Small Maine towns have lots of different housing stock that reflect the walks of life and the size of the pay checks of their owners.
Through the years the shift from many family farm, New England type housing multi story structures with auxiliary barns, chicken houses, machine sheds and barns have shifted to more efficient, modest one floor ranch style homes.
Roam up and town the main streets of most small Maine towns and you see the capes, colonials, federal and bungalow home designs.
Along the coast the grander sea captain homes with the glass widow’s walks on top. To scan the open water for the return of the skipper of the vessel piloting it over the choppy seas beyond the breakwater of the protected Maine harbors. That are dotted with Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Mansard and English Tudor style homes.
County seats have a little more austere housing stock and reflect the center of industry and services provided due to the designation as capital of one of the sixteen counties Maine is brought to have. But … housing that is not the norm and simple, straight forward, functional.
Maine has pockets of that too that are a little out of character with the rest of the designs that you typical find along the highways and byways of small town and rural country living.
Case in point, ski chalets at your bigger mountains like Sugarloaf USA, Sunday River. Compounds around Walker Point in Kennebunkport Maine.
And in Bar Harbor Maine, I have heard seventy five percent of the nation’s wealth was concentrated in vacation homes, estates along the rugged, rocky coastline in that Mount Desert Island community.
What was in Bar Harbor Maine for housing stock of the rich and famous is no longer so historically original though.
New homes with larger square footages, more palatial features built by carpenters pushed to out do another neighbor’s housing stock sticks and bricks.
Driven by the size of the wallet or expanse of the ego of the family name behind whatever was framed and embellished for all to envy.
Old money wealth and Nouveau riche explained, the different degrees noted in this link. It is better to be humble and sensitive to the needs of others when you have wealth.
Using it to benefit others and not bring attention to yourself always plays best.
What changed the landscape of Bar Harbor Maine’s earlier housing stock was a fire in 1947.
Winds fanned the flames and quick destruction happened, caused ashes to what was because of the Bar Harbor Maine 1947 fire. What once was is captured in a few black and white images,news accounts, magazine reports but essentially lost in a puff of smoke.
In a recent coastline tour and after listening to the history and some gossip colored by time, I snapped a few images from the bow of a Bar Harbor Maine sight seeing boat.
These images show cliff top estates, housing stock that is not the typical Maine down to Earth simple or purely functional working homes. And much of what you see does not have much age on it.
Many are uninhabited but highly maintained for when the owners of the estates who have lots of other venues to call a vacation home to pay a visit.
For a tourist that arrives by cruise ship, dropping anchor in the harbor and carried by a smaller tender boat. To walk the gang plank. To land on shore to shop til you drop for nick knacks and momentos stamped with the five letters that mean Vacationland just like the license plate promises.
But not knowing what they see in the highly commercial tourist attractions is not a true reflection of all of Maine.
To get that you need to paddle your canoe or sea kayak, to tack just so with your sailboat further north.
Up the coast line to places like Lubec, Eastport in Downeast Maine.
Or to the interior sections of central and Northern Maine. That is the still trapped in time, the same as all of Maine once was. Those are not where you find your luxury housing in Maine.
Lower key, a lot of the same, more down to Earth happens with the houses we call home in deeper recesses of Maine.
Hard working folks maintaining, preserving what an earlier generation relative crafted working to make ends meet in small Maine towns.
That is a lot of the housing stock of Maine that is form follows function. And the function is not to impress, no hint of la de da or ooh la la. It was more rural farming, coastal fishing, timber harvesting related uses and housing applications you will find the more time you spend in Maine.
Get to all of Maine.
Have you been to Maine, do you know what the state looks, feels, smells, sounds like beyond the high points that the path if well worn ? Read her cover to cover. Not just nibble around the edges to experience Maine.
Get to hidden spots that you have to look hard to find. To see the less traveled trails in the nooks and crannies of this drop dead gorgeous state.
Maine, get to sample ME as often, as soon as you can. See what you are missing in Maine, the way life should be. Come for a day, stay a lifetime.
I’m Maine REALTOR Andrew Mooers, ME Broker
207.532.6573 | info@mooersrealty.com |
MOOERS REALTY 69 North Street Houlton Maine 04730