Park & State Street, Portland, Maine

On several occasions, I have had to explain to people outside of Maine that South Portland is not a neighborhood of Portland and, in fact, they are both their own unique cities which offer very different lifestyles. 

Having grown up in a small town 40 minutes from Portland, I always had the itch to live in the excitement of the city.  Portland has a vibrant nightlife and food scene that I spent most of my 20's enjoying.  It wasn't until the age of 29 that actually moved to Portland on the peninsula.  

For the first time in my life anything I wanted was within walking distance or a quick cab ride to the other side of town.  Several close friends all lived within a small radius and we could embark on spontaneous adventures at a moment's notice.  Running into a friend on the street could lead to lunch on a pier or even a late night bar crawl.  There was no hindrance of commute or planning, everything was a stone's throw away and any day could turn into an adventure. 

But of course, there are drawbacks to living in the middle of everything:  The daily struggle of circling around the block over and over again searching for street parking.  The constant noise of traffic, sirens, and people.  The inconvenience of shared laundry within a building of several people or bringing your laundry to a laundromat.  And, of course, the overall lack of space.  Sacrifices I was more than willing to make to be in the heart of the excitement. 

At the old age of 29, however, the excitement and adventure I had always wanted quickly faded.  Halfway through the year I had grown tired of the late night adventures and bar hopping and the proximity to bars and restaurants was no longer valuable to me. I had gotten it all out of my system and I was ready to transition to my next stage of life.

A few months ago, I made the move from Portland to South Portland and it has been amazing. We are in a nice, quiet, walkable neighborhood in Thornton Heights. 

During work hours, I can look out the windows of my home office and see neighbors walking their dogs or dropping their kids off at the middle school and elementary school behind our house. Our spontaneous bar crawls have turned into spontaneous cookouts and late night bonfires. 

The best part of my days are now playing fetch with Zeke in the large fenced in yard while my girlfriend reads her book on the back deck. Zeke finally has the backyard he deserves instead of traversing three flights of stairs to let him out multiple times a day on leash.

There’s no more circling for parking, no more waiting for a washing machine to open up, and no more noise. 

As I transition into my 30's, this has been the perfect location.  Everything is within 10 minutes: beaches, highways, shopping, restaurants, and, if we're still up for it, so is downtown Portland.

I will always look back fondly on my Portland adventures and the memories I share with my close friends but I am happy to turn the page and I look forward to writing my next chapter here in South Portland.

If you are looking to make a move to a quieter (or louder!) home, I would love to help. Give me a call or shoot me a text and we can talk about the best places to look, and discuss the buying and selling process.

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