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We'll be here and you'll be welcome. We need people and we know it. We have a high number of retired police officers here who could not wait to get out of the areas where they used to live. Just imagine a straight line from Point Judith, RI to Burlington, VT and all the varieties of towns in between. Then understand that all of Northern Maine is further north than Burlington, VT. We have all of those same varieties of neighborhoods from finely groomed estates to gritty mill towns; from seaside villages to vast timber tracts. We have something for everybody, but it isn't the buildings or lifestyles. It's how you treat people. There are well funded organizations who want to take over our part of the world and we are very well aware of that because they have expensive web sites that define exactly what they want to do to us. Just look up Northern Appalachians - Wildlands Project (http://www.wildlandsproject.com:80/cms/page1115.cfm - broken link)
Then browse around and take a look at their friends' sites. If it doesn't scare you it should.
Or maybe sailors, being so comfortable with water, are more comfortable with land that is wet than the rest of us?
Quote:
Originally Posted by forest beekeeper
What a sweet deal
I would agree with your sailor friend.
Ooops, I am a sailor, a retired sailor, does that count? I guess I should say now that I 'was' a sailor [hard to get that salt water out of my veins though].
Maybe it is a sailor thing, only sailors can see cheap land in low cost areas.
To everyone else they just do not see the forest because of the trees.
I agree with alot of the observations and opinions posted on this subject. As most of you realize by now, this subject has alot of layers. It can get very deep. I've been in the building business most of my life. The last fifteen years primarily additions, remodels and repairs. I've worked in many residential areas, although none highly urban.
If I had a sociologist ride with me to these various job sites, I'm sure that all kinds of data could be analyzed on the different demographics, sort of like what the census does. I can simplify it into the "feel" of a certain neighboorhood, town or locality. These Volvo lines are everywhere.
About half of the jobs I do are in exclusive gated communities. People that live there are individuals of course, but they do carry that 'stigma' of choosing to live separated. Occasionally, I do a job in a hardscrabble neighborhood. Different feeling, but all part of being in America. For the most part, I enjoy interacting with people in all of these environments.
No, I would not necessarily want to live in most of these places, but it's not healthy to be too exclusive of either side of the line. It's alot more than an either or situation. It goes from black to white with alot of shades of gray in between.
This is a valuable discussion if you are planning to relocate or just want to become more aware. Some people, imho, live either side of the line just because they always have or they aren't prepared to do what it takes to move-physically or mentally.
This post has taken on a life of its own far in excess of anything that I thought it might when I first put pen to paper, so to speak. And as could be expected, it has lost its focus and become more a jumble of personal opinion and personal perspective. I have steared clear of it until now, because I would like to see if it can continue to be a meaningful examination of Maine life and therefore of value to others who think they might like to move here.
The "Volvo Line" is really an old term. The "Volvo Line" originally was invented by someone other than I, who wanted to paint a picture of people who had moved to Maine from away. They were self-appointed environmental guardians and guardians of a self-imagined simplistic life style made possible by virtue of Grandmother's Trust Fund many times, and by virtue of their liberal educations at other. Many of them, infact most of them, did not drive Volvos. In fact many of them drove rattle-trap cars that broke down more than they ran. In truth, the "real" Volvo-liners came here and left, or came here and leave regularly for other places and make no real contribution to Maine in any way, either positive or negative.
But what is happening in Maine is a genuine sea change in culture and population. This sea change is happening with new people who are moving to Maine and populating primarily the areas around Maine's largest metropolitan area, Portland. They are primarily well educated and some are wealthy...the true "Volvo Liners" perhaps. The see things as they know them, having come from outside of Maine. They have moved here from Boston, Connecticut, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. They come here with many conceptions of how life should be for them, and they have found it pretty much perfectly in the more metropolitan areas of Maine, most of which lie in the southwestern corner of Maine from Bath to Kittery.
Many who have posted to this thread were not here or not paying attention when our current governor was elected. For the first time is some time, we had elected a governor whose roots were not anchored amid the power elite of Portland, but was a man of the upper part of Maine; from Bangor. And what has Maine as a state gained from the Baldacci administration? As a business owner, and a person who has been here for a long time, it seems to me the answer is simply, NOTHING. The "man from Maine" has been bought and paid for by the power elite in the southwestern part of the state, and the rest of Maine is getting poorer and being more and more manipulated by the second. Is this ONE state? It doesn't seem so to me.
Now, I don't know which side of any line that I live on. We drive Audi's in this house the original sticker price of which would make Volvos run and hide....but I hasten to add that we paid ten cents on a dollar for our Audi's ten years or more after they were built. What does that make me? I can make it simple for anyone reading this:
I am someone who wishes to live in the more rural areas of Maine. I wish to live in a town where the way they are, is the way they wish to be, and that should be as simple and easy from a bureaucratic standpoint as possible. I don't wish people "from away" to come in to town and make demands that new and expensive services be provided so that they can see things in Maine as they are under whatever rock they crawled out of to come here. I want to live in a town that doesn't want the bureaucrats in Augusta to decide how the town should be, especially when almost every one of those bureaucrats has never been to my town. Perhaps one key is to severely limit the role of State government at the local level. That will raise havoc with such things as public education and road maintenance, and likely raise local taxes to support those things no longer supprted by state subsidy. I am not sure that it makes any difference.
