Hard to find work in Maine?!? (Portland, Union: apartments, crime, buying a house)

[genelady]

Rocklobstr52 what happened to Wyoming.. I read your list levels of poverty by state.. Did Wyoming flunk or way above everyone?! Genelady

[MadisonBlythe]

Phish Head, I share your hatred of the 'Garbage State'. I have lived here all of my life and can't wait to get back up to Maine. We only need to be able to find a source of income and we are so there!!!!

[Hawkeye Jeff]

I came here in the early 80s from the Midwest.

I've lived in Maine for 23 years and I would have the moving van backed up to my front door in a heartbeat if someone wanted to buy my house here in Southern Maine.

I've never lived in a place that is so resentful of "people from away." There is definitely a glass ceiling holding down those whose family lineage doesn't go back to the 18th century.

This state is stuck in the 1950s and is so far behind the rest of the country in so many ways. Don't say that that may be a good thing. Try living it. It's not a good thing.

I've traveled the entire country and have never seen such a backwards state. Unfortunately, my wife is from this state and my kids don't know any better and are settled in here. I have placed their happiness ahead of my own until at least the time when they leave the nest.

For so many Mainers, a high school diploma is a luxury. Ignorance and poverty is rampant. The current governor has declared Maine a refugee state, welcoming immigrants legal and illegal to come and take advantage of our welfare system. They come from all over the globe to live five families on one apartment.

The largest city is 65,000 people and after that there are pockets of communities where the population may hit 25,000 or 30,000.

It's extremely expensive to fly into or out of to anywhere and there is only one major highway which runs north and south. Try going east to west, and you are on two-lane highways and dirt roads.

The slogan is, "Maine, the way life should be." This is a laugh. Anyone who would choose to live this way is nuts.

Much of the state relies on tourism for their support and when gas hits $3+ a gallon a lot of people from all over the country don't come.

The landscape is nice, I suppose, if you can afford to live on the ocean or on a lake, but other than that, there are way too many trees for my taste. It can be enough to make a flatlander claustrophobic.

The educational system, including the state university system is a joke. It's no wonder that when students go to college out of state they never come back. There is nothing for them, and if they do want to come back they can't afford to live here.

Last winter we only had 30 inches of snow, but two years ago we had over 120. It's hit or miss in the winter time.

The ice storm of 1998 was the worst winter weather I've ever seen. Some homes were without electricity for nearly a month — in the middle of winter.

[earlthepearl]

Maine............
Most people living here now are from Massachusetts" state.
No good jobs.....
High taxes......
What jobs that are here you can make double the money in another state....
This state is just a playground for the rich.....

[skyesmom40]

What a variety of opinions! No doubt as has been said through various other postings...it is what you make of it. And as a general rule of thumb, don't most people (not *kids*) move with a job lined up? I grew up in Maine, and thankyou, my education held up very nicely in one of the *top* states.
Dear Hawkeye, if you ReALLY wanted out so badly, you wouldn't havebeen here 23 years . I would hazard a guess that a lot of people who live here don't care that they could be making double the money...because in many ways that's not true. (Migraine medicine does NOT count,,,for those of you experiencing life in an *away* state...) Maine is very dependent on agricultural industry..things that up until not too long ago actually could sustain a family. I love seeing kids that actually go outside still, rather than being wired up to videogames and such. They can play with the neighbor's, while not the way we used to 20 plus years ago...at least we don't have the constant drive by shooting worries. No place is perfect, some people thrive in that rat race..hurry up get it done last week .. atmosphere. Maine is one of those places that people come to, so they aren't a "rat in the wheel" of big business. I don't mind folks that come from away...so long as they leave that *attitude* behind and join us more laid back human sorts...here in the lovely Pine Tree state. ..where we have 4 seasons...(definitely.....lol) lobster, stars that you can actually see at night, fresh air...and lots of friends and neighbors you actually WANT to get to know and bbq with

