A place to call home in Maine

[cksmm5]

OK, I am definitely revisiting Bunswick. I think I like the idea of a subdivision with maybe an acre or so on the outskirts where it is quieter but also to have access to Maine Street. It sounds like I definitely have to visit Maine Street! What about Topsham. What does that town have to offer?

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by cksmm5

OK, I am definitely revisiting Bunswick. I think I like the idea of a subdivision with maybe an acre or so on the outskirts where it is quieter but also to have access to Maine Street. It sounds like I definitely have to visit Maine Street! What about Topsham. What does that town have to offer?

I'm glad you're going to come back and take another closer look. IMO, the town is a really nice place to live. An acre will be easy enough to find as many lots in some of the newer subdivisions are pretty close to that anyway. Access to Maine St is easy from anywhere, it's not that big of a town. Unless you are looking to be able to walk to Maine St, that might be more difficult to find a whole acre lot.
Topsham has changed a lot since I first moved there 40 yrs ago. Then we only had 2 small mom & pop stores and 2 gas stations. Now, all of the big box stores have moved in. They are all in one general location, not spread all over the town. There are 2 elementary schools that are determined by which area of town you live in. Equally good schools, except Woodside is the newer of the two. The other one (Williams - Cone) I attended 40 yrs ago. The one high school is called Mt. Ararat. It serves the towns of Topsham, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham and Harpswell. IMO, they are all great schools, I raised both of my children within that district and they both did well. As far as dining, the regular chain restaurants are there but nothing outstanding. There are a few nicer restaurants in Brunswick. Property taxes in both towns are about the same.

Good luck with your search!

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by cksmm5

OK, I am definitely revisiting Bunswick. I think I like the idea of a subdivision with maybe an acre or so on the outskirts where it is quieter but also to have access to Maine Street. It sounds like I definitely have to visit Maine Street! What about Topsham. What does that town have to offer?

An acre within walking distance of Maine Street might be hard to find. But if by "access," you mean a 10 minute drive... no problem.

Topsham is nice. I don't like the downtown area as much as Brunswick's, but the schools are very good, and it has some great neighborhoods. My favorite parts of Topsham are just north of town out by the Cathance River. Head north on 201 or 24 out of town. Absolutely gorgeous out that way. My wife describes it as "the Shire."

But really, Topsham and Brunswick are so close to one another that you can easily live in one and still enjoy the other. We live in Brunswick, but we go to Topsham all the time.

[cksmm5]

We have just scheduled our second house-hunting trip for November. We are definitely going to research the Topsham-Brunswick area more. Are there any real estate agents anyone would recommend?

[DavidWM]

In the interest of full disclosure, I'll state right up front that I have a house for sale in Pownal. That said, that is not the reason for my comments and I mean what I say. We love it here and have very mixed feelings about leaving.

We moved to Pownal when our kids were in primary school. What we wanted was a small town with a small but well regarded school. The school was great for our kids. It is pretty much the center of town activities. The town historically contracted with Freeport to send the kids to Freeport for High School, although there is a statewide school consolidation initiative and there is a very good chance that the school districts will merge. We were also very satisfied with Freeport High.
Pownal is pretty much a bedroom community. There is not much other than a couple of churches, a convenience store and the school, but that is OK with us. Bradbury Mountain State Park is also in Pownal. The park has the best bang for the buck hike in the area, where kids from all over get to climb their first mountain. There is a surprising concentration of artists in the area, some of which have put together a group called Bradbury Mountain Arts. They have a couple of shows a years and also have classes, potluck dinners, etc. There are frequent church suppers. Lots of opportunities to meet the neighbors. Pineland Farms is partially in Pownal. Pineland has great cross country skiing, hiking trails, etc.

Pownal is centrally located between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland, an easy commute to those 2 towns and also to Brunswick and Windham. The town has tried very hard to maintain its "rural character", which has resulted in some heated property tax discussions at Town Meeting but does help to make it a great place to live. While it is not inexpensive, it is a notch or two down from the pricing in Yarmouth, Falmouth and Cumberland. I do not know enough to compare it to Brunswick or Gorham. Prices are higher than in Lewiston/Auburn.

Good luck in your search!