A dream life of a Maine dweller....guess where? (Portland: hardwood floors, sale)

[12buttons]

Okay I have lived in a few cities and towns -some came up short of what I wanted..NYS CT CA and now I live TN..the latter being a choice of affordable housing, low taxes, milder weather, low cost of living. Unfortunately the house is in a subdivision and I can't stand living amongst the wannabe new money types who are all from outside the state and generally very much to themselves. Case in point, I made cookies for two families on the block when I moved here to say hi, and I never heard back from them! And they were good cookies!! lol
But the people of TN are nice but not where I live....my next door neighbor reported me to the association because I did not put drapes up fast enough!
Plus the summers here are hell. Literally. I am so homesick for New England- I used to live in CT but cannot afford it there anymore. If I lived in the country here, I 'd have nice conversations with cows and chickens and nothing else.


What I gave up was the culture of New England that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the US -the look the feel the light...incomparable..it's the only place that feels like home to me -this was an expensive exercise and I sure don't feel like moving again but I am very hungry for the life I left awhile ago..I do not like the winters but I will manage somehow to hibernate thru the worst of it...
I can't even look at the pictures of my old house..too painful..
Okay so this is how I see my day in my location somewhere in Maine -I don't know enough about the state to know where I have descibed...what town best fits this desciption? Any direction or guesses would be most appreciated...I know a good part of the state is waterfront..I don't need a house on the water..close to a beach or a marina would be fine or a lake - but it's not a mandate..I like big old trees and perrenials that look like old victorian gardens....I like peace and tranquility. I am a writer...but I don't want to be in the middle of an old farm miles from any culture or civilization
as I need to feel CONNECTED to the populace.
I love old antique stores, book stores, and anything eclectic and regionally sourced..lobster shaped sunglasses not with standing.
You'd find me reading a book on the bench in town with a cup of tea and a scone with my little dog on my lap rather than a booth at burger king.
Prefer towns that don't tax a lot for a lot of services - willing to pay my fair share but not for things I don't need. I paid for schools in the past..paid my dues as it were...I even taught school for awhile.


My day in this place...I get up and can see some nature out my back...

I tend to my small garden and prune back the rosemary bushes...

My colonial and or cape style house is either restored or its a reproduction. It is filled with antiques and a big neat "farmhouse" style kitchen...hardwood floors, nice view out the back, and not a lot of traffic. It's quiet overall so I can hear the birds..maybe a small pond out the back?

I am a writer and like my "space".

I walk or bike over to the library and return the videos I borrowed from last
and attend a brown bag book reading that afternoon..I hit a few stores on my way back and pick up the local papers,and the globe and some just baked cookies and fresh ground coffee...I watch some men playing checkers in the park. I wave to everybody and they wave back....

There is nothing I really need outside this perimeter. If I shopped at Walmart, which I don't it would be a last resort..and Target? no way...


I love to shop and support our local general store, and what I can't get there I 'll hunt down in a jumble sale or auction/garage sale.

Where do I live for that?

Right now in my dreams but hope to make it a reality somewhere somehow...
thanks

12buttons

[skytrekker]

Sorry about your experience in TN, I fully empathize with you- the south is not for me either. Maine is a great state to live- Portland and southwest Maine will have the highest home prices- the median is around 234K -(1st quarter 2008 NRA)

Bangor will be far less. Say you cannot afford to move back to Connecticut? Try the states 'Quiet Corner' in the eastern part- Tolland and Windham counties- it has everything you desire- and is about the same cost as Portland.

[island mermaid]

12 Buttons, I think you just described Hallowell! At least that's what popped into my mind when you described your wants and needs.

Check it out... great little town just north of Augusta on the Kennebec River. Small little downtown area, nice little shops, a couple little restaurants. Peaceful, quiet and friendly.

I love Hallowell!

[Maine Writer]

I am a writer...but I don't want to be in the middle of an old farm miles from any culture or civilization as I need to feel CONNECTED to the populace.

Having to live in certain areas to find culture is a myth many people fall into. When you're looking for your dream spot look with your writer's mind, the mind that's open and absorbs information in detail. I think you'll be surprised at the endless varieties of culture tucked away. (I'm a writer living on a farm in the middle of no where. The cultures out here are fascinating. Having left the rat race, I think this is much more civilized.)

Prefer towns that don't tax a lot for a lot of services - willing to pay my fair share but not for things I don't need. I paid for schools in the past..paid my dues as it were...I even taught school for awhile.

Unless you live in an unorganized territory your property tax or rent dollars will pay into the school budget so there's not much chance of escaping that.

I don't know what taxes are like in Belfast but that comes to mind. Greenville and Moosehead Lake come to mind but that might be more remote and snowier than you're looking for. Winter Harbor? Winter is easier on the coast.

Good luck!

[maine4.us]

I am from Tennessee, born and grew up there. Left because there were no jobs. The idea of a homeowner's association in Tennessee makes me laugh. It reminds me of the gated communities that are springing up. People move to Tennessee for the lifestyle, and the first thing they want to do is to change it into the place they moved from. Sound familiar Mainers? Those old boys have been hunting those ridges and valleys for generations, and if they think they will keep them out by a silly little gate, they are mistaken. Even the sheriff's department in those areas tells the homeowners to relax a bit.

[AlisonL]

Many Maine towns fit what you are looking for. Sounds like the mistake you made in TN was moving into a subdivision with a HOA. I love TN and the local people. We'd hoped to move there but the job situation isn't any better than it is here.

[Mainer61]

Sounds like Damariscotta or Camden to me.

[forest beekeeper]

A lot of Maine is small 'Mayberry' towns.

For a library with book clubs and shade tree lined streets, you need to stay out of the unorganized townships. We have no libraries, library overhead takes tax money.

Many of the smaller towns in Maine, may tend to have dusty or muddy tracks instead of sidewalks. But again sidewalks cost money.

Millinocket might fit the bill. Lincoln, Milo is nice. Dover-Foxcroft, I like Corinth for a small town.

Winterport is great!

Belfast I think might be a bit expensive.

Unity might be a good fit.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

12 Buttons, I think you just described Hallowell! At least that's what popped into my mind when you described your wants and needs.

Check it out... great little town just north of Augusta on the Kennebec River. Small little downtown area, nice little shops, a couple little restaurants. Peaceful, quiet and friendly.

I love Hallowell!

I'm with the mermaid here Hallowell might be a good fit (except it's actually a hair south of Augusta).

[dramamama6685]

Eastport has the water and a library. It also seems to have a goodish amount of artsy activities (for a town of only1400) between the performances at The Rose Garden cafe and the performimg arts center. It may be a bit too remote for you, though.