Questions for Transplants with Families - where are the kids? (Portland: real estate, crime)

[chinadian]

Hi all,

My wife and I are from the east coast. She's from ME and I am from NJ. We moved to California in 2008 and are now considering moving back east in mid-2018 to the Portland area. We have a 6 year old and 3 year old so schools are important, safety is important, but probably most important to us is a strong sense of community. We want a neighborhood where there are a lot of young families who let their kids play outside and around the neighborhood.

I have been compulsively reading the forum threads about suburbs around Portland. I get that Scarborough, Gorham, Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth, and Yarmouth all have great schools. From what I've read, I have somewhat of a sense of the vibe of these areas. It sounds like while both Cape and Falmouth have a reputation for being wealthy and potentially snobby, but in reality the residents are surprisingly friendly and down to earth.

With my wife being from Maine we visit usually 1x/year and stay at her parents house in Augusta. When we drive through the aforementioned neighborhoods (Scar., Gor.. CE, Fal., Yar., etc.), we don't see a lot of kids out and about. And we're doing this during the summertime. Do families in these neighborhoods still let kids run around unsupervised?

So my questions to the forum are:
1. Where are the kids? - What neighborhoods (and literally, what intersections of cross streets) have lots of young families with kids out and about? We're looking for a "playborhood".
2. Do you have friends? - Have transplants with families had an easy time making friends with other community parents by way of the school and community events? I've read that many transplants have a hard time making friends, but those seem like single folks. Wondering if transplanted families have an easier time becoming part of the community and befriending other families at the schools.

Thanks!

[Rx4Maine]

We drove through the towns you mentioned. The one area that really stood out to us in that regard was Cumberland Center. There's a general use area (Cumberland Common) where kids play, practice, etc. There are sidewalks throughout and we see kids and families biking and walking. There's also Twin Brooks rec area where you'll find families and kids, especially in the warmer months. We feel it's a very close knit community and are very happy we moved there. We have not had a difficult time finding friends. As you've mentioned, as long as you make it to a few kids' birthday parties, community events, and school events, you'll be able to find a family with common interests.

Out of curiosity, why the move from California to Maine?

[chinadian]

Originally Posted by Rx4Maine

We drove through the towns you mentioned. The one area that really stood out to us in that regard was Cumberland Center. There's a general use area (Cumberland Common) where kids play, practice, etc. There are sidewalks throughout and we see kids and families biking and walking. There's also Twin Brooks rec area where you'll find families and kids, especially in the warmer months. We feel it's a very close knit community and are very happy we moved there. We have not had a difficult time finding friends. As you've mentioned, as long as you make it to a few kids' birthday parties, community events, and school events, you'll be able to find a family with common interests.

Out of curiosity, why the move from California to Maine?

Hi Rx4 - Thanks for the info. I really appreciate the tips. We'll plan to check out Cumberland Center and Twin Brooks this summer. We're going to be there this August. Are your kids in the IB program at Greely?

Regarding why we're considering moving out of CA, there are a number of reasons. While we love our friends here, we've struggled to feel settled for some reason. I'm not sure if its the culture or community or what, but Sacramento was not where either of us envisioned raising our family. We both grew up in small towns where everyone knew each other.

CRIME - With my wife from ME and me from NJ, the crime in CA just terrifies us. We bought a nice home in a nice neighborhood in Sacramento. I did the Megans law check and crime checks and there was virtually no crime except petty theft in our neighborhood. After we bought, an 80 year a few houses down from us was assaulted in his driveway and around the corner from us someone attempted to abduct a 14 year old girl. Our neighborhood homes range from $650k - $850k. We bought below the bottom end of that, but it gives you a sense of our 'hood. So we're scared to let our kids play in the neighborhood or walk to school. I think that sense of independence is really important for kids. To be able to walk to school alone or walk to a friends house is important for kids.

SCHOOLS - The schools in CA disappoint. We live in probably one of the best public school systems in the Sacramento area. The schools are rated 10 on great schools website, but they are HUGE relative to what my wife and I are accustomed to on the east coast. When I called the middle school, I learned that kids only get one elective per year. They can pick: spanish, or music, or art, or computers, or media, or band, or student government, or etc. But they can only pick ONE. So we send our kids to private school because only the private school matches what we're used to in terms of public schools on the East coast.

TRAFFIC - the volume of people in CA seems crazy. I don't understand why so many people want to live in such close proximity to each other. And iSacramento seems to only be growing in population density (even though, overall, the state pop. is shrinking).

WEATHER - the weather in CA nice, but it is almost boring. Sacramento is scorching hot a lot of the summer. The sun is crazy strong here. I have fond memories as a kid growing up on the east coast playing in the snow, enjoying the fall colors, etc. We miss it. At least, I think we miss it. Of course, I know Maine's weather can be brutal and harsh. The introvert in me misses the peacefulness and quiet going for a walk during a snow storm.

