Relocating to Maine, can you recommend small towns to visit? (Portland: rent, crime)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
We're coming to Maine for vacation December 26th - January 2nd while our kids are on Christmas break. We're looking to relocate to Maine from Ohio, possibly in the next year or two so we'd like to check out some small towns while we're there to see if Maine is a good fit for our family. We'd like to take a few trips before we decide for sure and even then we'll probably rent first before buying.
My husband is currently a union worker, and has 10+ years experience doing road construction, specializing in bridge walls and curb & gutter, and has trained on job as a foreman. We've been told that Maine isn't too union friendly by his union rep. Is that true? Would he still be able to find work? He doesn't mind travel, his normal travel time is 2-5 hrs depending on where the work is.
I'm finishing up my LPN now but would like to get my associates RN before moving, and finish my BSN in Maine. So I'd like to be 20-30 minutes from a hospital if possible. Is there a demand for LPNs and RNs in Maine? I've read a lot that suggests that there is, at least for RNs, but would like local opinions.
We've got four kids (ages 2, 6, 8, & 12) so we would like to find a family friendly area. We are moving partly to have less crime and drugs, and while I know that nowhere is going to be completely crime/drug free, I would like for them to grow up feeling relatively safe. The area we live in is very rural, but has become overrun with drugs. Our home county is number one in babies born addicted to drugs in the entire state
Mainly looking for proximity to hospitals, quiet areas, and good schools. Any small towns or rural areas that you all could recommend would be greatly appreciated!
We're coming to Maine for vacation December 26th - January 2nd while our kids are on Christmas break. We're looking to relocate to Maine from Ohio, possibly in the next year or two so we'd like to check out some small towns while we're there to see if Maine is a good fit for our family. We'd like to take a few trips before we decide for sure and even then we'll probably rent first before buying.
My husband is currently a union worker, and has 10+ years experience doing road construction, specializing in bridge walls and curb & gutter, and has trained on job as a foreman. We've been told that Maine isn't too union friendly by his union rep. Is that true? Would he still be able to find work? He doesn't mind travel, his normal travel time is 2-5 hrs depending on where the work is.
I'm finishing up my LPN now but would like to get my associates RN before moving, and finish my BSN in Maine. So I'd like to be 20-30 minutes from a hospital if possible. Is there a demand for LPNs and RNs in Maine? I've read a lot that suggests that there is, at least for RNs, but would like local opinions.
We've got four kids (ages 2, 6, 8, & 12) so we would like to find a family friendly area. We are moving partly to have less crime and drugs, and while I know that nowhere is going to be completely crime/drug free, I would like for them to grow up feeling relatively safe. The area we live in is very rural, but has become overrun with drugs. Our home county is number one in babies born addicted to drugs in the entire state
Mainly looking for proximity to hospitals, quiet areas, and good schools. Any small towns or rural areas that you all could recommend would be greatly appreciated!
There are five or six different regions of Maine.....start with that, imho.
The Portland area may be the best bet for a union member (I am). The town of Bath is probably a union town, but there is crime there and I am not sure about the schools at all. Brunswick also is a possible. Bath has an iron works but there are many pretty areas nearby. Boothbay has low taxes but few jobs. Augusta is the state capital, with jobs but also a bad opiates problem. Edgecomb is in commuting distance to jobs and I think it's beautiful. Icy in winter, though.
As you are travelling with your family, why not make a note of which towns wow you and ask for the good and bad on the ones you like? Most towns in ME (I am thinking of relocating there for retirement) are a mixture of pretty and gritty.
Edited to add: just speaking of the midcoast, where I am looking. No slight is intended to other parts of ME. If you can, staying near the ocean is such a benefit as it's so very beautiful up there.
Another edit: See if you like the Damariscotta area, too. I am not sure about the jobs situation there but it's beautiful. My sister, who lives in the Boothbays area, has told me that the snow is more frequent away into the country west of the coast, but that black ice (hard to see) on the roads can be really bad along the coast. The weather is different near the ocean and away from it. You are visiting at just the right time of year to see that firsthand, which should help you decide which you prefer.
I intend to live somewhere near a supermarket so I don't have to drive _too_ much when the weather is bad.
Last edited by ladyalicemore; 10-30-2016 at 11:24 AM..
Just from Google maps, it looks like most of the hospitals are concentrated in the southern half. We plan on stopping in Portland and Bangor, but we definitely don't want to live in a city. Maybe close to a really small town. We both grew up in the country, the closest town only has ~200 people. All of Maine looks beautiful, so I'm having a hard time narrowing it down. We will be keeping track of what we see alone the way for sure! Thank you!
Chrysta, One doesn't have to drive too far from Portland to be in the country. Yarmouth and Falmouth tend to be on the expensive side, but parts are truly rural and the schools are top rated. Lots of nice towns (rural) are close to Portland. The taxes can be high in that area, though. maine-gov has a site about that, but you can check that out as you are renting.
ETA: Yes, there are many more options for medical care in the general vicinity of Portland. That's been a big element in my search. And there is a bus (also a commuter train) from Portland or Freeport to Boston if something rare happened and you needed top level care in Boston.
Most of the hospitals are in the southern half because that's where the people are. Half of Maine's population lives within 50 miles of Congress Street in Portland and half of that circle is water, the Atlantic Ocean!
That said, take a look at Bangor. Eastern Maine Medical Center is a large hospital. Their extended corporation has 1,500 vacancies.
Union membership is declining nationwide. That is because we have 95,000,000 Americans between age 18 and 65 unemployed in our country. That is nearly three times the entire population of Canada.
According to the FBI, Maine is the safest state. You are coming to Maine for all the right reasons.
We live in York County, and love it. Just want to say my husband is a union guy and he works out of Boston, about 75 minutes away. We used to live in Chicago, and his commute there was twice as long, so you might want to consider some of the towns near the border with NH, like Kittery Point, York or Eliot.
I think of anywhere south of Yarmouth/Gray to be just like any other suburban area.
Granted this is most true directly near 95 and east of it towards the coast. There are some real nice rural areas ~20 miles west of 95 in Southern Maine, but unless you keep driving north, its pretty densely populated every other direction.
I despise going to Portland, except for concerts. That is pretty much the only thing I go to Portland for.
While the city itself is pretty neat compared to other cities, it still has all the downsides of any city. Theft, and crimes of opportunity mostly.
I will say Maine does have a pretty bad drug problem, however this is true with many rural areas. Some towns are just known for their cannabis farms, other towns are more known for opiate problems and bath salts.
The drug war is probably america's biggest failure ever, and we just keep on trucking making it even worse every day.
I have friends who live in Kennebunk and they said it was a good place to raise their kids. Nearby KennebunkPORT gets really touristy in summer but you can avoid it.
Nearby towns are Biddeford, Arundel, and I think, Wells. Towns like Sanford are a little bit inland and are probably cheaper due to not being so near the ocean. There is train service to Boston but they never use it. My friend can get to Boston for her difficult medical problem if she needs to though.
York Hospital is in Wells.
There are few jobs--my friend's husband works out of state for weeks at a time and my friend usually only finds touristy summer work. Their son moved out of state for a job.
I like Kittery too. That's on the NH state line.
These are small towns but if you ever need city stuff, you can get to Portland or Portsmith NH.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
