Move to northern Maine (Portland, Bangor: real estate, low crime, houses)

[Mark S.]

My family and I are considering a move to northern Maine --- Aroostock County or perhaps the Bangor area.

Basically we're looking for affordable housing, decent schools, and a quiet, safe atmosphere to raise the kids. We're not all that concerned about entertainment or "cultural events." That's nice, sure, but not necessary. We're quite good at entertaining ourselves.

So what's it like? What are the employment prospects. I've been a book editor and writer for the past 8 or 9 years, though I wouldn't necessarily object to a career change to pay the bills until I hit the Times list.

[Esta]

Aroostook is very safe. Nothing to do. Anything in the medical field is open.I don't know if you smoke but maine has a smoking ban. Circus was here thursday, friday and saturday night. Fairs are coming soon. They are great. Houlton, presque isle and ft fairfield just to name a few. go to maine realty.com or the crown of maine website for info. houses depending where you go can start at 20,000. bridgewater, monticello, Littleton, houlton, presque isle. very safe . Good schools. And Homeschooling is very widespread here to. Hope this Helps. Esta

[Mark S.]

Thanks, Esta! That's very encouraging.

And no, I'm not a smoker, so no worries.

One odd thing I've noticed in browsing various realtor sites in Maine is the rarity of fireplaces in homes. I live in Washington State now, and the winters are relatively mild here. I could probably count on one hand the number of times we've had a good snow. And here, nearly all the homes have fireplaces. With the cold winters in Maine, I would think they'd be a staple. Is a home with a fireplace as rare in Maine as it seems to be from my casual net browsing?

What is the political outlook of most Mainers? Not a huge deal really. Just curious.

[Esta]

Hi Mark very popular for secondary heat is the wood pellet stove. The political outlook up here in the county is Liberal. Live and let live attitude. Everybody willing to help with anything. Very accepting of newcomers. Presque isle is the hub of aroostook county. Lits of canadians giving a bit of a european flair. The biggest towns up here are Houlton, Presque isle and caribou. And presque isle has an airport. Again very safe and a nice place for a family. Esta

Hi Mark one more thing. before my Family moved to maine we spoke to a Real Estate agent and asked her about the crime rate. She said and these are her words. Anything north of bangor is safe. Esta

[Mark S.]

Thanks again, Esta!

Yeah, your comments on the crime are right on with all the stats I'm seeing. Portland has surprisingly high crime, as do some of the neighboring cities. But Bangor is incredibly low compared to other U.S. cities of similar size, and the northern communities have extremely low crime. Good to know.

[BobTex]

So, is all smoking banned in Maine......if not how does the ban work? I concur that crime is not a factor there!

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by BobTex

So, is all smoking banned in Maine......if not how does the ban work? I concur that crime is not a factor there!

I can't speak for Maine, but here in Washington State we have a smoking ban. Basically, it is illegal to smoke in public places or within 20 ft. of the entrance of a public place. You can still smoke in the privacy of your own home, car, etc.

[pixieshmoo]

We just passed the same ban here in NJ (in April). You should see some of our bars now, empty. Oh well, you can still do it in your home, car and I think if you're a patron at a restaurant/bar you can step outside. It's still legal though in places such as Cigar Bars (obviously). Ten years ago I would've disagreed, but being a mother, I realized something - what is the difference between a smoking and non-smoking section when they're right next to each other? I'd rather my kids not breathe it in. If you can't wait until you leave to have one or step outside, you have issues (unless you're 22 and have beer in hand, then it's understandable...aaahh the good old days )

I just think it's a good way to keep kids healthy and prevent them from smoking...if they see it everywhere, they are more likely to try it. However, in all fairness, I'm a smoker, so I shouldn't talk. But I do agree with the ban, as my husband and I tried to avoid having our kids near secondhand smoke whether it was home or in public (we would always smoke outside anyway, so we're used to it and we barely brought them places that would have it) BUT I did quit recently (I won't preach to anyone about it)...wish me luck!!!!

[Esta]

The smoking ban apply's everywhere in maine. I used to live in PA. And I think it is very annoying. www.smokersclubinc.com Children don't go to bars. and some adult restaurants. It's socialist to make rules for everybody.

[pixieshmoo]

Well, I agree about that...children don't go into bars and such (except that kid on the news, of course, who's dad got into trouble because he left the kid in the car to go to sleep while he was in a strip club and the kid walked in to find him!!! I forget where that happened though...there are idiots out there). But I do agree, they should've at least continued to allow it in those types of places. I'm talking about places where you would frequent with kids.