Cape Elizabeth or Falmouth (Portland, South Portland: appointed, real estate, houses)

[ALSM]

Hi,
We're thinking of relocating to Cape Elizabeth or Falmouth,ME. We have young children and good schools are very important. We love the coastline of Cape Elizabeth and the school statistics seem excellent. Falmouth was nice in that there are a lot of amenities close by (restaurants, movies, shopping). Any opinions of either of these towns or comparisons of opinions would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[tkx7]

I went to Falmouth High School. I'll throw out some ideas on each. The size of Cape geographically is smaller, so it's more of an intimate community. There is fort williams and shopping in town and nearby South Portland. You have to go through South Portland to get to Portland which takes some time going through all the traffic lights and there is no easy access to the highways. However, I think it might be closer to Portland and the Maine Mall. Most of the restraurants will be in South Portland or Scarborough, which are very close. There will be a variety in all types of restaurants.
Falmouth is more spread out- it has route 1 shopping and other stores in West Falmouth but if you live far away from these it might take a little while to get to the stores. Getting onto the highway is easier. It takes about the same time to get to downtown Portland. Falmouth has it's own hockey rink as a bonus and also a movie theater right in town. It has a staples, wal-mart, shaws, hannaford, wendys, etc. There are a few restaurants such as pizza places, a chinese restaurant and steakhouse. There are all located on route 1. West Falmouth has a grocery store, haircut place, convience store, a few things like that.

[ALSM]

Thanks for replying - just wondering were you satisfied with the education you received in Falmouth? If you attended college - did you feel that Falmouth prepared you for it? Thanks again.

[Caper04107]

I live in Cape, and think is without equivocation, the best.

We also have school age children. We moved here from coastal York County, 45 mins. south of Cape.

What are YOU looking for in a town?

If school system, including high test scores, college bound percentages and high education standards are paramount, look no further. Cape historically scores the highest in the State in testing. It has also been named as one of the top 100 school systems, NATIONWIDE. We have had fantastic experiences in Cape's schools.

What kind of a neighborhood do you want to live in? We live in the north end of town, near Fort Williams. Houses are older, settled, private, and in quiet neighborhoods. Many north end neighborhoods have private beaches. There are neighborhoods and ares with larger lots and newer construction in the south and west sides of town. Not a lot of new construction, which tend to keep values high. Cape has the highest median household income, and some of the most expensive real estate in the state. But, you can find lower end housing in town , too. You would be amazed how loyal people tend to be regarding their neighbohoods.....people are either Broad Cove, Stonegate, Oakhurst, Mountain View Park, Shore Acres, Brentwood, or Elizabeth Park people. I love the pride that comes with being "from Cape".

Ease of access to Portland is another benefit. We can be in the Old Port in 10 minutes, to the mall in 12, or Mill Creek (SOPO) in 5. Most shopping, restaurants, etc. are in S. PTLD. They are the service sector for Cape. I prefer not to have the "Strip" in my town, with McDonalds, Wal Mart, Dunkin Donuts, car dealerships, and on and on. The Falmouth point of view about ease of access to highways is a negative in my estimation. There is nowhere in Falmouth that you cannot hear highway noise, with Rt. 1, Rt. 95, 295, the 295 Spur, Rt. 9, etc. all running paralell with each other through Falmouth. Also, the train goes through Falmouth. there are no highways or train in Cape (Thank god).

Hope this is helpful. I don't think you'll be disappointed with Cape, if the sensibility here matches yours. It's a very family focused and success-driven community.

BTW, where are you coming FROM?

[mainenative]

I have lived in Falmouth for 30+ years. The school system is top ranking with an excellent record of acceptance to Ivy league colleges. We have a brand new high school that is impressive. Falmouth is an upscale bedroom community with 3 beautiful private golf courses, Falmouth Country Club, The Woodlands, and The Portland Country Club. Our town has many walking trails including the Gilsland farm Audubon society as well as the beautiful Mackworth Island. If you have a boat we have Moorings at our Town landing that has a nice little beach and don't forget the famous Town Landing Market. We have a village feel with all the conveniences. Just minutes to Portland and the highway, making it an easy commute to your destination.
Our town has a movie theatre, Skating rink (great family fun) and restaurants as well as shopping. Freeport is about 15 minutes away if you like shopping at L.L. Bean, Coach, Gap, Banana republic etc. Falmouth is a small, close town where everybody knows you. We have a great balance of a nice town and all the conveniences. There are fun community activities throughout the year that are fun and a great way to enjoy friends and family. Check out the town website www.townoffalmouth.org I hope this was helpful, however, I am partial to Falmouth.

