Cape Elizabeth - how tony? (Portland, Scarborough: schools, incomes, living)

[Calandria]

Thanks for asking this, Kcsmidwife. It seems there are several of us looking for a similar sort of community.

[WhoFanMe]

I'll jump in here. Not all of Cape Elizabeth has crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean as a back yard. It's a quaint little town with character, although the housing prices and taxes are higher than some surrounding communties as many have stated. I would not hesitate to recommend it to anybody. There are some high end communities in Scarborough and South Portland as well, it does pay to do drive bys to see if you'd be comfortable in the area before seeing the insides of homes.

[rlominack]

Hey Kcsmidwife,
My family (wife and two small children) are looking to move to Maine as well and are looking for the same neighborhood characteristics. We have very good friends in Cape Elizabeth and are beginning to focus our search there but I have some of the same questions that you have asked. These answers have helped. My wife and I are planning a trip in a month to visit for a few days. Have you gone yet? I'd love to email with you (or others in similar situation) and trade thoughts as we get more information, etc. The idea of moving is becoming somewhat stressful with all the moving parts.

[K-Luv]

It's probably one of these:


ton·y also ton·ey (tō'nē)
adj. Informal., -i·er, -i·est.
Marked by an elegant or exclusive manner or quality: a tony country club.

tony (tō′nē)
adjective
SLANG high-toned; luxurious; stylish: often ironic

tony (tō′nē)
adjective
SLANG high-toned; luxurious; stylish: often ironic


Tony (tō′nē)
noun
* any of the awards given annually in the U.S. for special achievement in the theater in acting, directing, etc.

[flycessna]

http://capeelizabeth.com/news/comp_p...s/20051208.pdf

This was from a town meeting Dec 8th 2005. Albeit a little dated I think it gives a good idea where the town stands and where it wants to go. It includes information from a town survey which I found informative.

I personally do not see the town as being snotty. Of course I do not see Lewiston Auburn area as the armpit of Maine either. People are People. cape has good schools, A good location, and it does not have the growth issues other towns have. I like it!.

[bucsgirl]

has anyone made the trip and want to share their impressions??? looking at the same areas, wondering how we will ever afford to live in the best school districts....

[Phjegood]

Ny brother and his wife - both retired teachers have lived in Cape Elizabeth for many years. He works at Fort Williams -Portland headlight. He is as "down to earth" as they get.

[amyd83]

Hi - my family and I are looking to move to the area from NJ as well. I have visited Cape Elizabeth as well as the surrounding towns...I was expecting Cape Elizabeth to be very upscale and old money as I heard from various sources but once I was there, I did not see what all the fuss was about. Don't get me wrong, it is lovely but not "ritzy" like it was portrayed to me. I did not go by the beach but obviously anything on the ocean or with ocean views is highly desirable and worth more money.
I am heavily leaning towards Scarborough...their schools seem very forward thinking and progressive. They do have full day and part time kindergarten. They let the parents choose full day or half day.

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by bucsgirl

has anyone made the trip and want to share their impressions??? looking at the same areas, wondering how we will ever afford to live in the best school districts....

I "make the trip" to the greater Portland area about every other month. I live in eastern Maine, and driving down the coast to Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarboro, and all of those towns surrounding the Portland metropolis is like going back to Massachusetts thirty years ago.

Is Cape Elizabeth "tony". Well, some areas are. But not as "tony" as Falmouth Foreside or Cumberland Foreside, but the "sprawl" of the "tony" class has grown all around Portland and southeastern Maine, and the cost of living in most of the towns is considerably higher than other towns that are not so close to "North Boston".

I would also like to offer a cautionary note regardinging your comment that about "live(ing) in the best school districts".... The entire public education picture is going to change in Maine. The governor has proposed some pretty sweeping reforms and is having the political fight of his life from the nay-sayers who want no changes in THEIR back yard. But the real truth is that the two biggest drains on the State of Maine financially, is the general cost of State Government, with its unmanageable bureaucracies, AND the cost of education, with its enormous number of school districts and endless duplications of administrators and buildings that a state with only 1.2 million people simply cannot afford.

I have no idea how all of this is going to play out, but anyone picking a town because they think they are moving into the "best" educational system in the area may wind up being very surprised when "their" school district becomes one with fifteen others, and with the superintendant's office being located in a town ten miles away that they NEVER would have moved to in a million years.

[WhoFanMe]

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

I have no idea how all of this is going to play out, but anyone picking a town because they think they are moving into the "best" educational system in the area may wind up being very surprised when "their" school district becomes one with fifteen others, and with the superintendant's office being located in a town ten miles away that they NEVER would have moved to in a million years.

All the more reason to do your research carefully in the local publications (many available online) to see which districts are going to be choosing which partners to marry up with.