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by skyesmom40

What a variety of opinions! No doubt as has been said through various other postings...it is what you make of it. And as a general rule of thumb, don't most people (not *kids*) move with a job lined up? I grew up in Maine, and thankyou, my education held up very nicely in one of the *top* states.
Dear Hawkeye, if you ReALLY wanted out so badly, you wouldn't havebeen here 23 years . I would hazard a guess that a lot of people who live here don't care that they could be making double the money...because in many ways that's not true. (Migraine medicine does NOT count,,,for those of you experiencing life in an *away* state...) Maine is very dependent on agricultural industry..things that up until not too long ago actually could sustain a family. I love seeing kids that actually go outside still, rather than being wired up to videogames and such. They can play with the neighbor's, while not the way we used to 20 plus years ago...at least we don't have the constant drive by shooting worries. No place is perfect, some people thrive in that rat race..hurry up get it done last week .. atmosphere. Maine is one of those places that people come to, so they aren't a "rat in the wheel" of big business. I don't mind folks that come from away...so long as they leave that *attitude* behind and join us more laid back human sorts...here in the lovely Pine Tree state. ..where we have 4 seasons...(definitely.....lol) lobster, stars that you can actually see at night, fresh air...and lots of friends and neighbors you actually WANT to get to know and bbq with

Well said Skyesmom! My thoughts exactly!

[italylover]

The problem with Maine is that there is very little push for higher education, I believe only 50% of high school graduates go on to college, even though there is very little to do after high school except pump gas. There are tons of applicants for even the smallest job and forget it if you are over 25. MBNA is still there but it pays $27K a year full time.

Even in maine the standard of living is not that low, starbucks still cost the same, and housing in the Portland area is now $1000/month for a decent one bedroom that is not run down and near drug dealers. That is for those who can afford it? Most people move to Boston after graduating and don't come back. Lovely state, but no jobs. Portland's public market (indoor market for luxury food goods) is closing soon. I know Bank of American opened another branch and Citicorp is hiring in Portland but these are low paying financial service jobs. There are college graduates working at the malls for years before finding a job. Many give up on college and become nurses, or electricians instead. High wage jobs are filled in Boston or NYC, and everyone who seems to own a home recently moved from NYC.

It's a very wealthy state but it's not exactly being shared. I was pretty disgusted by the state after driving from Vermont which is a green, fairly unpolluted state with plenty of caring people. Maine doesn't seem to care about anything but tourism. Older relatives love Maine but then they like shopping.

Nat

[GrittyMcDuffy]

The NIMBY types that buy the expensive homes in Maine are forcing out regular folk that need to work and do not have any $$ to affect anything here. The bottom line is most places in the US are going this route. In places like Maine where they have a sea coast and hence a faction of wealthy land owners, the emphasis is on bringing in more of those types for the money. Most of the wage earning mass do not have time to dicker with changing how it is. The way life should be is so true until you start seeing what it costs to have that life. Tell me that folks in Maine are so progressive, gainfully employed, and creating wealth for their fellow citizens. No, actually, Maine kind of accepts that it will not grow and needs tourists and tax increases. Many of the locals here are uneducated also. I am not talking about the ones that own the expensive homes or have regular work with responsibilities that require competence. No, many of Maine's population are Appalachian or worse. I still like it here, but I can see why Maine lacks growth. No catalyst, no interest in bringing in growth. They worry too much about becoming spoiled. Probably best if this state can figure out how to use Chinese labor somehow to bring $$ into it without getting its hands dirty.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by GrittyMcDuffy

The NIMBY types that buy the expensive homes in Maine are forcing out regular folk that need to work and do not have any $$ to affect anything here.

How about this?

Pass a law that says anyone owning a home has to live in the home a certain amount of time each year (say 9 months) or face a heavier property tax. That way, if the wealthy "NIMBY types" really want those fancy vacation homes, they can still have them, but the communities in which those homes exist can get back a good chunk of change to re-invest back into the community. If the rich don't like paying the higher tax, they can either move in and become locals or sell the homes to someone who will.

[GrittyMcDuffy]

The same cannibalism that is downsizing the US job pool is behind property value and taxes escalation here. What can one do when offered million of dollars for coastal proerty or get hit with a high annual tax bill? They end up selling.What do companies do when faced with foreign competition? They join them and send labor overseas. Maine has a coast that is a backbone to wealthy enclaves. Too bad the poorer folks from the inland empire can not figure out how to sell out all the endless acreage of nothing. Eventually home buyers from Boston and California, NY, NJ and elsewhere will be tapped out for $$ and Maine will settle back to regular house prices. Jobs? What a joke our governor is not to get us any. Maybe create more minimum wage jobs for us and we can afford some heating oil this winter. The whole US is going this route unfortunately. Nobody has power to do anything except sell-out and let globalization bulldoze things over.