a fresh beginning a new chapter (Rumford, Calais: living, moving to, housing)

[3kidsandmom]

Moving to Rumford in June. Can someone tell me alittle bit about the area. Good places to take the kids and a nice place to live. We are excited and a little overwhelmed. A suggestions on making this move more gentle on all of us.

[maureenb]

Hey, there 3kidsandmom -

I live in mid-coast ME, and I've only driven through Rumford area once - it is beautiful!!! Sorry I can't offer any help with your questions.

I would like to wish you well with your move, though!

[Maineah]

Have you visited Rumford in the past?? The area is pretty enough and the surrounding towns are OK. But..... there is a huge, smelly, noisy, paper mill right smack in the middle of Rumford that cannot be dismissed.
The mill runs around the clock. The bright mercury vapor lights of the mill can be seen for miles around at night, there is a constant parade of trucks unloading chips at the mill. The smell is not pleasant though they HAVE tried to tame it over the last decade or so. Think rotten cabbage for an idea of what you'll smell. It really is an eyesore and detracts from the area alot! Sure it employs many locals but it AIN'T pretty and it is most definitely the focal point of downtown Rumford.

[maine4.us]

That was an excellent depiction of a paper mill. I lived in a 2 mill towns for years. You never get used to the smell, especially when the wind is just right. The locals would always say, that is the smell of money. I have to agree with them on that. The two mills are still cranking out paper and cellulose, and still smelling up the place at times. I suspect that they are on the downhill slide. There are about 1200 people employed there.

You might want to give Maineah's comments a thought before moving there. Rotten cabbage is a good example of what it smells like.

[lovemaine]

We drove by a mill a few months ago. I've never smelled anything like it. Not to discourage the OP, but personally I couldn't handle living near that smell... Maybe someone can recommend a town far enough from Rumford where the smell doesn't reach?

[maureenb]

pulp mill smells...I'm smiling because...

Years ago, my folks lived on Amelia Is., FL. There was a pulp mill on island, and you knew it as soon as you started across on the bridge. I never minded the smell. I kind of liked it, even. Truly!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

The prevailing wind is from the west. The best place to live is upriver or west of Rumford.

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by maureenb

pulp mill smells...I'm smiling because...

Years ago, my folks lived on Amelia Is., FL. There was a pulp mill on island, and you knew it as soon as you started across on the bridge. I never minded the smell. I kind of liked it, even. Truly!

You're a brave soul, Maureen! When I first smelled the mill, I thought my car's gas tank had sprung a leak. It really smelled like gasoline to me. Maybe there are different smells at different mills? This mill was in the Calais area.....

[BacktoNE]

While Western Maine is beautiful, I agree with the others. Rumford just plain stinks! I've never been thru there when it didn't.

If you have a job there, look for housing outside, to the West (per my DH).

[maureenb]

lovemaine, good point - pulp mills probably do have their own unique smells, noises, & lights.

The Rumford area is more than its mill, though. It's too bad that the OP is only hearing the negatives about the mill, and not much else about the area.