Cape Elizabeth Quick Links
Cape Elizabeth - Maine's wealthiest town, home to scenic Fort Williams park, picturesque Portland Head Light, miles of coastal waterfront, and one of the state's best Public High Schools, Cape Elizabeth is well known in the Greater Portland Area as a great place for a tourism and year-round living. While of course dotted with the many requisite ocean-front mansions one would expect in such a scenic location, Cape Elizabeth also hosts many charming multi-acre inland homes, some of which reside on still-functioning farms and homesteads.
Cape Real Estate Overview
The housing markets in Cape Elizabeth have seen significant price depreciation in 2009 with median prices down 18% compared with 2008. The good news is that stabilization in the markets seems to have arrived as inventories have dropped and prices holding relatively stable throughout 2009. Transaction volume saw a slight uptick in 2009 with 115 homes and condos selling relative to 107 in 2008. For a full analysis please sign up for our free Cape Market Report
Cape Elizabeth Housing Graphs
Below are historical housing charts for Cape Elizabeth
Please click on an image to enlarge.
Historical Transaction Volume
|
Historical Pricing
 |
Back to Top
A Colorful History
The Cape Elizabeth area is one of Maine's oldest settled locations, with Western Colonists venturing into the islands and coastline in the early 1600's. Attempts to set up trading outposts with indigenous Indians led to some checkered business practices by Europeans. Subsequently, these traders met with resistance and were run off the Cape.
Fort Williams Park and Portland Head Light
The town's popular Fort Williams served as part of Portland's defense throughout several wars in the early and mid 20th century, and Portland Head Light, whose picture are synonymous with many Maine Calendars and Magazines, was commissioned by President George Washington. The park that hosts both the fort and the lighthouse are maintained by the town and open to the public free of charge, and include fair grounds, soccer fields, a baseball diamond, and many walking paths. The town has resisted charging parking and entry fees in order to insure public access to this beautiful scenery.
Subsequently, new settlers turned the town into a center for fisheries and trade. The area stayed clear of major confrontations until King Phillip's War led to the settlement's destruction. It was later repopulated in the early 1700's, and was incorporated in 1765 when it split from Falmouth. Originally the town stretched from the Scarborough border all the way to the Fore River, but in 1895 South Portland incorporated the area between Scarborough, the Fore River, and Casco Bay.
Back to Top
Ocean-front Property
A glance at any real estate listing for ocean-front property in Cape Elizabeth will reveal the spectacular views of the town's rocky and sandy coast. Many houses straddle the coastline either with direct access to the water, or high above on scenic bluffs, such as the area surrounding Fort Williams Park. While prices overwhelmingly run into the seven figures, a close examination reveals extraordinary value for the breathtaking views and ocean proximity.
Back to Top
A Great Public School System
Cape Elizabeth is known throughout the North East for maintaining one of America's best public school systems. Cape Elizabeth High School is a recent recipient of the Blue Ribbon Award, the highest honor an American school can receive under the No Child Left Behind Act. The school regularly achieves the highest SAT scores in the Maine public school system, and is also known for its sports program, including a Men's Lacrosse team that has won four of the last seven State Lacrosse championships
Back to Top
Thanks for reading about the Cape Elizabeth Maine real estate markets.
. |
)
)