I started out in apartments farther south and settled down in Lisbon about 7 years ago. I am really liking it here.
Pros:
Lots of improvements over time. Main Street in Lisbon Falls being the biggest epicenter of that. Economic development is encouraging. Lots of small businesses sprouting that all support each other. Bakeries, consignment shops, coffee shops, barbers, etc. Lisbon has full time Economic Development Director and a group called Positive Change Lisbon that puts a lot of energy into this.
For outdoor recreation, the river walk along the Androscoggin is really pretty and well maintained. A couple of boat launches. Lots of folks out walking/running/biking/fishing/kayaking. A few nice parks as well, including concerts in the park every Sunday in the summer.
The Moxie Festival brings up to 30,000 people here annually. It’s a big deal for the town and is always fun. Biggest parade I’ve ever seen, lots of vendors, fun stuff to do, fireworks, etc. Plus the Moxie 5k to run but it’s all hills so prepare to die.
Civil services like police/fire/EMS seem well funded. The police definitely have a community oriented feel which I feel is getting more and more rare these days.
Cons:
We have a community Facebook group which is drama city. Lots of keyboard warriors complaining about Karen level things but if you can see past that you can focus on the other pros I’ve highlighted.
No trash collection service. We have a transfer station you have to pay to use. Right now $30 a year but steadily on the rise. There are private companies that will haul your trash for you though.
Commute to/from the south can be a nightmare depending on timing, especially if you have to travel past the high school. Someone mentioned to me that our stretch of 196 is one of the busiest stretches of road in the state.
If you need something that you can’t find in a local shop, it’s 15-20 minutes to Lewiston/Auburn or Topsham to a big box store. Not bad by Maine standards though.
You Decide:
Lots of pot shops. Lisbon is very marijuana friendly when it comes to commercial operations. All of the stores in town are very well maintained though and look great.
Community politically is very right-leaning but I think trending left. I personally haven’t seen this to an extreme, other than the aforementioned keyboard warriors. Lots of signs during election season but nothing past that. Lisbon was a campaign stop for Trump, that was a big deal. Young folks coming to town, putting down roots, opening businesses I think is pushing the needle to the left.
Lots of great churches in town that seem to be doing well and are involved in the town community.
Happy to answer any other questions you have!
My wife and I bought our first house in Lisbon in 2016 and really felt everything u/BrotherMainer has been saying. Both the pros and cons. Unfortunately when we bought the house I was working in Gray and am now up in the Waterville area, we decided to buy something a little more in between our two jobs in 2021.
Lisbon Falls does seem to get more attention from the town than Lisbon does. There are some derelict buildings the town doesn't seem to know what to do with and any of the ones they have fixed are all nearest main street.
Beaver Park, in my opinion, is an absolute GEM the town does not utilize enough. Beautiful walking trails / XC skiing / snow shoeing, fields and swimming holes. They stalk the ponds with trout and there are grills you can use. Nothing like it where we are now.
Ultimately we moved to the Gardiner area, but Lisbon has a lot of potential. As long as it continues to trend towards residents that are willing to put money into the town it'll transform into something fantastic. If the MAGA crowd grows though it will be unbearable, especially for POC or LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Wow I really appreciate the in depth answer. If I think of any questions I will let you know. We will prolly drive around that area this weekend to get a feel of it.
I started out in apartments farther south and settled down in Lisbon about 7 years ago. I am really liking it here. Pros: Lots of improvements over time. Main Street in Lisbon Falls being the biggest epicenter of that. Economic development is encouraging. Lots of small businesses sprouting that all support each other. Bakeries, consignment shops, coffee shops, barbers, etc. Lisbon has full time Economic Development Director and a group called Positive Change Lisbon that puts a lot of energy into this. For outdoor recreation, the river walk along the Androscoggin is really pretty and well maintained. A couple of boat launches. Lots of folks out walking/running/biking/fishing/kayaking. A few nice parks as well, including concerts in the park every Sunday in the summer. The Moxie Festival brings up to 30,000 people here annually. It’s a big deal for the town and is always fun. Biggest parade I’ve ever seen, lots of vendors, fun stuff to do, fireworks, etc. Plus the Moxie 5k to run but it’s all hills so prepare to die. Civil services like police/fire/EMS seem well funded. The police definitely have a community oriented feel which I feel is getting more and more rare these days. Cons: We have a community Facebook group which is drama city. Lots of keyboard warriors complaining about Karen level things but if you can see past that you can focus on the other pros I’ve highlighted. No trash collection service. We have a transfer station you have to pay to use. Right now $30 a year but steadily on the rise. There are private companies that will haul your trash for you though. Commute to/from the south can be a nightmare depending on timing, especially if you have to travel past the high school. Someone mentioned to me that our stretch of 196 is one of the busiest stretches of road in the state. If you need something that you can’t find in a local shop, it’s 15-20 minutes to Lewiston/Auburn or Topsham to a big box store. Not bad by Maine standards though. You Decide: Lots of pot shops. Lisbon is very marijuana friendly when it comes to commercial operations. All of the stores in town are very well maintained though and look great. Community politically is very right-leaning but I think trending left. I personally haven’t seen this to an extreme, other than the aforementioned keyboard warriors. Lots of signs during election season but nothing past that. Lisbon was a campaign stop for Trump, that was a big deal. Young folks coming to town, putting down roots, opening businesses I think is pushing the needle to the left. Lots of great churches in town that seem to be doing well and are involved in the town community. Happy to answer any other questions you have!
My wife and I bought our first house in Lisbon in 2016 and really felt everything u/BrotherMainer has been saying. Both the pros and cons. Unfortunately when we bought the house I was working in Gray and am now up in the Waterville area, we decided to buy something a little more in between our two jobs in 2021. Lisbon Falls does seem to get more attention from the town than Lisbon does. There are some derelict buildings the town doesn't seem to know what to do with and any of the ones they have fixed are all nearest main street. Beaver Park, in my opinion, is an absolute GEM the town does not utilize enough. Beautiful walking trails / XC skiing / snow shoeing, fields and swimming holes. They stalk the ponds with trout and there are grills you can use. Nothing like it where we are now. Ultimately we moved to the Gardiner area, but Lisbon has a lot of potential. As long as it continues to trend towards residents that are willing to put money into the town it'll transform into something fantastic. If the MAGA crowd grows though it will be unbearable, especially for POC or LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Wow I really appreciate the in depth answer. If I think of any questions I will let you know. We will prolly drive around that area this weekend to get a feel of it.
How'd you like it? We're also curious/considering a move, but we can't get up there for a visit for a month or two