Moving to Portland, ME from Los Angeles... (South Portland, Falmouth: real estate, apartments)

[Mdnite]

Hi, there. I'll make this as brief as possible. I was born and raised in northern Maine and left home when I was 19 for NYC and moved to Los Angeles a few years after that. I now have a wife and two young children and am seriously considering moving back to New England. It seems like my wife is really into the idea as well so I would like to ask a few questions about Portland because that seems like the best fit for us.
(1) Are the public schools in Portland as bad as they appear to be online? I can't afford to send my children to Waynflete so this is concerning to me. I'm also basing this on the greatschools.com scoring system...not word of mouth. I would love feedback from parents in the area! I know the schools are amazing in Falmouth and not bad in South Portland but we want to be on the peninsula...ideally Munjoy Hill or west end. We took a scouting trip in October and loved the urban feel of the city. Obviously nothing like LA but beautiful and surrounded by water, etc.
(2) I grew up in Maine. I can handle winter again (I think). My wife is from Texas and has lived in LA for 15 years so I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this kind of transition and how it was for them.
(3) We would love to own a home someday (or even a townhouse or condo). How is the market these days? Are there some nice apartments with character and charm available? I know a quick jaunt to Craigslist can answer some of these questions but the pictures don't always tell the complete story.
(4) I love my family. I want them to grow up happy and live in a special community. I love the west coast and the people I've met here but New Englanders are and always have been my favorite. The idea of raising my family here is very appealing. (Suppose I could be slightly biased) I would love feedback on rasing a family in Portland. What are some of your experiences? Has anyone made this exact move before?

Thanks for your time in advance!

[znlwovuhrjw]

I thought for sure you were going to mention something about escaping before the price of water is more expensive than gasoline and home values drop to nothing.

As for the reputation of the high schools in Portland, the University of Southern Maine gets students from local institutions within that area besides transfer students, so the local schools must be sufficient enough.

[Mark S.]

I don't know much about schools and apartments in Portland itself. Sorry.

Only a quick word about Portland. Is the largest city in Maine, so if you are wanting to stay in an urban environment, Portland is your best bet. But it is a VERY small (even tiny) city compared to Los Angeles. That said, Boston is not far away, and it is one of the greatest cities in the U.S. But since you mentioned kids, you should know that Portland comes with all the usual drawbacks of city living --- crime, crowded schools, higher real estate. It may well seem quaint and no big deal to someone coming from L.A., but it still bears mentioning.

But maybe I can help with this one:

Originally Posted by Mdnite

(2) I grew up in Maine. I can handle winter again (I think). My wife is from Texas and has lived in LA for 15 years so I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this kind of transition and how it was for them.

I grew up in a desert climate (eastern New Mexico). I lived for about 10 years on the west coast (Seattle/Tacoma area). I LOVE the Maine climate. We have 3 reliable seasons: summer, autumn, and winter. And most years we get a pretty good spring too, although some years it seems to go straight from winter into full bore summer.

We get lots and lots and lots of snow. If you don't like snow, you will not like Maine. Usually, we can expect our first good snowfall around Thanksgiving. Some years it is much earlier. Some years it is much later. But Thanksgiving is a pretty good bet. And it keeps snowing all winter. It was 50 degrees here yesterday, but we had a dusting of snow overnight, with accumulation possible over the weekend.

But most Maine communities do a decent job of keeping the roads clear. This year has been a bit of a challenge, because rather than the snow coming in bits over a period of months, it all got dumped on us in huge storms over a period of a few weeks. Roads were still fine, but towns were scrambling to find places to put all the snow.

And it does get cold. And I mean real cold. I say this because I work with a lady from southern California, who is convinced that anything below 72 degrees is a winter emergency. She's pretty miserable when she comes to Maine in February, where the thermometer may not climb above 18 degrees for weeks at a time, and it dips well below zero at night. January and February are the coldest months of the year.

[LordSquidworth]

Originally Posted by kingdomkz

I thought for sure you were going to mention something about escaping before the price of water is more expensive than gasoline and home values drop to nothing.

As for the reputation of the high schools in Portland, the University of Southern Maine gets students from local institutions within that area besides transfer students, so the local schools must be sufficient enough.

As someone who went to USM not long ago, I wouldn't send my kids there.

Though I think he's asking about grade school.

[Mdnite]

I wouldn't send my kids there either. They're 2 and 4 years old.

[WhoFanMe]

I'm not very familiar with the rental market, but the market for single family homes and condos on the East End is strong. Many are sold within days with multiple offers at above list price. I would imagine rents have increased substantially as it is a very desirable area of Portland.

[MassVt]

I strongly recommend a visit first, for the benefit of your wife and children. Going from LA to Portland, ME is a major adjustment, especially when considering the very small size of Portland, and the weather..

[Mdnite]

Thanks for the advice! We did make a trip last October and spent about five days. We toured all the neighborhoods and loved the size. LA is huge but we live in a neighborhood that's more suburban for the schools. Schools are great...area not so much.

[Mdnite]

I also forgot to mention I have my entire family scattered throughout Maine. It's so difficult to get home and see them living on this side of the country.

[ilovemycat]

Someone very close to me is a teacher in Portland Public Schools, so I know a little just about 1 elementary school- Reiche, which I think covers the West End. I served on the school board in an excellent suburban NJ district for 10 years and was very involved in educational issues for a long while. I just say that because I believe in high expectations for students and staff and have seen first hand how a district can go from mediocre to excellent with the right leadership. I have spent a number of days in Reiche- helping this person set up her classroom and of course, we speak about the goings on at work, both in the classroom, the building and less often the district. PPS could be better, maybe much better, but the online score does not reflect the learning environment and the caring about students that manifests itself daily in the building. Reiche is a teacher led/teacher governed school- the only one in Portland. It is small, it is vibrant, it is diverse, it is caring. It has a very active PTO, which is very important for a school's success and offers great programs for kids. I am extremely upset that Reiche has an F rating on the Maine report cards and just a 3 on Great Schools. But, in your post, you seemed to realize that the schools might just not fit those ratings. You are right. The school has a web site, and probably most in Portland do as well. The Great Schools site also had a community rating, and comments, which were insightful and virtually all positive. Spend some more time reading things like that and I think you will feel better. Many people in Portland, from all walks of life send their children to the Portland public schools. If you like Portland, and you like Maine, and you like that down to earth, laid back vibe, with community involvement and activism thrown in, you guys should be very happy here once again. I would also check out S.Portland. You might like areas like Ferry Village, Knightsville, Meeting House Hill, Sylvan Heights, Willard Beach. Again, lots of people, from all walks of life live there and send their kids to public school.