It's not all negative. Like I said, we do love (really love) our friends here. I like my job enough. We love the private school we're at, but that costs some dough. My brother is in SF. My wife's sister is in SF, but her brother just moved from SF back to ME. Her parents are in ME. My parents are in NJ and are not at all excited about moving to CA, but I think they would rather do that than ME...

Thanks again for responding. I really appreciate your taking the time. Cheers.

[Rx4Maine]

Glad to help.

We have only one child and he's in first grade so not in the IB program, but we're happy that the option is there for us should he choose to pursue it. We've been very happy with the Greely school system since our son started attending: there are variety of after school programs, low student-to-teacher ratio, and early intervention for students who need help in a particular subject area (e.g. reading). Keep in mind that Greely has half days on Wednesdays for teacher development; this can be problematic if both parents are working. We haven't looked into whether Greely offers after school programs on those days but plan to do so for next year now that my spouse is employed. The half days turn to full days if it's a short week due to a holiday.

We live walking distance from the school so as soon as we feel our son is ready, he will have the option of walking/biking to school in the warmer months. We see many young students walk home after school which is very reassuring.

We really enjoy all four seasons but multiple snowstorms in close succession can be daunting so make sure your family is ready for that. That being said, our son takes ski lessons and we both go skiing which helps us appreciate the snow. Also, Greely offers an after school ski program starting in the 2nd grade which is also a plus. Furthermore, Twin Brooks and nearby Pineland Farms offer outstanding trails for snowshoeing and cross country skiing.

Please let me know if you have other questions about the school system or the area and I'll do my best to answer them.

[OnwardToMaine]

We moved to Cape Elizabeth and love it. Cape has excellent access to the beaches and trails as well as fantastic schools. Parents here are really involved in the schools and expect a lot from their children but I think it is also a very nurturing environment. There are many neighborhoods that seem to have children out and about playing. Brentwood, Cross Hill, Broad Cove and Aster Lane all come to mind but I'm sure there are more. I regularly see children walking alone to and from school or out riding their bikes. We have found that the community here is very welcoming and we have made fast friends after moving here from out of state.


There are so many wonderful communities around here so you really cannot go wrong. Good luck!

[chinadian]

Originally Posted by Rx4Maine

Glad to help.

Please let me know if you have other questions about the school system or the area and I'll do my best to answer them.

Thanks Rx. Really appreciate your responsiveness and information! Are you a pharmacist by any chance? Just noodling your handle.

[chinadian]

Originally Posted by OnwardToMaine

We moved to Cape Elizabeth and love it. Cape has excellent access to the beaches and trails as well as fantastic schools. Parents here are really involved in the schools and expect a lot from their children but I think it is also a very nurturing environment. There are many neighborhoods that seem to have children out and about playing. Brentwood, Cross Hill, Broad Cove and Aster Lane all come to mind but I'm sure there are more. I regularly see children walking alone to and from school or out riding their bikes. We have found that the community here is very welcoming and we have made fast friends after moving here from out of state.


There are so many wonderful communities around here so you really cannot go wrong. Good luck!

Hi Onward - thanks so much for the response. We'll be sure to check out those areas this summer. I'm wondering if there are more kids out and about on the weekend because during week parents are working and kids are likely at camps or other activities. We mostly drove through there during the week days over the summer.

Glad to hear you made friends really quickly. How often do you run into other transplants on the Cape? ARe most families locals? Or are there quite a few transplants?

Cheers.

[Rx4Maine]

Originally Posted by chinadian

Thanks Rx. Really appreciate your responsiveness and information! Are you a pharmacist by any chance? Just noodling your handle.

Good guess! I chose it because I feel many people can use a "prescription" for Maine to escape and live life according to our state slogan.

[OnwardToMaine]

Originally Posted by chinadian

Hi Onward - thanks so much for the response. We'll be sure to check out those areas this summer. I'm wondering if there are more kids out and about on the weekend because during week parents are working and kids are likely at camps or other activities. We mostly drove through there during the week days over the summer.

Glad to hear you made friends really quickly. How often do you run into other transplants on the Cape? ARe most families locals? Or are there quite a few transplants?

Cheers.

Actually most of our friends so far are transplants to Cape. Some are from other towns in Maine and many are from out of state. It seems that they were all drawn to Cape for the same reasons we initially were. Before we moved here I was a bit apprehensive about how the people would be here in Cape due to their apparent reputation for being rich and snobbish. I have found everyone here to be so extremely kind and welcoming. We have many friends who live in some pretty amazing and expensive homes (though most are in more modest homes like us) and they are still friendly and down to earth people. I've really been so pleasantly surprised. I think people come here to raise their children close to the beaches and the forests and to take advantage of the amazing schools and they just don't seem like the type to be aloof. It's such a wonderful place.

[WhoFanMe]

The kids are out and about and the sports programs are strong, between our 3 we're out almost every night for softball practices and games this time of year. There are also lots of summer camps (day and sleepaway) available. As a licensed real estate agent, I can't tell my clients where certain age groups are, but I do advise them to look for basketball hoops and Little Tykes equipment in driveways, it's fairly obvious.