AZ is the desert, Maine MUST BE the Promised Land (Portland: appointed, fit in)

[itsadryheat]

What a fun time I have had reading all the posts about moving to Maine and the pros and cons.
Molly- keep it up, we understand what you are saying and the spirit in which you are saying it...

So, my family and I are dying here in AZ and want to move to Maine. It has been my wife's dream since before we were married 18 years ago and it is still there today. We are tired of the high cost of living, the pollution, the crime, the....brownness of everything here in Phoenix. Plus we have been here 3 yearsand know almost no one in our neighborhood, except the new people who have moved in after us. We moved here from Iowa where we sometimes took the Midwest friendliness for granted. Many evenings we would sit out on a neighbor's front porch and watch the kids play in the yard and catch fireflies and we would catch up on each other's lives and solve the world's problems. MY GOODNESS how we miss that. To have neighbors to count on and talk to would be so great!!!!
We are looking to move somewhere around Bangor or between there and Portland. Ok, so we are really open. We have 4 daughters that we homeschool so a school system is not critical for us. We also have my father-in-law living with us and ready to move too. He had a stroke about 8 years ago so is semi-mobile. We are tired of the keeping-up-with-the-Joneses motivations we see and we want to slow it down and focus on our family while we are still blessed to have them with us. The girls are looking forward to the new adventure and I can't wait for them to see what the ocean really looks, feels and smells like. And your mountains have grass and trees on them (and even some sort of white substance)!!!!!

So what can we look forward to as we move there and try to assimilate to the culture? The cold we know about from living in Iowa (-80 wind chill for a week at a time) and we know about the heat from Iowa and Arizona. The Autumn is something that we MISS SO MUCH!!

What are churches, stores, youth drama activities like? We have aspiring actresses that would like to get in to community theater and things like that.

Also- for job opportunities, are there more jobs around these towns that are not posted on the internet that you are aware of? I work in technology helpdesk right now but want to get more into hospitality things.

Thanks in advance for all of your replies......

[jenkaye]

I am from AZ also and have visited Maine twice and I love it!! I want out of here also for all the same reasons. I would miss our beautiful mountains but I can always visit Definately visit Maine and you will fall in love. Looking forward to hearing some posts.

[itsadryheat]

Thank you for your reply! Wow, it's a small world. We live in Chandler but we attend church up near your area! I have read through a lot of postings and we have quite a decision to make. We have a large family and want to make sure we are doing the right thing for all of us. Our dream is to own a
B & B, antique shoppe. We just don't know if it is time to move on this, yet. We have two teenage girls and two that are approaching their teens gratefully they are wonderful kids and seem to be on board with whatever we decide to do. We truly want to be where our lives are 'family oriented" and we can get involved in church and community-with some balance. We live far from our church here but it is an amazing place and our neighborhood well, we have tried to reach out but many keep to themselves. I like my privacy but this is a bit much! Keep us posted on what you are discovering and we wil too continue to do our research. Blessings to you as you search out a new home for your family.

[zakaab]

We just moved back from Peoria. We were in Arizona (Anthem, Fountain Hills, Peoria) for 6 years trying to plant "roots" for my children. It will never happen in AZ. Maine is home. And there are some wonderful theaters here. My children also do drama. We are moving to Monmouth. It has a wonderful theater (and a big homeschooling group). It is however, a major culture shock for the children. A lot of lakes, no big shopping in town, a small community, a lot of farmland, etc. As soon as our house sells in Peoria (if you know anyone interested) we will build or buy. We were a part of a huge church, CCV, in Peoria. That is the ONLY thing we miss. Anyway, if you can find a way here to Maine, then don't hesitate. It is home.

[ljotis]

Suggestion is a little closer to portland area, where more of the arts are. Bangor is a slowly developing area, but has no real support for theater as I remember. Mount Kahtadin (spelling?) is a great place for family times, and istn' but an hour or two from bangor. I don't know how small your looking for, but augusta is in the middle of the two a decent size city, as well as the small towns of monmouth and gardiner. You'll know your neighbors in the small towns, make friends easily if you go to church, but remember small towns everybody knows everybody, and a stranger takes a lil getting used to. Jobs, yes, there are many more that aren't posted on the internet, most people are still a little behind in that area. I'm from Aroostook county, way up north, and I still don't think my parents have anything but dial up internet, but theres no competition, nobody cares whos house is bigger, whos car is better...ok well there are a few, but for the most part...nope. If I can be of any help just pm me and I'll see what I can dig up.

[girlbard11]

I am from the Mid Coast area in Maine and am now living i New Mexico with plans to move back to my state within a year. I have a 12 year old acting/singing/smart/beautiful, (aren't your own kids GREAT, huh?) daughter who has never fit in with the attitudes here. We are not part of the ranchers, the Spanish or generations old pioneer famlies. Our people were early settlers in the1623 on the coast of Maine. So, hence, our DNA is crying, "WATER"! I have been looking into the Belfast to Ellsworth area. Both are growing econimically and have a good organic, down to earth vibe going on. I have lived in Blue Hill and that is great too. Thye have a great community radio station there WERU, Blue Hill.
Good luck and don't worry about the cold or snow. Both are do-able.

[flycessna]

I visit AZ every year (phoenix). The last 5-10 years I must say it has lost something. i can totally see anyones, esp with children, desire to "GET OUT". You will definately miss the sun though....I promise. So with that said good luck on your move to Maine. I think for me Az will always just be a place I visit. I guess if I were made of Money I'd own a vacation home in Sedona. But I could see where consistancy of the scenery and no seasons can get real old.

