NC to Maine with young family (Portland, Hope: month to, house, job market)

[kellyam]

Hi everyone! Thank you for all of your great advice. Our move appears to be more definite, now it's just the timeframe that is up in the air. Either March or June. I am a little torn between renting vs. buying. We have two dogs and a cat, so that makes renting difficult, but it's hard to decide where you want to live for the next 5-10 years in two visits.I still have a couple of questions for you all... How are the schools in Westbrook? I have heard mix reviews. Our daughter will start kindergarten in the fall.Second, does anyone have any information on the Riverton area of Portland?Third, I heard something about state funded pre-k? Is this a ploy to get me up there faster??? My son will start preschool in a year or two.Thanks! I have to say, I am SO excited about our move. Everything I've read about Portland is very exciting to me and I'm excited to make it my home.

[sboilard]

Walking distance to the old port.

[MunjoyHill]

I hope that you enjoy Portland. It's a very beautiful place, but we're leaving for a number of reasons, the most important being that our nearest family members live 1000 miles away.

We own a beautiful place on Munjoy Hill, but I do have to say that Portland (for us) hasn't been as perfect as the threads make it out to be. The city is wildly expensive, and for the amenities offered here, the price is way too high. You can get a palace in rural maine for what you pay in Portland. The city has some good places to eat, but the self-congratulatory nature of this place is, frankly, pretty off-putting. Not that we haven't met some nice people, we have. But be prepared for the substantial number of people who live month-to-month here, have no savings at all, pay some of the highest taxes in the nation and still stare with glassy eyes and tell you that there is no better place in the world.

Portland is lovely, but there truly are other lovely places in the country.

[lrfox]

^I think this post hits the nail on the head. The self-congratulatory nature of Portland is, to me as well, one of the most frustrating aspects of this town. I will argue to the death of me that the food scene, arts scene, nightlife, and other cultural aspects of Portland, while very nice (particulary for the size and location of the town) are WILDLY overstated. I know people say, don't expect "Boston or Providence," but I can name other small cities in New England (some even smaller than Portland) that offer the same (or more) amenities that I mentioned above. Do not come to Portland expecting world class cultural venues, they don't exist here... it's still a very small town.

That being said, Portland does have a unique culture that is all it's own. It's different than most other places, even places not too far away. The people are very friendly and the crime is low. It's one of the few small cities in New England where the public schools aren't sub-par (though I wouldn't call them stellar either). I still find Portland relatively inexpensive when compared to most of New England's cities. I know of many cities in far worse condition than Portland that are still much more expensive (Check out taxes, real estate costs, etc in Fall River MA, Bridgeport CT, Lawrence, MA, etc). Is it more expensive than rural Maine? Of course.... most cities are more expensive than the rural areas around them and due to the limited space in cities, you get less (in terms of square footage of living space and land) than you do in the suburbs or rural areas; but in most cities of any size you're paying for the trade off in convenience (read access to amenities and services). It's also probably more expensive than most inland states. I would, however, urge anyone to try and find a cheaper place to live that's 1) right on the coast, 2) the economic center of the region, and 3) has an equal or lower crime rate than Portland. Finding a cheaper place to live that meets that criteria will be tough.

Maine is unique because most people are in Maine because they want to be in Maine. Very few states can say that. There are very few people who are FORCED to live in Maine because of work, or another reason. While many other states (Particularly those with larger urban centers) tend to have people there for a variety of reasons, be it: work, family, or that they just enjoy what that particular state has to offer. This is part of the reason Maine's forums tend to paint such a rosey picture of the place. In Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, etc you have a solid mix of positive and negative commentary to pull from when making a decision. This is because while someone may love the hustle and bustle of NYC, the man from rural Texas who is forced to live there because of work may hate it. As a result, you get a wide variety of commentary to choose from.

In Maine, most of these people are here because they want to be and if they want to be here, then they must love something about it. I have met VERY few people (yes, even in Portland) who are in Maine for any other reason than that they chose to be there. If you have a lot of people in an area where they choose to be, of course they'll love it and wax poetic about it frequently and this probably leads to much of the self-congratulatory sentiment that many of us dislike so much (that and the fact that the city has rebounded from a near ghost-town a little over a decade ago).

Portland (and Maine) is a nice place. While the self-promotion and super-strong civic pride (almost hubris) border on extreme, there is good reason to like the town. I would approach the local pride in Portland like that of someone listening an overly-proud parent talking about their only child... there's some truth in it, but it's going to look a LOT different when seen from the outside. If you can wade through some of the excessiveness, you'll still find a really nice little place.

