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My husband and I are planning to move from Hawaii to New England with our 2 year old daughter sometime in the next year. (No, we aren’t crazy, we have many reasons for leaving the Big Island after six years: insane COL, deadly parasites, swarms of fire ants, persistent mold, active volcanos, no change in seasons, zero music scene, zero food scene...ready for a major change!))
Ive basically been researching for over a year and it seems to me that the Portland area might be what we are looking for. We aren’t made of money so we couldn’t afford to buy right in Portland (probably wouldn’t suit our needs even if we could afford it). I’m looking for recommendations as to which towns around Portland we should be considering.
We’re liberal millennials looking for a place we can get a few acres and start the homestead we’ve been dreaming of. We are serious foodies, all about the grow-your-own/local/handmade/organic scene, we highly value our privacy, envisioning a little house tucked into some woods in a rural area within an hour of Portland. I’m a birth and family photographer so it would be nice to be in a central area with access to a couple towns/cities within an hour or so. On this note: is Portland the kind of place where people are building families? Obviously a family friendly community would be ideal for my work and for my daughter, but we will probably be homeschooling, so not too concerned about the schools.
My husband and I are planning to move from Hawaii to New England with our 2 year old daughter sometime in the next year. (No, we aren’t crazy, we have many reasons for leaving the Big Island after six years: insane COL, deadly parasites, swarms of fire ants, persistent mold, active volcanos, no change in seasons, zero music scene, zero food scene...ready for a major change!))
Ive basically been researching for over a year and it seems to me that the Portland area might be what we are looking for. We aren’t made of money so we couldn’t afford to buy right in Portland (probably wouldn’t suit our needs even if we could afford it). I’m looking for recommendations as to which towns around Portland we should be considering.
We’re liberal millennials looking for a place we can get a few acres and start the homestead we’ve been dreaming of. We are serious foodies, all about the grow-your-own/local/handmade/organic scene, we highly value our privacy, envisioning a little house tucked into some woods in a rural area within an hour of Portland. I’m a birth and family photographer so it would be nice to be in a central area with access to a couple towns/cities within an hour or so. On this note: is Portland the kind of place where people are building families? Obviously a family friendly community would be ideal for my work and for my daughter, but we will probably be homeschooling, so not too concerned about the schools.
I really appreciate any suggestions!
I'd look in the MSAD #6 area of Cumberland/York Counties (which includes the towns of Buxton, Hollis, Standish, Limington, and Frye Island) where house prices are lower than the towns closer to Portland, yet you are still 35-45 minutes from Portland. Another area is MSAD #15 (Gray and New Gloucester) also about 45 minutes from Portland and closer to Lewiston Auburn.
My wife and I have lived in Maine for almost 5 years. We rented in Portland for 2 years and then got very lucky and bought a 3-bedroom house in Portland for $185K in late 2017. Average price of homes in the Portland area have been around $300-315K the last few years.
There are A LOT of families in Portland, off the peninsula (downtown) you will find a bunch of different neighborhoods, all of which are family-friendly.
You won't be able to find large lots in Portland, 1-acre is considered huge and they are expensive. Our lot is .22 acres, small but we have a large fenced in back yard and room to plant,etc.
I don't know too much about the surrounding areas as we've stayed within Portland for the most part. It is a great city and we love it here. (Wife and I grew up in upstate NY)
I hear good things about Westbrook but larger lots will still be hard to find/pricey.
I have a sweet spot for Old Orchard Beach (OOB). It is a laid-back, kinda sketchy beach town. They have the best beach in the area (7-miles long). Homes are relatively cheap there, you can find 2/3 bedroom homes within walking distance to the beach for under $250K. It's about 25 mins from Portland, but the lots here are even smaller but if you love the ocean it could be worth looking into.
Are you from Hawaii? I have two friends (couple) that moved to Oahu from Portland over ten years ago. It was very expensive. Have you factored in the cost of moving? The cost of moving, plus the cost of Portland means you will need a lot of money to make the journey.
That said, there are many towns that are an hour away from Portland with larger lots at cheaper prices. Portland also has a lot of photographers (and really good ones at that). There is a lot of competition.
Are you from Hawaii? I have two friends (couple) that moved to Oahu from Portland over ten years ago. It was very expensive. Have you factored in the cost of moving? The cost of moving, plus the cost of Portland means you will need a lot of money to make the journey.
As a note: my daughter moved to VA. The cost moving companies quoted for a studio apartment from NYC to VA was crazy. We had planned to do it ourselves - making a couple of trips back and forth with her stuff.
Then the pandemic hit.
I used the USPS instead. She purchased the furniture needed online and I mailed the rest. With the cost of the new furniture and mailing boxes was still cheaper than a moving company.
My husband and I are planning to move from Hawaii to New England with our 2 year old daughter sometime in the next year. (No, we aren’t crazy, we have many reasons for leaving the Big Island after six years: insane COL, deadly parasites, swarms of fire ants, persistent mold, active volcanos, no change in seasons, zero music scene, zero food scene...ready for a major change!))
Ive basically been researching for over a year and it seems to me that the Portland area might be what we are looking for. We aren’t made of money so we couldn’t afford to buy right in Portland (probably wouldn’t suit our needs even if we could afford it). I’m looking for recommendations as to which towns around Portland we should be considering.
