Feedback on the sanford,berwick areas (Portland, South Berwick: for sale, rent, house)

[BRONCOBOY]

the house will be for sale soon.the search for a job is on, to make the move to maine. we would like to settle in york. problem is it seems too expensive. we want to rent,at first. whats your ideas on quiet,family friendly neighborhoods and towns? what ford dealers are in the area? im a seasoned tech but now im a writer. schools are important. we love the coastal feel, again ,knowing full well thats expensive too. the hometown feel of maine is what we want to settle into.weve been visiting for over 10 years,now its time. so ....any suggestions, hopefully,fellow neighbors!! thanks

[BRONCOBOY]

Or any suggestions of any southern maine towns to start out in???

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by BRONCOBOY

the house will be for sale soon.the search for a job is on, to make the move to maine. we would like to settle in york. problem is it seems too expensive. we want to rent,at first. whats your ideas on quiet,family friendly neighborhoods and towns? what ford dealers are in the area? im a seasoned tech but now im a writer. schools are important. we love the coastal feel, again ,knowing full well thats expensive too. the hometown feel of maine is what we want to settle into.weve been visiting for over 10 years,now its time. so ....any suggestions, hopefully,fellow neighbors!! thanks

You won't go wrong with any of the towns down there. The big thing is to get the job before you make the move.

[BoxCar Willie]

York [or ANY coastal town is very expensive] In the summer it is PACKED with tourons I grewup in North Berwick and have been to school in Berwick and worked in So Berwick as well as Sanford. Sanford is Bigger and has troubles [just like any othern place] The Berwicks [in my opion] would be better for you BUT remember there are no grocery stores, pharmacies in any of them so you need to travel out of town fr such stuff. All three have very good Police Depts, the FD's are volunteer but are excellent well trained [I used to be a NB Firefighter] North and South Berwick have TRecue Squads and ambulanes and stuff Berwick uses AMR [unless they changed] for it's rescue, BUT Somersworth NH is located right over the river so the response time is short. Walk around each for a bit and get to understand the folks, MOST are good, hard working, honest, country folk.

[RMoore007]

Eliot is a nice community with very good schools and is close to Ford dealers in Portsmouth or Manchester, NH. It's close to many coastal beaches in both ME and NH. Boston is only an hour or so away, including Portland the other way. The town is right on the Piscataqua River and has penninsula's. Dover is great for shopping too.

I've driven through there recently and it looks mostly like it did back in the 60's. I'd call it a sleepy little, out of the way, forgotten community. It still has only one little convenience store in the middle of town. But it does have commerce in the northern part of town.

It's still my families favorite place to have lived back in the 60's before moving to CT in the 70's. Our dad was the principal of the school there and the town was full of kids. It was a special time to be a kid.

Good luck!

[BRONCOBOY]

thanks... going to check out eliot,soundslike a quiet place. how are the schools in eliot? heard the berwicks are nice,but, heard the berwicks are run down a bit.,that true?

[BoxCar Willie]

Originally Posted by BRONCOBOY

thanks... going to check out eliot,soundslike a quiet place. how are the schools in eliot? heard the berwicks are nice,but, heard the berwicks are run down a bit.,that true?

They may be in some eyes. BUT as small towns they are quiet little places. No more run down then other places.

[tcrackly]

Eliot and the Berwicks are old, rural communities that have become suburbanized bedroom communities through the years. South Berwick and Eliot share in the Marshwood school system, and Berwick, North Berwick and Lebanon comprise the Noble school system. I don't have children but I hear both districts are good.

[RMoore007]

I went to Marshwood High School the first year it opened in 1965. I don't think it's a high school any more. My sister was a senior and I was a sophomore. I went to three high schools altogether, Eliot High, Marshwood High and then East Hartford High in CT.

It was fun to join South Berwick as I met lots of new friends. The only problem is that we moved away that next summer. Both towns are still what tcrackly described as old, rural bedroom communities that really haven't changed that much over the years.

Our first house that we rented in Eliot was on River Road and it was really old. It had fireplaces in each room, upstairs and down. It also had a dumb waiter and a widow walk.

I imagine that if you drive around town, you might find for rent signs. I don't know how expensive but nothing is probably cheap anymore.

[tcrackly]

The former Marshwood and Noble high schools are now the junior high schools. Each district built new high school in the past 10 years.