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Relax Maineahs, this is not an attack on Maine! This is something that someone said to us over the holidays when my wife and I were discussing our long term plan of purchasing land in Maine for recreational use and possibly retirement. Needless to say this was a family member who does not really share our love of the outdoors and is more of an "umbrella-drink-on-a-beach" type who couldn't understand why one would want to sink money into land in another state, pay taxes and upkeep on it, etc...when that money could be spent on trips to Disney World and the Carribean In defending our love of the state and our desire to own land there I ended up turning to an argument that sort of took shape right in the middle of the conversation.
I'm from New Jersey, born and raised. Most of my extended family lives in the state somewhere scattered across the 7,300 square miles from High Point to Cape May. A smattering of folks made it over to Pennsylvania, a few to Florida, and a couple to Virginia. As far as my immediate family (parents, grandparents, etc...) we have no "ancestral home"-nothing that has ever been handed down from generation to generation. Economic and political circumstances pushed my great-great grandparents across the Atlantic from Ireland and Italy, and the mostly economic winds kept pushing them once they got here, moving where the jobs were, or later where the schools were good, etc... As a result, houses were bought or sometimes built, later sold, and life moved on. I was born in the capital city of Trenton-my grandparents lived there, but the area became blighted with crime and drugs, so when they died, my mother had to sell her childhood home to strangers. Now it's a slum. I suppose one day I'll have sell my parents' home(a log cabin built by my father) when they're gone unless the stars align and my family could make use of it somehow. In any event, I've always admired the kinds of stories about folks who have been farming the same land for generations or who currently live in the home where their great grandmother was born. You just see less and less of that today.
However, I did happen to meet someone some weeks earlier at a work function who mentioned that he and his wife spent a lot of time in Maine, so naturally we got to talking about it. As it turns out his grandfather bought land on a pond as a hunting and fishing camp in the early 1920s and it remains in the family to this day. In fact, he met his wife there as her family had a home across the pond. So, now I have a new reason for wanting to purchase land in Maine (In addition to hunting, fishing, hiking, comfortable summers, and plenty of winter fun to be had): Our family will have a "constant," a place that will be forever ours, to be handed down through the generations. Unlike our own homes which are subject to all sorts of parameters (school districts, proximity to good jobs, and neighborhood safety), the Maine woods will always be our place to escape-waiting for us, and those yet to come. If I am so blessed to be in my 90s sitting on a rocking chair on the front porch of our cabin one day, I want to look into the eyes of my great-grandchildren and say with certainty "someday this will all be yours."
Maybe I'm just in a sappy mood (being a new dad to a little girl will do that to you ) but needless to say we're more motivated than ever and hope to return to Maine soon to narrow our search. It will be years before we can afford to look seriously, but in the meantime we want to get a feel for where we want to be.
We are hoping to buy on our trip to Maine this spring. I get that question all the time. I live in illinois and I am sick and tired of my tax dollars funding criminal activities. Three out of our last 4 goveners have been incarcerated. There are currently over 1,000 state and city employees in the state of illinois under indictment for fraud, embezzlement, you name it. Our taxes keep going up and our home values go down! The state is #50 in the way of job creation, and we have the largest debt in the nation as far as states go.
I checked out the difference in taxes and they are much less. The only tax that is higher in Maine than it is is illinois is cigarette tax.
Cigarette tax is voluntary. If you don't smoke, you don't pay it.
I cannot wait to get to maine and find a great place of my own.
We are hoping to buy on our trip to Maine this spring. I get that question all the time. I live in illinois and I am sick and tired of my tax dollars funding criminal activities. Three out of our last 4 goveners have been incarcerated. There are currently over 1,000 state and city employees in the state of illinois under indictment for fraud, embezzlement, you name it. Our taxes keep going up and our home values go down! The state is #50 in the way of job creation, and we have the largest debt in the nation as far as states go.
I checked out the difference in taxes and they are much less. The only tax that is higher in Maine than it is is illinois is cigarette tax.
Cigarette tax is voluntary. If you don't smoke, you don't pay it.