[ALSM]

Thanks for the responses. We're moving from Long Island - we first have to find jobs up there. We are planning to move at the beginning of the summer so my daughter can finish 1st grade here. A couple more questions about Cape Elizabeth - on a drive by of the schools we noticed that they are all in one area - I'm a little concerned about safety because of that. My kids are young and I really don't want them exposed to high school kids driving around the same area where elemenary school children are. How do they handle that?

We are basically looking for a town with excellent schools and involved parents. From what I've heard and seen so far both of these towns seem to have that. It's funny one week I think I like Cape better and then the next it's Falmouth. It's such a difficult decision to make.

Thanks for your help.

[Caper04107]

Hello.

More info:

I have a child in Pond Cove School (K-3 grade) in Cape. Our other child is in the middle school, and went through Pond Cove. We have never had a teacher we weren't thrilled with (and my mother is a retired 1st grade teacher in another state, who always gave our kids learning experiences high marks). Cross your fingers that your child might get Miss Kieran for 1st grade!

The school buildings are on a sort of campus. They all have individual libaries, but the Town library is on the same campus, too. Pond Cove and the Middle School do not cross over with the High School at all. You can see one building from the others, but the driveway, parking, athletic fields, etc. are accessed from completely different streets. Honestly, I grew up in MA, went to college on LI (are you Nassau or Suffolk?), and have NEVER been concerned with safety in Cape! Also, the heated indoor town pool and fitness center (sorry, Falmouth) are an annex to the High School.

You should check out the town website www.capeelizabeth.com for a lot more information. We just got our kid's online progress reports yesterday. Parents can access them through a secure portal online. Also, check out the CEEF (Cape Elizabeth Education Foundation) website. They (we) are an organization founded by Cape parents who raise funds through private donations for "extras" in the school system, such as mini-grants for teacher initiatives, visiting artists and musicians, special programs, etc. Last year's fundraiser raised $750,000.00. An amazing program, and one example of the kind of caring, generous, involved and driven parents we have in Cape.

We have Crescent Beach State Park, Portland Head Light and Fort Williams (which anyone from Falmouth can come visit FOR FREE), Two Lights State Park, Cape Land Trust and greenbelt trail system, Purpoodock Country Club, and on and on.

What elso do you want to know?

[tkx7]

If your kids are into hockey, I'd say Falmouth. If they like swimming, go to Cape. As far as places to go outdoors, there is an equal amount of places to get outside. Falmouth has a park on the Presumpscot river with some trails as well as the National Audabon Society for birdwatching and walking. The places in Cape were already mentioned. Dont forget, regardless of where you live you can venture outdoors. Cape and Falmouth are about 20-25 minutes apart by driving time. I think it comes down to what you like and the houses available on the market that you like the most. Other than that, don't rule out one town due to bias replies, because both of the two towns are quite similar.

[mainenative]

Falmouth Yachtsmen? or Cape Elizabeth Capers? Two very excellent choices, however, the choice is all in what you are looking for in a town; we both share similar qualities and yet have some differences. My parents live here, I live here with my husband and children. I attended the schools in Falmouth and came back after college because I wanted my children to experience the fine community that I grew up in. It's like Pepsi and Coke, a personal preferance. Either way you decide to go you will get the quality education and very active involved community you are looking for. Good luck with your decision, if you decide to come to Falmouth, let me be the first to say Welcome.

[ALSM]

Thanks again everyone.
We are from Nassau County on Long Island. I am from Long Island originally and my husband is from Mass originally and then moved up to Lovell,Me for his last 2 years of college. His parents have a place in Lovell and they spend the summers there. We originally fell in love with Cape Elizabeth about 8 years age but then we got so busy (house, kids, jobs) that it wasn't a good time to relocate. Now that our kids are getting older, we would really love to raise them in the environment we saw in Maine.

A couple more questions. Do you know of any neighborhoods that are especially good for kids in either town? We have seen Broad Cove in Cape and liked that but I'm not sure if there's a lot of kids there. We would like a neighborhood where there are a lot of young kids. In Cape is there one that you know of that is within walking distance to Two Lights park?

I know Cape has an after school child care program if both parents work, does anyone know if Falmouth has that?

Thanks again.