Maine is the #5 smartest state :) (Augusta: for sale, houses, private schools)

[Imissthefall]

http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank06.htm


This is exciting to me because I have 2 kids and we are coming from Arizona and that was number 50!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone that has been living in Maine a long time coment on this? Does it have to do with Maine having high taxes?

[ScotchPine]

Hello.. We pay about 1 per cent of value in prop taxes - houses similar to ours in our area of Maine sell for around $250,00 and we all pay less than $2,400 per year. Go to an MLS site in Maine and take a look at properties for sale and the taxes they pay. Taxes are alot less here.

[bobkrispen]

Maine has, by some accounts, the highest tax burden in the US.

http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lis...005/index.html

By other sources, we're solidly in the top ten:

http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/458.html
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com...sForTaxes.aspx

We are pretty well taxed here and it's one of the downsides of living here. But being such a large state (geographically) it does cause a premium to be paid for providing all those services at such distance, especially with a geographically diverse population.

Any time a referendum comes up that tries to force a tax cap (spending cap, what have you) on the government, all the public agency lobbying groups present the "You will have no school, no fire and no police" argument. And it works every time. It's frustrating that even through citizen initiative we can't get the folks in Augusta to figure out that we want our taxes lower, not higher.

But I'm ranting, and you didn't ask for that. Sorry

[Cynimom]

Originally Posted by Imissthefall

http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank06.htm


This is exciting to me because I have 2 kids and we are coming from Arizona and that was number 50!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone that has been living in Maine a long time coment on this? Does it have to do with Maine having high taxes?

Maine has a very good education system that's why I don't gripe too much about the higher taxes (even though my son is in private school) I also think the lower student/teacher ratio helps tremendously.

[skytrekker]

The second smartest state is Connecticut. Vermont I believe is #1 or is it Massachusetts....

[Unhappycamper]

Maine probally has that because of the great public school systems. In other states people feel the need to send thier kids to private schools because there is less negative influences and so on. Also the UMaine system is good and even the community college system has top notch education.

i r produkt of publik skool 'n i is smartified n stuff ah-yuh.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Take a look at their criteria. Don't want to rain on the parade, but expenditures alone do not great schools make.

[DavidoftheNorth]

I think it's in the genes transmitted by the early European settlers. That's why the top 5 states, except New Jersey, are all New England states.

[Pidgett]

DavidoftheNorth:

From your last post, one can assume two things:

1. Your post was made in jest.
2. If NOT made in jest, then you are a racist/ethinicist/Northern European supremacist, whatever label you can put on it. The obsurdity of such a proposition is not even worth entertaining as argueable.

I'm a nice guy--and an optimist--and a native Maine-iac. Therefore I'll assume you made a "joke."

[DavidoftheNorth]

No Pidgett, you got it right with #2. I'm "a racist/ethinicist/Northern European supremacist", I guess. And I also come from a culture that places great importance on education. So, in deference to your concern, I should have said it's genes AND CULTURE. I was derelict in not mentioning both together. Sorry.