southern coastal area (Portland, South Portland, Scarborough: oceanfront, house, school district)

[annernan]

I'm so excited I finally get to ask this question! After waiting for forever, we finally have a move date of July 1st! Yay!

We visited last summer and got an idea of some of the towns. We really loved Cape Elizabeth, but really any area close to the shore would be good. A good school district is a must.

I've heard that Cumberland/Yarmouth/Falmouth are good, but are there any good ones right on the coast? Basically anywhere from Kennebunk up to Freeport.

Another thought is that we'd love to live on one of the islands but considering how many there are, I don't know much about it.
We would want one that was within a short ferry ride (20 mins or so) to mainland and the schools are good.
Is there anything that fits that description?
I spent many years growing up on a small island in the Caribbean, so this still appeals to me!

We definately don't want to be right in the city. We want some room outdoors for our kids to roam and explore, and I really really want it to be close to the shore.

Thanks for any advice!

KM

[tankratt]

Congrats on your move date, everyone is so lucky to move to Maine, I am very happy for you. Good Luck!!!

[lrfox]

Don't forget Scarborough. Nice town, right on the coast with good schools. Pretty diverse selection of homes too. It's very suburban along the Northern portion of Route 1 (closest to S. Portland) and becomes relatively rural in the Western part of town. On the North side of the massive Scarborough Marsh, you have Higgin's Beach, Scarborough Beach, and Ferry Beach along with Prout's Neck. WaterFRONT homes in this area are pricey, but the surrounding area is quite nice (in fact, it shares a border with Cape Elizabeth) and many of the homes within a few minutes drive to the ocean (some with water views) are much more affordable.

The Southeastern (South of the Marsh) portion of Scarborough is called "Pine Point" which can be a great value, but it's a bit more densely settled given the proximity to Old Orchard Beach. The TIP of Pine Point offers some of the better values on Ocean Front homes and homes within walking distance to the beach. I have extended family who has a beautiful, relatively new 3,500 sq ft. home with a pool right on the beach here (literally their back yard is 10 yards of dunes then the beach) and it's still valued at well under $1 Million. It's hard to find oceanfront property for so little in this country anywhere outside of Eastern Maine and Alaska.

Anyway, consider adding Scarborough to your list.

[WhoFanMe]

Welcome to the forum,

You've got all the towns covered, although if you like older homes consider South Portland, the Willard Beach and Loveitt's Field areas in particular. Much will depend on your budget and where you will be commuting to. Most of the islands are part of larger towns, although Chebeauge Island was successful in its bid to secede from Cumberland a few years back. Peaks Island tried to secede from Portland, but was unsuccessful.

[retiredtinbender]

Congratsd on the move. I hope it goes well for you.

My neice & family live in Cumberland. It's a nice town with a good school system as far as I can tell. They are very educationally minded, my nice and them. They love the town, very impressed with it, and they were in quite a few beforew moving back to Maine. And then there's the fair in October. Nice.

[annernan]

Our moving date is put off till August 1st, but we have a wonderful house waiting for us in Freeport!

I'm so excited to move there, and to give my children the gift of growing up near the sea like I did.

I can't wait to explore a whole new state and reconnect with my New England family.

Yay!