Year Round on Peaks and Commuting to Portland (Casco: house, taxi)

[Bill Shakes]

My wife and I are looking to move to the Portland area and she has her heart set on island living. Peaks seems by-and-large the most inhabited of the Casco Bay islands and the easiest to gain access to. Does anyone have any experience living on Peaks and commuting daily in to Portland?

My main questions are:

What do you do if you miss the last ferry back to the island? In the winter, the last ferry is at 10:30. My guess is the water taxi, but their prices seem a little outrageous for someone who just happened to miss the last boat out.

Do most people tend to use the island's grocery store or do a lot travel to the mainland for groceries and other essentials?

I've heard that in power outages the islands are the last to have power restored. Is this true? The thought of being in Maine in the winter without power for an extended time is pretty frightening.

Do most people keep a car on the island, or is it pretty livable to not have one and just store your car on the mainland and use bikes or a golf cart otherwise?

These are just a few of my thoughts/concerns. Any help would be appreciated for someone who is new to the area and looking to live on Peaks.

Thanks!!

[Coaster]

I don't live on Peaks but have known people who do. There is a significant commuter community there, and they adapt to the ferry schedule. Those I've known usually have a backup place to crash on the mainland if they miss the last ferry, but they try very hard not to miss the ferry. Everyone kept their cars on the mainland, either in a parking garage or at a friend's house or wherever they could find space. It's not uncommon to keep a beater vehicle on the island. A lot of folks seem to get along okay without one, though, and use shank's mare or a golf cart. Most shopping is on the mainland. The island store is for last-minute milk-and-bread stuff.

[Bill Shakes]

Originally Posted by Coaster

I don't live on Peaks but have known people who do. There is a significant commuter community there, and they adapt to the ferry schedule. Those I've known usually have a backup place to crash on the mainland if they miss the last ferry, but they try very hard not to miss the ferry. Everyone kept their cars on the mainland, either in a parking garage or at a friend's house or wherever they could find space. It's not uncommon to keep a beater vehicle on the island. A lot of folks seem to get along okay without one, though, and use shank's mare or a golf cart. Most shopping is on the mainland. The island store is for last-minute milk-and-bread stuff.

Thanks for the advice. My biggest hesitation with the island is the late night ferry stuff. I hate to be the guy who has to leave early, and in the winter the last ferry leaves at 10:30. Any movie/show/concert will keep you longer than that. So we'll see. Thanks for the advice, I'd love to hear what other people think about it too.

[dubthang]

Peaks is nice, but it is for die hards. You really have to want to live on an island to live there. It'd probably be easier to live in Portland first for a bit while visiting Peaks to see if this is really the way you want to go.

As posted above, Peaks people live and die by the ferry schedule. It can be really expensive to bring your vehicle back and forth so it'll stay on one side or the other. Peaks is small. It's not like Martha's Vineyard or other similar islands. You must rely on leaving the island for food and work.