Suggestions for considering move to Maine? (Gray, Patten: rentals, homes, employment)

[OklahomaMom]

Hi. We are contemplating a move to Maine. I've always wanted to live somewhere on the East Coast, and a friend has been telling me how great Maine is.

What is the Cost of living like? Employment market? housing?

My husband is the Camp Manager (and Education Manager) at a wildlife preserve in Texas.

Are there any camps or wildlife preserves with education programs in Maine?

It's just too HOT for us to stay in Texas. We need to move somewhere with a cooler climate. I have MS, and I can handle the cold but not the heat.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks
OklahomaMom (who lives in Texas but is considering a move to Maine!)

[CoastalMaine]

OkieMom, there are an abundance of threads in the Maine forum for you to research your query. Take a look through them all and ask more questions.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Well, we don't have tornados except for a small dust devil every decade or so. We had one near Patten a few years ago that sucked up a dog. The dog came home a few hours later, soaking wet and shaking all over. He didn't want to go outside for a week.

"What is the Cost of living like?"

I expect it is lower than any other East Coast state. Our taxes are higher, but other costs are lower.

"Employment market?"

About as poor as everywhere. Texas is booming, but they have no income tax. That's why. Most new Mainers bring their jobs with them.

"housing?" There are some real bargains in homes. We have the highest rate of home ownership in the nation. The flip side of that statistic is that rentals are scarce.

My husband is the Camp Manager (and Education Manager) at a wildlife preserve in Texas. Are there any camps or wildlife preserves with education programs in Maine?

That would be seasonal work in Maine. Maybe summer work in that field and winter work as a substitute teacher could work for you. There is a shortage of substitute teachers with college degrees.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by OklahomaMom

Hi. We are contemplating a move to Maine. I've always wanted to live somewhere on the East Coast, and a friend has been telling me how great Maine is.

Welcome to the forum.

... What is the Cost of living like? Employment market? housing?

Everyone will experience something different.

To us, within our limited experiences the Cost-of-living in Maine is very low.

However the economy is depressed and has been for a long time. There are few jobs.

Having been career military we have moved around a great deal. We had never lived anywhere with both this low a cost-of-living and such low taxes before in our experience. So for us the move to Maine has been great!

... My husband is the Camp Manager (and Education Manager) at a wildlife preserve in Texas.

Are there any camps or wildlife preserves with education programs in Maine?

It's just too HOT for us to stay in Texas. We need to move somewhere with a cooler climate. I have MS, and I can handle the cold but not the heat.

Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks
OklahomaMom (who lives in Texas but is considering a move to Maine!)

Maine is a cooler climate.

I suggest that you come visit. Tour the state, and see which region of Maine you like the best. Then look closer.

[OklahomaMom]

Thanks everyone. I'm going to research more and see what I can find.

We both have college degrees, but that doesn't always make it easier.

[Newdaawn]

There is a wildlife park in Gray, ME - and I'm sure the animals at York wildlife park need tending to all year round. check those out

[flycessna]

The more rural parts of Maine offer the most affordable living and there are "unincorporated" areas of the state (North) that you can find low taxes along with cheap land and/or housing. Southern Maine generally has more life and more employment opportunities but along with that you will generally find it to be more expensive and higher taxes.

(you can search "Maine taxes" in the forum here and you will find a wealth of information)

Winters a long and cold... heating and utilities in general can be an added cost a lot of people do not consider.. You can run your air conditioner for 8months down in Texas, but it still will not come close to what it can cost to heat a home here.. That’s why you see Mainers are very resourceful and will use a variety of methods to heat their homes..

I am sorry I do not know much about MS. I will say that even though we consider our winters to be dry and our summers must be dry compared to the south.. I still feel we get lots of damp weather...even not including this summer which has been crazy wet with 27 days of rain out of the last 30.. We still seem to get lots of damp rainy cool or cold days.. I do not know how that affects MS.

Good luck

[bigounets]

Flycessna, can you give some examples of your different ways to heat a house?

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by bigounets

... can you give some examples of your different ways to heat a house?

Electric, oil, propane, wood, biomass, pellets, and some folks have been trying heat-pumps.

We like radiant heated floors, some folks like forced air.

Some folks do not like wood furnaces in their homes so they have outdoor furnaces that pump hot water into their home.

[Maineah]

Maine is not a good place to move to. Housing is expensive, the economy is terrible, the roads are in disrepair, the government is inept, the weather is terrible,the bugs are horrendous,the taxes are high, there are NO jobs what-so-ever,heating will break you, stay where you are.