Island living (Portland, Bangor, Kennebunk: real estate, rentals, how much)

[alittlenerdy]

Do you or anyone you know live on an island in Maine? Since there are so many islands, I was wondering if anyone knows what it would be like to live on an island in Maine.


I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like...

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Before buying on Monhegan, Vinalhaven or North Haven you might want to try Deer Isle or Verona Island. They have bridges. I used to live on Verona Island. Islesboro has been taken over by wealthy actors and banker.

[deerislesmile]

I'm on Deer Isle. We have a bridge to the mainland, so it's a little different than the outer islands.

[alittlenerdy]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Before buying on Monhegan, Vinalhaven or North Haven you might want to try Deer Isle or Verona Island. They have bridges. I used to live on Verona Island.

Oh. Of course... My SO and I like to frequent Santa Rosa Island in Navarre Beach Florida, and it has a lovely bridge. We used to want to live there, actually, but the risk of living on a barrier island in Florida during hurricane season is not always worth taking.

Here are a few of my photos from Florida and Santa Rosa Island:

http://photos-e.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v117/72/53/83304022/s83304022_30470524_7333.jpg (broken link)

http://photos-b.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v117/72/53/83304022/s83304022_30470529_8800.jpg (broken link)

http://photos-h.ll.facebook.com/photos-ll-sf2p/v117/72/53/83304022/s83304022_30470527_8222.jpg (broken link)

[island mermaid]

Most of my entire family live on an island in Penobscot Bay. 7 miles from the mainland, no bridge. Life on an island varies from each season. What specific ?'s do you have, perhaps I can help.

[alittlenerdy]

Originally Posted by island mermaid

Most of my entire family live on an island in Penobscot Bay. 7 miles from the mainland, no bridge. Life on an island varies from each season. What specific ?'s do you have, perhaps I can help.

Yay! I have lots of questions.

1) Do you always take the ferry, or could you take a personal boat or small airplane?

2) How do you get to work? Can you maintain a normal job while living secluded and all?

3) What happens if there is inclement weather, and you need to get on the mainland?

4) Do you have enough commercial and retail resources, or do you have to go ashore to buy most things?

5) Do you have a hard time finding employment?

6) What happens if you get snowed in and lose power? Do you have a generator?


If you can add anything else that would be helpful, I would appreciate it.

[DreamworksSKG]

you might check out Peaks Island its a short ferry ride to Portland

Peaks Island Maine - Real Estate, Rentals, Island Info & More

population about 1,000

Peaks Island Maine - Real Estate, Rentals, Island Info & More


Map of Peaks Island
Peaks Island ME - Google Maps

Peaks Island Inn and Restaurant
Index

Peaks Island Health Center
Peaks Island Health Center

Peaks Island Library
Peaks Island Branch Library

Peaks Island Schools
welcome to peaks

Casco Bay Ferry
Casco Bay Lines (http://www.cascobaylines.com/islands/peaks.htm - broken link)

Peaks Island Council
Peaks Island Council Home

Peaks Island Land preserve
Peaks Island Land Preserve

BEG Former military Reservation on Peaks Island
BEG: Peaks Island

Portland -Peaks Island Water Taxi
Peaks Island Portland Water Taxi
Portland Water Taxi Home


Other Islands:

LONG ISLAND
Long Island Portland Water Taxi


CLIFF ISLAND
Cliff Island Portland Water Taxi

Peaks Island History
Fifth Maine Regiment Museum - Peaks Island History (http://www.fifthmainemuseum.org/peaks_history.html - broken link)

Peaks Island Walk
Peaks Island - Hiking -

Peaks Island Children Workshop
Home

Island Times News
Island Times Home Page

PEAKS ISLAND
Peaks Island, Maine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maine Webcams
The Maine Web Cam Network, Kennebunkport

Article: The Life and Times of a Maine Island
The Life and Times of a Maine Island | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine



PORTLAND INFO
Everything Maine - The Greater Portland and Casco Bay Area Welcomes You! - Greater Portland Casco Bay Maine


Hope this helps

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by alittlenerdy

Yay! I have lots of questions.

1) Do you always take the ferry, or could you take a personal boat or small airplane?

On our particular island we don't have a ferry, however our privately owned mail boat service also takes passengers. The "mail boat" runs 3 times a day during the high point of the summer. Also in the summer, an extra boat is run twice a day that takes day trippers or campers to the east side of the island and drops them off in Acadia National Park. A park ranger will be there in Duck Harbor to take a head count when the boat lands, if you don't have a reservation to stay at one of the few lean to's in the park, you will be expected to be departing on that late afternoon boat. If you're not on that last boat, an all out search of the island will ensue to find you. This prevents campers from camping on private property which in turn helps to keep our risk of fire danger down to a minimum.

Many people do own their own boats as the cost of taking the mail boat across is quite expensive, and as well as for convenience purposes. There are a few 'guest' moorings in our thoroughfare for visitors.

The only type of plane that can be landed there is a small sea plane. These planes land in our 'pond', it's just a one mile long straight stretch of fresh water pond. There is an air service out of Bangor that can be hired to transport people out there, the cost is rather expensive. We do a have a group of people that fly in once a year in the winter, they land on the ice and spend the day out there ice fishing. 5 - 6 planes all gather out there on the pond and provide lots of entertainment for the locals.

