Possibly relocating - help me decide where! (Portland, Lewiston: how much, employment)

[FrogInTheGlen]

I'm hoping to leave the Seattle area within the next year for somewhere in the New England/mid-Atlantic area. Right now, I have Augusta on my short list of places to consider, and I was hoping that those of you who know those areas can give me some advice. Here are my questions for right now:

1. What is the overall atmosphere of Augusta and their citizens? Would an outsider feel welcome, particularly one who's single without kids?

2. I'm a Christian, and my faith is pretty important to me. Is that kind of thing accepted? I'm not looking for a place where everyone believes the same thing I do; I appreciate all perspectives and beliefs. I just want to know that mine will be accepted, too!

3. I'm not political at all, and what views I do have are best described as moderate. How important are politics here?

4. How safe will I be walking around on my own, both in town and in any surrounding nature areas?

5. What's the transportation situation like? Would I absolutely need a car, or could I get by with walking/public transit? How easy is it to get to the nearest big city?

That should do for now...I might come up with more as I narrow things down. Also, if any of you who are familiar with the area and know of any other towns that you think might be a good fit, given what you now know about me, I'm taking suggestions. Thanks in advance!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

1. What is the overall atmosphere of Augusta and their citizens?

Augusta is the state capitol. It gets congested and there are delays when the legislature is in session. Maine needs new citizens. Our kids leave at the age of 25 and come back when they are 50.

2. I'm a Christian, and my faith is pretty important to me. Is that kind of thing accepted?

Maine is a very blue state. They will just ignore you.

3. I'm not political at all, and what views I do have are best described as moderate. How important are politics here?

Our two senators are "moderate". Maine loves moderates.

4. How safe will I be walking around on my own, both in town and in any surrounding nature areas?

Very safe. Maine has no big hungry critters that will bother you.

5. What's the transportation situation like? Would I absolutely need a car, or could I get by with walking/public transit?

You NEED a car, preferably a 4 WD Subaru. Walking is dangerous in winter with all those big scary logging trucks and snow banks higher than you can jump. I don't care who you are. You can't jump from an icy surface over our snow banks. Public transit is very limited. Most towns have absolutely no public transportation, neither taxis nor busses.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by FrogInTheGlen

I'm hoping to leave the Seattle area within the next year for somewhere in the New England/mid-Atlantic area. Right now, I have Augusta on my short list of places to consider, and I was hoping that those of you who know those areas can give me some advice.

Congrats on the move!

As someone who spent almost ten years in Federal Way, Washington before moving to Maine, I can tell you: LIFE IN MAINE IS SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER!

One bit of advice though:

Visit before you move. You don’t want to leap before you look.

Originally Posted by FrogInTheGlen

1. What is the overall atmosphere of Augusta and their citizens? Would an outsider feel welcome, particularly one who's single without kids?

Augusta is the state capitol. A lot smaller than the Seattle/Tacoma metromess. You’ll feel like you’re in a small town, though Augusta is really one of the larger cities in Maine.

Augusta seems nice enough, though there are certainly some neighborhoods I wouldn’t live in. You might consider the bedroom communities of Hallowell and Gardiner as well. A bit quieter out there, but still within easy distance of Augusta.

And Mainers are very welcoming. As long as you don’t go around talking about how much better Seattle was or complaining about how much you hate Maine, folks will welcome you with open arms.

Originally Posted by FrogInTheGlen

2. I'm a Christian, and my faith is pretty important to me. Is that kind of thing accepted? I'm not looking for a place where everyone believes the same thing I do; I appreciate all perspectives and beliefs. I just want to know that mine will be accepted, too!

Of course! And certainly much more so than Seattle. Maine is still a very family-values place, but Mainers have a very live-and-let-live attitude. As long as someone doesn’t try to shove their beliefs down someone else’s throat, Mainers don’t generally care what faith (or not) you are.

Originally Posted by FrogInTheGlen

3. I'm not political at all, and what views I do have are best described as moderate. How important are politics here?

Varying. Rural areas tend to be more red. Urban areas more blue. You’ll fit right in.

Originally Posted by FrogInTheGlen

4. How safe will I be walking around on my own, both in town and in any surrounding nature areas?

In Augusta, there are definitely some neighborhoods where I might feel a tad uncomfortable walking after dark. But nothing like Seattle. And I don’t know of any place in Maine where I would feel unsafe walking in the daytime.

Originally Posted by FrogInTheGlen

5. What's the transportation situation like? Would I absolutely need a car, or could I get by with walking/public transit? How easy is it to get to the nearest big city?

If you’re in Augusta, you’re in one of the biggest cities in the state. Bangor is a ways farther north. Lewiston/Auburn are real close. Portland isn’t far. If you want a real BIG city, you’re going to have to go to Boston. The nearest train to Boston right now is from Portland, but in a few years, you’ll be able to take the train from Brunswick to Boston.

Originally Posted by FrogInTheGlen

Also, if any of you who are familiar with the area and know of any other towns that you think might be a good fit, given what you now know about me, I'm taking suggestions. Thanks in advance!

Well, it very much depends on what you do for employment and such. Myself, Augusta would not be my #1 choice for a place to live in Maine, but then, I’m not really a city person. I like a small town, but the country is real heaven.

If it’s feasible, you really ought to visit first. We did, and it was quite an eye-opener. Towns we thought we’d love, we ended up not liking very much. Towns we were a bit nervous about, we really liked. And the place we ended up moving, we hadn’t even considered at first. We just sort of stumbled into it.

[dano04631]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

Well, it very much depends on what you do for employment and such.

That's the first thing I thought when I read this part of the OP.