Moving to maine or new hampshire? (Portland, Biddeford: renting, condos, houses)

[BLUE COLLAR]

Hi,(this might be long but please bare with me)my wife,4 yr. old daughter and I live in Sussex County NJ and we want out.I've wanted to move for a long time but my wife was reluctant to move away from her family but about a year ago my wife finally became fed up with living here,the cost of living,rude people and how crowded its getting.During Christmas I reconnected with my family that I hadn't spoken to since my Mom died about 10 years ago,we were invited to a family reunion over the summer in Goshen,NH and to spend a few days with my Aunt and Uncle in Hope,ME,we went,we loved my family and we also loved ME and NH(we were never in New England but had always wanted to visit)we want to move.My wife drives a school bus,is a police dispatcher and a volunteer EMT.I work in a sporting goods store,selling firearms(something I've done for over 20 years)and have a small landscaping(cut grass and plow snow)business.We're looking for a place to raise our daughter thats safe,friendly where we can work hard and be part of the community and not change things.The area we live in was rural not to long ago and people started moving in,building bigger homes,condos,street light higher taxes,etc.We would like to have a hospital within 1/2 an hour,some shopping and good schools,hunting,fishing,etc.We're looking for an affordable area,that we can buy a modest house with some property or build a small house in the next few years.We plan to heat primarily with wood and we do eat venison,so trees and deer,even moose are important.Any suggestions would be appreciated,please.How do NH and ME compare.My cousin who lives in VT said VT taxes are just to high and NH would be a better choice,I als thought about upstste NY but the job outlook dosen't seem to good.Thanks for any help you can give us.
BC

[forest beekeeper]

I think that you really need to come up, and look around.

Maine is big. Maine has a lot of regions that are each very different from each other.

You need to spend a weekend in each region, to get the feel of each area. Schools differ, property taxes differ, communities differ.

[dubthang]

If you don't want city life and don't care about the ocean being close (Portland, ME) then I'd choose NH. I grew up in Keene, NH, and have lived in both NH and ME for some time. I also drove trucks throughout both states. NH has slightly better taxes depending on what town you choose. Plus, there is no income tax which can make a big difference in your check.

I'd look around the Concord or north of Concord area. This would allow you to have great access to the White Mountains, and still be able to work, shop, etc in a decent sized town.

[lookinforahome]

I live in Saco, I think you should consider moving here! There's a hospital right next door in Biddeford, the school system is excellent, there are plenty of houses going up (but not to the point of being crowded), its a 20 minute drive to Portland for shopping and jobs. There is a downtown part of Saco but also a lot of rural land with farms, fields, and area for you to hunt and fish.

[Peter Creedon]

What about the Berwicks? For the first six weeks of my life, my family lived on Front Street, in South Berwick, right across from the saco RR(?) North Berwick is nice, don't know anyhting about the schools, as I don't have any kids, and am still somewhat of a kid myself(19). I have some friends that live on Valley Road in North Berwick.

I'm actually on a quest myself. I am looking for a house, or even renting a house in the downeast area.

[elston]

Originally Posted by lookinforahome

I live in Saco, I think you should consider moving here! There's a hospital right next door in Biddeford, the school system is excellent, there are plenty of houses going up (but not to the point of being crowded), its a 20 minute drive to Portland for shopping and jobs. There is a downtown part of Saco but also a lot of rural land with farms, fields, and area for you to hunt and fish.

I have to agree that Saco has a great deal going for it....nice community! Close to Portland, RR to Boston, beaches and close to rural areas! Keep Your eye on Saco....

[bignhfamily]

Hey Blue Collar,

We are a family of 6 in NH that has been looking for that perfect land tract in Maine for the last 5 years. We would like about 100 rural farm acres to homestead on. Owning such a tract of land is much more achievable in ME than in NH. We could NEVER afford such a piece of land in NH.
That being said, we have temporarily halted our plans to make our move across the Maple Curtain mostly because the economy and the state of the nation. Here in NH there is still decent jobs available and my construction company is staying busy. We're fortunate to have most of the winter booked up and plenty of exterior stuff untill snow flies. My wife is in nursing and has no problem filling her schedule with shifts at a decent wage. I don't know anybody here in the Upper Valley of NH that can't find work (if they want to work that is).
It saddens us that we won't be spending the winter fixing up some old farmhouse in central Maine but with the uncertainties of our country we figured it to be wiser to hunker down another winter here with our kids.
Until then we'll keep looking.

[forest beekeeper]

I am constantly amazed at how many abandoned farmhouses there are.

[Nor'Eastah]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I am constantly amazed at how many abandoned farmhouses there are.

That's because during the boom, everybody wanted to become "city folk", and not get their hands dirty any more!

Sad, no?