Famous Mainiacs

Our beloved Maine is a state that has produced many creative and talented people, and a place that many prominent people from various walks of life, call home. They range from prominent landscape painter like Winslow Homer, to renowned athlete like Joan Benoit Samuelson. The great poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was from Maine, as was the avid outdoorsman Leon Leonwood Bean, founder of the well known LL Bean brand.

Here is our list of 15 great people with Maine connections, who've made it big. Who's your favorite Mainiac?

Myron Avery

Olympia Snowe

Leon Leonwood Bean

David E. Kelley

George J. Mitchell

Winslow Homer

Patrick Dempsey

E.B. White

William Cohen

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Joan Benoit Samuelson

Kevin Eastman

Stephen King 

Steven Zirnkilton

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Time to "Fall Back"

Daylight Saving Time officially ends at 2 AM on Sunday, so be sure to set your clocks back one hour before you head to sleep Saturday night.

Happy Halloween!

No tricks here! I'll treat you to the best service based on my years of experience. I look forward to helping you with your real estate needs!

Sur Lie - tapas-style restaurant in Portland, Maine

Sur Lie is Portland’s newest tapas-style restaurant, and their plates are indeed perfect for sharing, although we might be try to keep dishes like these fried oysters all to ourselves. If you are willing to share whatever delicacies end up in front of you, go with a group of friends and sample your way through the menu.

11 Free Street, Portland Maine

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sur-Lie/1522307241315934

Winter maintenance checklist for your home

Winter maintenance checklist for your home

With winter just around the corner it would be wise to go through these basic maintenance checklist to save

yourself from costly repairs later. Here's what we recommend before the snow starts falling :)

1. Check your gutters and roof for repair and maintenance:

Roofs are often overlooked while carrying out maintenance activities for your house. Because the gutters on your roof are responsible for diverting water and slush from your house's exterior it is important that these be in good working condition. make sure that you free the gutters from dried leaves and other debris so that water and slush can flow freely.

2. Check for air leaks around your windows and doors frames:

According to the U.S Department of Energy 10% of your heating bill is due to the air leaks from around your window and door frames. To find spots from where your house's heat is escaping from, close your windows and doors and move a lighted candle around the frames. If the candle light flickers you will know where you need to plug the leak. Just make sure you don't bring the candle near anything flammable.

3.Get your heating system inspected:

Schedule an inspection of your heating system by a professional at least once a year. A properly maintained heating system will be more efficient in heating your home and therefore will help you cut down on your heating bills. Get your furnace filters clean and make sure your heating ducts re not blocked.

4. Seal your driveways:

Before your driveway is covered with snow and before it's too cold to inspect them go and give them a through once over. Look for cracks and loose paver material. Repair them or seal them before they a tripping or a slipping accident.

5. Check for leaky faucets:

Check your kitchen, utility areas and bathroom for leaky faucets and taps. If there are any leaks make sure to repair them now so as to avoid broken pipes in the middle of winter later.

6.Prepare your winter yard equipment:

Before the first snow falls you want to make sure that your shovels, rakes and snow blowers are in proper working condition so that you can use them when needed.

 7. Do a thorough check up of your home's safety features:

Check up on the batteries of your smoke and CO detectors. Every home should have at least one fire extinguisher and it should not be more than 6 years old. Check the pressure gauge on the extinguisher and look for dents, scratches and corrosion. Do a general clean up of your home getting rid of old or leftover hazardous household chemicals.

Support local businesses

Did you know? Portland’s independent video rental shop, Videoport, offers a rent-one-get-one-free special every day of the week. Rent a movie tonight and take home any movie from the ‘Classics’ aisle for free. Check out a campy mystery like Murder by Death or Clue to get you in the Halloween spirit without losing any sleep.

151 Middle St., Portland

http://videoport.myvideostore.com/

Falmouth Maine municipal Information, demographics and housing info

Falmouth Maine info from the 2000 US Census - all kinds of interesting info

I admit, maybe not the most interesting thing to read on a Saturday afternoon in the summer in Maine - but bookmark it or clip it to Evernote and read it later. The info is quite interesting. For example, almost 25% of all of the homes in Falmouth were built before 1939 - wow!

Falmouth Maine census info 2000 

Portland Maine Labor Force Profile

http://www.falmouthme.org/sites/falmouthme/files/file/file/ptldlabor2003.pdf 

A brief Falmouth Maine history from 1718 to present day

[From the Falmouth Maine website]

Falmouth Maine History:

Falmouth, located on scenic Casco Bay, was incorporated in 1718 and, at that time, encompassed Portland and other neighboring communities. Its current 30-square mile land area was finalized in 1871. Throughout the 1800s the Town had many mills and several shipyards, primarily along the Presumpscot River. By 1900, Falmouth began to take shape as a suburban community with conversion of summer homes into year-round residences, trolley service from Portland, and later automobile traffic.

In the past 50 years, Falmouth has grown from a quiet, small town of just over 4000 people to a bustling suburb of over 10,000. It is part of the Greater Portland area, which has some 350,000 inhabitants. Portland is the finance, commerce and cultural capital of northern New England as well as Maine’s largest city.

In the mid-1950s, the primary land use in Falmouth was agriculture, with the vast majority of the town’s populace living in the eastern portion of the community. The transformation of Falmouth started with the construction of the interstate system (I-295 and the Maine Turnpike), which divided the community with major physical barriers and provided ready access for future commuters to the Portland job market.

The highways and a new sewer treatment plant stimulated commercial development on Routes 1 and 100, with more than a million square feet of non-residential space. The availability of sewer collection and treatment also made it possible for a 1970s boom in multi-family housing on the eastern part of town, including several large condominium projects. In recent decades, single-family homes have spread in the western sections of town.

Today, Falmouth boasts three private golf courses, the Portland Yacht Club, the largest anchorage in Maine (with over 1200 moorings), and many preserved open spaces and recreation areas located throughout the community, including:

Mackworth Island, a State-reserved land of about 100 acres, which was donated by Governor Baxter and affords views of Casco Bay and Portland, and
Gilsland Farm, headquarters of the Maine Audubon Society, which includes 2-1/2 miles of trails through a 60-acre sanctuary of fields, woods, and marsh bordering the Presumpscot River.

Falmouth’s single largest taxpayer in the community is OceanView at Falmouth, a retirement complex. Falmouth’s proximity to Portland allows its residents to take benefit of the urban amenities which that city offers.

Falmouth boasts high educational quality for its students. In April 2011 it was named “Top City to Live and Learn” by Forbes Magazine and GreatSchools in their second annual national study ranking cities across the United States. Falmouth schools earned an education quality score of 100.00.

Summary Data sheet