Nice town (schools, community, culture)- commute to Lewiston??? (Portland: real estate, homes)

[alina0013]

Hello All, We are from the Boston area and know very little about Maine, so we are hoping that some of you can help us. My husband is considering a position at Central Maine Medical Center. Could you suggest any nice towns within commuting distance to Lewiston? Our priorities are safety, high quality public schools, and a vibrant community for kids and families (we have two little boys). I think we'd prefer closer to the coast because (correct me if I'm wrong) it snows less near the coast? All of the areas I'm familiar with seem too far from Lewiston to be feasible for us. Are there any nice towns north of the Portland area that might work? I really like Portland and I'd like to be able to access the city, but I'm not sure how that would work with the Lewiston commute. We'd also love to find a community with some diversity (although we do understand this is Maine and not metro Boston) as kids are part Filipino. Any towns with (relatively) many Asians or other non-caucasians? (I'm thinking towns with lots of physicians, maybe?). Thanks in advance!

[lawmom]

The commute from Portland to Lewiston really doesn't seem that bad. Maybe Falmouth? I believe their schools are very good. What about Brunswick? It has a nice downtown, but I do not know about the schools. I can't imagine that they are bad.

[mainebrokerman]

new gloucester, gray and poland are nice areas
auburn has some very nice neighborhoods(near the turnpike exit)

[lawmom]

I don't think of New Gloucester as a "vibrant community" with any diversity. It has some lovely homes, but there is not much else to it (except for Frozen Custard -- that place rocks!)

I thought of Brunswick because it's a coastal college town with a real nice downtown area. And Falmouth for the schools and the likelihood of lots of physicians living there. I am not sure about areas that have much of an Asian population, though.

[woolwiTch]

I would definitely check out Falmouth, Cumberland, Yarmouth, Freeport and Brunswick. There are also nice neighborhoods within Portland itself that you might look at, focusing on those that have easy access to the Maine turnpike (I-95). The easiest commute will be on I-95 all the way to Lewiston, but I-295 to Route 196 is not bad at all.

Towns closer to the coast do tend to be a little warmer in winter and a little cooler in summer. Often there is less snow, but occasionally there is more. Having lived close to Lewiston and now close to the coast near Brunswick, I do prefer the weather close to the coast.

[alina0013]

Thanks everyone! I think we'll start looking with Falmouth and Yarmouth and also Brunswick.

[woolwiTch]

I think you'll like them all, but I'm somewhat partial to Brunswick. It's diverse for its size because of the presence of Bowdoin College and Brunswick Naval Air Station. Unfortunately, BNAS is closing soon, so that source of people who've been all around the world will be gone, but the good news for you is that real estate prices may be somewhat lower.

Brunswick is more self-contained and less suburb-y than Falmouth and Yarmouth. There are also lots of kid-friendly activities, including a theater group for kids. There are two local bowling alleys (candlepin and duckpin) and they are very family oriented. And of course there are all the usual sports activities. There are two independent movie theaters and a good-sized multiplex. Many restaurants, including quite a few ethnic restaurants. Active farmers' market, and last winter they started two winter markets that are fantastic.

When you look in Brunswick, you might also include Topsham. Topsham is just across the river and would be a couple of minutes closer to Lewiston. It includes a lot of good historic housing stock.