What is Portland Maine like

[kmead]

We are starting out on another NE homestead fact finding trip this fall. We want to look into the Portland area homes and airports. I need hangar space and prefer a rural area home.

Any good areas to look? How do you like living there?

Kevin

 

[airbornejohnny]

I have no idea about airports there, but some years ago I went up to see a friend who moved to Cape Elizabeth. Beautiful area, and very friendly people.

 

[ClimbnSink]

FYI ME is #6 in welfare bennies per capita. NY and MA are in the twenties.

 

[Kelvin]

Look down in the Biddeford/Saco area...Nice little airport...3K ft runway...super community...I think there is a larger airport just west as well...

I haven't lived there but have visited a number of times...I do really like that area...

Wish you well in your search!

 

[Mafoo]

No idea about airports or living in Portland, but I go to Maine often. I live in New Hampshire (I was there last weekend in fact).

Great place to be. Nice people, and very pretty country. Portland is a cool town. Been there 3-4 times. If I was going to live in Maine however, I would live someplace smaller, like York.

 

[CBeaulieu]

Hi Keven,

Portland is a great city. Hangar space in Portland may be hard time come by/expensive, but it's a great airport and the controllers are awesome.

Other airports worth looking at are Biddeford (B19) to the south of Portland

and Brunswick Executive Airport (BXM) , formerly Brunswick Naval Air Station, to the north of Portland.

If you need a good realtor, look up Sprague & Curtis based out of Augusta, and ask for Earl. Tell him Corey sent you.

 

[steingar]

I interviewed there and though it a great little place. Don't know anything about the aviation situation, though. Good luck.

 

[Lawreston]

Or you could consider residential area such as Bath(home of Bath Iron works - Shipbuilder). Bath is 5 miles north of Brunswick Exec. Airport KBXM and 5 miles south of Wiscasset Airport KIWI. Nearby towns are Woolwich, Wiscasset, Edgecomb, Brunswick, Damariscotta, each not being more than a few minutes drive to one of the airports. KIWI 7/25 is to be extended considerably from the current 3497'. New hangars are scheduled to be built at KBXM. Either KIWI or KBXM is a 20-25 minute flight to Rockland KRKD, AUGUSTA KAUG, Portland KPWM, Auburn-Lewiston KLEW, all of which are "destination" areas for new residents.

Photo #1 is Hangar 6 at KBXM; photo #2 is from DW for 25 Wiscasset. US Route #1 is shown. #3 is Portland KPWM.

HR

 

[comanchepilot]

Just remember. Winter starts November 1 and ends in May.

Lots of truth in the old saw: Stick with your flannels til your flannels stick to you.

April is a cruel month that far northeast. There is something wrong about having it sleet when the sun rises at 545a and sets at 8pm and you see snow falling amidst the buds on the trees. . . . You will get so sick of winter just hanging on . . . It'll be 75 in minneapolis for gosh sakes and it will still be in the 50's for highs in Maine.

There are two seasons in Maine. . . .

Winter, and the 4th of July.

Winter, and road construction.

 

[wabower]

It was like 26 below in December for the three days I was there. If while there you find that you have lost a glove,you will also be inclined to just go ahead and pay the going price rather than waiting for a cheaper place to buy them. BTDT.

 

[CBeaulieu]

Just remember. Winter starts November 1 and ends in May.

Lots of truth in the old saw: Stick with your flannels til your flannels stick to you.

April is a cruel month that far northeast. There is something wrong about having it sleet when the sun rises at 545a and sets at 8pm and you see snow falling amidst the buds on the trees. . . . You will get so sick of winter just hanging on . . . It'll be 75 in minneapolis for gosh sakes and it will still be in the 50's for highs in Maine.

There are two seasons in Maine. . . .

Winter, and the 4th of July.

Winter, and road construction.

This post is hilarious. Winter and road construction...LOL. There's some truth to that .

Winters can be enjoyable as long as you stay busy. I love cold weather flying. You sure do get used to unlimited visibility, where the only restriction is the curvature of the earth. Just need to keep clear of clouds without deicing equipment.

 

[bbchien]

Kevin, we intend to retire on a rural stretch in Surry, Maine which has some ocean frontage. It is 13 road miles from BHB and 6 miles into Ellsworth.

Joe's got one thing wrong- Coastal Maine is very temperate. But he's got one thing right: Washington County (Penobscot River and East) relies on frontloaders for the winter Noreaster. The Snowmobile is common- you'll see a lot of sheds with the 'mo ready to go to the grocery in winter. But if you plan right, you never need it.

The locals say there is Mud season, and Bug season, Tourist season, and WINTER.

Rural, but 6 miles to civilization. 12 miles to ILS.

