Augusta Maine for 25 single guy? (Portland: attorney, new home, salary)

[jw114]

I was looking at relocating to the Augusta area for work. The job seems great. I enjoy the outdoors, but the average age is 36-40 yrs old. Is this a good place for a single guy to meet friends his age. Places to hang out on the weekend when I am not mountain biking. OH, Anyone know anything about the mountain biking here too? Thanks for your help.

J

[STL_JD]

25, single, and Augusta really do not mix well. But, it depends on what you are used to. I grew up in Maine and then lived in San Francisco and New York City. I fell in love with the big cities. That said, I lived in Concord New Hampshire last summer and loved it too. I visit Portland frequently because my family still lives there. Portland is the only place in Maine I would want to live as a 25 year old single person. Seriously, Augusta is nicknamed "disgusta." Anyone who rants against me knocking Augusta is likely within the age range you described - 36 to 40, married, and has never lived outside the state of Maine. I am in the same boat but a little older - 29 and single. I am moving in July - I've considered Maine. Again, the only place I would look at seriously is Portland. The salary scale in Maine is out of whack too. Consider a starting attorney. In Boston a starting attorney at a large firm will pull in $135K plus bonus. You can bring in 100K in Concord New Hampshire. Big firms in St. Louis start at 100K. In Maine, the absolutely top of the market is around $70K. The cost of living is certainly cheaper than Boston, but the gap doesn't make a lot of sense because Maine isn't that cheap. In fact, housing in portland is pretty high. Anyway, I would seriously weigh your options before moving to Augusta. Honestly, Augusta sucks. SUCKS. I would never move there.

[jw114]

Thanks for the advise. Disgusta sound horrid. I might end going to my home town area. Which if Marquette, MI. Check it out, not saying to move there, but my family is there. I have heard it explained that maine is very similar, but maine's on an ocean and not a great lake. Just info for info.

[Unhappycamper]

My buddy moved up to Augusta and he says the main reason people live there is so they are walking distance away from the welfare office. He says the lines on the first of the months are unbelievable. He is already looking for a new home.

[STL_JD]

One thing to note - Augusta is surrounded by some beautiful areas - lots of lakes, etc. One of my favorite places in the state is around Reidfield which is close to Augusta. But, to own a summer place there is a whole other bag than actually living there. The ocean in Maine is beautiful and Portland gets ranked as one of the best US cities to live in where you can enjoy outdoor activity. I think that was in Outside magazine. Portland and Augusta are a world apart. Augusta would be cheap living and would be around 1 hr drive to portland. However, you will hate living in Augusta unless you live only for the weekend and drive as fast and far from Augusta as you can.