I hate to start from scratch....again...

[mollysmiles]

Lawmom, I understand exactly what you're saying. It's difficult to make a comparison with so little information. I've never been to Bettendorf (I actually wasn't sure if that was a typo, and had NO idea what state it was in) so without knowing anything about that town? city? county? it's difficult to help someone. Specifics such as "I now have ________ in my particular place, and I'm looking for _______, _______, and __________", really make a difference. Maine is huge, with wide variety. To some moving here a city the size of Bangor is much bigger, but to others Portland is much smaller. Without an idea of where someone is coming from, and when they use a comparison opposed to a specific, how can we know??

[CoastalMaine]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

Lawmom, I understand exactly what you're saying. It's difficult to make a comparison with so little information. I've never been to Bettendorf (I actually wasn't sure if that was a typo, and had NO idea what state it was in) so without knowing anything about that town? city? county? it's difficult to help someone. Specifics such as "I now have ________ in my particular place, and I'm looking for _______, _______, and __________", really make a difference. Maine is huge, with wide variety. To some moving here a city the size of Bangor is much bigger, but to others Portland is much smaller. Without an idea of where someone is coming from, and when they use a comparison opposed to a specific, how can we know??

Yes, well, there's a polite way and impolite way to get that across in the english language, isn't there.

[Jbechtel]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

Lawmom, I understand exactly what you're saying. It's difficult to make a comparison with so little information. I've never been to Bettendorf (I actually wasn't sure if that was a typo, and had NO idea what state it was in) so without knowing anything about that town? city? county? it's difficult to help someone. Specifics such as "I now have ________ in my particular place, and I'm looking for _______, _______, and __________", really make a difference. Maine is huge, with wide variety. To some moving here a city the size of Bangor is much bigger, but to others Portland is much smaller. Without an idea of where someone is coming from, and when they use a comparison opposed to a specific, how can we know??

Bettendorf is just a suburb of Moline, Ill. on the mighty Miss.. It's just a place where ILL. people buy their cigarettes and booze for cheap and cross back over the river. Any place in the northeast is going to be a step up for her. I've worked in all three states and I would recomend Portland, Maine as a good first choice to her.

[lawmom]

I am being rude, coastal maine????? Holy cow, did you read the OP's response to my simply trying to help? The "smilie" smacking it's head, the rude tone. Geesh. Whatever.

[lawmom]

Thank you Mollysmiles. I was taken aback by the OP's response to my question for clarification. I found it rude to respond to me when I took time to try to help. To expect good answers, you need to be specific. Granted, I should have just ignored the response as it was not worth replying to.

[elston]

I think Portland is the type of city that you are looking for.....I don't know about employment but I thnk the health field is one area of possibility.

Portland is a beautiful port city...it has cultural amenities and a diverse population.....it is in proximity to beaches and to rural areas as well.

I chose to live in a neighboring town.....I couldnt be happier. Good Luck to you.

Have you had a chance to visit; I think that is important to do before deciding to relocate.

[unononehigher]

Originally Posted by elston

I think Portland is the type of city that you are looking for.....I don't know about employment but I thnk the health field is one area of possibility.

Portland is a beautiful port city...it has cultural amenities and a diverse population.....it is in proximity to beaches and to rural areas as well.

I chose to live in a neighboring town.....I couldnt be happier. Good Luck to you.

Have you had a chance to visit; I think that is important to do before deciding to relocate.

First of all, I attacked "NO ONE", you (who ever felt attacked) misread my post and the smiley is just that, an "emoticon" you can interpret it any way you feel best, and if you feel "taken aback" then those are your issues, not mine.
And who told which ever of you all, that you can speak for an entire state and what they care about or know about? Talk about an ego....
To whomever else did not understand what I meant by I am looking for a place with "beaches, cultural activities, and employment opportunities," ummm, can't get much clearer than that. (google can help)
I also thought I stated that I lived in B.E.T.T.E.N.D.O.R.F. I_O_W_A.
I also made no concrete comparisons to anything, here or there.
So, it seems as if some did not read my original post or just simply did not comprehend it.
Either way, I am free to post and ask questions just like anyone else.
No one has a monopoly on here and if my question/topic is not important to you, then move on to other topics and accumulate your precious points.

