Moving from CO to ME - Visiting in June and have questions. (Bangor: theater, middle school)

[hsnider]

Fantasitc information everyone! That gives us several places to choose from for lobster - maybe I'll just break the bank and stuff her daily ( ;-D that'd teach her - can you just smell the sarcasm here?).

Essentially a place where we can hang our hats for the next 50 years. We're looking for a bit of land (10+ acres) that's not too sandy. We've had enough of that here in Colorado (sorry to say the state's looking more and more like New Mexico - no snow, no rain, hot, dry, dusty, etc.) Woods are fine, water's fine. I know it's not a lot to go on, but the goal is to actually be around plant growth, have space for a garden, neighbors close enough to socialize - but not look in our window when they look out theirs, commutable to a town with the basics (grocery store, gas station, etc.) - here in Colorado we're used to a minimum of a 30-60 minute commute to get anywhere unless you're already in the city.

We've been doing what we can to research and prepare (found a decent/recent book about moving to Maine and what to expect), spoken to many people, done the online thing. So far the largest thing I need to do, aside from visit/choose a location/check the schools/etc., is get a bigger generator and hone what little skill remains with an axe.

I can safely say we'll be in one of those restaurants mentioned on June 12th - Once she picks which one I'll be sure to sing that out as well.

As far as needing to narrow towns down - believe me, I know. So far pretty much every place we look at reminds us of the types of towns we're looking for (towns I grew up in).

To date, the only thing really tugging at our heart strings about moving is leaving our writing group. However, we figure there's either one similar there somewhere, and if not, we'll just start another one.

So any other suggestions, advice, etc?

Thanks,

Henry

[Maineac]

McLaughlin's Seafood, Bangor. Eat at the picnic table, or buy 'em live and cook them at home. Say hi to Reid.

[reloop]

Here's a link that may have some useful info for you.



Maine.gov: Family & Home: Moving to Maine

[frogcreekwoods]

Originally Posted by hsnider

We've been doing what we can to research and prepare (found a decent/recent book about moving to Maine and what to expect),

What's the book? I'd love to read it too~

[hsnider]

Thanks for the links - they'll be a big help. The book's called "Moving to Maine." It's pretty straightforward - here's the Amazon link -

Amazon.com: Moving to Maine, Updated and Expanded 2nd Edition: The Essential Guide to Get You There and What You Need to Know to Stay: Victoria Doudera: Books

It's a quick read and addresses all the basics. Between that and Google Earth, we've been able to peek around and get at least a general idea of what the landscape is like through the seasons.

[frogcreekwoods]

Originally Posted by hsnider

Thanks for the links - they'll be a big help. The book's called "Moving to Maine." It's pretty straightforward - here's the Amazon link -

Amazon.com: Moving to Maine, Updated and Expanded 2nd Edition: The Essential Guide to Get You There and What You Need to Know to Stay: Victoria Doudera: Books

It's a quick read and addresses all the basics. Between that and Google Earth, we've been able to peek around and get at least a general idea of what the landscape is like through the seasons.

Thanks - I just ordered one!

MEA (Maine state standardized test scores) can be found here. That's one way to judge a school system, but certainly not the only way. I like to look at the school district websites too. www.greatschools.com is another place to look.

If you want to look at real weather data from the last few years, go to Weather History & Data Archive : Weather Undergroundand put in the area you're looking at. I did this for Bangor, and found that, yes, while there were some days in January where the low went to -20, those are very few. Both Dec 2007 and Dec 2008 saw days in the 40s and even 50 in Bangor.

I love the street view for Google Earth - gives you a real view of a neighborhood. Not all streets have this option.

Also, www.realtor.com is great to get an idea of the housing market.

Good luck!

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by reloop

Here's a link that may have some useful info for you.



Maine.gov: Family & Home: Moving to Maine

Thanks for that link, reloop. I will start sending it to new customers who are interested in Maine.

[BoundtofindME]

Originally Posted by AustinB

For the lobster, try the Union River lobster Pound in Ellsworth. Or try the Oak Point Lobster Pound in Trenton. Both are within 45 minutes of Bangor. The Union River should be open in June.

Captain Nicks or is it Nicky's in Bangor probably serves lobster.

Update: The Oak Point Lobster Pound in Trenton is a private residence now.

[7th generation]

Originally Posted by BoundtofindME

Update: The Oak Point Lobster Pound in Trenton is a private residence now.

............and Bob Young closed Young's Shellfish Company in Belfast last January.
.....good news is I've hooked up with Maine Shellfish Co.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by BoundtofindME

Update: The Oak Point Lobster Pound in Trenton is a private residence now.

Not a bad place to live...

Can you tell, I don't go there much?