I cannot wait to get to maine and find a great place of my own.
Gee-sounds a lot like NJ! We briefly entertained actually moving to Maine full time but it would probably be tough for us to make a living up there. We'll settle for being able to escape NJ for weeks at a time. Plus our family is here-the grandparents would kill us if we took their first (and only so far) granddaughter so far away
By Jove. he's got it! deere110 has defined why so many people have a need to be in Maine and it is indeed a "constant". Get it while you can because there are powerful forces in Augista that don't want you to live your dream. I sat before the Agriculture and Forestry Committee in Augusta yesterday afternoon when the new LURC proposal was unveiled. LURC is coming out of this bigger, stronger and meaner than ever before.
... So, now I have a new reason for wanting to purchase land in Maine (In addition to hunting, fishing, hiking, comfortable summers, and plenty of winter fun to be had): Our family will have a "constant," a place that will be forever ours, to be handed down through the generations. Unlike our own homes which are subject to all sorts of parameters (school districts, proximity to good jobs, and neighborhood safety), the Maine woods will always be our place to escape-waiting for us, and those yet to come. If I am so blessed to be in my 90s sitting on a rocking chair on the front porch of our cabin one day, I want to look into the eyes of my great-grandchildren and say with certainty "someday this will all be yours."
Maybe I'm just in a sappy mood (being a new dad to a little girl will do that to you ) but needless to say we're more motivated than ever and hope to return to Maine soon to narrow our search. It will be years before we can afford to look seriously, but in the meantime we want to get a feel for where we want to be.
Very well stated.
You could also, one day retire onto such a property.
We are hoping to buy on our trip to Maine this spring. I get that question all the time. I live in illinois and I am sick and tired of my tax dollars funding criminal activities. Three out of our last 4 goveners have been incarcerated. There are currently over 1,000 state and city employees in the state of illinois under indictment for fraud, embezzlement, you name it. Our taxes keep going up and our home values go down! The state is #50 in the way of job creation, and we have the largest debt in the nation as far as states go.
Got that right. I think that I ignored local politics for many years.
When I first retired, we moved to Ct.; one day I was listening to the radio, the announcer was in a vehicle pacing the R.I. governor on his trip to report to prison. At that point, I had understood that our national politics were corrupt. But I had no awareness of how corrupt some states are.
Most state's that their share of corruption, but it is mostly non-news, so only people within the loop know about it. Somewhere in the US a new scandal comes out every week. Most of them never hit the national media.
Quote:
... I checked out the difference in taxes and they are much less. The only tax that is higher in Maine than it is is illinois is cigarette tax.
Cigarette tax is voluntary. If you don't smoke, you don't pay it.
I cannot wait to get to maine and find a great place of my own.
The theme of 'high taxes' is often like a religion on Maine. Be aware that you may offend some when you mention how much lower taxes may be here.
By Jove. he's got it! deere110 has defined why so many people have a need to be in Maine and it is indeed a "constant". Get it while you can because there are powerful forces in Augista that don't want you to live your dream. I sat before the Agriculture and Forestry Committee in Augusta yesterday afternoon when the new LURC proposal was unveiled. LURC is coming out of this bigger, stronger and meaner than ever before.
Governor LePage said he would abolish LURC. The legislature so far as sabotaged that effort. The current proposal is much worse than the present LURC. I sure hope Gov. LePage vetoes the bill if it gets to his desk.
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This is something that someone said to us over the holidays when my wife and I were discussing our long term plan of purchasing land in Maine for recreational use and possibly retirement. Needless to say this was a family member who does not really share our love of the outdoors and is more of an "umbrella-drink-on-a-beach" type who couldn't understand why one would want to sink money into land in another state, pay taxes and upkeep on it, etc...when that money could be spent on trips to Disney World and the Carribean 
In defending our love of the state and our desire to own land there I ended up turning to an argument that sort of took shape right in the middle of the conversation. 
) but needless to say we're more motivated than ever and hope to return to Maine soon to narrow our search. It will be years before we can afford to look seriously, but in the meantime we want to get a feel for where we want to be.
