Alaska Perspective (Houlton, Lincoln, Millinocket: fit in, sales, for rent)

[MeganAK]

My husband and I stumbled across this forum while searching about relocating to Maine. It has been so interesting, entertaining, and informative to read everyone's thoughts. I especially liked the post about the quality of life vs annual income thread. I wanted to add my two-cents to everything I have read, but will first give you a quick synopsis of who we are and how we came to be on a Maine forum.
We are both from Alaska and are currently living in Nome. We are seriously considering a relocation out of the state, although we currently own land in Talkeetna. Living in Nome has really made us question the sustainability of living in Alaska at all. We want to own a decent chunk of land, build a house, try to grow as much of our own food as possible, hunt or have our own livestock for meat, and buy the minimum we can get away with. We want to be sustainable, and work as much as we can for ourselves and avoid giving so much of our livelihood to the government. That is the short version of what we want, anyway. Alaska is just not sustainable in the long run, so we began looking at other options. Maine appealed to us because of the similar flora/fauna as Alaska, similar attitudes, similar seasons, yet with accessiblity to family, culture, and the outside world.
So in our search, we stumbled across this post. Initially, we had some questions raised by the many topics about taxes, schools, wages, unemployment, etc., but then we started comparing it to what we have already experienced in Alaska. I thought I would share the comparisons. Currently, my wages (as a Nurse) are about $5-$7 more an hour than they would be in Maine. Bit I pay $2100 a month for rent and utilities. I pay $6.09 for gas and heating oil. I pay $10.00 per gallon of milk, $6.00 per loaf of bread, $13.00 for a 2-lb block of cheese. Good, quality vegetables and fruit are non-existent. We try to make up for it buy hunting moose, putting away fish, and blueberries and cranberries, but all told, we still spend about $3000 a month just to live and exist in a basic way (rent,food,gas). If we need to go to any doctor beyond basic care, we have to get on an airplane and fly to Anchorage. If we need anything beyond the basic essentials, we have to order it online. We don't pay state tax, only sales tax, but our wages are lower because of it. SO when we really started thinking about all of the negatives that we were seeing to Maine, we started thinking about where we are now and comparing. Maine has similar gun laws, which is important to my husband. The winters are much milder and shorter, but with more snow. Maine actually has a defined Spring and Fall. It doesn't have 20 hours of darkness in winter, and 20 hours of light in summer. The wages for nurses are only slightly lower, housing is much cheaper, taxes are higher, cost of living is MUCH less. Well, we started realizing that it is all about perspective. What are you comparing Maine to? If you compare it to Alaska, it looks pretty darn good! The tax thing definitely gave us pause, but really, it is only a matter of time before Alaska will have to implement state tax. The only reason they have avoided it thus far is because of the oil we export.
So what the heck is my point with this novel I am writing? Well, I guess my point is 1) perspective is everything 2) life is what you make of it 3) when looking at a new place to live, take everything with a grain of salt and realize that home really is just where the heart is. Okay, that may sound cheesy, but it's true. There is always room for imporivement, and nowhere we choose to live is going to be exactly perfect. But can we live in Maine the way we want, around people we like, and the answer to that is an emphatic yes. Could we do that in Alaska? Probably not. Or at least not without a much greater financial burden. So there you have it. We are going to be spending some time in Maine this Fall, scoping it out. My only experience with the area was one year in New Hampshire. I loved it! If we decide to make the plunge, we will pack up next May, fly our stuff out of Nome, and begin the long, long road trip from Alaska to Maine.
If you actually managed to read this far (sorry it got so long-winded) we are looking at the area in between Lincoln and Houlton. We are also looking a bit North of Houlton around Bridewater & Masardis. We are very outdoor oriented, hunt and put away berries, and are looking for a rural community that we can fit into and become a part of. We want four seasons, but definitely like winter and lots of snow. We don't particularly like cities, or big chain stores, my husband likes to hunt and target shoot, and we want to live on our land without too much interference from big brother. I am a nurse, we are both EMT's that have been involved in our communities in Alaska, and my husband is handy in about every area related to carpentry, metal-work, mechanical, electrical, etc. We aren't worried about employment, because if needed, I can always get some odd-travel assignments, but we just want a nice place to live in a good community, with good people, and to try and be as subsistent as we can in a time when everything seems uncertain. We are somewhat idealistic, yes, but also realistic in that we have a good idea of our limitations, and have strong backgrounds in a subsistence lifestyle. Alaska has taught us well how to live and care for ourselves! If you have the time, let us know what it is like if you live in the areas of Maine that I mentioned. What do you like about it, what kinds of activities do you do, how is the gardening, how is the hunting, etc.

