Is Bath a great place to raise a family? (Portland: low crime, buying a home)

[halljc]

Hi! We are a family with 2 young boys looking to move to Maine. We live in St. Louis now but would really love to try something different. Is Bath a great family place? I have fallen in love with it just from researching on the internet. I want to be near the beach, with a family friendly atmosphere. I want my kids to be able to walk/ ride bikes around town. Also, what about the Rockland, Camden area? I will be finishing my Nurse Practitioner's degree in a few years and thought that would be a great time to relocate. Any input from anyone who lives or has lived in these areas would be a great help!

[Mark S.]

I like the town of Bath a lot. It has great character.

I've heard mixed to bad things about the schools. I've heard the elementary schools are ok, but the middle and high schools not so much.

[Maineah]

Bath is OK. It wouldn't be my first choice if I were moving here from St. Louis. There is a big shipyard in Bath and the traffic early and in the afternoon gets backed up a long way. I have heard the same thing about the schools....mediocre. The downtown area is nice as is the river front area. There are some nice restaurants and pubs in the area. Shopping is limited but the Cooks Corner area of Brunswick is only a few miles south. There are many old homes in Bath and it continues to have a heritage feel to it.
Personally I'd take Brunswick over Bath. Nicer "town" feel to Brunswick and the Maine Street (correct spelling BTW) layout is nice. Plus when the train gets going in 2012 the last stop will be Brunswick.

[lovemaine]

I don't know much about Bath, but I can tell you that Camden has a fantastic school district. We moved to Camden last spring, and I can't say enough about how great the schools are here. (I've heard not so great things about Rockland schools. Check greatschools.net for reviews.) Midcoast Maine is a wonderful area to live and raise kids. It took us 7 years to make the move to Maine, and we haven't had a single regret!

[family first]

lovemaine, where did you relocate from? Reason for the move? Jobs involved?

[retiredtinbender]

I agree with Mainah. But I'd pick Cumberland over that area. Nice little place with a lot to offer; trails winter and summer, close enough to Portland but still far enough away, schools.

[flycessna]

Originally Posted by halljc

Hi! We are a family with 2 young boys looking to move to Maine. We live in St. Louis now but would really love to try something different. Is Bath a great family place? I have fallen in love with it just from researching on the internet. I want to be near the beach, with a family friendly atmosphere. I want my kids to be able to walk/ ride bikes around town. Also, what about the Rockland, Camden area? I will be finishing my Nurse Practitioner's degree in a few years and thought that would be a great time to relocate. Any input from anyone who lives or has lived in these areas would be a great help!

Maine needs young families so please take what I say with a grain of salt and remember its just my opinion

But people who want to move to Maine with children (especially sight unseen) need to understand that Maine is very loosely populated and poor. Outside of most cities and towns there is not much.. There is not a huge amount to do for kids.. but that can be a good thing for some as it forces you to get out and use nature which Maine has an abundance of. Maine is a very beautiful state with wonderful geography and low crime.

Again though there are not many places where kids are outdoors on their bikes riding through neighborhoods with friends and walkable downtowns ect.. And depending on where you are coming from it can feel a little isolated and also gentrified.. One might choose Bath over another city because of cost or closer to their job or yes... the beaches. but I don’t know if each place has distinct and separate feel or personality other then what's generally offered through its geographic location..

I wouldn't know the specific reasons why one might choose Bath say over Brunswick..

things have been changing though, you have towns that are becoming more upper middle class and that of course changes the feel of the town and some towns offer a better access to education so that has attracted a different type of resident who value education for their children over other priorities..

But to answer your question Bath is a very nice city/town with a walkable downtown and few restaurants bars.. I have a friend there who loves it!! I visit often and am familiar with the town in how its laid out but I don’t know the town intimately. BIW is a HUGE employer and traffic can be a nightmare, and rt 1 traffic is busy during summer months also.

Camden is one of my favorite places in Maine... again though... chidren?? idk if I would like raising children there.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

I agree with Mainah. But I'd pick Cumberland over that area. Nice little place with a lot to offer; trails winter and summer, close enough to Portland but still far enough away, schools.

And I'd pick Yarmouth over Cumberland!! Or Pownal over Yarmouth. I didn't go that far south as the OP seemed to have her heart set on Bath.
The point is you really can't go wrong settling anywhere along the coast from Biddeford to Damariscotta. Population thins out after that and the schools are not as good. It picks back up around Penobscot Bay in the Camden area for a spell and drops off again around Belfast. No matter which town you pick you won't have a downtown area for bike riding and beaches in walking distance unless you choose the York county area which tends to be a summer place. With that said, since you have to drive to the beach anyway, you can pick any town within a 1/2 hour of the coast and save yourself a lot of money when buying a home. You really have to come here and look around. You'll find it is nowhere near like it appears on Google street view or any brochure.

[Kristin85]

Originally Posted by Maineah

And I'd pick Yarmouth over Cumberland!! Or Pownal over Yarmouth. I didn't go that far south as the OP seemed to have her heart set on Bath.
The point is you really can't go wrong settling anywhere along the coast from Biddeford to Damariscotta. Population thins out after that and the schools are not as good. It picks back up around Penobscot Bay in the Camden area for a spell and drops off again around Belfast. No matter which town you pick you won't have a downtown area for bike riding and beaches in walking distance unless you choose the York county area which tends to be a summer place. With that said, since you have to drive to the beach anyway, you can pick any town within a 1/2 hour of the coast and save yourself a lot of money when buying a home. You really have to come here and look around. You'll find it is nowhere near like it appears on Google street view or any brochure.

I would like to stress Maineah's last point. I spent a lot of time around Maine in small bubbles (York county, near Portland/MDI/Eastport) but I didn't take time to explore towns between those areas. When I was looking for a place to job/home search, I relied heavily on Google Street View and websites (flickr especially) to decide which towns that I hadn't visited that I "loved." Unfortunately, when I actually drove around those towns, I was sadly misinformed. The internet is a great way to attract visitors, but it really doesn't show the reality of aging villages, far distances between towns, and lack of activity in town centers. I am glad that your research led to your interest in Maine; just remember to focus more strongly on real feedback (like CD forum!) to find towns to explore rather than towns' official websites/Google Maps/photo sites.

[halljc]

Thank you all for your quick responses! I appreciate honesty! I'm not really stuck on any one place as every town I look at I would love to live in for different reasons. I just really want to get out of a big city. I've lived here (suburb of St. Louis) my whole life and would like my boys to experience a different life than suburbia. There is so much more to offer in other places. I do realize websites will make cities look much more picturesque then they really are but I'm sure compared to landlocked St. Louis they are still adorable in person. I don't know what "bad" traffic is considered in Maine but I've had my share of St. Louis traffic, which is part of the reason I work night shift It will take you 30 minutes to an hour to get home from work on a regular day (working 10-15 miles from home), longer if it is raining or snowing or a holiday! Well, i love hearing everyone's opinions on the reality of cities there so keep them coming! By the way, what about Phippsburg?