 

[comanchepilot]

This post is hilarious. Winter and road construction...LOL. There's some truth to that .

Winters can be enjoyable as long as you stay busy. I love cold weather flying. You sure do get used to unlimited visibility, where the only restriction is the curvature of the earth. Just need to keep clear of clouds without deicing equipment.

And I lived in Connecticut, which is positively tropical compared to Bangor . . .

 

[comanchepilot]

Kevin, we intend to retire on a rural stretch in Surry, Maine which has some ocean frontage. It is 13 road miles from BHB and 6 miles into Ellsworth.

Rural, but 6 miles to civilization. 12 miles to ILS.

Wait? Maine is civilized? You need to spend more time there, a'yaup.

I lived with a kid for 6 months in college who was from Bangor - his father came out to visit and drank more beer in those 2 weeks than I did all school year. And in 1980 that was saying something. He was a Mainer thru and thru.

Having lived in CT 5 miles from a grocery store and probably 10 to 'civilization' I gotta tell you that the 5 mile drive gets pretty annoying - and when its 12 miles to find a hardware store for a couple of bolts it really gets a little old. . .

 

[Mafoo]

his father came out to visit and drank more beer in those 2 weeks than I did all school year.

He must have just moved there from Wisconsin.

 

[frfly172]

I like SFM Sanford ME. close enough to portland,kennybunk and the coast.probably cheaper than portland and more chance of reasonable hanger space.

 

[l8evator]

I have not been to Maine, but when I go, I'm going to visit this place:

http://vintagewings-millersfield.com/index.html

It's near Newburgh, Maine. Perhaps the website overstates its beauty, but I am still planning to land my Luscombe there. Might just stay if it feels right.

Scott

 

[Clark1961]

There are two seasons in Maine. . . .

Winter, and the 4th of July.

Winter, and road construction.

That sounds a little bit like Montana only it snowed on July 4th. Summer came a little later there...

 

[kmead]

Thanks for the ideas. It looks like it will be Oct before I can make it up there. We have spent time looking into the Hudson Valley and Buffalo. The cold winter is a fair trade for a good summer, that's something we haven't had in Kansas for a while.

 

[CBeaulieu]

Wait? Maine is civilized? You need to spend more time there, a'yaup.

I lived with a kid for 6 months in college who was from Bangor - his father came out to visit and drank more beer in those 2 weeks than I did all school year. And in 1980 that was saying something. He was a Mainer thru and thru.

Having lived in CT 5 miles from a grocery store and probably 10 to 'civilization' I gotta tell you that the 5 mile drive gets pretty annoying - and when its 12 miles to find a hardware store for a couple of bolts it really gets a little old. . .

All bets are off once you get North of Augusta, really. People from Nothern Maine can be radically different than folks from Central/ Southern Maine.

 

[CBeaulieu]

Thanks for the ideas. It looks like it will be Oct before I can make it up there. We have spent time looking into the Hudson Valley and Buffalo. The cold winter is a fair trade for a good summer, that's something we haven't had in Kansas for a while.

Keep us posted on where you end up!

 

[Anthony]

All bets are off once you get North of Augusta, really. People from Nothern Maine can be radically different than folks from Central/ Southern Maine.

People live up there? I thought there were just logging operations owned by paper companies.

Portland is OK, but suffers from a lot of Bostonians ruining southern Maine. I do prefer the more rural areas, but there really isn't much up there, and that's the attraction for visiting. Maine is a strange state, with a very poor economy in general. Lots of people on welfare during the off summer months.

 

[bbchien]

Wait? Maine is civilized? You need to spend more time there, a'yaup.

I lived with a kid for 6 months in college who was from Bangor - his father came out to visit and drank more beer in those 2 weeks than I did all school year. And in 1980 that was saying something. He was a Mainer thru and thru.

Having lived in CT 5 miles from a grocery store and probably 10 to 'civilization' I gotta tell you that the 5 mile drive gets pretty annoying - and when its 12 miles to find a hardware store for a couple of bolts it really gets a little old. . .

I lived there for five years in the mid 80s, Joe.

Now if you're talking Taunton bay, like in "The Beans of Egypt, ME" (Carolyn Chute), I'd agree. But not Surry, and not Blue Hill.

 

[Bobcat1]

Anywhere on the coast west of Penobscot Bay is populated by Bostonians who've pushed the native Mainer out. If you're looking to live the real Maine experience, you'll have to move to Nova Scotia or New Brunswick. Those places are what Maine was 40-50 years ago.

 

[CBeaulieu]

People live up there? I thought there were just logging operations owned by paper companies.

There is a lot of that. It's a great way to get cheap land. The logging companies clear the big trees out then sell the lot.