[itsadryheat]

Hello to all of you!

We are so appreciative of all of your responses! This has become an agonizing decision for us. We are in prayer and talking with our children and even seeking some 'wise councel" from church. Our children are very involved in our church of over 15,000 members. Our two oldest just flew out this morning for Indiana to a National Christian Fine Arts Competition, will be gone for a whole week! That is our only tie to this place. Even though we love our church unfortunately we lack strong friendship/fellowship most of the time but our Pastors are amazing and the preaching is so alive. My husband and I Mentor/Biblical Counsel couples and it is our dream to have a
B & B as our business and also as a place for couples to come who are needing some R & R and Mentornig. We have spoken to our Marriage Pastor and staff who run a Marriage Ministry called NAME, they have offices all over the world and throughout the US, they have been praying for years for one to open up in the New England States.... hence the reason they did not dispair and ask us to stay in AZ when we told them we were considering a move to ME! I tried not to feel to hurt. JK...we have been praying for clarity and discernment and wisdom, this will be no small fete for our family. We have suffered hardship here and yet do not want to do anything out of the will of God for our family, sometimes life is just hard.
We would appreciate any other comments regarding a move to ME. Don't worry we will hold no one responsible for our decision but us in the end. We are counting the cost of this move. My husband is an IT specialist (but would rather make a career change, like chef, flipping burgers, B & B would be his dream as well as most of ours) and I am a stay at home mom. We have just been evaluating life "mid life' that is and have decided that we will have to work to make a living no matter where we live, but the old saying goes, " If you do what you love, you will never work another day in your life'. Okay that is a little romanticized but you know what I am getting at. Either way it may be hard work to make a living but one just seems to give us more happiness and peace- Maine.

Zakaab-- we will certainly keep an ear out for anyone wanting to buy in that area! WE are down in Chandler, nice area but just not neighborly, but that goes for most of Az.

I must say that "if' or 'when" we get there I would look forward to meeting you all. Thank you for your kindness and willingness to help.

May you all be Blessed Abundantly,

[jenkaye]

Have you visited Maine yet? Just wondering. I will be praying for you and the thought that keeps running through my mind is you only live once and might as well go for it and have an adventure, it doesn't have to be forever but you may never want to leave. It just has a really homey feel to it with character and not the rat race of Phx. Plus you have a beach that isn't crowded like California is. It has a lot of nice features! All of our family lives in AZ and we have Elementary school age kids that love seeing Grandma and Papa and so do we, so that makes our decision hard, Maine is a long ways away. But at some point we have to do what makes us happy and it's pointing in Maine's direction. Good Luck to you!

[Let's tell the truth]

Originally Posted by itsadryheat

Hello to all of you!

We are so appreciative of all of your responses! This has become an agonizing decision for us. We are in prayer and talking with our children and even seeking some 'wise councel" from church. Our children are very involved in our church of over 15,000 members. Our two oldest just flew out this morning for Indiana to a National Christian Fine Arts Competition, will be gone for a whole week! That is our only tie to this place. Even though we love our church unfortunately we lack strong friendship/fellowship most of the time but our Pastors are amazing and the preaching is so alive. My husband and I Mentor/Biblical Counsel couples and it is our dream to have a
B & B as our business and also as a place for couples to come who are needing some R & R and Mentornig. We have spoken to our Marriage Pastor and staff who run a Marriage Ministry called NAME, they have offices all over the world and throughout the US, they have been praying for years for one to open up in the New England States.... hence the reason they did not dispair and ask us to stay in AZ when we told them we were considering a move to ME! I tried not to feel to hurt. JK...we have been praying for clarity and discernment and wisdom, this will be no small fete for our family. We have suffered hardship here and yet do not want to do anything out of the will of God for our family, sometimes life is just hard.
We would appreciate any other comments regarding a move to ME. Don't worry we will hold no one responsible for our decision but us in the end. We are counting the cost of this move. My husband is an IT specialist (but would rather make a career change, like chef, flipping burgers, B & B would be his dream as well as most of ours) and I am a stay at home mom. We have just been evaluating life "mid life' that is and have decided that we will have to work to make a living no matter where we live, but the old saying goes, " If you do what you love, you will never work another day in your life'. Okay that is a little romanticized but you know what I am getting at. Either way it may be hard work to make a living but one just seems to give us more happiness and peace- Maine.

Zakaab-- we will certainly keep an ear out for anyone wanting to buy in that area! WE are down in Chandler, nice area but just not neighborly, but that goes for most of Az.

I must say that "if' or 'when" we get there I would look forward to meeting you all. Thank you for your kindness and willingness to help.

May you all be Blessed Abundantly,

Okay I just can't stand this anymore you people are talking like living in Maine is heaven! I sort of understand it about 20 year's ago I felt the same way! I was born in Caribou Maine and went to Phoenix Az. for 6 and a half years. At the time I hated Az. couldn't wait to get back to Maine. Well I've been back about 20 year's now and what I use to hate about Az now I would die for . I was never robbed in Az. I had to come back to Maine for that to happen! Oh yes people are "friendly up here" only because they want someone to gossip about later! Give me neighbors that live there own life and stay out of mine! And forget calling the police when you ask them if there going to take fingerprints they tell you ,you watch to much TV they don't do that up here.And don't trust these people or you will be very dissappointed I know I am and as soon as I can move I am going to.