Working in Lewiston, living in Freeport or Brunswick (Portland, Auburn: low income, rental)

[suzyshyla123]

My husband may be taking a job in Lewiston-Auburn. We are thinking about the possibility of living in a community that is around 30 - 40 minutes from there.

I would like to hear pros & cons about Freeport or Brunswick. By the way, we have 2 teenagers so we need to consider the schools. Any input would be helpful.

[flycessna]

Yarmouth, Cape elizabeth, bangor are the best rated schools in the state. IDK much about Brunswick Freeport... I would look at the needs of my children and then research according to that. Anyone who is willing to put in the effort can get a decent education here in Maine.. with that said there has been some debate over the quality of education offered...

Places like Lewiston have their numbers skewed because they have a minority and low income population.. but do not be fooled.. the schools are not bad and the city has a large middle class population which is probably bigger than brunswick or freeport.

I live in Auburn and I am happy so far with the schools..

But like I said it depends on your children and their needs.. what are they used too... do they play sports ect??

Pro's and Con's... They only negative I can think of for you would be the commute to Lewiston though not bad... might not be necessary... and Brunswick is going through changes right now with the base closing.

IDk much about freeport.

[WhoFanMe]

Don't forget North Yarmouth, who's students attend the Greeley Schools in Cumberland.

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by flycessna

Brunswick is going through changes right now with the base closing.
.

Once again, Brunswick is doing just fine. The base closure started a few years ago and was phased out gradually. There are no empty store fronts, the biggest one ( Grand City) was just rented out to multiple small business's and shops. Again, there are 3 new restaurants that just opened this week. There is a lot of housing available is you're looking for a rental until you decide where you'd like to live. The schools there are very well rated, our downtown is viable and our traffic is minimal. (except on Friday afternoons in the summer when everyone is trying to find parking for the farmers mrkt downtown)
Brunswick offers a nice walking/ bike path along the Androscoggin River, all summer long you'll find a wonderful selection of plays and musicals
at Maine State Summer Theatre. Maine State Music Theatre
Bowdoin College offers a wide array of summer day camps for children.
Any and all of your shopping needs can be filled right there or in neighboring Topsham.

Depending upon where in L/A your husbands job is, you will be looking at a 30-45 minute commute. Augusta, 30 minutes. Portland, 30 minutes.

Best of luck in your research.

[flycessna]

Originally Posted by island mermaid

Once again, Brunswick is doing just fine. The base closure started a few years ago and was phased out gradually. There are no empty store fronts, the biggest one ( Grand City) was just rented out to multiple small business's and shops. Again, there are 3 new restaurants that just opened this week. There is a lot of housing available is you're looking for a rental until you decide where you'd like to live. The schools there are very well rated, our downtown is viable and our traffic is minimal. (except on Friday afternoons in the summer when everyone is trying to find parking for the farmers mrkt downtown)
Brunswick offers a nice walking/ bike path along the Androscoggin River, all summer long you'll find a wonderful selection of plays and musicals
at Maine State Summer Theatre. Maine State Music Theatre
Bowdoin College offers a wide array of summer day camps for children.
Any and all of your shopping needs can be filled right there or in neighboring Topsham.

Depending upon where in L/A your husbands job is, you will be looking at a 30-45 minute commute. Augusta, 30 minutes. Portland, 30 minutes.

Best of luck in your research.

I totally agree that Brunswick will be fine...(providing that the government doesnt screw it up) Though I was against the closing of the base I can't help but feel the area would be served better long term with private investment.

My answer was really in the frame work of the schools.. IDK how the base closing has effected them.. IE. student population ect.

[mommax3plus2]

i worked in lewiston with an average 45 minute commute for 7 years. the lewiston/auburn area has good schools and a lot to offer. (my children never attended either) the only thing i have to offer is that the commute in the summer has a little more traffic and it just sucks to have to drive anywhere too far in the winter during a storm.

[gf2020]

Similar thread...

Commuting from Yarmouth to Lewiston/Auburn

[Maineah]

There is nothing wrong with Brunswick or Freeport. The schools in Freeport are rated as "very good" and "above average" in Brunswick. Freeport attracts a large transient tourist population in the summer looking for shopping deals at the many shops, outlets and of course LL Bean. The weather slammed the town last summer. The rain kept tourists out of most of Maine though living here in Freeport I really noticed the lower traffic levels. A typical summer would have the place hopping during the day and getting in and out of town can be a hassle if you live east of Route One and I-295. Fortunately I live on the other side of those main corridors so traffic is not an issue.. The drive from Freeport to Auburn on RTE 136 (locally known as the river road) is pleasant and stands to get better as the lower three miles between Main St in Freeport and the Durham town line is widened and paved this spring. There is a nice place (Bell Farms) to buy local veggies on the way home from Auburn on RTE 136. They grow the best sweet corn in the area and excellent chef's potatoes!
Our Mermaid covered Brunswick pretty well and I'll only add that my brother lives there and likes the area very much.

[island mermaid]

Had to resurrect this old thread for all of the naysayers that have posted that they are worried about the how the effect of the base closure is going to effect the Brunswick area. We got GREAT news yesterday!

WCSH6.com | Portland, ME | Aircraft company signs lease at former BNAS
While some may think that 300 new jobs for our town isn't much, I can assure you, it will be a huge asset to our small town.

As well, the one and only empty store front that I mentioned that we had a few weeks ago has just been leased for retail and office space by a local Maine company that is based in Freeport.

Great news for this area, as well there are also other big business's that are looking into space at the former NASB as we speak!

Rock on, Brunswick!

[elston]

Good News! "Its an ill wind that blows no good!" Thanks for sharing.