Westbrook Maine

[mainenative]

Westbrook is a working class town that is in the process of cleaning up it's act. It is not known for having a good school system but the schools are average. You have to be very careful of where you choose to live because the neighborhoods quickly change from ok to not so ok even just one street away. The smell is gone from the mill and the town is working hard to improve, however, things take time. If you are looking for affordability then Westbrook would be a good choice if you are looking for good schools and more of an upscale community then your mention of Yarmouth would be a much better choice. You could also consider Falmouth or Cumberland which are also very nice upscale towns. Gorham is a nice small hometown area that has stores and is next to Westbrook but nicer and has good schools.

[chris]

Had a chance to go by the ol' S.D.Warren mill, and I can confirm that it does not stink, and appears to be DOA. Westbrook has cleaned up a lot, an improvement for sure.

However, when driving out towards Falmouth, I smelt the o-so-lovely paper mill smell again. Did they open a new plant somewhere?

[MRVphotog]

Not sure which way you went to Falmouth but nothing I can think of except for the Sappi Mill you already mentioned. My brother-in-law and in laws live in Gorham so I have driven from Cumberland thru Falmouth thru Westbrook a zillion times.

Can't remember the name of the company but it's coming into Westbrook in that rehabbed mill area across the river from downtown with alot of new decent paying jobs. The Westbrook downtown is still not very busy, hardly ever see people walking around. A very popular restaurant with live music recently closed.

It is on the rise, check out the new Hannefords and being so close to Portland it will eventually be affected by the growth.

[winnfarm1947]

As a teacher, I would suggest you consider Gorham or Scarborough...both have excellent schools and are a short commute from Westbrook. For country and a small town way of life, close to Westbrook, Gorham would be my choice. There are still many rural areas of Gorham yet it is handy to Westbrook and the Maine Mall area. Personally, I would avaoid the Westbrook schools.
What part of Michigan are you from...we used to live in Rochester, MI. Maine is the way Rochester used to be. Good luck with your move!

[fiddlinsuz]

I think you will like Westbrook. I live in Standish on 114 which is right over Gorham line. Gorham is expensive. Standish is reasonable and only a 15 min commute to Westbrook. It is getting to be a hip place to live, lots of young folks, some immigrant population, arts and music, a nice little park where festivals are held. There was a great article in Switch magazine about Westbrook. If you cannot find it, it can be accessed at the bottom of the Maine, Portland, events, things to do, music, nightlife, outdoors, activities - MaineToday.com page. Wish you well. Portland is where the major hospitals are located. As far as schools go, I would say that it is comparable to many other schools. I think anywhere you go you will find crime, and a range of differences in schools. The mill smell has been gone for quite some time. It has a rich Franco-American culture and immigrant background. The river brought people to the area years ago. It was also the home to the famous Haskell Silk Mill written about in Jackie Field's Book, American Silk. Today, Most parents work with their kids and don't expect the schools to do all the educating anyhow. You can check out The Westbrook Historical Society for more interesting stuff. On the mainetoday site, you can search by town. I like Westbrook. As far as the schools with the best curriculum, it is usually the towns with more money also with the best sports programs as well. In greater Portland that would be Yarmouth,Cumberland, Falmouth and Cape Elizabeth. If you want to see some rural land, Standish and Buxton are nice. There are farms and mountains and Sebago Lake- There are some universities nearby as well, USM , St. Joseph's College , and Maine Medical is also a teaching hospital. Good luck.

[ChristineL]

Waterboro, Limington and Limerick are also nice country towns and just past Hollis/Buxton. The prices out here are very reasonable and you can get some land with a nice house. I commute to Scarborough and it takes me 45 minutes.

It all depends upon how much you can afford.

[zoe456]

If you're interested in Yarmouth - there are at least 3 rental communities in town (and probably more).

I used to rent a townhouse at Baywood here in Yarmouth before I purchased my condo, also here in town. A quick scoot down Route 88 through Yarmouth (avoids back-tracking and traffic lights), Cumberland, then onto Rt.1 to the Turnpike Connector in Falmouth. Go south on the turnpike, take exit 48, and you're in Westbrook. Approximately a 15-20 minute drive from Yarmouth.

Unlike a previous poster's assessment, there is quite a village center in Yarmouth. Banks, businesses, churches, gift shops, restaurants, grocery, public schools, a private school (NYA), and in July, serves as the center of the Yarmouth Clam Festival that in some years attracts over 100,000 visitors during it's run. Perhaps they were referring to North Yarmouth which is quite rural in character and is part of MSAD 51 (Cumberland-North Yarmouth Schools).

[MRVphotog]

Yarmouth is a very nice town, but it is quite rural. It is connected directly to Portland, South Portland, and other places directly by a highway, so it's a great place to live if you work in Portland, just be aware that there's not much of a real town there.

If you don't get off US 1 I can see where you would get the impression that Yarmouth is nothing more than shopping areas but actually if you did get off US 1 you would find an awesome village. Since we have no stores/banks in Cumberland except for a general store I can either go to Falmouth or Yarmouth to do that stuff and I always take the back way to Yarmouth(about 8 min) as I love all the beautiful old houses just off Main St.

[LoreneS]

It is possible to rent a house or apt in Gorham for less than 1,000 a month... Gorham has great schools esp for the lower grades. The University of So Maine is in Gorham, a couple of restaurants and coffee places. Westbrook has more commercial things going on. There are banks everywhere! Portland is a mere 12 miles east where there are many many restaurants.,theatre and Portland Symphany orchestra.
Maine Medical Center has a Children's hospital. It was rated the top 100 hospitals in the U.S.
Hope all that helps.