There are those in this thread who have advanced the theory of the northern Maine counties succeeding from the rest of the state of Maine. In truth, it might come to that. As Portland grows and the southwest corner of Maine becomes more and more a mecca for people from other, more urbanized and southern states, so also will the power...economic and political...to shift there as well. perhaps it is time for Hancock Penobscot, Aroostook and Washington Counties to seek some common ground and explore a different path.
However here is a warning to all who might think this a good idea. The economic power in such an alliance will lie in Bangor, the largest and most urban and developed center. There will be a logical cry that that is where the political center shall be. If that should happen, then might not the cycle merely repeat itself?
If so, then "The Volvo Line" will merely have moved to the Penobscot River and the power and development dance will merely begin anew.
This post has taken on a life of its own far in excess of anything that I thought it might when I first put pen to paper, so to speak. And as could be expected, it has lost its focus and become more a jumble of personal opinion and personal perspective. I have steared clear of it until now, because I would like to see if it can continue to be a meaningful examination of Maine life and therefore of value to others who think they might like to move here.
The "Volvo Line" is really an old term. The "Volvo Line" originally was invented by someone other than I, who wanted to paint a picture of people who had moved to Maine from away. They were self-appointed environmental guardians and guardians of a self-imagined simplistic life style made possible by virtue of Grandmother's Trust Fund many times, and by virtue of their liberal educations at other. Many of them, infact most of them, did not drive Volvos. In fact many of them drove rattle-trap cars that broke down more than they ran. In truth, the "real" Volvo-liners came here and left, or came here and leave regularly for other places and make no real contribution to Maine in any way, either positive or negative.
But what is happening in Maine is a genuine sea change in culture and population. This sea change is happening with new people who are moving to Maine and populating primarily the areas around Maine's largest metropolitan area, Portland. They are primarily well educated and some are wealthy...the true "Volvo Liners" perhaps. The see things as they know them, having come from outside of Maine. They have moved here from Boston, Connecticut, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. They come here with many conceptions of how life should be for them, and they have found it pretty much perfectly in the more metropolitan areas of Maine, most of which lie in the southwestern corner of Maine from Bath to Kittery.
Many who have posted to this thread were not here or not paying attention when our current governor was elected. For the first time is some time, we had elected a governor whose roots were not anchored amid the power elite of Portland, but was a man of the upper part of Maine; from Bangor. And what has Maine as a state gained from the Baldacci administration? As a business owner, and a person who has been here for a long time, it seems to me the answer is simply, NOTHING. The "man from Maine" has been bought and paid for by the power elite in the southwestern part of the state, and the rest of Maine is getting poorer and being more and more manipulated by the second. Is this ONE state? It doesn't seem so to me.
Now, I don't know which side of any line that I live on. We drive Audi's in this house the original sticker price of which would make Volvos run and hide....but I hasten to add that we paid ten cents on a dollar for our Audi's ten years or more after they were built. What does that make me? I can make it simple for anyone reading this:
I am someone who wishes to live in the more rural areas of Maine. I wish to live in a town where the way they are, is the way they wish to be, and that should be as simple and easy from a bureaucratic standpoint as possible. I don't wish people "from away" to come in to town and make demands that new and expensive services be provided so that they can see things in Maine as they are under whatever rock they crawled out of to come here. I want to live in a town that doesn't want the bureaucrats in Augusta to decide how the town should be, especially when almost every one of those bureaucrats has never been to my town. Perhaps one key is to severely limit the role of State government at the local level. That will raise havoc with such things as public education and road maintenance, and likely raise local taxes to support those things no longer supprted by state subsidy. I am not sure that it makes any difference.
There are those in this thread who have advanced the theory of the northern Maine counties succeeding from the rest of the state of Maine. In truth, it might come to that. As Portland grows and the southwest corner of Maine becomes more and more a mecca for people from other, more urbanized and southern states, so also will the power...economic and political...to shift there as well. perhaps it is time for Hancock Penobscot, Aroostook and Washington Counties to seek some common ground and explore a different path.
However here is a warning to all who might think this a good idea. The economic power in such an alliance will lie in Bangor, the largest and most urban and developed center. There will be a logical cry that that is where the political center shall be. If that should happen, then might not the cycle merely repeat itself?
If so, then "The Volvo Line" will merely have moved to the Penobscot River and the power and development dance will merely begin anew.
Thank you Acadianlion, for your personal opinion and personal perspective. We can all sleep better tonight.
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 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.
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.
Hmmmmmmmm. Now I don't normally enter into conversation on these threads, as I prefer to see what others think and let things go.
Although I could be wrong here, could this repost be sarcasm from waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy south of the Volvo Line?
Lessee. I have been to Ft. Lauderdale. Guess my points have been vindicated. Thanks for your interest!
My thoughts are that you could take this as sarcasm if you wish or you could "choose to see what others think and let things go", as you say. The words personal opinion and personal perspective were the lead-in for your prior post. Just MAYBE those words are being repeated as a reminder of what you were trying to convey. Whether or not it was sarcastic, the fact remains you mention that you want to know what others think.
My own belief/hope is that the line is a lot more blurred and crossable than many think. I also live waaaaaaaaaaaaaay south of this Volvo Line. But I was born in and have property in what I think is (but not sure 'cause this line is pretty fuzzy at times) just north of this jagged, blurred VL.
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