Is Southern Maine "Family Friendly"? (Portland, South Portland: hardwood floors, oceanfront)

[HighTechRocker]

Why is anyone still providing serious replies to the troll?

[EmK999]

Originally Posted by blueskiesforever

I don't want to live in Cape Elizabeth. I could live there, but I don't want to, because it has a teeny library and a Cumberland Farms and that is it. I already live in a place I am perfectly happy with, that has all I want, and it costs less than Cape Elizabeth by a long shot. I don't want to move to Maine at all, but my husband made the mistake of taking a job there. I already am only 90 miles from both Boston and Manhattan, but I rarely feel the need to go there, because there is so much to do where I already live.

Well, then you kinda need to suck it up, buttercup. And, I mean that in the nicest way possible. You're not doing yourself any good by picking apart each possibility and trashing out areas of Maine to the people that live there. If you don't want to live here, put your foot down. If you can't, then you better get on board or you'll make it a miserable experience for your family.

If it's CE, Yarmouth, or Falmouth or bust for schools, then you're going to have to re-assess your housing needs or be willing to rent until you happen upon a short sale or a foreclosure that suits your preferences.

Where is it in CT that you have access to all those amenities within 2 miles of your house for so much less?

As for hunting, 4-wheeling, etc, if you're not into those things and you're living around Portland, you'll barely notice it (I'm a native Mainer and I'm not a fan, either)...until you pass someone in the grocery store and they reek of gasoline (I'm lookin' at you, snowmobilers!).

There will be several bakeries that you can go to for fresh made whoopie pies and they are amazeballs.

[blueskiesforever]

Thank you, EMK!

[EmK999]

Originally Posted by blueskiesforever

Thank you, EMK!

Sure

Again, what town is it that you're leaving?

[blueskiesforever]

I currently live in West Hartford, but I will also be thrilled to live in Simsbury, Farmington, Canton, Avon, or Glastonbury. Especially Simsbury. It is my IDEAL town.

[HighTechRocker]

In one breath you say you hate suburbs, then you name off 6 that sound ideal to you. Hypocrite much? Moderator cut: personal, off topic

[blueskiesforever]

They are not soul-less bedroom communities. They have their own businesses, industries, histories, vibrancies. They do not look like something out of the Truman Show, which is what I think of when I think of suburbs.

[EmK999]

Originally Posted by blueskiesforever

I currently live in West Hartford, but I will also be thrilled to live in Simsbury, Farmington, Canton, Avon, or Glastonbury. Especially Simsbury. It is my IDEAL town.

Hmm. Maybe the perception of Hartford keeps the cost of living in West Hartford fairly low, even though you have so many offerings? I looked at 3 cost of living calculators, one put housing in Portland 57% higher, one put Hartford as more expensive because of utilities and groceries, and the third (bankrate) doesn't seem to recognize Hartford/West Hartford as a metro area for some strange reason. So, it seems like Portland and West Hartford might have roughly similar COLs. The problem with what you're trying to do is that it's the equivalent of going from W. Hartford to (Maine's version of) Fairfield and expecting the prices to be about the same.

You probably enjoy the amenities you do not because of West Hartford, which is approximately the same size as Portland, but because it's part of a much larger metro area whereas Portland is not. I'd put my foot down and stay put in CT if I were you.

You've officially convinced me to put this area on my "must look into" list! Are housing prices as low in Simsbury & the others you mentioned as they are in West Hartford?

[jeneric13]

You asked about libraries... most towns in Cumberland County will give you the town's library card, as well as Portland's - where you can use their extensive online system to borrow e-books and telescopes and other cool things.

And an earlier poster was right about towns not working within their borders. You'll see SoPo and Cape often lumped together as one community. They even share a little free newspaper.

[blueskiesforever]

I am really surprised groceries are listed as higher, since we do have access to Costco and Aldi, etc. along with innumerable Community Shared Agriculture coops which deliver organic local produce weekly, at far less than the grocery store. I think a wise shopper would at least come out even. From personal experience, the utilities, thanks to conservation initiatives I took advantage of, and marketplace competitiveness, are not that bad; I pay between $60-90/a month for electricity for a family of 5 in a 1700 sqft. house. I spent about $1500 on oil for heat and hot water, for all of 2014, so about $200/mo avg for heat, hot H20, and electricity. Municipal water/sewer is about $50/month. Trash pickup is included in taxes. I did not find this much different than what I paid when I lived in Texas, where I lived in a similar sized house, but instead had to cool it. How does this compare to what you spend in Maine?
And, yes, you could get a place in any of those towns for $250K, and $400 K would be a pretty nice one.

This is the most promising thing I have found in the Portland area, a house in Yarmouth on Bennett Road currently for sale for $375K.
I am ok with this. I could totally live with this. But, it is not common. I am actually one of the least picky and most laid back people I know. Thanks for your research and support!