Moving to Maine, from away... far away (Bangor, Ellsworth: house, neighborhoods)

[cjhmdm]

Originally Posted by Serious Conversation

Hamilton County real estate is going to be high by Indiana standards, cheap compared to the rich coastal areas, Chicago, Minneapolis, etc., but car insurance is much cheaper than in Marion County (I pay less than half in car insurance of what I did in Tennessee) and county level income taxes (1% vs. more in surrounding counties). Taxes are relatively high in IN with a 7% sales tax, 3.4% state income tax, high auto registration costs, county income taxes levied on top of that, moderate property taxes, etc. Food and regular day to day purchases are as cheap here as anywhere else I've lived.

I make about $65k as a single in Hamilton County, and while I'm comfortable, I'm not living a lavish lifestyle by any means. With kids, I think you'd have to be more frugal. I do think there will be pressure on kids to keep up with the Joneses in Carmel especially.

At least for my interests, I'd rather live in Maine, all things equal.

Yeah, that's something I really worry about. The thing is, I'm looking at around the same price range for houses in Hamilton County as I am in the Bangor area (150-200k) so I guess I need to do some more research and figure out which would cost more overall and go from there.

Originally Posted by MassVt

Interesting that you're thinking about Bangor, ME, of all places. I mean, it's a decent place, but absolutely "night and day" from the Phillippines, especially in regards to the weather. Bangor has quiet, tree-lined streets, a large regional medical center, the major state university campus only a few miles away, and a good number of restaurants, of all kinds. Real estate is also quite affordable, as you'll be able to find a nice home for 200k, or less.

However, it's not the big city, at all, and it's a 4-hour drive to Boston, and a 2-hour drive to slightly more urbane Portland. Visiting would be best, but I understand your situation. Just make sure that everyone in your family is on board for this..

Well, anywhere in the US is "night and day" from the Philippines... I guess aside from California and maybe Florida, places my wife absolutely doesn't want to live. The way she sees it, if we were going to live in flea infested saunas then we might as well not leave the Philippines heh.

Originally Posted by maineguy8888

I think you are on an adventure, sounds fun. One of our tenants packed up from Oregon and moved here, unseen, and are really liking it.
One note: there are so many (black) drug dealers infesting the southern and central Maine area lately, who come from out of state, that you may get looked at funny if you are dark. Please just understand that would probably be why, if it happened.
People have just HAD it with these g*d da%ned pushers moving in.

It'll be an adventure indeed. My 5 y/o (will be 6 by the time we move) already has a ton of plans for when we move to the US. Likes, a ton of plans. She already has the timeline worked out as well heh... "first, it's my birthday, then it's Holy Week, then it's Apo's (grandma's) birthday, then we're going to the US!"

I hope the drug problems aren't as bad as the media makes it seem because the last thing I want is for us to buy a house in a place that's going to turn into a ghetto in the next couple of years.

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Maine has a high percentage of veterans. There are many ladies from the Philippines in the area. Even in tiny Lee there are at least three. A group gets together weekly in Millinocket for tea.

I think it'd be nice if there were a couple of Filipinos around. My wife doesn't want to live in or near Filipino communities but having a couple of friends who have made the journey we're about to will be good for her I think.

[VTYankinME]

My Filipina friend moved to the midcoast direct from home just over 3 years ago. I'll ask her, but I'll be very, very surprised if she has encountered any discrimination.

She's an outdoors enthusiast and has taken readily to fishing and hunting. She's less than enthused about the winters (this morning it's sunny and -12F,) but loves the other 3 seasons.

I hope you'll all be happy and thrive wherever you decide to go.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by cjhmdm

So I have to ask, just how bad is the drug problem in Maine, and specifically the Bangor area? A lot of the things I'm reading make it sound like an epidemic.

It IS now an epidemic here, and there are many overdoses that go unreported in the news, but the good news is that it's finally being taken seriously as there are groups of people who are working very hard together to address viable solutions. Bangor has 3 methadone clinics. Some say that's what brought the drugs in the first place. I'll reserve my opinion about that.

The outlying areas you speak of are good towns to look at. Hermon is a nice town with a good business base to help offset property taxes. Glenburn is not. They have no business base to speak of, and therefore, the property taxes are high IMHO. It's a nice enough town with a couple of high-end subdivisions, but you'd get a better bang for your buck in Hermon (which is next door). Glenburn does offer high school choice as it does not have one. Hermon does have a high school. I've heard mixed reviews about it, but I thought their programs sounded great. Bangor has a good reputation for good schools.

Orono is a college town, and it does offer good programs. I like Orono. I'm not sure what the property taxes are there.

[Maineac]

What "brought the drugs in the first place" was Purdue Pharmaceutical in the early 1990's. Oxycontin and its ilk, readily available, handed out like candy, and addictive as hell. Clamp down on pharmaceutical distribution, and the addicts THEY created (intentionally, by the way) seek out other black market substances like heroin.

[gf2020]

I'm curious as to how you narrowed your search to Hamilton County, Indiana, and the Greater Bangor, Maine area? The areas could not be more different.

Just the city of Carmel, Indiana, has a population 2.5 times that of Bangor, and is really just a suburb of Indianapolis. The whole county would be much more similar to York County, in Southern Maine, with Portland as the equivalent to Carmel or Noblesville.

That area of Indiana is frequently rated as a desirable region to live by the national magazines and such and is the fastest growing part of the state. Sadly, most of Bangor's heyday is in the rear view mirror. However, it's a fine place to live and raise a family, particularly if you are self-employed, and more affordable for your income than Hamilton County, Indiana. The University of Maine is right in Orono and is the obvious choice for your wife to continue her education.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by Maineac

What "brought the drugs in the first place" was Purdue Pharmaceutical in the early 1990's. Oxycontin and its ilk, readily available, handed out like candy, and addictive as hell. Clamp down on pharmaceutical distribution, and the addicts THEY created (intentionally, by the way) seek out other black market substances like heroin.

Too late. The barn door is already open. Now we need to find a way to deal with the stampede.

But I totally agree with you.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

George Herbert Walker Bush went to Columbia to talk with the drug problem. There was a well attended press conference. The Columbian President shook his finger at President Bush and said, "If didn't have a demand problem, we wouldn't have a supply problem."

End of press conference.

[mainegrl2011]

Maine is on the ocean; Indiana is not. That would decide it for me. (Maine and the ocean--light years ahead of Indiana in my humble opinion.) drugs? "Just Say No" works for me.

[boiselover]

yeah id take maine over indiana seems so much more beautiful and the ocean makes it easy

[james777]

Originally Posted by mainegrl2011

Maine is on the ocean; Indiana is not. That would decide it for me. (Maine and the ocean--light years ahead of Indiana in my humble opinion.) drugs? "Just Say No" works for me.

Agreed, the ocean would be the deciding factor in my book. The only thing that would tempt me about Indiana would be the slightly better winter weather, if it is better.

As for the drugs, just say no works for me too, but the real problem is how the crisis decimates communities and causes crime by the users. And crime is crime, I have no sympathy for someone committing a crime to get money for drugs as opposed to committing a crime to get money because they are too lazy to work.