Working in York- Where should fam w/ young kids live?? (Portland: sales, real estate)

[alina0013]

Hi All,

My husband is considering taking a job in York. We are from Boston and are pretty unfamiliar with the area. We had been thinking he would work further north in Maine and we were considering living in Yarmouth and were pretty happy with that idea, but it seems a bit far from York. Any advice on a great spot for a family that is a feasible commute to York? Is York itself nice? Our first priorities are a very good public school system and a safe area. We would also like to live somwhere with a "real" downtown, a good sense of community, and lots of activities for kids and families. Our house budget is in the 600Ks, although we would ideally rent for a bit first to make sure we are going to be happy with the area and the job. Thank you for any advice you may have! I'd love to narrow our oprtions down a bit before we head up to look at towns since we will have the kids in the car.

One more question: What's it like commuting to work in Maine in the summer? Is the traffic just crazy all around York? My husband goes to work very early (btw 6 and 7 am) so we are not so worried about that, but he generally leaves around 5-6, which I'm thinking might be crazy all summer long?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

[Coaster]

If you're planning on moving to Maine with a $600k house budget you can pretty much live anywhere you want, especially in this economy. I have relatives who live at Kittery Point who are very happy with the area and the schools. York itself is very nice, very upscale, with a very good school system.

Have you looked across the river in New Hampshire? Living in Kittery or York puts you within proximity of Portsmouth, which has a neat downtown and no sales tax. I would not advise living in New Hampshire and working in Maine, since that would give you the worst of both worlds, tax-wise. You get to pay New Hampshire's sky-high property taxes and Maine's high state income tax. (You're not exempt from Maine income tax if you work here and live in NH.)

Summer traffic is bad by Maine standards, but I've been told repeatedly by people from Boston and New York that Maine's summer traffic is a breeze compared to daily commuter traffic "back home."

My best advice, since you're in Boston but unfamiliar with Maine, is to hop in the car and drive up here some sunny day.

[lrfox]

Kittery is very nice as is York. Ogunquit has a nice little town center too and is within a reasonable commute. Living somewhere like Portsmouth NH (beautiful downtown) or Rye Beach would be nice too.

The summer traffic can get "slow" along Route 1 and 95, but it's hardly bad even at its worst. "Slow" means you won't just breeze through, but traffic is hardly a nightmare. It's not nearly what you'd be used to on a daily basis in the Boston area. Yesterday (I live in Boston but rarely drive) I sat in traffic for about 25 minutes at about 2pm on Comm Ave in the Back Bay only to find out that the way was closed as Ben Affleck was shooting a movie. 15 minutes later I was sitting in Gridlocked traffic near the intersection of Land Ave and O'Brien hwy. You'll never see that type of traffic in Maine at any time. In fact, Gridlock isn't a term that's used in Maine (unless in reference to Boston). Your husband wouldn't have a problem commuting in York. Ideally, what would be the maximum timeframe for a commute for you (1/2 hour... 40 minutes, etc?) as knowing that can help us narrow it down.

The schools in Maine (York, Kittery, Wells, etc) are going to be a bit better than their counterparts in New Hampshire simply because the Maine tax structure supports the school systems more than New Hampshire's (NH doesn't have sales or income tax). That's not to say the schools in NH are bad, but Southern Maine has good schools (not like Brookline, Newton, Wellsely, etc, but good).

The lack of income tax and sales tax make New Hampshire attractive (I don't know how you would be affected by living in NH and working in Maine... you may have to pay some income tax to Maine). I wouldn't want to rely on Portsmouth's public schools, but the town (city of 25,000 actually) is very pretty and has one of the nicest, most in tact downtowns you'll find in New England. Tons of shops and restaurants to enjoy as well as excellent federalist architecture.

Safety is almost a non-issue here. It's safe in any of these towns, period. You'd have a hard time finding a rough spot anywhere within about 45 minute's drive from York.

So, in summary, York is great. It's a nice beach community. It doesn't have a big downtown (small village sort of deal... not much there). Ogunquit has a great little downtown and is just a few minutes from York; I believe they share a school district with Wells. Kittery has sort of a village, but not a real "downtown." Rye Beach is nice as is Portsmouth and both of these towns have an excellent housing stock.

I'd take a day in the next week or so and drive up (really not that far from Boston... 1.5-2 hrs). Start at Ogunquit (farthest point North of Boston) and make your way down to Portsmouth/Rye stopping a bit in each community to get a feel for them. It would be a great way to familiarize yourself.

[alina0013]

Thanks so much for the replies. A maximum of a 30 minute commute to work at York Hospital would be what we are going for, but, if York itself is nice, I think we would start our search there. A shorter commute is always better. So.... Lrfox, you don't think that the "good" school systems in Maine are up to par with the "good" school systems in the Boston area? Do you think this is an issue of education or is it that the schools are just less diverse? We are prepared (I guess you would say resigned to) less diversity in ME (which is something that's a bit of a bummer for us since our kids are asian and caucasian), but I was hoping to find a public school system where the quality of the education would be comparable to what we would get down here. Then again, as long as the community is pleasant and the school has a decent range of activities for the kids, I suppose we should be okay.

