Jobs (Bangor, Limestone: homes, closing, income)

[dogcrazy]

Hey all,how do you think the economy in Maine will be in a year or so??I want to go now!!But i can't.In your honest opinions,where is the best "city" up there with the strongest economy,but still with a small town feel?I've posted on here before.I want to be able to have some privacy and not have neighbors too close,but not be one hour from work.Thanks in advance!

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by dogcrazy

Hey all,how do you think the economy in Maine will be in a year or so??I want to go now!!But i can't.In your honest opinions,where is the best "city" up there with the strongest economy,but still with a small town feel?I've posted on here before.I want to be able to have some privacy and not have neighbors too close,but not be one hour from work.Thanks in advance!

You can definitely find that here. I have 20+ acres only 30 min out of Bangor.

[Shuffler]

Originally Posted by dogcrazy

Hey all,how do you think the economy in Maine will be in a year or so??I want to go now!!But i can't.In your honest opinions,where is the best "city" up there with the strongest economy,but still with a small town feel?I've posted on here before.I want to be able to have some privacy and not have neighbors too close,but not be one hour from work.Thanks in advance!

Lack of jobs in my field are among the things that made me shelve plans to relocate to Maine. It's one thing to have a nice little rural property, and quite another to easily afford it and weather the financial mess we're in, were I to lose my job. For me, the numbers just didn't work.

I think the 'economy' in Maine is going to be hit hard, very hard, as will just about every place in the country. From an outsider perspective, what is Maine known for in terms of industry? Fishing & tourism are all that I can think of...how are they faring these days?

In my case, the dream of 'Maine living' was rapidly overshadowed by economic reality. Don't let your emotions get ahead of what is practical and realistic in light of everything happening right now. For me, it's time to stay put and hope for the best! Someday, things will line up again.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by Shuffler

I think the 'economy' in Maine is going to be hit hard, very hard, as will just about every place in the country. From an outsider perspective, what is Maine known for in terms of industry? Fishing & tourism are all that I can think of...how are they faring these days?

Agriculture (we will always have to eat) and forestry are two more large industries. There are smaller industries too.

[Shuffler]

So Tourism and Agriculture (incl. fishing, forestry, etc) are bellwether indicators to keep an eye on...at least that's what I'd be paying attention to as far as the 'health' of Maine goes.

Last I'd heard, the lobster market was in trouble...any resolution to all that inventory that was sitting around, not moving?

[Maine Writer]

Fishing and forestry are not part of the agriculture industry. Scallopers are taking the next hit in the fishing industry.

[island mermaid]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Fishing and forestry are not part of the agriculture industry. Scallopers are taking the next hit in the fishing industry.

For sure, those allotted days for the scalloper's are now limited to very few.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by dogcrazy

Hey all,how do you think the economy in Maine will be in a year or so??I want to go now!!But i can't.In your honest opinions,where is the best "city" up there with the strongest economy,but still with a small town feel?I've posted on here before.I want to be able to have some privacy and not have neighbors too close,but not be one hour from work.Thanks in advance!

IMHO, The economy everywhere will continue to drop.

Our nation seeks greater debt to prop up failing corporations, this new debt will need to be paid at some time. So we have a failing economy, and it will continue to fail until we decide to stop paying more and more interest on a debt load.

Where is a 'city' that feels like a 'town'? We all have our own different tastes and desires. One person could read that and think of a town of 500,000 population, while another person could think of a city with 5,000 population.

I am not aware of any area that today has a 'strong' economy.

Maine provides 'privacy' with forest growth barriers. Anywhere that your home is surrounded by forest, makes it 'feel' like it has privacy.

If you are dependant on a job, then really to say within a 1 hour drive from your job, makes your search begin with a job. After you have found where you wish to work, then look for homes in that area.

Limestone may be hiring.

Good luck

[Hepcat]

Just my two cents, but I am trying to be optimistic about the economic prospects in rural areas of the country, including Maine. I think technology is changing everything, there are more and more oportunities for people in previously isolated rural areas, if they are talented and ambitious. You may not be able to get rich, but there are ways to leverage your knowledge and abilities. For instance, when I was looking for a Christening dress for my daughter, I found beautiful, handmade dresses being sold on E-bay, for a decent amount, by a woman in a rural town in the midwest. She couldn't make them fast enough, and had multiple bidders. She had a talent that, 20 years ago, would have probably been unmarketable, or very limited, selling to others in her own small town. Now she can create a small income from her talent by selling to folks all over the country.

Many people are now able to telecommute, making it easier to move to more rural areas. The growing green movement has made a lot of rural homesteading practices more common.....look at all the folks selling fertile eggs for their poutry stock on e-bay and egg-bid. I read recently that when the economy tanks, booksellers see a huge increase in the number of people buyinmg books on raising chickens! People who develop websites with resources and information on green living and homesteading can often monetize their sites through google adsense, etc. Atists and crafters can sell their creations on etsey, authors can self publish and sell their books on-line, young people can design their own products and sell them on cafepress. I think the rural Maine economy will look very different in the years to come..maybe an investment in companies who specialize in green technology would help creat jobs and business opportunities? But I think there are more opportunities to create income today than ever before.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Agriculture (we will always have to eat) and forestry are two more large industries. There are smaller industries too.

I agree.

My father has farmed all of his life and he has never been able to make a farming income able to support himself.

I see many small farmers who are supporting themselves and growing. But often it requires an outside job.

The Forestry of Maine seems stagnant right now. Mills closing, and nobody re-plants so it has always been a laid-back slow kind of an industry. Un-like other forestry areas where each lot is expected to be sustainably re-timbered every 20 years without end.