Thinking about moving to Maine (Portland, Lewiston: closing, sales tax, cost of living)

[bigounets]

By the way, I found some sites that have cost of living comparison tools and everywhere I look, it seems like Maine is wayyy cheaper than the Seattle area. So I'm pretty positive in that regard.

[leolabeth]

French immersion school in Freeport is about 80 minutes north of Kittery. This school is so good, I have friends who commute with their kids 45 minutes to get there.

As for Maine vs. the West, like a few others here, I'm from California, have lived here off and on since 1972, and frankly have a love/hate thing going. If you look at other posts of mine, you'll see that I'm kind of trapped here, thanks to having married a lobsterman, had a baby, decided the lobstermen's Coasta Nostra life withered my soul--along with the occasional choking--and divorced him, but have to stay thanks to Maine's decidedly unenlightened and underfunded justice system.

If schooling is important, pick the French immersion school or Waynflete in Portland or some other private entity. I say this as a public high school teacher. Our school system, though better than some meth and gang addled Western districts, has recently been dealt a terribly fiscal blow and many schools are reeling.

Maine truly is provincial and many people are sadly xenophobic, making being an outsider seriously challenging. The secret to social happiness is to find a network of other outsiders and those locals brave and secure enough to entertain ideas their ancestors may not have had.

The cost of living is terribly high, largely due to fuel, heating and transportation. There is NO public transportation. If it looks low, it's only because there's so little to do. You better hope you husband's job comes with excellent health care coverage and is paid for outside his salary. Anthem/BC/BS has a monopoly here and both insurance and care costs more than almost anywhere in the country.

As a Westerner, there's much to be said for the "New England Experience." Being close to Boston will be a gas and walking the paths of our founders regularly will change your notions of what it's like to be an American.

Best of luck. They tell me the universe is unfolding as it should.

lbr

[bigounets]

I have a feeling it will be a great change for us. From super multicultural Hawaii to Washington state where we were welcome the minute we landed there.
My kids go to a French Immersion School here in WA. It's a really good school and leaving it is my only regret. I really thought we were going to stay here until my son was done with grade 5.
I found the French School of Maine in Freeport but I'm reluctant to drive that much, especially because I don't know the road conditions, how much traffic I'll find going through Portland, what it's going to be like in the winter driving in the snow etc...
Thank you very much for your help. I hope things get better for you.

[bigounets]

How about public schools? Do kindergarteners go to school full day or half day?

[Southrngal]

BobTex wrote:

"To register our 1995 Ford Probe for a year was $500. State sales tax, state income tax, and from what my friends told me a high property tax....tax, tax, tax.....there's a reason they're #1 most unfriendly tax state."


I am curious about the fee for registering your car? I have looked a the fee rate on www.fhwa.dot.gov and can't figure out why you would have been charged so much. I am very interested in Maine as a future place to move to, my husband and I are both in the process of furthering our careers, (health care for me, law enforcement for him) and would like to get as much info as possible to make a better decision with.

So, anyone with any info concerning, cost of living, taxes, areas outside of towns ( Portland, Bangor, Augusta, Waterville, Brunswick, Lewiston)that are better to rent in, etc. would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I am a constant reader of this forum, but haven't posted anything concerning our interest in moving until now. Thanks in advance for any info.

[Acadianlion]

There is NO WAY that it cost $500 to register a 1995 Ford Probe. Registration itself would have been $35, and if the car had come to Maine from anther state there would have been a title fee for a new Maine title. Excise tax would have been paid to the town in which the car is principally garaged, and it would have been a hundred bucks or so, ir not less. Now, insuring the vehicle is a different issue, and that has nothing to do with "registering" the car, except for it being required for vehicle operation. Insurance cost would have been determined by the driving record, location of registration and amount of coverage.

But the actual registration cost for a vehicle in Maine is less than in most other states.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by Southrngal

BobTex wrote:

"To register our 1995 Ford Probe for a year was $500. State sales tax, state income tax, and from what my friends told me a high property tax....tax, tax, tax.....there's a reason they're #1 most unfriendly tax state."


I am curious about the fee for registering your car? I have looked a the fee rate on www.fhwa.dot.gov and can't figure out why you would have been charged so much. I am very interested in Maine as a future place to move to, my husband and I are both in the process of furthering our careers, (health care for me, law enforcement for him) and would like to get as much info as possible to make a better decision with.

So, anyone with any info concerning, cost of living, taxes, areas outside of towns ( Portland, Bangor, Augusta, Waterville, Brunswick, Lewiston)that are better to rent in, etc. would be greatly appreciated. BTW, I am a constant reader of this forum, but haven't posted anything concerning our interest in moving until now. Thanks in advance for any info.

The actual 'fees' for registering a vehicle in Maine are far less than many other states. However where many other areas have additional 'road taxes' and fees; Maine has 'Excise tax'.

Maine's excise tax is based on the vehicle's age and it's MSRP. It is not a flat fee as is so common in other states. Which is why it is hard to really compare it directly.

The newer a vehicle is, the more it is taxed; and the higher value the vehicle is, the more it is taxed.

An older vehicle is taxed less, a cheaper vehicle is taxed less.

[Syngar99]

so then a 1990 honda should be pretty cheap?

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by Syngar99

so then a 1990 honda should be pretty cheap?

Yes but that 2009 BMW is going to cost you plenty.

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by leolabeth

French immersion school in Freeport is about 80 minutes north of Kittery. This school is so good, I have friends who commute with their kids 45 minutes to get there.

As for Maine vs. the West, like a few others here, I'm from California, have lived here off and on since 1972, and frankly have a love/hate thing going. If you look at other posts of mine, you'll see that I'm kind of trapped here, thanks to having married a lobsterman, had a baby, decided the lobstermen's Coasta Nostra life withered my soul--along with the occasional choking--and divorced him, but have to stay thanks to Maine's decidedly unenlightened and underfunded justice system.

If schooling is important, pick the French immersion school or Waynflete in Portland or some other private entity. I say this as a public high school teacher. Our school system, though better than some meth and gang addled Western districts, has recently been dealt a terribly fiscal blow and many schools are reeling.

Maine truly is provincial and many people are sadly xenophobic, making being an outsider seriously challenging. The secret to social happiness is to find a network of other outsiders and those locals brave and secure enough to entertain ideas their ancestors may not have had.

The cost of living is terribly high, largely due to fuel, heating and transportation. There is NO public transportation. If it looks low, it's only because there's so little to do. You better hope you husband's job comes with excellent health care coverage and is paid for outside his salary. Anthem/BC/BS has a monopoly here and both insurance and care costs more than almost anywhere in the country.

As a Westerner, there's much to be said for the "New England Experience." Being close to Boston will be a gas and walking the paths of our founders regularly will change your notions of what it's like to be an American.

Best of luck. They tell me the universe is unfolding as it should.

lbr

I don't think this quote about xenophobia is helpful in any way at all. (I'll give you a pass on the "provincialism" charge......seems a bit more benigh of a thing to say).
I just can't imagine some one saying that about a place without taking several deep, deep gulps, much less the Maine I know (and have lived all over Maine).
Every place has some xenophobia. Fact.
I have lived in other states and been all over the world.
This slur about Maine's xenophobia......it simply has to stop! It is SO unfair, and as a social worker, I have to tell you that this IS a social justice issue. People just can't go around slandering a whole group of other people.