Why are you not moving to Maine?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by PrincessoftheCape

A couple of reasons:

1) The state is overwhelmingly dominated by it's southern fifth or so. It's beginning to remind me a lot of Colorado, in that a small but populated urban area defines and governs the enormous remainder of the state.

It has been this way for many decades.

...
2) The prospects for work in Maine have always been poor and seem to be getting worse. What's more, unlike Massachusetts where it is expensive to live, but pay rates are generally correspondingly higher, Maine's cost of living and taxes are nearly as high, but the pay scale is nowhere near competitive. Almost as a rule, you're poorer than you might elsewhere if you live in Maine.

The Cost-Of-Living may be 'high' in urban Southern areas [as you already pointed out]; however the rest of the state is very much different.

You may be 'poorer' here, but at the same time your also much wealthier here.

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3) The scenery isn't that great. Is Maine pretty? Of course! But it's a relative thing. Puget Sound, for example, absolutely levels Maine in terms of physical attractiveness. The only thing Maine has over the Pacific Northwest is far superior looking houses and towns. But the physical environment cannot even compare. Puget Sound is breathtaking. Maine is charming. There is a difference.

I liked living on the Puget Sound also.

When we were there, we were looking to settle on the Olympic Peninsula. The Olympic Peninsula is very pretty. Unfortunately it is very expensive.

It was very expensive to live there. Land was very expensive, and taxes were much higher than here.



I grew-up in California, very near to Yosemite. Now Yosemite is breathtaking.

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4) Some people think the winter sucks. Personally, I love snow, but a lot of people abhor it. That's going to constitute a strike against Maine for a lot of people, because the winters there are undeniably harsh.

I like winter.

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by IHeartMaine

"way to liberal" in what way???

Gay marriage?

Legalization of marijuana?

Extensive welfare benefits?

Progressive renewable energy policy?

Lack of religious based intervention in government?

If your answer is "yes" to these subjects then you may be disappointed in Maine.

Maine is liberal, to be sure. But that said, we have only medical marijuana at this point. And our Welfare State is slooooowly being peeled back. We have very, very little "renewable energy" in Maine and that won't change soon, thanks to our current governor (who is probably the most conservative governor in the nation). As to your last criteria, I have no idea what that means.

[Newdaawn]

Princess needs to take a good look at what our "conservative" gov. Lepage has accomplished in his 3 years as Gov. of Maine - IMO he has made Maine residents the laughing stock of New England. If Maine is not to your liking you should live somewhere that is.

[PrincessoftheCape]

Originally Posted by Newdaawn

Princess needs to take a good look at what our "conservative" gov. Lepage has accomplished in his 3 years as Gov. of Maine - IMO he has made Maine residents the laughing stock of New England. If Maine is not to your liking you should live somewhere that is.

Unfortunately, there are lots of places that are to my liking. The people in those places, sadly, are not.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Personally, I don't think that Maine is for everyone. It seems like an ideal state to retire to, but not such a good state to move to if you are trying to escape what ever social ill is driving you out of where-ever-and that's just it, it's just an escape. Yes, you can buy an awesome home here for half the price as in other states, but then what are you going to do? There is a job market here, but it is not that strong (although I hear that bio-tech might be booming here in the relatively near future) and last I checked Maine is still a pretty damn poor state.

With a population increase, you will also see a raise in crime, but I think that Maine is safe from a population explosion. Portland itself doesn't really seem to grow-as in for every one person who moves to Portland 3/4 of a person moves out-if you catch my drift. Although, the area surrounding Portland will probably increase over the next 15-20 years in what I predict will be in a southernly direction.

Auburn/Lewiston will also increase in population, but outside of that, I think that the rest of Maine will remain relatively the same.

I also predict in influx of out-of-staters buying up these cheap homes for use as seasonal rentals or summer homes. Must be nice to live on the Maine coast during the summer and Florida in the winter.

SO true. People should focus first on what they are looking for in a new lifestyle/location. Though the negatives may be spurring them onward, focusing on those tends to lead to drastic decisions, IMO.

[lrmsd]

Originally Posted by PrincessoftheCape

Unfortunately, there are lots of places that are to my liking. The people in those places, sadly, are not.

what people? where? people in places that you like are not to your liking?
also, while ME may have charming homes vs. vast scenery [the west does have the 'expansive thing' down, though-I can attest from having lived in both MT and CO], charming towns and communities are essentially to some people for their well being. Aesthetic is really important for some people. Not just 'oh, I can drive to see a nice view'. Other people are perfectly happy with being comfortable/warm and do not need charm or what they may consider fancy, fussy or 'artsy'. But those who do require aesthetic, are not always doing it out of a desire to be flashy nor show wealthy. They are separate things that seem to often be confused. Not that you are saying they are the same or even mentioning them, I'm just expounding on your fine post regarding the matter of charm vs. breathtaking scenery.

One thing NE has had a strong suit in, for the most part, is civic pride. People from either end of the political spectrum care about their neighborhoods, home, etc. I know it's a generalization, but it's far more true there than in many other parts of the country.