't depend on finding a job immediately? That part of Maine is the poorest in a poor state for a reason...

Coaster is right on point with the reply. The LNG facilities are far from being a likely occurance. Too much competition and the current stance of the Canadian government likely doom these projects.

The area around Lubec is gorgeous, it's why we own a home there and why we are retiring there. There are already a good number of actively working photographers in the area. The magazine "Nature Photographer" is published out of Lubec. A photographer would have to be extremely hard working to make a living in Lubec.

The town is also very out-of-the-way. Hospitals,entertainment, shopping for things other than food and other conveniences are a good distance away. The schools are small and strapped for cash.

That being said if I could afford it job wise I'd move the family there tomorrow.

stevenlear · 01-16-2007, 02:32 PM

I moved from the DC metro area a couple of years ago and could not be happier. What an enormous change for the better. We too began looking at more "remote" locations and found that we were not prepared for that profound of a change. 15 minutes from downtown Bangor and you are remote enough. Honestly, we find "city" living in Bangor to provide us with everything we could have hoped for.. and more. The only thing we didn't get that was on our wish list was "ocean front". Ask me whatever you wish, as one who has made the exact move you are talking/thinking about, I can provide you with plenty of insight.

emigree · 01-21-2007, 01:37 PM

Hi Stevenlear,
I'm an exurban DC (Frederick Co., MD) looking to flee before the rot reaches here. I hope to be out of here within a year or two, and am researching ME now, and planning a visit in spring. I like the sound of the Machias area, and found some appealing houses in Cherryfield and Columbia. If you have any knowledge of that region, I'd appreciate your opinion.
Thanks-- emigree