We’re liberal millennials looking for a place we can get a few acres and start the homestead we’ve been dreaming of. We are serious foodies, all about the grow-your-own/local/handmade/organic scene, we highly value our privacy, envisioning a little house tucked into some woods in a rural area within an hour of Portland. I’m a birth and family photographer so it would be nice to be in a central area with access to a couple towns/cities within an hour or so. On this note: is Portland the kind of place where people are building families? Obviously a family friendly community would be ideal for my work and for my daughter, but we will probably be homeschooling, so not too concerned about the schools.
I really appreciate any suggestions!
One place to look at along the coast would be West Bath. It's quiet, it's pretty, it's a craggy stretch of coastline with lots of trees. Real estate taxes are pretty low and property costs are also pretty low. There isn't a lot there, but it's flanked by two interesting, good-sized towns - Bath and Brunswick are 10-15 mins away on either side. Bath has for example a weekly farmer's market and Brunswick has an arts scene. And Portland is about 45 minutes away.
Other candidates would be Topsham, just north of Brunswick, and Bowdoinham, north of that...
Last edited by OutdoorLover; 06-19-2020 at 05:05 AM..
One place to look at along the coast would be West Bath. It's quiet, it's pretty, it's a craggy stretch of coastline with lots of trees. Real estate taxes are pretty low and property costs are also pretty low. There isn't a lot there, but it's flanked by two interesting, good-sized towns - Bath and Brunswick are 10-15 mins away on either side. Bath has for example a weekly farmer's market and Brunswick has an arts scene. And Portland is about 45 minutes away.
Other candidates would be Topsham, just north of Brunswick, and Bowdoinham, north of that...
Oh, West Bath sounds exactly what we are looking for!
One place to look at along the coast would be West Bath. It's quiet, it's pretty, it's a craggy stretch of coastline with lots of trees. Real estate taxes are pretty low and property costs are also pretty low. There isn't a lot there, but it's flanked by two interesting, good-sized towns - Bath and Brunswick are 10-15 mins away on either side. Bath has for example a weekly farmer's market and Brunswick has an arts scene. And Portland is about 45 minutes away.
Other candidates would be Topsham, just north of Brunswick, and Bowdoinham, north of that...
Aloha nui loa. Spent a year total on Maui, now happily retired in rural Maine. There's a good chance that you will fall in love with Maine and never want to leave. I really, really suggest, if it's possible, that you drive around Maine and look at different locations to move to. Looking at pictures on the internet, as well as getting advice from posters, is no substitute. Still, what follows is my two cents. I would discourage you from considering the Portland area, which has many good things about it (great place to visit), due primarily to property prices that you risen sharply in the past five years or so. The same is happening to a lovely college town, Brunswick, about 20 miles to the north. Anything on or near the ocean, east of I-95 and I-295, also will be very expensive. Given your interests (a little land, privacy, organic food, some proximity to larger towns), my suggestion is the area circumscribed by Topsham, Bowdoin, Bowdoinham, Richmond, Dresden, Woolwich, Bath and West Bath. My family and I are near Bowdoinham, a friendly, welcoming town, which is also noted for many organic farms in the area and a lively arts scene. Real estate prices are far more reasonable than areas mentioned above. You should be able to have some land, wooded or open, with any house that you buy. By the way, do not be put off by tales of exceptionally cold, snowy winters. We have four lovely seasons. And yes, it can get down to 5-10 degrees now and then in the winter, but the average snowfall here is 66 inches (far less than Buffalo, say), but you just get out and enjoy it by snowshoeing, cross country skiing, snowmobiling, etc. Occasional ice will be a bigger problem than snow. You'll probably want a truck, ideally with a blade on it if you have a long driveway, and I'd also recommend a home generator for times when the power goes out because of windstorms and ice loading on power lines. Mainers are proudly self-reliant and independent (rightly so), but I've also never met anyone who wasn't willing to help out and lend a hand to a neighbor if he/she needed anything.
My wife and I have lived in Maine for almost 5 years. We rented in Portland for 2 years and then got very lucky and bought a 3-bedroom house in Portland for $185K in late 2017. Average price of homes in the Portland area have been around $300-315K the last few years.
There are A LOT of families in Portland, off the peninsula (downtown) you will find a bunch of different neighborhoods, all of which are family-friendly.
You won't be able to find large lots in Portland, 1-acre is considered huge and they are expensive. Our lot is .22 acres, small but we have a large fenced in back yard and room to plant,etc.
I don't know too much about the surrounding areas as we've stayed within Portland for the most part. It is a great city and we love it here. (Wife and I grew up in upstate NY)
I hear good things about Westbrook but larger lots will still be hard to find/pricey.
I have a sweet spot for Old Orchard Beach (OOB). It is a laid-back, kinda sketchy beach town. They have the best beach in the area (7-miles long). Homes are relatively cheap there, you can find 2/3 bedroom homes within walking distance to the beach for under $250K. It's about 25 mins from Portland, but the lots here are even smaller but if you love the ocean it could be worth looking into.
May I ask why the homes/condos on Old Orchard Beach are so inexpensive? It's unusual for properties that close to a beach to be so affordable.
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