The Two Maines: Volvo Line is not a Dirty Term (Orland: live, relocation)

[spose]

Hey, does that make me a hybrid?

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by CoastalMaine

Interesting to me is the realiization people born and raised in Maine with families that go back generations, both above and below the assumed Volvo line can't agree with others from the same distinction. Even more interesting is when what we call washashores on Cape Cod feel the need to continually chime in on this topic. From a sociological standpoint, this whole topic has been fascinating.

I agree.

... I imagine the thread will soon be closed for discussion since once again, it's dissolved into a disagreement. Pity? Not really. Doesn't seem like anything will get resolved or agreed upon by discussing the topic. It's like politics. Everyone has their opinion. Seems Mainers (natives and washashores) are more likely to be on opppsite sides of the fence on many topics regarding Maine than aligned. Not sure how this helps those of us interested or considering a move there. I can't see where any of you is more right than another. That just means the entire topic is pointless, so why waste the time getting involved or reading any of the posts.

Because discussing our viewpoints, allows us all to learn and to grow.

... Wouldn't it be more worthwhile to see everyone working together on something pro-active for Maine than tearing each other apart on these threads? Such an opportunity to unify here on C-D for the good of your magnificent state and instead you all waste time tearing each others ideas and opinions apart.

No, so long as we do not agree, then we can not work together.

I am new to Maine.

I came here seeking a depressed economy. I like low taxes, I like cheap home prices, I like a low cost-of-living.

I am a retiree. I need a place where my pension can support my family.

There are few places stateside where this can be found. We found it here in Maine though.



Now while some folks WANT big business here, they WANT higher taxes; some of us do not.

I do not want to see growth here.

Had I wished to move to an expensive area, I could have. And in so doing I would today be working a 80 hour work-week, and my pension would barely be enough to my commuting expenses.

I desired to leave that junk behind me.

To get away from 'growth' and fast-paced jobs, cut-throat career fields, high crime rates and bribery, cubicles and living out of a seabag.

I came to Maine and I found something wonderful. Why tear it apart?

Others come to Maine and they too find a great place to live.



That is why this discussion keeps coming back up again and again.

Some folks like Maine, other folks hate Maine.

[retiredtinbender]

Originally Posted by spose

Hey, does that make me a hybrid?

I would say it does. That's good; in todays world not many kno0w who they are. Now, which hybrid?

I grew up in Maine been all over it and the country, never heard of the VL until a few weeks ao on here.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by BoundtofindME

In my travels around Maine, I have become aware that every single city, town or village has it's own unique feel or energy. The area I live in has, what I can only describe as, a certain loneliness to it. When I travel just to the other side of Ellsworth into Blue Hill, I feel an energetic and artsy vibe.

That's not an artsy vibe.... it's just the tofu jiggling.

[mollysmiles]

Threads are not closed in this forum due to disagreement, and the TOS states that VERY clearly. Threads are closed on this forum when they become something other than what was intended by the OP, when they don't apply to relocation or education concerning the state..... or when disagreements become personal in nature. It's members that cause threads to be closed, not mods.

[7th generation]

One in six Americans lives outside of metropolitan America. No bright lines separate the two, they are melded into what makes our country successful.
If metropolitan America is to flourish, these areas need a healthy sustainable rural economy and culture; likewise if rural America is to flourish, it will surely need a vibrant economy within the cities and suburbs.
There has to be an economic link between the two so the survival of both remain intact.
Some people enjoy the easy access that cities and suburbs provide, while other citizens enjoy the solitude and peace of mind that rural America enjoys.
There is no stinkin' line, we are all Mainers and more importantly, Americans.

[Deborah Caldwell]

Bound to Find Maine has hit it, for me. This is simply neighborhood. Let me tell you that I do not want to hang out with every single person I meet. And the people who choose to hang out with me certainly vary. "Some are pretty, some are smart, and some are borderline fools." And we all get to choose from variety, but some of us stick close to similarity and/or familiarity. The point is, as small-town people we do feel free enough, and confident enough, to ask very pointed questions, and make very pointed remarks. We have a small population per square foot, for sure. When I lived in the largest "town" in the USA, Framingham, Massachusetts, I was bold enough to get involved. In those five short years, I made myself feel as if I knew the place. Wiscasset was like that, too. Wiscasset is a once-upom-a-time town that really got crushed by a Plant that called itself Maine Yankee, that bought out the selectmen and thus the people themselves, that developed a personality (Wiscasset did) that was a response to being hurt and crushed. Camden has been crushed in the same way and is now so neurotic that the grandparents' views cannot be heard anymore. On the other hand, Island Falls is an empty vessle. All that history is all that is left. And THEN there are all those places in-between, as pointed out by the astute words of Bounder. Now lets talk about something else, like how to get the kids and their very young grandmothers out of town, for an outing, but only to the next town. We don't have to cross the state line, ... the only line we really should recognize.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by Deborah Caldwell

Bound to Find Maine has hit it, for me.

I do hope that you were not injured in the process.

... This is simply neighborhood. Let me tell you that I do not want to hang out with every single person I meet. And the people who choose to hang out with me certainly vary. "Some are pretty, some are smart, and some are borderline fools." And we all get to choose from variety, but some of us stick close to similarity and/or familiarity. The point is, as small-town people we do feel free enough, and confident enough, to ask very pointed questions, and make very pointed remarks. We have a small population per square foot, for sure. When I lived in the largest "town" in the USA, Framingham, Massachusetts, I was bold enough to get involved. In those five short years, I made myself feel as if I knew the place. Wiscasset was like that, too. Wiscasset is a once-upom-a-time town that really got crushed by a Plant that called itself Maine Yankee, that bought out the selectmen and thus the people themselves, that developed a personality (Wiscasset did) that was a response to being hurt and crushed. Camden has been crushed in the same way and is now so neurotic that the grandparents' views cannot be heard anymore. On the other hand, Island Falls is an empty vessle. All that history is all that is left. And THEN there are all those places in-between, as pointed out by the astute words of Bounder. Now lets talk about something else, like how to get the kids and their very young grandmothers out of town, for an outing, but only to the next town. We don't have to cross the state line, ... the only line we really should recognize.

[Elcarim]

Well said, 7th! I find that separation exists because we separate ourselves from others. Imagine what we're missing out on!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

When my wife was teaching she used to take her students to Funtown USA at the end of the year. Each year there were a few kids who had never been to Bangor or to a mall. Most had never seen a toll booth or been on a toll road. Some had never seen one on TV either. They got to go to a fine restarant with table cloths on the table (Olive Garden). That long day's outing was huge for those kids.

We encourage local kids to go on to college, join the military or pursue opportunities wherever they may be. In 1983 summer jobs were scarce so my son went to Washington State and got a job as an apprentice shipwright in a shipyard. He didn't know a soul on the west coast. His second summer he went to sea on a Texaco tanker out of Galveston. Maine kids can do anything they want. Most have not been told that. Deborah Caldwell knows it and we agree on that subject.