Caribou / Presque Isle (renting, house, employment)

[CWrens]

Hello,

My family has a chance to relocate to Maine but before we take that leap I wanted to ask some questions. We are currently in Colorado (Utah border) so our winters are mild and summers are hot. My husband is used to heavy winters but the rest of us aren't. If we moved, we'd already have a job lined up so finding employment is not a concern. His main concern is how we, the family, would do. I should mention we've lived in quite a few places. We lived in North Carolina, then moved to Germany, then Idaho and now Western Colorado.

1) Would you prefer to live in Presque Isle or Caribou with 3 children (8,7,4)? If you were in Presque Isle could you easily get into Caribou every day for work, even in the winter?

2) Is there enough to do in the winter for kids? Winter is winter but it sounds like Maine winters have a capital W. So with that in mind, are there things for younger kids to do? Do folks get cabin fever??

3) How expensive is it to live there in the winter (electricity, oil, etc)?

4) Is internet readily available in Caribou/Presque Isle?

5) How high are property taxes?

6) How is the education? Elementary schools for now...

I'm sure I'll have more questions but I think these'll do for now.

Thanks so much for any replies!!

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by CWrens

Hello,

My family has a chance to relocate to Maine but before we take that leap I wanted to ask some questions. We are currently in Colorado (Utah border) so our winters are mild and summers are hot. My husband is used to heavy winters but the rest of us aren't. If we moved, we'd already have a job lined up so finding employment is not a concern. His main concern is how we, the family, would do. I should mention we've lived in quite a few places. We lived in North Carolina, then moved to Germany, then Idaho and now Western Colorado.

1) Would you prefer to live in Presque Isle or Caribou with 3 children (8,7,4)? If you were in Presque Isle could you easily get into Caribou every day for work, even in the winter?

2) Is there enough to do in the winter for kids? Winter is winter but it sounds like Maine winters have a capital W. So with that in mind, are there things for younger kids to do? Do folks get cabin fever??

3) How expensive is it to live there in the winter (electricity, oil, etc)?

4) Is internet readily available in Caribou/Presque Isle?

5) How high are property taxes?

6) How is the education? Elementary schools for now...

I'm sure I'll have more questions but I think these'll do for now.

Thanks so much for any replies!!

I lived in Presque Isle for almost all of my first 36 years. I have lived in Caribou for the last 8.
Briefly:
Sorry to have to say about my hometown, but I would live in Caribou over PI any day.
You can get back and forth between them in 10-20 minutes, depending on how fast you drive, the weather, and time of day (need to slow down at night).
There is lots to do in the winter for kids. Ours (2 and 6) are rarely bored. The County is the best place in the world to raise kids. It's why we moved back.
Housing costs are very low. Heating costs depend greatly on the individual house and its size/set up.
Internet is readily available.
Property taxes are average. (Example: 2,200 square foot Victorian in good shape, with half an acre and a small barn = around $2,200. It is in a good in-town neighborhood.)
Schools are pretty good (I work in a lot of them). We homeschool but our oldest goes to the elementary school for phys ed. There are no terrible schools. Most have small classes. The Maine School of Science and Math is 10 miles from Caribou, and is the top public high school in New England. It accepts kids from the entire state.
Ask anything else you would like to know.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

I lived in Presque Isle for almost all of my first 36 years. I have lived in Caribou for the last 8.
Briefly:
Sorry to have to say about my hometown, but I would live in Caribou over PI any day.
You can get back and forth between them in 10-20 minutes, depending on how fast you drive, the weather, and time of day (need to slow down at night).
There is lots to do in the winter for kids. Ours (2 and 6) are rarely bored. The County is the best place in the world to raise kids. It's why we moved back.
Housing costs are very low. Heating costs depend greatly on the individual house and its size/set up.
Internet is readily available.
Property taxes are average. (Example: 2,200 square foot Victorian in good shape, with half an acre and a small barn = around $2,200. It is in a good in-town neighborhood.)
Schools are pretty good (I work in a lot of them). We homeschool but our oldest goes to the elementary school for phys ed. There are no terrible schools. Most have small classes. The Maine School of Science and Math is 10 miles from Caribou, and is the top public high school in New England. It accepts kids from the entire state.
Ask anything else you would like to know.

I would agree with most of what Maineguy says. I would rather live in Presque Isle than Caribou. There is just more to do in Presque Isle and it is a college town. The County is a wonderful place to raise kids, but there is not a lot of organized activity like what you would find in a more urban area. Housing costs are low, but heating costs are very high unless you heat with wood or pellets. BTW, gasoline prices are extremely high in the County. The County has some wonderful public schools. The only thing I would warn is that they are relatively small schools with not a lot of choice like you would get in a bigger city.

Have you visited the County in the winter? The winters start in October/November and end in April. January and February can see temperatures around -30 degrees and they get plenty of snow. I always advise renting before committing to someplace you have never experienced.

[CabinCritter]

What internet provider is in that area Maineguy? Is it reliable? I don't expect that area to have super high speed though that would be nice. Caribou is one of the places I'll be taking my other half to check out for possible relocation. The hospital and clinics in the area should be suited just fine for work purposes. I'm technically retired now so we only have to worry about one income which makes things easier than for other folks.

One more strange question... is it cold enough there that people use plug ins (battery & block wraps) for their vehicles to start them in the cold?

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by CabinCritter

What internet provider is in that area Maineguy? Is it reliable? I don't expect that area to have super high speed though that would be nice. Caribou is one of the places I'll be taking my other half to check out for possible relocation. The hospital and clinics in the area should be suited just fine for work purposes. I'm technically retired now so we only have to worry about one income which makes things easier than for other folks.

One more strange question... is it cold enough there that people use plug ins (battery & block wraps) for their vehicles to start them in the cold?

We use Fairpoint and have had very good luck. There are several others.

A fair amount of people do use block heaters. We do, on one car. It really helps.

BTW, winter does not start in October. Take that kind of talk with a grain of salt.

[CabinCritter]

Good, that is reassuring on internet....that is I guess one of the musts at least at this point. The weather comments don't really bother me. I grew up around there and was in Maine often so I'm aware at least of the southern parts. It seems for many people, as soon as the weather starts to get a little on the cool side it is automatically winter. I do enjoy summer but I really love fall because it starts to get a bit cold up north. I love any excuse to have a wood fire going..lol I"m also one of those people intentionally moving back to snow regions. Things are different for me now though, I get to take things slower and enjoy the simple things which helps. Thank you for your insight.

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

BTW, winter does not start in October. Take that kind of talk with a grain of salt.

I'll let the facts speak for themselves:
Climate Information for Caribou*-*Maine*-*Northeast*-*United States*-*Climate Zone

[kellysmith]

Originally Posted by bangorme

I'll let the facts speak for themselves:
Climate Information for Caribou*-*Maine*-*Northeast*-*United States*-*Climate Zone

Those facts tell me October is not winter. If an average minimum temp above freezing is considered winter, look out come January!

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by bangorme

I'll let the facts speak for themselves:
Climate Information for Caribou*-*Maine*-*Northeast*-*United States*-*Climate Zone

It can be in the 80s in October. That ain't winter.
More typical is 40s and 50s.

[CWrens]

Thank you for your replies!