Freeport neighborhood offers outdoor activities and coastal views
Apparel company L.L.Bean is headquartered in Downtown Freeport, but the Freeport neighborhood next door is where residents can live out the lifestyle the fashion brand promotes. The Freeport neighborhood makes up the west side of the town of Freeport, separate from the more developed neighborhoods of Downtown Freeport and South Freeport. While shoppers flock to L.L. Bean’s 220,000-square-foot flagship store in Downtown Freeport, Freeport is where adventurers will find the L.L.Bean Flying Point Paddling Center. This is just one of the opportunities available for locals to embrace the neighborhood’s natural features, which vary from coastal inlets to wooded preserves. “L.L.Bean isn’t just a store,” says Doug Schauf of RE/MAX Oceanside. “They do a lot of activities in the community where people can learn how to fly fish, or go out and learn how to kayak.”
In the country and on the bay
Homes are more spread out in Freeport compared to Downtown Freeport or South Freeport. Houses occasionally dot the two-lane roads that stretch across the expansive neighborhood, rather than cluster in subdivisions. A few waterfront estates with private docks line the east side of Freeport, along Maquoit Bay. The bayside homes may boast values between $1 million and $5 million, but houses further inland start in the $300,000s. Still, homes with lots of 3-plus acres are more than capable of fetching sales prices north of $1 million. The economic benefit of L.L.Bean and other Freeport employers keeps property taxes low, adds Schauf, who leads the Make Maine Your Home Team, which publishes informational YouTube videos about Maine real estate.
Hiking past porcupines and stargazing at an observatory
Freeport’s rugged landscape hosts multiple outdoor recreation spots. On the west side of the neighborhood, the forest parts to reveal Blueberry Pond Observatory. It’s open year-round for visitors to use the 12-inch telescope or digital camera to peer at the stars and constellations visible in the clear Maine sky. To the east, 3 miles of trails snake along a stream, among hemlock timbers and through an apple orchard at Mast Landing Audubon Sanctuary. Explorers of the 145-acre nature sanctuary may catch a glimpse of its residents: minks, porcupines and coyotes.
Freeport Schools have an adventurous spirit
Most of Freeport is in Regional School Unit No. 5, a school district graded an A-minus by Niche. Before sixth grade, kids may attend Pownal Elementary School, a B-plus-rated school with a student-to-teacher ratio of 10-to-1, lower than the national average. Students who attend A-rated Freeport Middle School get the chance to embark on two different trips: the Travel Club’s outing to Canada or the annual week-long stay at Space Camp at NASA’s U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Alabama. Meanwhile, teens are likely to attend Freeport High School, graded a B-plus.
Party in the barn at Wolfe's Neck Center
Life in the country isn’t always quiet; that’s the case at Wolfe’s Neck Center, a farm and educational complex on the east end of Freeport. It puts on the Harvest Dance, an annual autumn concert and party in an 1890s barn. Wolfe’s Neck Center hosts other events throughout the year, including wine samplings and the annual Beers in the Barn tasting.
L.L.Bean and award-winning brews
Shopping trips require a drive into Downtown Freeport, which is up to 10 miles away for residents. Groceries and household essentials are for sale at Shaw’s supermarket, while Main Street houses clothing shops. Of course, the most famed establishment in Downtown Freeport is the L.L.Bean store. Sure, it’s often packed with tourists, but it services locals in need of outdoor apparel and boots just the same. For a night out, many duck into Mast Landing Brewing Co. for an award-winning beer, such as the Pantless Thunder Goose Double IPA. Nighthawk’s Kitchen next door serves burgers, sandwiches and pub-friendly appetizers.
Highways on both sides, plus Amtrack downtown
Interstate 295 and Interstate 95 bookend Freeport to the east and west. The former routes 20 miles south to Portland. The latter extends down the entire East Coast, as well as north to the town of Brunswick, 10 miles away. Brunswick is home to crucial amenities such as Mid Coast Hospital. Passengers board the train at the Amtrak station in Downtown Freeport, riding the rails to Portland in less than an hour. Meanwhile, Boston is a three-hour train ride away.
![Jeff Tippett]()
Photography Contributed By
Jeff Tippett
