Is Maine right for me? (Portland, Bangor: rent, living in, safest)

[shirtburt]

I'm looking to move to New England because I'm getting tired of the hot summers and the lack of snow in the winter. Vermont is too liberal and New Hampshire is too expensive so Maine is my only option. I've been specifically looking at the Bangor area if that helps. Is Maine right for me? Here's what I'm looking for;

-A conservative/libertarian place with friendly people (Actually decent human beings, not the people you see in Portland, OR), lakes, and a Sam's Club
-The ability to do basically whatever you want (Live Free or Die)
-Doesn't get overrun by tourists (I've been to the Blue Ridge Mountains and MAN DO THEY GET CROWDED)
-In a place where the government won't bother you

[Maine Writer]

We have all types here. Conservative, liberal, libertarian, etc are here. Equal rights for all and freedom to practice whatever it is you want to do/be is important here. Marijuana and same sex marriage are legal. Minding our own business is often taken as being unfriendly. If you come here and tell us about the unfriendly people in another state we're going to take note.



Maine is "Vacationland." Tourists flock here and are needed.



Whether you can do what you want depends on what you want to do. Some parts of the state are more lenient than others.

What do you mean with the government bothering you? I'm not sure how to answer that one.

[shirtburt]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

Maine is "Vacationland." Tourists flock here and are needed.

Does this apply to the entire state or just the coast?

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

What do you mean with the government bothering you? I'm not sure how to answer that one.

I mean like the government trying to tell you what you can or cannot do (e.g. mask mandates and gun laws).

[GarlicGuy]

Politics aside, if you enjoy warm weather and -20 temps, rain, and also a fair amount of snow, let the vacationers do their thing, we love their money, just stay away from the tourist traps until the off-season. It's an absolutely beautiful state to enjoy, whether you like hiking, fishing, hunting or just being a homebody and sit around your outdoor fire.

It just might be the place for you

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by shirtburt

Does this apply to the entire state or just the coast?


I mean like the government trying to tell you what you can or cannot do (e.g. mask mandates and gun laws).

The coast is the worst. Most of Maine is uninhabited. We had a mask mandate. Maine is one of the safest states in the country and has minimal gun laws.

[JoeBravo]

I think so.

[PAhippo]

The only way to really tell is to go there.

[svband76]

I'd say Calais might be right for you. Affordable housing there as well.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by shirtburt

Is Maine right for me?

I did not see where you said anything about a job.

Do not come to Maine thinking that you can easily get a job.

I recommend that you rent a place first, so you have a place to live while you explore the entire state. After a year living in Maine, you will likely have found which region of Maine suits you best.

Maine has regions and locals will talk your ear off comparing each region to the rest of the state.

It seems that each Mainer defines these regions differently.

As a career sailor I am familiar with the term 'DownEast', it became popularly used in reference to Boston harbor. From Boston when sailing out to sea, if you sail Downstream and Eastward you pass by all of the coastline from Gloucester to Halifax. As a nautical phrase 'DownEast' is a reference to all of the coastline of Maine, plus a bit to the South of Maine, as well as up into Canada. But Mainers each seem to use the phrase for only a small part of the Maine coastline, and I have observed that they do not agree on which part of Maine it does refer to.

A similar thing happens when you say Southern Maine. I have a neighbor who lived most of his life in South Portland, he insists that Southern Maine is that part of Maine South of Portland [basically Kittery]. Many times I have shown him the Northernmost Latitude of Maine [Estcourt Station within the Big Twenty Township of Maine], and the Southernmost Latitude of Maine [Cedar Island in York County, Maine], and where the midway line between the Northern half and the Southern half of Maine. But he insists that anything North of Waterville is Northern Maine.

After you have rented a place for a year, then you should be well enough acquainted to be able to say with certainty where you would like to live in Maine.

[shirtburt]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I did not see where you said anything about a job.

That is because I plan on being a trucker, which seems to be an easy job to apply for in any decent-sized town.