Opinions on Lincolnville (Rockland, Camden, Rockport: to rent, motel, house)

[New place]

Hi all!

I'm relocating in Maine early September and will be working in Rockland. My realtor showed me a house in Lincolnville that I really like. I don't know Lincolnville though -

Can peeps weigh in as to what Lincolnville is like as a place to live? Is Norton Pond great for swimming? And I will be commuting to Rockland which looks fine - but not sure about that in the bad winter weather.

Thanks so much!

[mainebrokerman]

I like the area..... not as busy as the coastal towns nearby..

[New place]

Thanks for weighing-in Mainebrokerman!

[OutdoorLover]

You probably already know as much about Lincolnville as me, as I have just visited a little bit there, but I'll share my impressions. It seems like it does have potential if you want a quiet rural lifestyle in pretty countryside. Re Lincolnville beach I am not so big on the part that's squished up against Rte 1 (where most people see to go), but just east of the ferry terminal there is a pretty arc of sandy beach that's well back from the Rte 1 traffic, looked sweet! Lincolnville Center was quiet and I loved the general store in the center of town, a little pricey but had lots of imaginative and high quality prepared foods and made for a gathering place downtown. I have visited the little town beach there at the north end of Norton Pond, looked like a nice place to cast a line, go for a little swim or launch a kayak or jonboat. Looked like lots of seasonal cottages on Norton Pond, but I doubt it gets too busy there even in high season. Megunticook Lake is also closeby and is beautiful and offers both bass and trout fishing. You'll be passing the Hannafords on the Camden/Rockport line every day on your commute, so grocery shopping will be easy and Pen-Bay hospital is there on the Rockport/Rockland line so medical care will be easy to come by too. I am older and divorced so it might be a little too quiet for me (don't want to be a hermit), but other than that, I can see the appeal.

Here is the official state survey of Norton Pond, with fish species and a depth soundings map
https://www.maine.gov/ifw/docs/lake-...orton_pond.pdf

[OutdoorLover]

P.S. one offbeat/cool thing I saw in Lincolnville while eating on the general store porch was an old motorcycle with a sidecar went by, and the sidecar had a dog wearing goggles in it - I got a kick out of that! Lots of pretty country roads in that whole "backside" of the coastal communities, really just a few miles off busy Rte 1.

P.P.S. If you need to do any fixing up of the new place - in addition to the Home Depot out in Rockland, there is a pretty big EBS with a design center on Union St in Camden, if you want to support a Maine business.

[New place]

Thanks OutdoorLover - all good info for sure . Funny about the dog with goggles . . that is something I would do if I had a bike LOL. Did it "feel" very remote to you?

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by New place

Thanks OutdoorLover - all good info for sure . Funny about the dog with goggles . . that is something I would do if I had a bike LOL. Did it "feel" very remote to you?

With the provision that it's just my opinion and yours matters a lot more than mine... I wouldn't use the word "remote" because you're really not far from the bigger towns and Route 1 - remote to me is some place where not only is there not much there, there isn't much anyplace else for at least 25 miles. It is quiet though, and it doesn't seem to have any "neighborhoods", and by that I mean streets laid out in some kind of criss-crossing manner with relatively small lots and a low speed limit. They do have a little post office and a school though, even a (very small) library that looked well maintained, and I have the feeling there is some community spirit in the people there, which is good to have. If it's not too far for you to visit further, I'd suggest just trying to spend more time in town getting the feel of it, visiting all the local offices and businesses, recreational spots, and talking to people who live there to have a better idea of what living there will be like, and you could also include some exploration of Hope and the backside of Rockport and Camden - alternatives. That whole area is real nice to me... I was up there not long ago and driving down Barnestown Road from Hope to Rockport I was just saying "wow, this is nice!"... beautiful farms with meadows on the hillsides there...

[OutdoorLover]

P.P.P.S. Another thing I like to do when looking at a house seriously, is to knock on the neighbors' doors, introduce myself and explain I am looking at the place next door ask how they like living in the neighborhood. This way I can (A) get the inside scoop on living there from those already there and (B) get some impression of what my neighbors will be like - are they open, friendly, helpful? or suspicious and ill-tempered? Hope this stuff helps! - Barry

[New place]

Thanks Barry. Any info or suggestions are helpful! I am out-of-state and it's not ideal when looking for a house. But renting won't work for me . . .I have 3 cats and two big dogs! Great companions, all rescued, all well-mannered - but very hard to rent.

[OutdoorLover]

Originally Posted by New place

Thanks Barry. Any info or suggestions are helpful! I am out-of-state and it's not ideal when looking for a house. But renting won't work for me . . .I have 3 cats and two big dogs! Great companions, all rescued, all well-mannered - but very hard to rent.

I am presently about 3 hours drive from Lincolnville - not too bad, can even drive back and forth in one day, but that takes the starch out of me. When visiting, usually I stay in a place I find on VRBO. Saves some money over a motel or B&B, the place is usually homier, and I can usually get a kitchen so I don't need to eat all meals out - again saves money and I don't like eating all meals out anyways.

It's good to learn as much as possible online - people can share opinions here and you can even do some reconnaissance with Bing Maps - the overall map once you zoom in helps you to understand how small a small town is just from looking what they have for streets, the satellite view let's you see what's developed vs farmland vs forest, plus the streetview imagery can let you kind of look around as if you were there on the street (kind of) - giving you some idea of what's there in just minutes from your desk... In my opinion that can rule some places out that are just not suitable, but to really understand a place that has some potential, I think that's just a start and you need to put boots on the ground and walk around and talk to people, and the more of that that you can do, the better.