Relocating to Maine

My husband and I are considering relocating from Oregon to Maine. We both grew up on the west coast, and with my husband%26#39;s job being outsourced to Singapore and the kids out of the house, we%26#39;re looking for new adventures. I was in Maine for a week once, about twenty five years ago, and found it beautiful. We both love history and want to live somewhere where the old buildings really are old! We%26#39;re just looking for something new. Some people (Maine residents among them) have indicated that we may be crazy - mostly because of the weather. Are we? We%26#39;re not used to the cold so much, but it does get cold in Oregon - and let%26#39;s not forget the endless rain, which we have endured for many years now. Are we nuts? Any opinions are welcome!

Relocating to Maine

Maine is a beautiful state. My husband and I are planning to relocate there ourselves in a few years. Keep in mind that Maine covers a very large area, and the living varies accordingly. Where are you looking? Coastline? Mountains? Lakes? City? Small town? how small?

Relocating to Maine

We%26#39;re looking near the coast, but a bit inland: Augusta, Waterville, Lewiston, maybe Bangor. We%26#39;d like to be near a larger city, but not necessarily in one - but close enough for commuting purposes, since we%26#39;ll be needing jobs. I don%26#39;t need a mall, but I%26#39;d appreciate access to a few nice restaurants and some performing arts, sometimes. We live in a college town now, and I%26#39;d probably like to live in another one. Water would be nice - lakes or rivers, not ocean (seems like living near water is not a problem in Maine).

Someone in Pittsfield told me that she%26#39;s lived all over the US, and it%26#39;s windier there than anywhere she%26#39;s ever lived, and rivals the wind in her town on an island in Alaska. I hate wind; I guess I%26#39;ll avoid Pittsfield...is it windy everywhere in Maine? (She%26#39;s from Massachusetts, and does not sound like a happy camper in Maine.)

I met my girlfriend in Maine, after her family had moved from Oregon...a little coincidence here!

I don%26#39;t find it to be any windier in Maine than anywhere else I%26#39;ve been. If you are right ON the ocean, I guess you%26#39;ll always be getting a bit more of a breeze..but thats just the way it is in lots of coastal places.

Based upon your criteria (near water, college town, near ';stuff), I would probably recommend southern Maine, near Portland. Portland itself is really nice, and if you didn%26#39;t want to live right in the city, you could live just outside in some nice areas like Cumberland or Falmouth. Gorham is really up and coming too, and is home to the University of Southern Maine.

Of course, Brunswick / Bath is also very nice, very old Maine towns, beautiful brick buildings, close to Portland, close to the coast, and home to one of the best colleges around -- Bowdoin. I guess if you were to make me give one answer...I think I might say Brunswick area because I think it fulfills most of your requirements.

Well there%26#39;s my 2 cents!

Thanks much for the suggestions - I%26#39;ll follow up.

Anyone who lives in Maine care to comment on the weather in the region(s) that has (have) been discussed?

We%26#39;ve just bought a house in Maine - and I%26#39;ll tell you - the winters are long, snowy and very very cold. We%26#39;re right on the coast and when we moved in in January it was 6 below F and stayed that way. We also had alot of snow.

My father%26#39;s family comes from there, and the summers are lovely, ditto the fall, but the winters are very long, an awful lot shuts down, and spring comes late. I%26#39;d seriously recommend you either rent for a year, or visit during the %26#39;off seasons%26#39; before you make this big a commitment. We%26#39;ve decided, for instance, to close the house from after Xmas to June 1st, and be %26#39;elsewhere%26#39; during those 6 months. The summers are great though, and it is very pretty - and the fall%26#39;s lovely.

Good Luck!

Thanks, LucyE2 - I appreciate the tips. If we pursue this, we would most likely rent first anyway, simply because we wouldn%26#39;t know exactly where we%26#39;d want to live, even within a specific town. Is your house in a smaller town? I assume that being in a more populated area would make a difference in terms of how well one could tolerate the winter - I know that a lot shuts down, seasonally, in the smaller towns but I%26#39;m wondering if that%26#39;s not the case in a larger city?

Portland surely doesn%26#39;t shut down and ditto for Brunswick. Winters can be cold, but southern coastal areas aren%26#39;t that much worse than Boston. So if Boston winters are too brutal, then the same would apply to Portland.

Just to give you a feel, the average high in Portland in January is 31, and the average low is 12.

Hmm, see, I could probably handle that. It doesn%26#39;t often get really cold in western Oregon, but occasionally it gets into the teens, and often the twenties. We just don%26#39;t get snow that much. It seems to me that Maine isn%26#39;t too far from Massachusetts, so I don%26#39;t understand why some people say that it%26#39;s so much more brutal there. But, since I don%26#39;t live there, obviously I don%26#39;t have any idea what it%26#39;s like!

This forum is really helpful!