To those that chose to respond with good ol' common sense, I thank you, to all others...{____________________}<<<<<<<< fill in the blank with what ever expletive you so desire and is be fitting of your nature and character

Some one asked if I planned to visit or had I visited, the answer is not yet.
But will do in a couple of weeks (Portland area). And correction, Bettendorf is NOT a suburb of any Illinois city, its across the river in Iowa.

and again, I thank those of you who responded in kind and those that chose to pm me.

angel kisses to you all

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by unononehigher

First of all, I attacked "NO ONE", you (who ever felt attacked) misread my post and the smiley is just that, an "emoticon" you can interpret it any way you feel best, and if you feel "taken aback" then those are your issues, not mine.
And who told which ever of you all, that you can speak for an entire state and what they care about or know about? Talk about an ego....
To whomever else did not understand what I meant by I am looking for a place with "beaches, cultural activities, and employment opportunities," ummm, can't get much clearer than that. (google can help)
I also thought I stated that I lived in B.E.T.T.E.N.D.O.R.F. I_O_W_A.
I also made no concrete comparisons to anything, here or there.
So, it seems as if some did not read my original post or just simply did not comprehend it.
Either way, I am free to post and ask questions just like anyone else.
No one has a monopoly on here and if my question/topic is not important to you, then move on to other topics and accumulate your precious points.

To those that chose to respond with good ol' common sense, I thank you, to all others...{____________________}<<<<<<<< fill in the blank with what ever expletive you so desire and is be fitting of your nature and character

Some one asked if I planned to visit or had I visited, the answer is not yet.
But will do in a couple of weeks (Portland area). And correction, Bettendorf is NOT a suburb of any Illinois city, its across the river in Iowa.

and again, I thank those of you who responded in kind and those that chose to pm me.

angel kisses to you all

Well and good. You have some skills that may mean you will be able to apply for work within the health care field.

The rest of the comments and replies and ripostes to your original inquiry have spiraled out of reasonableness and control which is unfortunate. This forum is apt to be a pretty rough and tumble place. Every week there there appear threads from people "from away" who are fantasizing about moving to Maine. Most are trying to escape from someplace else, but want everything to be exactly the same in Maine, as they are in San Jose, Dallas, Tacoma, or, yes, places just like Bettendorf.

Your comment that people responding to questions on this forum shouldn't presume to know what the entire state is like is wrong. Many of us who post here and read the threads here regularly know the state extremely well. Many have lived here all their lives and have lived in many parts of the state. Many have very deep roots in Maine, and have earned a living by dealing with people throughout the state.

I am going to suggest that you do a lot more research before you even fantasize about moving to anywhere in northern New England. Much of what you have expressed interest in simply doesn't exist here. Very little does.

Bettendorf is much like Bangor, Maine's third largest city, in terms of population. But there is no one major employer that influences the entire economy, and Bangor's economy is much, much smaller than the greater Bettendorf area, which does include Moline, Illiniois. This means that the ecoomy is smaller, as is the case throughout Maine. To put a point to the population question, Maine has roughly one third the population of Iowa, and although large for a New England state, it is about 20% smaller than Iowa.

The largest "pocket" of population in Maine is in southwestern Maine near the New Hampshire border. That includes Portland, Biddeford and South Portland. After that, Maine is mostly rural and pockmarked with small towns and villages, and LITTLE economic development or opportunity.

Maine like most of northern New England is very white. This is not unlike Iowa, actually. If racial diversity is important to you, I think you will be very disappointed in Maine, and northern New England in general. Now, as the "other" question: "Will I be accepted in a mostly white, non-diverse population state like Maine?"

I think the answer will depend entirely on where in Maine you want to be, and what kinds of attitudes do you bring to the area with you. I don't think that anywhere in Maine would a person of color (of any kind) be unwelcome. But I do know that Mainers...that is to say, those who live here and have lived here for some time...like it pretty much the way things are. ANYONE who comes here with an attitude that EVERYTHING is better or was better in (fill in the missing blank: New Jersey, California, Texas, Oklahoma, etc, etc, or even, Bettendorf), will find some cold shoulders, be they black, white, green or Martian. Why, I'll just bet that that sounds pretty much like where you are right now, and if so, it will be exactly what you will find here.

In the end, you will have a very hard time finding work that will support you and your children. There is NO escaping that single fact: Maine's economy is VERY small, and pay even with your excellent qualifications, will be low. You will find the greater Portland area...which is defined as being within one half hour commute of Maine Medical Center...to be a very expensive area to live, given the kiinds of salaries that you can expect to earn in the medical technical fields. You will do better living and working near smaller medical centers, such as Waterville and Bangor.

But the real issue will be FINDING a job at all. Maine has a quite aggressive technical medical educational system with many small colleges, the university system, and trade schools teaching the skills that lead to the kinds of qualifications that you have. With only 1.3 million people in the entire state, there are comparatively few jobs for each applicant, and many who hold certifications similar to yours leave here the state for employment.

Do much more research. And by all means, make a trip to Maine as soon as possible to scout the area. Plan on visiting the greater Portland area, but don't just poke around there. You need to see Bangor and that area, and explore the coast. Many towns have either small hospitals, medical clinics or other triage services and you may find exactly the kind of situation that will work for you. But first you need to have some first hand experience with the territory, and before you try it, know what it will look like once you get here.

[7th generation]

I think we'll leave Lion's post as the last in this thread, as there are more reported posts than actual posts here.