Am I missing the Maine experience?....In Maine (Eastport, Burlington: 2011, homes)

[AustinB]

I love getting down that way. I can't make it for the next few weekends, but the weather will be warming soon! (I have get out of the camp some times you know.)

[ahome4us]

K-Luv, I only read the first page of this thread, but I wanted to comment. You said that where you live in Portland, the term 'from away' isn't used. I'm not a Mainer by birth (I am a New Englander), but I lived in one northern Maine town for 8 years and now 4 years in this town 2 hours south of the first. The town farther north definitely had an 'us' and 'them/away people' philosophy. It was hard to live there. The town we live in now has people from lots of other places, and I've only heard the natives use the term 'away people' once in a while. There is definitely a different 'feel' to this town, and the people are welcoming to newcomers. The population here is about 6,500, and the other town was about 4,000, not that that matters.

Born and bred in Portsmouth, NH, I'd never heard the term 'from away' in all my years until we moved to far northern Maine when I was 41 (12 years ago). I'm glad we live where we do now, and I'm glad the 'from away' thing isn't happening in Portland.

[elston]

I live outside of Portland, and haven't heard the "from away" except in jest by people like me who are "from away". The locals have been friendly and accepting..the community is quite diverse.I used to live in central NH and there was much more of that "we"<-->"them" attitude there; there the term "flat lander" described anyone from out of state.

It reminds me of the description Robert Frost gave in his poem Mending Wall for the man who couldn't get past his father's limited world view....

"I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father's saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."

The poet's counter-point to that view is:

"Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
and wants it down....

Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence."

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by ahome4us

K-Luv, I only read the first page of this thread, but I wanted to comment. You said that where you live in Portland, the term 'from away' isn't used.

In my opinion there are two reasons for this:

One is that Portland is the Melting Pot of Maine, in sorts. While it is easy to say that the majority of residents here were born in this state, there is also a fairly large amount of people who live here who were born in other states (and I assume countries). My group of friends/co-workers/aquantences are from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, and California as well as small town Maine. So, the term 'from away' seems kind of pointless.

The other is that, and I do not mean to offend anyone on here, is that those who usually apply the label of outsider onto others generally tend to come from the rural communities; those parts of the state that are more insular and not really influenced by larger cities, and, more importantly, they do not want to be; so there seems to be more of a feeling of threat, change, when new people move into these smaller towns out in nowheresville. But, I must point out that this notion of 'from away' is not secluded to Maine alone, as you will find this attitude in the rural sections of every state. But why Maine is known for this way of thinking is the topic for a different thread.

So, I guess that ultimately the general attitude around here (Portland) is that people do not really feel threatened by new comers, as they are already a well established entity here and it is to be expected.

[Newdaawn]

I've been here over 40 years now and am still discovering new and beautiful places. We make a point of going a few places each summer we have never been. I have been to Camden many times but somehow seemed to overlook Megunticook Lake. It is just a few miles from the center of town and so very beautiful. We were there in the fall and there were only 2 other cars in the parking lot. One woman was throwing out a stick for her lab to retrieve. Check it out if you are passing through Camden.

[tcrackly]

I have a passion for Maine's woods and waters, too, but I think it's unfortunate that the urban areas of Maine are considered somehow alien. Maine has been settled, and even more so in past times, for 400 years by "civilization".
I get that same feeling of Maine when I'm in LA or Bangor or Portland and I encounter some old soul that has the resilience, humor and common sense of the stereotypical Mainer. Someone who appreciates the sunrise, the snow crystals, the bird visitations and the way he(she) can not just "make do" with less, but enjoy the little triumphs of perserverance.
The ingenious old Mainers like I've met in Washington county that can keep some 1940's piece o f equipment going with rubber bands and duct tape to provide for family and community are also a valuable resource of Maine.
In an ironic way those pioneering individualists have become the replacements for the original Indians that depended on this land and its resources. We're all the new caretakers of Maine with ALL its parts.

[cmartinite]

Where's Maine?

Most people think that saying you're from Maine means you know where it is - it's not that elusive (like the island on the TV show "Lost"). Maine is not a state - it was originally a State of Mind.

Not trying to get holistic on you - just reminiscent. Maine used to be known as a kind-of frontier. I remember my grandfather using expressions like "Ayuh - its on the other side of the Allagash". I didn't know there really was a place called the Allagash until I was 20 - so I went to see it.

Knowing Maine used to be as much an understanding of her natives as it was knowing her geography and many obscure destinations. The trouble here is Maines identity is in crisis. Folks from away who move here - not because they want to become part of the existing community and raise thier children, we need more of these - but the husband-wife early retiree families who move here that want to make places (such as Belfast) more like the place they left - with no regard to the real local families who need jobs - whether a big box store, bait business or otherwise. We certainly don't need another art gallery!

If you want to find Maine - drive North and East of the Cumberland county divide and look for places that appear not to be of interest to outside influence - places such as Coburn-Gore, Pittston Farms and Rockwood (Moosehead), Andover, Eagle lake, The Dickie Trading post (Dickie/Allagash area), Lubec/Eastport, Aurora or take an Island ferry/charter boat from Rockland or Southwest harbor (MDI) to the Cranberry Isles or drive to little Deer Isle - don't go in summer - go in March.

Much like hearing vs. listening - you've looked at Maine, you just haven't seen her yet.

Have fun exploring!

[corgis]

<B>Folks from away who move here - not because they want to become part of the existing community and raise thier children, we need more of these - but the husband-wife early retiree families who move here that want to make places (such as Belfast) more like the place they left - with no regard to the real local families who need jobs - whether a big box store, bait business or otherwise. We certainly don't need another art gallery!</B>



I get so tired when people post on here about how retirees are taking away locals jobs, homes, etc. and try to change their new place into the place they left. For the umpteenth time I will say that we are retiring to Maine and we will not be trying to take anyones job, change anything or try to insinuate our way of doing things into our new home. My husband and I worked hard all our lives, saved our money, raised our children and sent them into the world with the most skills we could afford to give them. We have paid our taxes and contributed to our local economy all our lives. Now, it's our turn for the great retirement dream. We have owned our home in Eastport for better than 5 years working to get there after retirement. We don't want jobs, we've already worked all our lives. We don't want to change anything, we want to absorb and be a part of the community and to contribute to it in any way the community would want us to. We want to pay taxes in our new community, we want to pay for services in our new community, we want to worship in our new community and we want to contribute in our new community.

We will take no jobs away from anyone, we will not try to change anything. I just hate being lumped in with all the rest of the retirees who have moved to Maine for the same reasons we are - to live the rest of our lives in the most beautiful place on earth.

I am so sick to death of all the years of posts talking about how retirees will take everything away from locals. It's just not true. I am not a Martha Stewart or a Hollywood actor or a bizallionare - just a couple of people from rural West Virginia who want to retire and spend our money supporting our new community.

[elston]

Originally Posted by corgis

<B>
I am so sick to death of all the years of posts talking about how retirees will take everything away from locals. It's just not true. I am not a Martha Stewart or a Hollywood actor or a bizallionare - just a couple of people from rural West Virginia who want to retire and spend our money supporting our new community.

Corgis, I am certain that you will be a credit to any community that you live in. You have worked hard all your life to spend your retirement years where, how and as you have chosen and invested. Don't let anyone make you feel badly about that. You have as much right as anyone else.....to partake, enjoy and contribute and be part of the community...you dont need to be certified....Good Luck and enjoy!

[fxtrader]

West Virginia people I have met are pretty similar to most real Mainers I know. Welcome aboard Corgis!