From California to Maine (!?) (Portland, Waterboro: low income, section 8, for sale)

[wincor4]

I am a single mom with 2 kids, 11 & 8. I am wanting to relocate to the East Coast, and my limited research has me looking at Maine and Connecticut. I currently work for the USPS, so finding a job shouldn't be too difficult. What we need is affordable housing, a safe neighborhood, and good school. We would probably need to rent at first, (we own cats) but then hopefully buy a home of our own. I now have section 8 housing, but will probably lose that once I get full time work. Any suggestions, comments, or words of advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[Acadianlion]

Why are you relocating?

[luvbeer]

u will fit right in in CT

[rico304]

Portland is building a whole lotta apartment buildings that have low income to high end in the same building. I'm not sure how difficult it is to get into one though. High demand (I have been told).
Should be easy to get a job in this area. There is a lot going on in the Portland area, and depending on your travel preferences you can get into an affordable house. (Southern Maine standards) My company is getting ready to build a ranch that will sell for under 200,000 as soon as we close on another house we just built. (We are hoping to get it built so we can sell for under 190,000.(I]m sure you can even find cheaper, but the key word there is cheaper. When you get ready to buy, watch out for quality of materials) Those are good new prices for Southern Maine (Waterboro area). Second hand you can get a small older house for around 160,000 in Portland. Check out realtor.com and craigslist.com for houses for sale, and craigslist for rentals. Good luck!!

[satmad35]

These two states are very different. You will find that Eastern Conn. is more like Maine. Central CT is suburbia and Southern CT is big money. If you want rural think Maine or Eastern CT. If you want suburbia, it's CT all the way.

[wildthng19]

dont pick ct, its like the slums in alot of sections

[ShadowGod]

It's inexpensive to live in Maine but jobs, let alone high paying jobs, are scarce. Maine is poorer. Maine has a more beautiful landscape. Maine is more rural. Maine is slower paced. Mainers are not very accepting of people "from away". Summers in Maine are very enjoyable. Winters are cold and dreary.

Connecticut's cost of living is higher but so is the pay. Jobs are plentiful. Connecticut is richer overall but does have poor areas in the major cities. Connecticut is more urban and the lifestyle is faster paced than in Maine. Connecticut is more diverse and everybody just blends in, nobody cares if you're not a native.

[skytrekker]

It is untrue to say 'Connecticut is dirty and filled with slums'-

A drive through West Hartford. Litchfield, Glastonbury or Bolton would prove that wrong. Or a drive through the states eastern 'quiet corner' rural ...very rural, calm and clean.......

The state is more expensive- but its housing costs are similar to the Portland area and south western Maine (in the Hartford area and east)
Shawdowgod put it into good perspective.

[Submariner]

I have recently moved from Norwich Conn, to central Maine.

Norwich is very close to the Eastern border of Ct. Two big growing competing casinos import a lot of immigrant workforce each year, housing is a serious shortage. We had a fairly high level of street gangs, shootings and violence, near us. Bodies being found dumped behind warehouses with knives in them, lots of used syringes on the sidewalks, etc. Eastern Ct is growing 'up'.

We were fostering children, which is all administered out of Hartford, so we made a lot of trips into Hartford. There is a city that you really need to keep your car doors locked in.

I still own an apartment building in Norwich, taxes are very high.

With two children [8 and 11], you will find a lot of schools in Ct. We had a lot of issues with them.

With USPS, you may want to workout your transfer before going to the area.

'affordable housing' is not present in Ct.

'a safe neighborhood' is not present in Ct.

a 'good school' well good luck.

"... We would probably need to rent at first, (we own cats) but then hopefully buy a home of our own...." I have seen it done. I have seen renters of ours do it. Two adults working fulltime and pulling regular over-time, can in five years save enough to have a down payment. It is much harder if they are raising children, harder still to do by yourself. I can not say if it is possible for a single parent. Sorry.

Our eldest son recently moved to Kansas. He got a job and within a year was able to purchase his own home. He went there with nothing but a vehicle and a backpack of clothes.

[Earthangel1776]

I think southwestern Maine is more like NH. People seem friendly towards newcomers, from what I've seen. Maybe that is because so many are moving there to get a decent place for a reasonable cost. The countryside is so beautiful and even in winter there is plenty to do... cross-country skiing (and downhill, if you can afford it), skating, dog-sledding, all kinds of stuff. Many winter days are not dreary. Cold- yes, but often with a beautiful, bright sun shining that makes everything so bright you get snow-blind!