Question for those who moved to Maine (Scarborough, Bath: low crime, how much)

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by tlb71

Obviously the taxes/expenses are very different in each area of Maine...
$2,984 for 150 year old house valued at 185K 2 years ago.(mil rates are even higher in surrounding towns)
$789 to register my vehicle last year(no, I don't drive a Volvo, Lexus, etc.)
$139 for the other vehicle (10 years old)
$89 for the LOWEST electric bill we have had here- for lights, W/D, dishwasher, TV
$365 per month for oil/propane
$65 per month for water
$1693 per month taken out of paycheck for taxes/health insurance/SS
$6.25 for 5 13 gallon trash bags that must be purchased for our trash to be collected
I could go on, but won't. We have a friend living in West Gardiner who has much lower property taxes but spends $450 in gas to commute to work.
For some of us it isn't practical to live up north in the woods even if we wanted to and we simply can't afford to take just any job. Could we survive, sure and I admire those of you that can make that lifestyle work for you, but it isn't for everyone. For those of us who choose not to live that way, I hope the assumption isn't being made that it is just about "shopping". My hope is that those planning a move here will do WAY more research than we did. Yes this is an absolutely beautiful state with much to offer, but it certainly isn't for everyone so do your research beyond crime stats and scenery.

Yes it does appear that the cities are more expensive to live in.

You buy trash bags?

We have re-useable garbage cans that we fill, and leave beside the road. They are emptied each week and given back to us to re-use again.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

1. Where did you come from and how long have you been in Maine?

From Washington State. Been here about 4 months.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

2. What was the most important reason why you moved to Maine?

Cost of living and quality of life.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

3. What made you pick the particular town in Maine that you moved to?

Cost of living, quality of life, big enough town for the kids to have things to do, but small enough that we aren’t worrying about gangs on the streets, drug dealers on the corners, and traffic jams.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

4. How long did it take you to get comfortable with the move?

A month.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

5. If you had to do it over again would you still move to Maine? If no, would you have chosen a different town in Maine, moved to someplace other than Maine or returned to the place you left?

If we move again, I suspect it will be to northern Maine or even Canada.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

6. Is your "overall " life better or worse in Maine than where you moved from?

Much, much, much better. I don’t miss Washington State even a little.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

7. Do you have friends of relatives in other states that tried to either directly persuade you not to move to Maine or showed their displeasure/disapproval/incredulity/disgust/non-enthusiasm in more subtle ways?

Sure. We heard it all --- “The winter will kill you.” “What’s in Maine that you can’t get here?” Lack of culture, lack of jobs, yada-yada. Life is what you make of it. I don’t regret the move one bit.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

8. Do you think the town where you live now in Maine will eventually turn into the place you left? If so, how long will it take?

Possibly. But if so, it’ll take 20 years. By then the kids will be grown and I can move on.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

9. Since you got here, what has surprised you most either about Maine or your town in Maine? (good or bad)

The good:

The friendly neighborliness of Mainers.

The bad:

The price of groceries. It’s really the only thing costing us more here than it did in Washington.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

10. Would you recommend others move to Maine?

If I liked them, yes. If not, I’d recommend Washington State.

Originally Posted by Movin2Maine

11: What haven't you done yet since moving to Maine that you would like to do?

Eat lobster and see a moose. Not necessarily at the same time.

[mainewannabe]

Trade YA !! Coming from FL to ME can't get out of here fast enough. Been here long enough to know. Decades.

Originally Posted by Petertherock

1. Where did you come from and how long have you been in Maine?

Came from Massachusetts. I have been here for 7 years (April 2000 move date)


2. What was the most important reason why you moved to Maine?

We have been on many family vacations and liked it so we decided to give it a shot.

3. What made you pick the particular town in Maine that you moved to?

We looked for apartments in the Portland area and found what we were looking for in Falmouth.

4. How long did it take you to get comfortable with the move?

Before we even signed the lease.

5. If you had to do it over again would you still move to Maine? If no, would you have chosen a different town in Maine, moved to someplace other than Maine or returned to the place you left?

No. I would have looked south. Florida most likely.


6. Is your "overall " life better or worse in Maine than where you moved from?

Better. Massachusetts sucks.

7. Do you have friends of relatives in other states that tried to either directly persuade you not to move to Maine or showed their displeasure/disapproval/incredulity/disgust/non-enthusiasm in more subtle ways? Why, do you know?

Nope. Everyone was supportive. Some of my friends said "Why Maine?" I told them because it's better then here.

8. Do you think the town where you live now in Maine will eventually turn into the place you left? If so, how long will it take?

I hope not. Where I am at now has more going for it.

9. Since you got here, what has surprised you most either about Maine or your town in Maine? (good or bad)

How liberal it has become (bad) It's one of the biggest reasons I left Mass and Maine has become just like Mass. All we need is to get some Kennedy's to run for office and it will be Mass.

