Moving from the MidAtlantic to Maine (Portland, Brunswick: for sale, crime rate, hotels)

[BurketoMaine]

My family and I are thinking of moving to Maine from Virginia. We are thinking of moving to the Brunswick area or other towns near by. Do any people have any suggestions about the best places to live for a family with one child. We are eager to move, but want to go about it in the right way. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated.

[Sandpiper]

WE moved to Rockland when our two youngest were beginning first grade and fifth grade. Our son was in his 3rd year of high school. We moved to Rockland, not far from Brunswick, and love the midcoast! Rockland is being called the hippest little city in Maine. There are a lot of fun things to do and more businesses are moving to the area. You might want to check it out. FYI I have a beautiful home for sale within walking distance to everything. We have downsized and moved 2 streets over because we love this part of town, it is the historic district.

[TrekkingNorth]

I want to re-open this post, because Rockland intrigues me. Have not been there yet, but I like what I see. Am I right in my assumption that it is not as glitzy as Camden, but still has things to offer? I am interested in "the hippest little city..." idea. We have to kids, 7&8, and hope to pick a spot where we can all have a lot of fun while they get a good education. Brusnwick area has been the focus so far, but Rockland......What do you all think?

[BacktoNE]

Rockland is a wonderful little town with great shops, lots of things to do and best of all, right on the coast. I don't know about the schools, hopefully someone with first hand experience can help you with that.

It isn't as glitzy as Camden, but if you are going to live there year 'round, trust me when I tell you that's a good thing. Camden's a fun place to visit but the seasonal traffic would make it a nightmare for living.

I lived in Brunswick as a child and have many fond memories from that time. My parents, on the other hand, told me the schools weren't so good. HOWEVER, that was 40+ years ago and I'm sure the situation has changed since then. One of Brunswicks great assets is Bowdoin College. THere are many, many different events that take place on campus, open to the public and the campus itself is beautiful. I don't know if they still freeze the "mall" (green space) in the center of town for skating all winter, but they used to and it was really fun. Oh, and lets not forget the hot dog carts along Maine Street in the summer. They've been there forever and even though I'm not a huge fan of hot dogs, it just wouldn't be summer without stopping there once. Yummmm....

Just 30 minutes from Brunswick is Bailey's Island and Orr's Island. They are very small coastal villages and are beautiful.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by BacktoNE

Rockland is a wonderful little town with great shops, lots of things to do and best of all, right on the coast. I don't know about the schools, hopefully someone with first hand experience can help you with that.

What's up with the high crime rate in Rockland???

Check it out: http://www.city-data.com/city/Rockland-Maine.html

That is WAY higher than any of the surrounding communities of similar size.

[Vicky in Valdosta]

Don't be afraid to move to Maine, be afraid not to!

[mollysmiles]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

What's up with the high crime rate in Rockland???

Check it out: http://www.city-data.com/city/Rockland-Maine.html

That is WAY higher than any of the surrounding communities of similar size.

I always wonder when I see stats like those too. What is up? Rockland has it's own police dept., so is it just that "reporting" is higher? I'd almost bet that's the case....I haven't been there in a little over a year, but I can't imagine it's gone downhill that fast!

[Unhappycamper]

I drove through Rockland about 3:30 AM this morning. Seemed nice and like there is plenty to do during the day. All the hotels in there area were full along route one in Camden and Rockland so it must be a pretty happening place.

[mandapanda]

Love the Brunswick area. Daughter went to Bowdoin - graduated six years ago. She worked in a pre-school on campus and loved it. You are close to Portland, and if you need it, Boston. We lived in Kings Park for 25 years (two of ours graduated from Lake Braddock - don't miss that either) and are now in Montana. Spent a week every summer for years in Belfast. It has gone yuppie. Love Maine, but the winters are hard.

Son went to U of Maine - first at Machias, then Orono. Don't miss Northern Virginia. Good luck.

[seldomseen]

Do a lot of research, and research, and personally visit the area during the summer, winter, and spring before you make the move from a major metropolitan area to Maine, the Maine "lifestyle" sounds nice on paper, and in picture, but in reality, it's a very, very, very difficult place survive financially, unless you have the right skills-sets, and or willing to make a lot of career related sacrifices. You have more people leaving the state of Maine, than you have moving to it. Consider living near Portland, if you're insistant on moving to Maine. With that said, Rockland Maine is decent...it has a reputation as being somewhat "seedy" by locals. Rockland is basically a blue collar, homogenized (white) town. Rockland has the most stores/resturants/banks, etc from Portland Northward, so be prepared to travel FAR if you ever need anything that isn't available in town.

There really isn't anything special, or very much to do in Rockland/Rockport/Camden on a year round basis. Lots of poverty, drug/alcohol abuse by locals, but summers in this area is pretty much in abundance by out-of-towners that have money. Keep in mind that 95% of the money in this area isn't local money...which also makes finding gainful employment nearly impossible.

If you plan on living in this area prepare to earn "peanuts" unless you have the education, and skills that are in high-demand, and pays well. Cost of housing is pretty much dirt cheap in this area, but that's about it. Everything else is basically the same price you can expect elsewhere (gas prices are higher in Maine though which doesn't make any sense, considering the proportion of low wages in this area.

This particular area is better left as a place to visit, or summer residence rather than a full-time residence. Especially if you want cultural diversity, resources, good education, diversified employment market, and access to the rest of the "world" for various other important issues, entertainment et cetera...