As far as housing prices go, any idea what a comfortable but not over-the-top three or four bed house in a nice part of town goes for in York? We are happy to spend in the 6s, but we don't want to end up with an upper outlier if nice enough homes go for less (and we live in Newton now, so we have low standards as to what is "nice enough" house-wise). I would not want to get stuck with something that could be hard to sell if things don't work out.

Thanks very much, again!

[lrfox]

I would expect to pay between $350,000-500,000 for a nice sized (2,500-3,000 sq feet 4+br) home in a comfortable neighborhood. That money would get you a newer construction, a lot of space in a good area. If you were willing to maximize your budget, you could probably get something that size within walking distance to the beach. I think you'll find you have very little issue with your budget.

As far as schools go, York's are good (Wells and Kittery may be a notch below, but not bad at all). The reason I say not as good as the towns I listed in my first post is because those are some of the best public schools in the country. While Southern Maine has some very good public schools, they're not going to be comparable to the best in Metro Boston. However, York's (and others in Southern Maine) are better than some of the more middle of the road districts in metro Boston. I don't know exactly which town around Boston you're in so I don't know whether you can expect a better district or worse one; but even if it's worse, the drop off won't be that significant as York is reputable.

The ethnic diversity isn't exactly thrilling in Maine. In fact, it's the whitest state in the nation statistically. However, Maine is VERY tolerant. I worked briefly with Portland public schools while living in Maine and was incredibly impressed with how much race really wasn't an issue. I don't believe your children will have any issue with race while in school.

While Maine is a very rural state and it will be a big change, York isn't a bad move at all. It's in the most heavily settled part of the state (I know, not saying much), which means there's more than enough to make it so you don't feel like you're in the boonies. The off-season will be quiet, but it may even be peaceful. You have access to all sorts of outdoor activities from York but you're still just minutes from Portsmouth NH and a little over an hour from Boston.

[mainegrl2011]

Why would you make plans to move some place that you have never visited? Hop in the car on a nice day and drive to York and York Beach, Ogunquit, Cape Neddick and all the towns on Rt. 1 along the way. You could also get online (real estate site or craigslist) and check out the real estate--maybe even set up some appointments to look at some places to buy or rent. The restaurant by Nubble Light is a bit pricy compared to some other places I've been, but the fried clams are delicious...blueberry pie....ice cream. Of course, if your housing budget is $600K, you probably won't be too concerned about the price of the food. Have a nice trip.

[lrfox]

If you REALLY like seafood, try Blue Sky on York Beach. It's owned and operated by Lydia Shire who, if you don't know, is a renowned Boston chef who owns the likes of Locke-Ober near Downtown Crossing and Scampo in the Liberty Hotel.

Blue Sky is probably the best restaurant in Maine hands down (with a nod to Arrows in Kennebunk at a close #2). Blue Sky specializes in seafood (with other offerings) but everything is done very well. To top it off, it's not expensive for the quality of food (or the fact that it's a Lydia Shire venture). Just about everything (except the whole Lobster) is under $30 which for good food is outstanding.... Plates at Locke-Ober range from about $28-$60.

If you check out the area, make sure you stop there. It's very good.

[klaviernista]

York and Kittery are both very nice. Don't judge Kittery by the "strip" of retal outlets on rt 1. Once you get off the beaten path it is a great, and quait, Maine town.

Given your tolerance for a 30 minute commute, check out Scarborough. Great schools, really nice houses in the 450-500k range. My wife and I are relocating to Maine too (my job will be in Portsmouth, NH), and we checked out a few houses in Scarborough recently. From what we saw, 450k will buy a new or near new 3000 sq ft home with lots of bells and whistles. There are also lots of options to custom build, if you are into that.

[Coaster]

Originally Posted by klaviernista

York and Kittery are both very nice. Don't judge Kittery by the "strip" of retal outlets on rt 1. Once you get off the beaten path it is a great, and quait, Maine town.

Given your tolerance for a 30 minute commute, check out Scarborough. Great schools, really nice houses in the 450-500k range. My wife and I are relocating to Maine too (my job will be in Portsmouth, NH), and we checked out a few houses in Scarborough recently. From what we saw, 450k will buy a new or near new 3000 sq ft home with lots of bells and whistles. There are also lots of options to custom build, if you are into that.

Just curious -- why would you not live in New Hampshire if you were working there? If you live in Maine but work in NH, you will still have to pay Maine income tax on your earnings. (The state forced my daughter to pay state income tax on her earnings when she lived in London, England!) The tax burden in NH is much lower than Maine's, the number of students per teacher is lower in NH schools, and real estate prices are comparable if not lower once you get outside the Portsmouth area.

[alina0013]

Thanks again for the tips, everyone! We are going to head up next week to start looking around. Mainegrl, of course we would not move somewhere without looking, but it's nice to have some idea about towns before we start deciding which ones to visit, since time is not unlimited (and travel with two little kids in the car needs to be focused). I think we are going to begin by investigating York and Kennebunk and maybe Scarborough.