GORHAM--What do you think? (Portland, Biddeford: real estate, houses, schools)

[ME-Evergreen]

We have researched several Maine cities and Gorham looks interesting. It appears to have a very good school system which is vital. Does anyone have any thoughts about Gorham--good or bad?

[gottagetoutofmaine]

Gorham is very nice. I have been here 9 years, but we are trying to head out to NC. We need a change of pace, and can't afford the real estate around here.
Its close to Portland, yet far enough away to be a quiet community. The schools are great, not overcrowded either.

[elston]

We just moved to Gorham a month ago "from away". We don't have kids so I can't speak directly about the schools. I have heard they are very good. I am so very pleased with Gorham! It is just the right size; a college town; a nice town center; beautiful old houses and streets and some really first rate sub divisions. It feels like a home town. It is close to Portland and the mall and all that.....but in its own right it is a charming and lovely community! I hope to be here for years to come.

[WhoFanMe]

Hello ME-Evergreen,

I moved from Westbrook to Gorham in 2003 and I think it's definitely a community you should consider in the Greater Portland area. Where would you be commuting to and what types of leisure activities take up your spare time?

[futurecruiser]

We also bought a house in Gorham recently "from away". We are not living there full time yet as we still have a house in NH to sell. We love it there though. People are friendly, location is excellent. Close to everything yet not a city. We also don't have kids but the school system has a good reputation.

[ME-Evergreen]

Originally Posted by WhoFanMe

Hello ME-Evergreen,

I moved from Westbrook to Gorham in 2003 and I think it's definitely a community you should consider in the Greater Portland area. Where would you be commuting to and what types of leisure activities take up your spare time?

We are both academics and one of us will be teaching at the university in Gorham or another one close by. We are outdoors people and will likely be looking for a place with some acrage since we would love to have a Highland cow or two (as pets) to go along with our two Saint Bernards. A quiet setting would be ideal and we like the fact that Portland is close by since our two daughters like to shop,see films, etc.

[ME-Evergreen]

Thanks so much for these posts. This sounds like a lovely place to live. We will arrive on Monday (12 May 2008) and will be house hunting on Tuesday and the rest of the week. We are also looking at homes in NH as well since the driving distance to the universities is not too bad from there.

[elston]

Good Luck ME Evergreen.

Like I said, we absolutley love Gorham. We are both retired....so don't have to deal with commute traffic. Altho the routes into Portland are not major highways by any stretch of the imagination and don't have the high speed multi lane jumper problems of major cities....traffic definately gets jammed up on the pretty little country roads during commute time.

The Gorham campus is beautiful! We were also so pleased to attend a string quartet concert at the school; very good quality! So we have country living; small town charm; proximity to a city and all its many amenities, proximity to the ocean.... . I wish you good luck.

We came for 5 days in February and had good luck finding exactly what we were lookng for and closing and moving in 30 days later.

[Maineah]

There is a nice motorcycle shop 4 miles west of Gorham...Reynolds Sport Center.
With gas as high as it is everyone should own at least one motorcycle.

[elston]

Originally Posted by ME-Evergreen

Thanks so much for these posts. This sounds like a lovely place to live. We will arrive on Monday (12 May 2008) and will be house hunting on Tuesday and the rest of the week. We are also looking at homes in NH as well since the driving distance to the universities is not too bad from there.

I can't imagine driving from NH to Gorham daily or even just several times in one week. I used to live in the Lakes Region of NH and my parents were in a nursing home in Biddeford Me. The week end trip was an ordeal. The trip just from Sanford ME to Biddeford wasn't something I would consider for a commute. The routes arent direct, traffic in summer is really a consideration and weather in winter.....living in NH and teaching in Gorham just doesn't seem feasible to me.