Belfast Anyone? (Portland, Lewiston, Bangor: house, employment, schools) - Maine (ME) - City-Data Forum

keyboard komuso · 01-26-2008, 05:03 PM

My wife and I will be visiting the Belfast area for a possible relocation this spring. We've heard it is an "artsy" community. We are both artists and I a musician/composer so this seems ideal for us. We are also avid hikers, kayakers and all around nature lovers. Any input on trails, lakes, etc. in the area (obviously the ocean is a big plus!) as well as general info from folks familiar with the area would be greatly appreciated.

recycled · 01-26-2008, 05:29 PM

I lived in NJ in the 1990s and spent a lot of my vacation time in Maine. Belfast area was one my favorite vacation places. Near the upper end of Penobscot Bay, you will be in kayak heaven. There are a lot of tourists that pass thru town during summer, but most are on their way from Camden to Bar Harbor. Belfast is a quieter place than many coastal towns in Maine, meaning less commercialized. I think it lives up to Maine's motto of "the way life should be".

Not far south of Belfast (in Lincolnville) you can take the state ferry boat that goes to several large islands in Penobscot Bay. Makes for a good way to take a short trip to explore places that are a like a world apart from the mainland. Belfast is also close enough for day trips to Acadia National Park and countless other places along the central coast of Maine. You should stay there for a few weeks and see how you like Belfast, good luck.

Mainer61 · 01-27-2008, 05:22 AM

Belfast has grown a lot in recent years. Lowes is coming to town in the near future it seems, and AthenaHealth is moving into the building MBNA left. It's about 17 miles from Camden, 30 miles from Rockland and, in the other direction, an hour from Bangor. Belfast used to be known for it's chicken coops...times have changed.

island mermaid · 01-27-2008, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mainer61

Belfast has grown a lot in recent years. Lowes is coming to town in the near future it seems, and AthenaHealth is moving into the building MBNA left. It's about 17 miles from Camden, 30 miles from Rockland and, in the other direction, an hour from Bangor. Belfast used to be known for it's chicken coops...times have changed.

LOL, I had forgotten about the chicken coops! To me it was all about Perrys Nut House, back in the day before it changed owners.

arzachena · 01-27-2008, 06:39 PM

what general info about the area are you looking for? Schools, housing, restaurants, shopping...?

keyboard komuso · 01-28-2008, 04:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arzachena

what general info about the area are you looking for? Schools, housing, restaurants, shopping...?

Thanks for the responses. We appreciate it! We have no children so schools aren't important. The main things would be employment opportunities and medical care. I am a graphic designer and my wife is currently in accounts payable. Is Belfast likely to offer opportunities in these fields? The housing seems very reasonable from what I've seen online, but any insight is welcome. Restaurants, shops and any other info that may give us a feel for Belfast are welcome. We can't wait to visit.

Acadianlion · 01-28-2008, 04:33 AM

I was in Belfast yesterday. My parents have lived there in retirement for forty years, and before that whenever we drove "up to Maine" for the summer we would visit my three maiden aunts who lived in a big rambling house near the library. I have seen the town go from the Chicken Capital of the World, to ruins and than, courtesy of MBNA, to a shi-shi community on the coast. Now, it is actually quite charming, although I personally do not like the place at all: old ghosts, I suspect.

Anyway, a graphic designer? I am not sure what a graphic designer will do in Belfast. For that matter, I am not sure what a graphic designer will do in any of the near towns along the coast...Camden, Rockland, Thomaston marching southwest down the coast, or Bucksport, Ellsworth, 45 miles in the opposite direction. These are really very small towns, and technical opportunities are scarce.

Your wife's accounts payable experience might well be an asset, since Athena Health Care, which is a medical practice accounting and management service company is coming to Belfast and they might like to hire someone with accounting experience. Then again, there are other companies around that probably will have some need for people with her experience.

My guess is that once there, you may find yourself commuting 50 miles each way to jobs, like so many people in Maine have to do. When the towns within 100 miles are all only about five thousand souls strong, opportunities for employment do not abound.

island mermaid · 01-28-2008, 05:31 AM

My daughter is a graphic designer, she graduated from school in Boston 3 yrs ago. She was hired by Maine Womans Journal right out of school, then went to a company called Vertis (now closed in Portland). She is now employed by LL Bean. Tough field for northern Maine. I would think there would be more opportunities for this field in the southern part of the state. Good luck with your search.

Acadianlion · 01-28-2008, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

My daughter is a graphic designer, she graduated from school in Boston 3 yrs ago. She was hired by Maine Womans Journal right out of school, then went to a company called Vertis (now closed in Portland). She is now employed by LL Bean. Tough field for northern Maine. I would think there would be more opportunities for this field in the southern part of the state. Good luck with your search.

Tough field for Maine in general, but Belfast is not in any way "northern" Maine.

Belfast is at the eastern edge of what is called "the mid-coast", and is typical of the modern coastal towns in Maine. The population center is in the southwestern most part of Maine which includes greater Portland, and the majority of the rest of the population outside of the major cities of Lewiston and Bangor is around the major coastal towns, Rockland, Camden, Belfast, Ellsworth and Machias, and a bit inland, Calais.

Northern Maine lies predominantly above Interstate 95, and far northern Maine....Ft Kent...for instance is really rural. Beautiful, but rural.

keyboard komuso · 01-28-2008, 07:51 AM

Food for thought...thanks again. One benefit to being a graphic designer is I can do freelance from anywhere, as long as I have a decent internet connection. Don't know if hi-speed internet is available in the Belfast area, but I think it is getting more common. Of course the other major issue is keeping the freelance work steady.