Somebody around here has to live in the area, right?
For many years, I have made the trip back and forth to visit various friends I have in Maine. Now that most of my family has moved away from my region of birth, I’m wondering why I’m still hanging around. Rather than wait for “eventually” to appear as a calendar page, I’m ready to shut it down here in New Jersey and move up to Maine, hopefully by next summer.
My friends are split pretty evenly in the Lewiston area and Bangor. I do not want to live in Lewiston (or Auburn), and Bangor is a little too far north for me. Additionally, while I love my friends immensely and think of them as family, some of them are Drama Queens, and living 30-40 miles away keeps them from showing up at my house with their latest disasters.
We’ve pretty much settled on the Augusta area because it’s centrally located and, as the capital, possibly more likely to provide “culture” (i.e., malls and restaurants) as well as jobs. But the thing is, even after nearly twenty years of back and forth, I have never actually been to Augusta.
So tell me about it. Are there areas to avoid? Do you think it’s better to live in town, or outside it a little? Am I likely to find a decent job? Is it the most terrible place in the world and I should look elsewhere?
I’ve only been there a few times, but Augusta does not strike me as much of a cultural destination. It’s the state capital but the population is less than 20,000 which makes it the third smallest state capital. In many parts of the country, a settlement that size would not be considered a city. That compares to a population of 66,000 in Portland which is about an hour away. Augusta is too far from the ocean to be a seaside town, too far from the mountains to be a ruggedly attractive mountain town, too big to be peacefully rural and too small to be cosmopolitan. There’s nothing really wrong with Augusta, but I don’t see any good reason to live there unless you work for the state.
Check out the city-data page on Augusta. They have information about climate, crime, real estate prices, etc. There is a smallish shopping mall (see a store directory here).
Maybe you should consider Brunswick, which is close to the ocean, fairly close to Portland and a college town with the added culture that brings.
Either Brunswick or Portland would be a better choice in terms of things to do, job opportunities, places to go, access to major routes and airports, etc. Just north of Portland is the Falmouth ($$$$$), Cumberland ($$$) and Gray ($) areas. Each of them is slightly more remote from the city lights of Portland.
I did look into Brunswick, but it was more expensive than I wanted it to be–mostly because of the water, etc. I would prefer not to be south of Lewiston, and I’m actually hoping to work from home with whatever I do. I’m mostly okay with being in the boonies, but I don’t like the idea of a 30-minute ride to the grocery store.
Waterville, about half an hour away from Augusta is also a college town. I spent 4 years in Waterville and went to Augusta all of once - to take the Praxis exam.
Basically, my information is spectacularly unhelpful. But I’d move back to that region in a moment, even if I lived out in the sticks. Central Maine is beautiful - and I love the Belgrade Lakes region.
I’ve lived in Central Maine all my life. Grew up in Bangor, went to college in Waterville, reside in Lewiston.
Augusta is really not great–most of the jobs are either with the state (which doesn’t suck: my husband works for the state) or in the service industry. There are some nice surrounding towns to live in, but you’re better off either north or south of there. If Portland is too far south, and Bangor too far north, I second Lsura’s recommendation of Waterville. Nicer than Augusta by far, top-notch college, plenty of lake-region outdoorsy stuff and not too far from great skiing.
However, I do think you should reconsider Bangor, especially since you have some friends there. Thriving arts community, brand new civic center draws big-name acts, shopping hub, nice restaurants, 50 minutes drive from one of the most beautiful national parks in the country (Acadia)–I’d live there myself if we hadn’t put down roots here. Despite its isolation and “northernness” it is far more citified than any burg north of Portland. Yes, it’s a long drive to Boston, but you can fly out of Bangor International Airport and be pretty much anywhere in the Northeast in a snap.
Welcome to Maine. Be prepared for housing costs WAY below New Jersey. And, of course, snow.
I live in Unity, about halfway between Augusta & Bangor. With both within easy driving distance, I spend far more time in Bangor. Waterville is also nice.
Thanks for all the help, everybody. I haven’t made a hard and fast decision on the where, exactly, and what I’m getting from you is incredibly useful. I’m moving with a housemate, and her boyfriend lives in Lewiston (and doesn’t have a car)–so we’d like to be close(ish) to that area but not in it, but at the same time far enough north that it’s not that long a drive to Bangor. I truly did decide on Augusta originally because it was located where I wanted to be (and houses are so cheap compared to New Jersey that I almost hyperventilated).
So, I’ll keep looking. I’m spending a week up there in February–mostly because I’m going to be up there for an event anyway, but I’d also like to see the worst the weather can throw at me.
Interesting…I read (years ago) about “Down East” Maine-and how it is becoming depopulated. Lubec (easternmost USA point), is becoming a ghost town. The WSJ had an article bout the last sardine cannery closing-is it true that the place is becoming deserted?
Deserted might be a bit strong. Young people with any smarts and ambition move away for the jobs. Population is decreasing with lack of economic opportunity.
I’ve always lived in the greater Portland area, but have noticed on tv reports that Augusta has crappy weather. Have only been there once but was not impressed with the appearance of the place.
We’ve also started looking a little further afield because we’d like to have a bit of land.