Maine (Portland, Lewiston, Bangor: neighborhoods, incomes, living)

[flybob63]

Originally Posted by Miss NY

Are there any ghettos in Maine i.e. Housing Projects and things like that?

I have been going to various parts of Maine throughout my entire life... I'm 44 years old now...My parents moved back to Maine a couple years ago after tiring of the Florida rat race....

Maine has some interesting things that probably bring the home values down a little in some areas....Like the fact that a person can have a commercial business right in a neighborhood. On my parents street there is a tire shop, a mechanic shop, a small lumber yard and an elementary school. This is in a small, rural town up in the mountains. There are also small farms and nice homes on this same street. I like the variety this brings.

It does not bother me that some of the homes are run-down.... In the western lakes and mountains region there are no slums or really bad areas that I am aware of, just some parts of town in need of a financial shot in the arm. The western area of Maine is alot less populated than the coast. The coast does not have much problem with crime compared to other parts of the country but the western lakes and mountain area is just a little piece of heaven to me.

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by shawnr1123

ummm.

birch st. presque isle

LOL, ROFLAO.

Birch Street in Presque Isle? Are you serious! Low income, yes. Ghetto, not even close.

At least I got to laugh right out loud this evening, and for that I thank you. If this is the idea of what a Ghetto is in Maine, I am glad. Really truly glad that you haven't been exposed to a true, utterly impossible hopelessness that prevails in most real ghettos.

[dmyankee]

The Boston Globe about 4 years ago reported that Portland, Maine was home of the 2nd largest white ghetto in the nation after East Boston!

Could that be Munjoy?

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by dmyankee

The Boston Globe about 4 years ago reported that Portland, Maine was home of the 2nd largest white ghetto in the nation after East Boston!

Could that be Munjoy?

Absolutey not! Don't know when the last time you were there was, but it's nothing like it used to be. They've worked vey hard to clean that area up and it's now all newly renovated homes. Certainly not the bad rep that Munjoy Hill used to have 25 yrs ago.

[shawnr1123]

Originally Posted by Bydand

LOL, ROFLAO.

Birch Street in Presque Isle? Are you serious! Low income, yes. Ghetto, not even close.

At least I got to laugh right out loud this evening, and for that I thank you. If this is the idea of what a Ghetto is in Maine, I am glad. Really truly glad that you haven't been exposed to a true, utterly impossible hopelessness that prevails in most real ghettos.

have you ever even been there?

[People-of-the-North]

My father recalls seeing a lot of what he calls "tar-paper shacks" on our visits to Maine from RI when I was a young boy, traveling to Swan's Island to visit my grandparents.
I'm 44 now, and though I see some houses in moderate disrepair here & there, I've seen nothing even close to what I'd call "ghetto."

Have you seen the photos of "Hoovervilles" from the Great Depression?

Hopefully we are not heading that way in this country once again....

[Bydand]

Originally Posted by shawnr1123

have you ever even been there?

Lived in Washburn for 20 years. Have friends who lived on Birch Street in Presque Isle. I have been there thousands of times. Have you? Also had friends who lived on Winter Street right behind Pats Pizza, so yes I know the area very well.

[tcrackly]

Originally Posted by Zymer

I'm sure there are less desirable parts of ANY town you choose, but I'm also sure that I'd rather live in the ghettos of Maine than most any neighborhood in Houston.


Some parts of Houston are pretty nice- especially the outlying areas that used to be seperate towns but have been annexed by the city.

I haven't seen much of downtown Houston, but what I did see wasn't even close to what I think of as 'ghetto' (certain parts of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan in Boston).

I've heard that Lewiston, Skowhegan and Millinocket aren't that great compared to other areas in ME, but I haven't been to them to see for myself. I do know that 20 minutes driving around Houlton was enough to convince me that I didn't want to live *there*.

This is a highly subjective subject. Every town has its lower-end, rundown communities where the population is considered expendable. I grew up in Roxbury in a one family home, blue collar middle-class neighborhood. Yes, there were parts that I wouldn't walk alone at night just as there are parts of Portland,ME and Rochester, NH that I wouldn't feel comfortable without escort.

[shawnr1123]

yeah, actually i lived there.

[Casper1212]

The more posts I read on the Maine forum, the happier I am that my husband decided to take the job there. It sounds like a great place to live. We hate to leave the town we live in now. The people are fantastic. They accept us like we're family. And we have established our own place, that my husband calls our "little kingdom"--a small ranch on a road where the only traffic is us and the ranch hands. Problem is we're so isolated. There's no doctor, clinic, pharmacy, hospital. All that is two hours away and I've ended up in the ER for things that could have been dealt with by a doctor. The grocery store is more like an oversized convenience store. Shopping, even for groceries, is better done in a larger town. And the nearest larger town is two hours drive. My family says that can't understand why we've stayed here. We love it. But coming to Maine means an important promotion for hubby and more convenient living for both of us. Sounds like it will also be in a place that's great to live.