SperlingViews - Falmouth, Maine

Falmouth borders Portland, Maines largest city, so the nationally reconginized resturants, vibrant arts community, festivals, and shopping are all close. For the size of the town we have a great library. We have a bit of shopping, mostly along RT 1 with a few nice upscale womens and home type stores. We really are a car based community and while there is some expermentation with bus routes in to Portland, they certainly are not a cost effective use of tax dollars. We drive to activites. The schools/parks have tennis oourts, basketball and great outdoor ice rinks & cross country skiing in winter. Macinworth Island is a great place for a walk and has a small beach. The sea water is cold, even in summer, so swimming is limited to really hot days. The Falmouth harbor is filled with hundereds of boats. The many islands and beautiful coast line make Maine one of the most desirable summer boating areas in the nation. Maine Audobon maintains a beautiful nature area on an inlet. Falmouth has a few comminity festivals, the Santa/Christmas program is very popular with kids. Nearby communities have great local theaters. Portland's art and music community is thriving right now. First Friday Art Walk keeps gallery's open late. Lately (1/2010)it has been said the vibe/street sceen rivals something you would expect in New York. Falmouth has many good restarants and excellent stores that provide take out dinners for nights you dont want to cook. A number of churches sometimes offer perfomances by interesting perfomers, singers, bell ringers, etc. The greater Portland area has a population of about 500,000, Maine 1 million. Considering the population base there is a wealth of activities, museums, and festivals. Drives are necessary. Maine offers some of the best outdoor recreation in the nation (hike, ski, boat, camp, raft, etc). Small town festivals can be unique and more laid back/not overwhelming. Summer brings the tourists and many special events but dont skip the winter festivals. Dress warm (windproof jackets/pants) and you will really enjoy them.[read more...]

Falmouth K-12 schools consistantly score high on the states standardized tests. While my daughter was in private schools in CA, I am confortable with the education offered by Falmouth. The teachers may be a bit better than average, the schools all have an insane over liberal attitude that they pass on to the kids. I think when these children hit the work world of responsibilites, deadlines, and no excuses they will be shocked by reality. I think the high test scores come more from high percentage of well educated sucessful parents that set expectations and guide their kids. Class sizes are reasonable. For middle school and beyond there is the daily "late bus" to get kid home from activities. Staying after to get extra teacher help is common, not a punishment. We have a new high school and soon a new elemenary school too. At the older levels there is some amount of "clickish" behavior, but not to the extent you see in CA. The town has some very wealthy families, but is mostly middle class. The town community programs offers summer camp and after school activity programs that are very good. We dont really have serious problems with violence. Unlike many areas of the country most adults in Maine often do not continue with education throughout their lives. As an employeer I felt as if employees expected to advance but seldom expected that they would have to take the initative to learn new skills. Most were willing to take classes when it was on company time and expense. Nearby we have community colleges and a state university, plus a few private colleges. With the population in Maine so spread out I think often the driving distance to get to a class is an issue in addition to time and oost. If continued college education is important to you, Boston would be a much better choice. Overall I think our Colleges are average, some specific programs are nationally recongnized.[read more...]