Well, here comes my best attempt at a sales pitch!

I锟斤拷锟絤 going to have to disagree with what mthibod wrote for a location, based on your criteria of near water, college town, and near 锟斤拷锟絪tuff.锟斤拷锟?I was born and raised in Brewer (just across the river from Bangor) and in fact just bought my first house there as well. So, am I a little bias towards the greater Bangor area? Yes. But, with good reason. To me, Bangor is much, much better than the Portland area and basically anywhere south of Augusta. There锟斤拷锟絪 a saying that anything south of Augusta is really just 锟斤拷锟絅orthern Massachusetts锟斤拷锟? simply due to the amount of tourists, out-of-state summer home owners, etc. That锟斤拷锟絪 not to say those tourists don锟斤拷锟絫 come up to Bangor or the Downeast coastal regions here (or that they锟斤拷锟絩e a bad thing), but they锟斤拷锟絩e definitely more concentrated in southern Maine.

Bangor is only about an hour and a half drive from the coast/Bar Harbor/Acadia National Park area. In the other direction, Bangor is only about 2 hours from the great skiing in the western mountains (Sugarloaf, Carrabassett Valley, etc). About 2 hours to the north you have Baxter State Park and Mt. Katahdin. To the south, you have Portland about 2 hours away. As you can tell, Bangor seems to be right in the middle and easily accessible to most everything. Residing in the Portland area, you锟斤拷锟絣l be further away from all of these except the western mountains. If you锟斤拷锟絩e up for a slightly longer drive, Boston and Quebec City are only about 4 hours away from Bangor.

In terms of the culinary, cultural and college town feel, Bangor certainly has that. There are several great restaurants in town and during the summer the fantastic seasonal restaurants open up on the coast, just a short drive down the road. Culturally (and college-town-like) speaking, the flagship campus of the University of Maine is only about 10 miles up the road from Bangor. Being largest college/university in the state, many activities are centered at UMaine throughout the year. The Maine Center for the Arts (concert hall %26amp; museum) brings in many performing arts shows and is the home of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, just finishing up their 109th season (they are the oldest community orchestra in the United States providing continuous service). If you enjoy sports, UMaine boasts one of the premier college hockey teams in the nation, a perennial powerhouse in the Maine Black Bears (sorry BC, BU and UNH fans). They play to packed crowds all season long, every year. Our football team is competitive as well, making the Division I-AA playoffs several times in the past few seasons.

Furthermore, history abounds the area, with several museums, lots of great, old historic buildings, and a quaint downtown area. There are numerous other historical areas to explore as well, as most of the things I锟斤拷锟絭e mentioned already have a historical component.

Finally, in terms of the weather, if you embrace winter, it can be a marvelous thing. Does it snow a lot? Sure. Can it get cold? You bet. But there锟斤拷锟絪 almost nothing more beautiful than after a fresh snowfall in the morning sun. If you锟斤拷锟絩e adventurous, there锟斤拷锟絪 no shortage of winter activities in which to partake. And yes, the weather can differ greatly from that in Boston. I锟斤拷锟絤 not meteorologist, but I believe this is due in large part to the jet streams and how the cold, arctic air flows down from Canada into Maine.

Hope this all helps, sorry for the long post. I锟斤拷锟絛 be happy to answer any more questions you have.

RE: Weather... You%26#39;re rights Maine is not very far from Massachusetts, if you are talking about southern Maine. If you stay south of Portland, you are no more than an hour out of Boston.

However, Maine is a big state..larger than the rest of New England put together. Once you travel north of Freeport/Brunswick etc., you are dealing with some very harsh winters. But here%26#39;s the thing, it%26#39;s not as bad as all that. Personally, I love winter. And the there are some amazingly efficient Public Works Deptartments out clearing the roads. Main does a better job of treating their roads in the ice and snow than any other northern state I%26#39;ve ever been in. Houses are built to withstand the climate. People wear boots and gloves and scarves all the time because you know it%26#39;s going to be cold. If you are prepared for it, winter is just another season. And of course, ther%26#39;s all that fabulous skiing. Maine has some of the best skiing in New England.

About Portland. Great city! Restaurants, shopping, galleries, museums, theater, night life, the whole package. But is is a city, The previous poster is right, much of Southern Maine is Massachusetts North. Not that that is all bad, it depends on what you want.

Bangor is an interesting alternative. Any town that has a college tends to have a lot to offer in temrs of culture and cuisine. Another beautiful - inland- town is Farmington. Also a college town. Within easy commuting distance of Audurn-Lewiston, and the moutains for skiing/hiking/camping.

We have zeroed in on Downeast Maine for our moving plans, close enough to Ellsworth for the necessities -work, shopping, etc. - but still have a small town life, and access to the shore.

Back to the weather... a summer%26#39;s day in Maine can make you forget that ever a snowflake fell!