[K-Luv]

While I agree with most of your post, irfox, I will disagree with you in that every state has a good number of people that want to live in it and also with your comment that few people are forced to live here. There are many people who live here because of family and/or the obligations that arise with that that will keep people around who otherwise would like to leave. Also, I have talked to many people at school who are counting down the days until they graduate so that they can get out of here. So, school is another thing that can 'force' people to stay. And, lets not forget about money/jobs. While it is true that most people move to Maine because they actually want to live here, very few people move here because of the job opportunities. So with that, I am sure that there are a number of people who would like to move somewhere else but simply cannot afford to do so because they do not make enough money.

[lrfox]

^I agree with you. I guess I understated the family situation and the cost of moving out of state. I do think that that's an issue in every state though.

But you're right, very few people are moving to Maine for job opportunities. In other states though, that's not the case (like I said, particularly in the states with larger cities). Those people that move to certain states for job opportunities as reason numero uno tend to make up a good portion of the negative commentary and balance out the very positive commentary in other CD forums. Maine (and some other forums, notably Alaska and Vermont) tends to have a smaller number of the people who moved for work and dislike it partially because there are fewer people who move to Maine (or those other states) for work. That's really all I was trying to illustrate.

I just feel that many of the issues with Maine are overlooked because MOST of the people who move here view them as endearing quirks and actually PART of the reason why they're moving to, or already live in, Maine which is different than how someone from outside who is FORCED to move to Maine may view those quirks. A prime example is how people who move to Boston for work or other reasons often complain about how difficult it is to own and operate a car in the city. Well, many, if not most Bostonians LOVE the fact that they don't need to have a car in the city (it's part of the reason I love Boston). If those people didn't feel the need to move to Boston, then they wouldn't be there and you wouldn't hear the complaints about the difficulties of having a vehicle in Boston. It's just one of many examples. Certainly different strokes for different folks, but most people who post in the Maine forum do so because they choose to be in Maine and love it... not because they're forced to be in Maine.

I also feel that the folks who already live in a state and want to leave (be it Maine, Mass, RI, CT, NY, Cali, etc) tend to be less vocal on these communities than those who have been forced to leave the place they love (or at least like) to move to a place that they don't necessarily love.

You are right, Maine, like every other state, has a good number of people who have a hard time leaving for financial reasons or family reasons... but very few of them post here.

[kellyam]

Well, we are moving because my husband is getting transferred. If the job market and general economy was better, we might consider staying put in NC. Then again, if he was getting sent somewhere else, I still might not want to go. I guess I never imagined moving my family to Maine, but now I am very excited to go.

I do have some fears. I'm nervous that I won't be able to leave the house for 6 months out of the year b/c I'll be miserably cold (I get cold when it's 65 degrees outside, which it is today!), that I won't fit in (I found Bostonians to just be DIFFERENT from me... not rude, but not as friendly and helpful as people in the South) and not being within driving distance to my family.

On the other hand, I am excited to see the Maine landscape and be inspired by it. I'm an artist, and I'm inspired by color and extremes. I love Cary, NC, but it sort of lacks character. I've heard that Mainers are friendly people, and hopefully I won't feel like too much of an outsider. Y'all aren't clique-y are you? ;-)

As for living month to month, well, I think that is everyone everywhere right now unless you are extremely lucky. It's actually reassuring to me that Portland folks are still happy about being where they are even though times are tough. Maybe their glassy-eyed because they're cold? ;-)

And as it turns out, we have to be in Maine by Feb. 15! I have no idea how this is going to work out, but thanks for the tips everyone! Where there's a will...

~ Kelly

[WhoFanMe]

Like you Kelly, I'm always cold (my wife is always hot), but there have been advances in Gore-Tex and other fabrics to enable you to layer yourself without being a Michelin man. My parents live in Las Vegas and we visited in September and it was painful to be outside at 105, so it's all relative (it's a dry heat, ).

There is a large arts community in Portland with the Maine College of Art on Congress Street and dozens of galleries. You'll want to check out the First Friday Art Walks when you get up here. Bostonians are different from most people, you'll find the pace much slower in Greater Portland.

[dramamama6685]

Wow, kelly that's soon!! Good luck with the move!

[palval1]

Kelly, I'll be rootin' for you and your family when you move and experience the grand transition. I came VERY CLOSE to moving to Barnardsville, NC (just outside of Asheville). The closing on the house there fell through at the last minute. It was a God-send actually.
Now I'm realizing that Maine is the place for me. Heading south was not my true direction, for sure.

I think, as an artist, you'll find much inspiration in Maine. Actually artistry, as you know, comes from within. Expression of it certainly is enhanced by surroundings which comfort you. I hope you find that comfort in Maine. Cheers and Happy New Year!