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Old 05-10-2019, 08:15 PM
 
Location: Smoky Mtns., Eastern TN
55 posts, read 170,303 times
Reputation: 41

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I've seen some older threads where Augusta was called "Disgusta" because they didn't like the city. Housing prices there are much better than south of there. Everyone wants to be near Portland and prices there have gone sky high. I have been watching the Portland real estate market for 10 years. I don't think commuting to Portland is feasible as it's about 70 miles and although the interstate is good, winter weather would probably make that impractical. Anyway, for a semi-retired older couple, would Augusta be a practical choice? Good, bad, any comments appreciated.
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Old 05-10-2019, 10:28 PM
 
19,954 posts, read 29,990,395 times
Reputation: 39972
come take a look around see what you like,,,
lots of good towns around augusta too

ive lived in augusta a couple times in my life...my son went up thru the public school system.... nothing but good things to say

augusta was a big mill town 100 yrs ago ...but has transformed a lot..
the Kennebec river is cleaned up...good fishing in summer ….you can boat to the ocean from augusta …

like most places ...you have to see if you like it

housing prices just seem high to me everywhere.....
but my son just found a brand new house for rent for 1100 month …
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Old 05-11-2019, 05:00 AM
 
Location: Smoky Mtns., Eastern TN
55 posts, read 170,303 times
Reputation: 41
Thank you for the reply. Do you think a commute to Portland from Augusta would be foolish? Augusta looks like a nice city, but some of the comments here made me ask. My wife has a cousin in Portland and extended family in Presque Isle where she was born. We have not been back to the state in a decade, but are very familiar with it. Neither of us thought we would ever be able to move there, but it is now going to happen- we a closing on our home here in TN on 6/10/19. We have a place (family) to stay at (condo) in Connecticut for a month while we look for a place up there. We wanted to stay in the southern half of the state and Augusta is probably as far north as we want to go. I guess I will update our progress here as time goes by. Prices are much higher there than here for homes. Thanks again for your comments.
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Old 05-11-2019, 07:32 AM
 
Location: Newburyport, MA
11,867 posts, read 8,970,714 times
Reputation: 15159
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lastchance4gas View Post
:
I don't think commuting to Portland is feasible as it's about 70 miles and although the interstate is good, winter weather would probably make that impractical.
:
Routes 295 and 95 are very good roads and are priorities for winter plowing. However, if you need to commute even on snow days, the plows can't run often enough to keep the roads safe for high speed travel during snowstorms - it's just coming down too fast, plus it gets dark early in winter. So you can expect long drives with poor visibility and slippery conditions during snowstorms. Especially on the drive home, when you're already tired from putting in a day's work, it's dark, and the headlights are filled with fat snowflakes, and the traction is iffy, and you need to do that for 2 hours (or more) that's going to be hard to endure and fairly risky. If you can stay home on the days it actually snows heavily and work from home, it's another matter, as the main roads will be good within hours of the storm ending, so the next day you're fine.

Last edited by OutdoorLover; 05-11-2019 at 07:44 AM..
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Old 05-11-2019, 09:44 AM
 
19,954 posts, read 29,990,395 times
Reputation: 39972
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lastchance4gas View Post
Thank you for the reply. Do you think a commute to Portland from Augusta would be foolish? Augusta looks like a nice city, but some of the comments here made me ask. My wife has a cousin in Portland and extended family in Presque Isle where she was born. We have not been back to the state in a decade, but are very familiar with it. Neither of us thought we would ever be able to move there, but it is now going to happen- we a closing on our home here in TN on 6/10/19. We have a place (family) to stay at (condo) in Connecticut for a month while we look for a place up there. We wanted to stay in the southern half of the state and Augusta is probably as far north as we want to go. I guess I will update our progress here as time goes by. Prices are much higher there than here for homes. Thanks again for your comments.
lots of towns around augusta ….take a ride up route one from Portland to augusta...then from augusta travel west on 202 going thru Manchester and Winthrop and Monmouth til you get to Lewiston then go to Sabattus and head east on rte 126 ….eventually ending up in gardiner….many small towns …...nearby augusta….Portland and Lewiston/auburn

id find the housing you are looking for in the area..and then check it out see what you like
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Old 05-11-2019, 04:01 PM
 
Location: Smoky Mtns., Eastern TN
55 posts, read 170,303 times
Reputation: 41
Quote:
Originally Posted by OutdoorLover View Post
Routes 295 and 95 are very good roads and are priorities for winter plowing. However, if you need to commute even on snow days, the plows can't run often enough to keep the roads safe for high speed travel during snowstorms - it's just coming down too fast, plus it gets dark early in winter. So you can expect long drives with poor visibility and slippery conditions during snowstorms. Especially on the drive home, when you're already tired from putting in a day's work, it's dark, and the headlights are filled with fat snowflakes, and the traction is iffy, and you need to do that for 2 hours (or more) that's going to be hard to endure and fairly risky. If you can stay home on the days it actually snows heavily and work from home, it's another matter, as the main roads will be good within hours of the storm ending, so the next day you're fine.
That's what I figured, but it's good to hear it from someone who has lived it everyday. Thank you so much your comments- I will not forget them when looking around.
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Old 05-11-2019, 04:03 PM
 
Location: Smoky Mtns., Eastern TN
55 posts, read 170,303 times
Reputation: 41
Quote:
Originally Posted by mainebrokerman View Post
lots of towns around augusta ….take a ride up route one from Portland to augusta...then from augusta travel west on 202 going thru Manchester and Winthrop and Monmouth til you get to Lewiston then go to Sabattus and head east on rte 126 ….eventually ending up in gardiner….many small towns …...nearby augusta….Portland and Lewiston/auburn

id find the housing you are looking for in the area..and then check it out see what you like
Thanks. You can only do so much on the internet and hearing from you on this is very helpful.
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Old 05-11-2019, 09:21 PM
 
Location: Newburyport, MA
11,867 posts, read 8,970,714 times
Reputation: 15159
If you want to stay within decent driving distance of Portland and want to look along the coast, Topsham (just across the river from Brunswick) and Bath are both pretty pleasant towns and both are certainly a good deal more affordable than Portland.
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Old 05-12-2019, 01:08 PM
 
Location: Smoky Mtns., Eastern TN
55 posts, read 170,303 times
Reputation: 41
Quote:
Originally Posted by OutdoorLover View Post
If you want to stay within decent driving distance of Portland and want to look along the coast, Topsham (just across the river from Brunswick) and Bath are both pretty pleasant towns and both are certainly a good deal more affordable than Portland.
We have been looking at Bath (we have been there once). Of course, there are fewer homes available there in out price range, but I am glad to see we are looking in the right areas. You input is appreciated.
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Old 05-12-2019, 08:12 PM
 
4 posts, read 11,031 times
Reputation: 15
I live in Hallowell, which is immediately south of Augusta. Both my wife and I work in Augusta (10 min commute). Hallowell has a nice, albeit small downtown and is within reasonable driving distance of the coast. The housing prices are perhaps 25% higher than Augusta prices, but still reasonable. You might also consider Bath, Brunswick or a coastal town like Rockland, Camden, Damariscotta (that would be my choice) or Booth ay Harbor.
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