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So I'm reading about Maine. Wow! I'd love a few acres on a river for that price. I went to the about cities portion of CD for Bangor and discovered that the weather graphs for here and there are very similar, until I looked at snowfall.
Yeow!!!! 20 inches average! Sell the snow blower and buy a truck with a blade.
It sure does sound like a beautiful place, though...
I was recently looking at Carson City NV. It has winters, but it is close to lot of beautiful places and the cost of living is lower than average. Good airport in Reno, Lake Tahoe is close, not too far from CA goodies and the ocean, Las Vegas, etc.
Might have to spend a few weeks there...
Maryville, TN is also a good place to look. Had to drop a trip to that part of the country this year , but we will have time year after next (2009 is out for travel) to travel more.
So I'm reading about Maine. Wow! I'd love a few acres on a river for that price. I went to the about cities portion of CD for Bangor and discovered that the weather graphs for here and there are very similar, until I looked at snowfall.
Yeow!!!! 20 inches average! Sell the snow blower and buy a truck with a blade.
It sure does sound like a beautiful place, though...
Most of our neighbors all own one old truck with a plow blade mounted on it.
Most of those trucks are not started in the summer, and many are not registered. They only have them for winter use.
Our first 2 winters here, we never used our snow shovel.
Last winter was our first winter here that we really had to use a shovel.
Most storms are a week apart, and they each will drop 2 to 4 inches. I drive a small commuter car up and down the drive way a bunch of times. Being careful each time, to drive about 4 inches to one side, of my previous tracks. This packs down the fresh snow and keeps our driveway passable.
The only time that we had to use our snow shovel was for a couple dumps when the snow was so thick that our vehicles were high centered.
So far most storms that we have seen, are spaced out with days of sun shine between them, so a good portion of the previous weeks snow will melt away before the next storm comes through.
The numbers do add up, but often in mid winter you can see bare ground and grass, on the day before the next coming weekly snow storm.
This winter we have had a series of snow storms. And we have not used a shovel yet.
But then I am 20 miles North of Bangor. Perhaps things are different down South.
We go to church just south of Bangor, we have their lawn is grassy most of the winter. With a snow blanket only usually on the day following a storm's passing.
Thanks. Perhaps we will come visiting when we can travel again. I've decided not to leave any option out. As much as I hate winter, I can't let it keep me from living in a beautiful place.
FL has no state income tax but they get you BIG time on property tax. Property tax on a 150K home is 2,700 a year. Plus HOI is also much higher than most states. You can figure close to 2K for HOI for the same house every year.
As a resident of FL and living in Palm Coast, I would think that taxes would be based on the area you live in, how long you've lived in your home or if it's rental property . While property taxes here aren't give away prices, they are much lower here than in many many areas of FL. Even our rental property taxes were just lowered and they are not homesteaded. We were happy.
Our own HOI is definitely much lower than what you are quoting. Palm Coast is in Flagler County and we live exactly 7 miles from the beach. It just renewed at $858.00 a year. This is the 3rd year in a row it's gone down. That's with $255,000 on the bldg and full replacement value with Omega Ins Co.
Should anyone wish to move to FL they should check out all the facts for the areas they're interested in.
Hi FB---I swore I would never move any farther north than I am now (Mass.) but Maine seems to be a draw somehow. Are there any small towns around where you are that are really affordable where someone could draw off the local population in teaching art classes and doing freelance graphics--not to make a lot of money, but to get by--and not remote from the town? We looked into Sanford - lower Maine to be near the ocean but the prop taxes are high. Thanks for any ideas you might ahve.
I have a cousin who lives on the water at Destin, Florida. He is retired and his property taxes are $17,000 a year. He is going to have to sell, because he is expecting his property taxes to keep going up. His house isn't worth insuring.
Hi FB---I swore I would never move any farther north than I am now (Mass.) but Maine seems to be a draw somehow. Are there any small towns around where you are that are really affordable where someone could draw off the local population in teaching art classes and doing freelance graphics--not to make a lot of money, but to get by--and not remote from the town? We looked into Sanford - lower Maine to be near the ocean but the prop taxes are high. Thanks for any ideas you might ahve.
Our taxes are fairly low.
I think that any area where the sum of your income taxes and property taxes are under $100; is fairly low.
However in this area we are known for also having a 'depressed economy'. Long before this current national economic recession.
It is great for a retiree. We live in an area where most working adults bring in minimum wage. So a pension puts you right on par with the town or county average household income.
Does a family raising 2 children on minimum wage have enough money left over to pay for art lessons?
Sadly no.
A dear friend, we met her via CD, moved to this area a year ago. We helped her and Dh unpack and move into a trailer. they shopped for a house, and found a nice house on 2 acres of land for $40,000. They are routine posters here on CD. She had been supporting herself doing web design. Once here she traveled a 2 county radius around us looking for web work.
Few businesses in this county have any web presence. Our local town newspaper has been printing for over 100 years. They have no website, no forum, no presence at all. Google all you want, there is nothing about our local newspaper online. This county is so 'poor' that there is very little thought of using the WWW for gaining customers.
Our friend? She is working in a mom and pop grocery store [a one cash register store with a gas pump, grocery, deli, pizza parlor, bait, gun shop, and video rental] these little mom and pops are common, they will have one employee that wears 14 hats.
You can Google my township too. There is very little online about our town.
I live in Argyle, Maine.
I am sorry to say, but 'NO' I do not think that you could support yourself teaching art here.
There are organic farms that take in apprentices though.
As a side note, since snow amounts were brought up previously in this thread. We have been waiting for snow. They keep predicting snow. but it just hasn't happened yet.
The week before Christmas we had one snow storm.
Is anyone on the East coast getting any 'winter' this winter?
sigh
I guess the lack of plowing and salting the roads should help to keep taxes down right?
I have a cousin who lives on the water at Destin, Florida. He is retired and his property taxes are $17,000 a year. He is going to have to sell, because he is expecting his property taxes to keep going up. His house isn't worth insuring.
I have seen beach front lots that were very small in Destin sell for 1 miillon plus.Too bad he didn't sell before the housing crisis tho.If its back on the water in the bay area that is a different story tho.
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, but we will have time year after next (2009 is out for travel) to travel more.
To Forest Beekeeper