Thanks for reading!

[msina]

Welcome to the forum, if you decide it's time to move on,.. Maine just might be a good fit for you. The area you're looking in is great. NorthernMaineLandMan can tell you just about anyhting you may want to know about there. I don't think you'ld have any problems with employment.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by MeganAK

... pay $2100 a month for rent and utilities. I pay $6.09 for gas and heating oil. I pay $10.00 per gallon of milk, $6.00 per loaf of bread, $13.00 for a 2-lb block of cheese. ...

That is a bit high!

By the way welcome!

I have just came inside, from trying to calm our dog, he was frightened by a moose in our driveway [stupid dog].

Welcome.

[moughie]

You will LOVE Maine

Olympia Snowe rocks compared to Sarah Palin, imho

[Northern Maine Land Man]

We need you in Maine. Moose season starts tomorrow. You are our kind of people. I recently sold 130 acres to a nice couple from Alaska. We see quite a few Alaska plates on trucks here. People in Maine and Alaska think a lot alike. We were sustainable before sustainable was cool. We have to be.

Hey, Bring Sarah with you.

[Maine Writer]

What do you like about it,

The seasons! I built a small fire this morning to take the chill out of the house.

what kinds of activities do you do

We hunt, fish, wild harvest foods, garden extensively, geocache and hike.

how is the gardening,

Excellent! We can grow most of the year and harvest year round with as little as a cold frame and some knowledge.

how is the hunting, etc.

I'm looking forward to bird season but I haven't seen a partridge all summer. There aren't any under my apple trees and that's very unusual. Moose permits are given out by lottery. We hunt white tail deer, turkey, duck and other birds.

[mollysmiles]

Megan, great novel! lol It really is all about perspective... it makes all the difference in the world. The people who don't realize that use phrases like "rose colored glasses".... it's too bad they'll never understand the power of that perspective and a positive attitude, but it's a hard thing to teach.

Welcome to the forum and let us know when you're coming-- maybe a group of us could get together for lunch!

[Bandit]

Welcome to the Forum . And I thought Mass. was expensive
We would be in the poor house just with milk.
Bob

[MeganAK]

Hey, thanks for all the replies! We are getting super excited. We are coming down October 3rd and will spend some time just looking around. We'll post back about how it goes!

[MeganAK]

Okay, I have to just put some feelers out and see what you guys think. We just got off the phone with some friends of ours that are also in Alaska. They are both from Maine, with family in Millinocket. We were asking them about the areas of Lincoln, Springfield, Oakfield, Houlton, etc., and we got some really weird responses. They mumbled about old mill towns, about poor economies, about people not being friendly to outsiders. It was just so confusing. I know you guys aren't all of Maine, but you have been friendly. And Alaskans certainly aren't known for being nice to outsiders either. Isn't that just the way it goes? There are generations of families that have been in Maine forever, and it makes perfect sense that people would be wary of outsiders coming in, especially know-it-alls, or people who cant take care of themselves. Dave and I dont expect to just come in and have instant friends. But we do expect that if we get involved in the community, find a good church family, and keep out of others peoples business, that we will probably do okay. Anyway, we are headed down in two weeks regardless, and we will find out for ourselves, I guess. The land we are hoping to look at is in Springfield, Oakfield, Bridgewater, Houlton, and Lincoln. ANyway, yet another example of perspective. What they think is great, we don't want, and vice versa. I am getting so excited to come and take a look!