Young amily moving from North of Seattle to Maine (Portland: insurance, broker) - (ME) - City-Data Forum

jc1912 · 11-02-2008, 11:42 AM

We have a young family (toddler and infant) and are considering moving to Maine by Q4 2009 or Q1 2010. We would need to live a reasonable distance from an urban center for my work (I am a benefits broker). We are thinking Portland, but would love to hear feedback and other ideas.

Based on where we live now, a reasonable distance is 30 miles and an hour commute. We prefer a suburb or even semi-rural setting - the big city doesn't do it for us.

We would not interested in living in a high end neighborhood and the personal nonsense that can go along with that. We have to have a big yard of at least .5 acres, and not too far from good recreation (hiking mainly).

Our price range for housing would be around $450K - $500K. Funny - in Seattle, that would get you a two bedroom rambler with no yard in a questionable neighborhood! Given the givens of the economy, I am hoping the Maine housing market is much kinder!

Schools are also an upcoming concern. Recommnedations on good districts would be helpful.

Thank you in advance for your time and responses.

perseph03 · 11-02-2008, 02:36 PM

Portland is a nice small city, can't go wrong with any of the school districts, they are all great. I wouldn't go any farther north than Portland, there is not much to do and jobs are scarce. Winters are very long, snowy, and cold, and the state is very heavily taxed. On the up side, it is great for kids, very safe, and Portland is in close proximity to the ocean, lakes, mountains, and Boston. It's pricey for a house, but alot less than Seattle area, you can get a REALLY nice house for 4-500 K. As far as uppity areas, Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth Foreside are a bit more prestigeous. Good luck!

Acadianlion · 11-02-2008, 02:40 PM

Why are you thinking of coming to Maine?
What do you know about the state of Maine, its population numbers, its geographical makeup, its economy?

If you think we are at all like Seattle, guess again.

Until and unless you put your boots on the ground here and do a LOT of research, you may find that no matter how much you think you have to spend on housing, the whole living experience may disappoint you.

Northern Maine Land Man · 11-02-2008, 02:56 PM

Maine has about 1.25 million people. We are as big or bigger in land area as the other 5 New England states combined. What does a benefit broker do?

In Maine a home in your price range will put you in a high end neighborhood.

Maineah · 11-02-2008, 03:36 PM

Stay in Seattle!

I tend to agree with Acadianlion you are not going to be moving to some utopia by moving to Maine.
Maine is a hard place to live no matter what your income level or perceived knowlege of the area.

Not only is the weather and subsequent heating a challenge, the economy in Maine is poor at best.

Benefit broker ??? Sounds like you're in with a big insurer negotiating benefit settlements???
People don't even buy fire insurance around here unless the bank forces them to!

You had better study the area long and hard before moving across country!

It's not the Pacific Northwest!

jc1912 · 11-02-2008, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acadianlion

Why are you thinking of coming to Maine?
What do you know about the state of Maine, its population numbers, its geographical makeup, its economy?

If you think we are at all like Seattle, guess again.

Until and unless you put your boots on the ground here and do a LOT of research, you may find that no matter how much you think you have to spend on housing, the whole living experience may disappoint you.

Well if there are Starbucks on every corner, rainy, miserable weather for 9 months out of the year, rush hour traffic from 5am to 11 am and 1 pm to 7 pm, god awful cost of living, and high taxes, it will at least be a parallel move.

I am sure there will be a fair amount of trade off between the two cities, but there is no expectation that Maine will be anything like Seattle.

I have gathered a fair amount of info on the basics, but can't seem to find straight answers on things like taxes, cost of living and wages.

Elcarim · 11-02-2008, 03:45 PM

I'm not sure why you're considering a move from WA to ME, but I have been all over the Seattle and Whidbey Island areas. The atmosphere is dramatically different there than in ME. The natural beauty is about equal, but you'll find Maine to be a much more natural and rugged environment. Even it's large (hehe) cities are more like small towns, when you've experienced a more modernized city like Seattle or Houston or ...... someone stop me if I'm wrong, but that is my general impression when comparing Maine to other areas of civilization.

The mindset of its people is going to be very different from anything you've ever experienced. You have to desire the type of lifestyle that Maine has to offer. It's an incredible place with incredible people and a draw like I've never experienced, but it's certainly not for everyone. You'd better know full well what you should expect before boarding this ship.

Elcarim · 11-02-2008, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc1912

Well if there are Starbucks on every corner, rainy, miserable weather for 9 months out of the year, rush hour traffic from 5am to 11 am and 1 pm to 7 pm, god awful cost of living, and high taxes, it will at least be a parallel move.

I am sure there will be a fair amount of trade off between the two cities, but there is no expectation that Maine will be anything like Seattle.

I have gathered a fair amount of info on the basics, but can't seem to find straight answers on things like taxes, cost of living and wages.

If you use the search function on the top of the page to search the forum, you can search keywords like "taxes" and "cost of living". These are extensively discussed topics on the forum, and you will probably find the info you're looking for.

Maineah · 11-02-2008, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jc1912

Well if there are Starbucks on every corner, rainy, miserable weather for 9 months out of the year, rush hour traffic from 5am to 11 am and 1 pm to 7 pm, god awful cost of living, and high taxes, it will at least be a parallel move.

I am sure there will be a fair amount of trade off between the two cities, but there is no expectation that Maine will be anything like Seattle.

I have gathered a fair amount of info on the basics, but can't seem to find straight answers on things like taxes, cost of living and wages.

You need to come here and at least spend a couple of weeks.

Starbucks are 50 miles apart, taxes per capita are among the highest in the USA. Cost of living is quite high too.

You may come here and buy a house for $500,000 but you won't make half your current income in Maine. Good luck making payments on a half a million dollar house working for an insurance company unless you are in the front office.

It's far colder here than in Seattle. We get snow and lots of it . The median tempurature from December until mid March is 20 degrees.

Ever drive in snow??? It is no picnic and you may find yourself in a ditch.

Heating a $400,000 house will cost you an additional $7000 a year for oil.

You need to do your research.

Maine is not a place for the uninformed!

ekh32 · 11-02-2008, 05:09 PM

I moved from South Carolina to Maine. I was ten minutes from the beach and wore sandals year round. I moved up here, cut my salary in half, and I am incredibly happy. I love it up here! Its wonderful. I would make the move again in a minute. I didn't do much research, I just flew up here and found a place to live. I would suggest making sure to have a job before you make the move. But Maine is a wonderful place.