We do have a one-room school house for grades K- 8. Once kids reach high school they have to go 'off-island' to attend school. The boat will run twice a day during the winter (weather dependent) to take the kids back and forth to the mainland to attend high school.

2) How do you get to work? Can you maintain a normal job while living secluded and all?

There isn't much work there to be had, especially in the winter months. The primary source of employment is lobstering. There is a small seasonal B&B, a tiny provision only store with very limited hours and supplies, a seasonal very tiny little cafe & chocolatier also with limited hours. There's also a very tiny gift shop on the island that has limited hours, depending upon if my Mom feels like opening up that particular day or not. These business's usually only hire the locals. A few residents do have 'care-taking' positions for the summer residents, mow lawns and do basic yard upkeep and handyman type of work. There are a few builders/ carpenters on the island as well.

A normal job on the closest mainland might almost be possible depending on if you could find one that would coincide with the hours of the mail boat or had your own boat. Most island residents do not work on the mainland.


3) What happens if there is inclement weather, and you need to get on the mainland?

Your 'need' to get to the mainland during inclement weather better be a medical emergency. In that case, a Life Flight heliocopter would be called by one of our resident EMT's. Otherwise your best bet would be to get to know one of our local lobsterman with a fairly good sized boat and lots and lots of cash in your wallet.

4) Do you have enough commercial and retail resources, or do you have to go ashore to buy most things?

As previously stated our retail resources are limited. Most people go "off- island" to either Stonington, Blue Hill or Ellsworth to do their weekly grocery shopping.

5) Do you have a hard time finding employment?

Again, there aren't many, if any employment opportunities on this very small island. Our winter population is less than 40 people however our summer population can grow as high as approx 600 people.

6) What happens if you get snowed in and lose power? Do you have a generator?

Our island didn't even have electricity until just 25 years or so ago. We now have a small electric company. The power often goes out during the winter, in that situation the town does have it's own back up generator. It only runs the few houses that are directly 'in town' and someone must get up early and go 'flip the switch'. Other people do have a generator, however bear in mind that buying fuel on the island to run your generator will cost you and arm and a leg.
A few people on the island do have plows on their trucks, however because we are so far to the east, we normally receive less snow than the mainland.


If you can add anything else that would be helpful, I would appreciate it.

www.isleauhaut.com

Isle au Haut, Maine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hope this helps, feel free to DM me if you have any further questions.

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by alittlenerdy

Do you or anyone you know live on an island in Maine? Since there are so many islands, I was wondering if anyone knows what it would be like to live on an island in Maine.


I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like...

I am surprised that no body has mentioned Swans Island or Matinicus Island. Those are both year round islands with resident populations. Swans Island is off the southwestern tip of Mt. Desert Island and is serviced by Maine State Ferry out of Bass Harbor. Matinicus is reached out of Rockland and St. George, and has a very small year round community there. There is a mail boat that goes out, and at the Rockland airport in Owls Head, the flying service there flies out, but again, air travel is expensive.

Emergencies on Swans Island are handled by the State Ferry which spends the night there. It is not terribly far to Bass Harbor...about ten miles I think...but sometimes the seas are too rough for the State Ferry to run, in which case the ill person...pregnant woman...whatever, is transported by lobster boat. My wife and I though seriously about retiring out there and looked at several properties a few years ago.

Matinicus is a bit different. It's quite a long way from anywhere, and in winter its pretty isolated. A close friend was the school teacher there for several years after she graduated from college.

But I suspect that the real point that might be useful to make here is about the relative size of these places. I suspect that A Little Nerdy is thinking of Maine in California terms. There really is nothing that Maine and California have in common, except language. Maine has a very, very small population and the economy is commensurate with so few people. The islands are very thinly populated, and as a general statement, there is NO employment as such. People who need to have jobs normally will live on the mainland, the exception being those islands serviced by the Maine Ferry Service.

As far as having a small boat to use to make the crossing yourself, it surely is possible at least in the summer. But then there is the fog, and even the crossing from Swans Island to Bass Harbor can be so foggy, or so rough that anything less than about a forty foot boat with radar can be impossible in the middle of summer. There are days when the car carrying State Ferry cancels due to fog.

Basically, when you are island living, you plan very carefully around what and when you really, truly need to be on the mainland. And living on the islands can be considered to be comparatively primitive to living on the mainland.

And of course, everything that one needs to get done is much more expensive to have done on an island. Can you imagine needing to have a well drilled, and the added cost that the logistics of hauling a well drilling rig and allied equipment presents? Ten, fifteen, twenty percent? It's difficult.

[deerislesmile]

Originally Posted by island mermaid

www.isleauhaut.com

Isle au Haut, Maine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hope this helps, feel free to DM me if you have any further questions.

I can't believe your post about island living was that long and not once contained the word "cribbage".


BUT WAIT!!! I actually had a question! How much does someone have to pay to get a vehicle out to the outer islands, and how does that happen? SeaTruk?