10. Would you recommend others move to Maine?

I don't think so. Unless the politics (taxes) change big time I see this state getting worse instead of better.

11: What haven't you done yet since moving to Maine that you would like to do?

Move to Florida lol!

[mainewannabe]

Bydand, it's a shame you are leaving for you are one of my favorite posters. Isn't there any HOPE that maine will rescue itself from this tax problem? Some homes I look at ARE quite outrageous and all I can figure is that there are five or ten too many folks living off it. As well, in most of these towns there are no fire depts or police in the town itself so ... where is all of that money going? In a place with 275 residents .. I kinda have to wonder about that.

Originally Posted by Bydand

This is NOT what I said. Don't try to spin what I say please. What I said is that while the numbers may be lower dollar wise, it adds up to a higher percentage of income. Tax classes? Yep took a couple of years of tax classes, can itemize with the best of them, which is really a very basic skill to master. When I decided to go on my own, I went back to college for accounting combined with tax management and contract law, just so I would have the basics covered. I'm not a tax novice, or somebody who doesn't know how to read taxes as they pertain to real costs of both doing business and personal costs. Tax burden is not a contrived set of numbers that you have to manipulate reality to figure.


And yes it is one of the reasons we have decided to leave this wonderful state, and I do NOT mean that sarcastically. I really do like this State and feel it is a great place, just not the best place for us right now. Taxes are a part of it, but not the overriding factor driving our decision.

[mainewannabe]

Originally Posted by msina

Thank You so much, You're all "deahs".

wouldn't let ME rep you, either. LOL !! You're awesome

[Parrotpaul]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

milo,,even has a pats pizza!!!!! now if that aint impressive,,i dont know what is

msina,,i went up thru milo last week,,,id treat ya to a friendly lunch sometime

Pat's Pizza in Scarborough is the only restaurant I have ever been in that puts meat on a Greek salad.

Always loved their pizzas, but meat on a Greek salad?

[msina]

Pat's Pizza in Orono carries Jones Soda. It's the only place I know of that I can get a bottle of "Raspberry Lime Ricky".
I feel so fortunate to have all of the wonderful people here to converse with. Thank You all for being so kind.

[mainewannabe]

That's outrageous, really. They must do assessments there with no caps like we hve in FL. They cap it at 3% a year. THey do not reassess in FL, only when the house is sold.
Maine could have the same deal if it were only on the ballot. No homestead exemption, either???

Originally Posted by postmyusernamehere

All I can say is my experience living in Dexter must be completely different than yours. But because Maine is such a diverse state I can only address your points in regard to the Dexter area:

1. January and Febuary are brutal, but Spring, Summer and Fall here are an absolute Paradise.

2. Social interaction is mostly a personal issue. For myself , less is more, as I find myself today trying to weasel out of a Christmas party next week.

3 Quite the contrary. Once upon a time most of rural America had its own unique local cultures. Most of that is gone now. Today, Dexter is one the few remaining locals in rural America that still has a rich culture it can call its own.

4.Dexter has no less public transportation than any other community in rural America. I believe we have more. (two cabs)

5. My youngest child is four and I have never had trouble securing daycare.

6.I have three teenage girls. One has the lead role in the current community playhouse production. She also cheerleads for the school basketball team. And she is a member of the math club. Another is the school mascot at sports events. She founded the school chess club and is a member of the yearbook committee. On weekends she cleans stalls in exchange for riding lessons. The third is on the wrestling team, student council, key club, ensemble, youth group and church choir. They start their day at 5am and don't get home til well after dark. If these kids had any more "outlets" I believe they would collapse from sheer exhaustion.

7. Dexter Family Practice is right across the street. They do a wonderful job.

8.Dexter is just as well equipped to handle it's homeless population as any rural community in the country, better than most in the southern states, imo.

And to add to the ongoing tax discussion, it only costs me $15 a year to register my Dodge Dart, (that's good). When I painted my house my property taxes went up $400, (that's bad).

[Parrotpaul]

Originally Posted by mainewannabe

That's outrageous, really. They must do assessments there with no caps like we hve in FL. They cap it at 3% a year. THey do not reassess in FL, only when the house is sold.
Maine could have the same deal if it were only on the ballot. No homestead exemption, either???

We have Prop 13 here in California. My taxes go up a maximum of 2% a year period. Maine had the opportunity to vote in similar legislation, but it was voted down.

I pay about $1700 a year total taxes on two condos in one of the most expensive real estate market in the country.

[mainewannabe]

LOL ~~ mbm that's just funny.

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

amp, its too bad,,you've been treated like that,,there are ignorant folks everywhere, you seem to have a colony of ignorants around you..

you arent a warden are ya?? mainers kinda shun wardens,,