Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Both places are some of the most underrated natural settings in the country, IMO. I voted Maine just to see what the results are but I could’ve gone either way.
Technically, the Blue Ridge Mountains in VA go as far as the Potomac right across from Harpers Ferry, WV where MD/VA/WV meet in extreme northwestern Loudoun County, one of the wealthiest in the country. Currently just a few scattered houses/business, Loudoun Heights offers some great views nearby, and Harpers Ferry is set up like Pittsburgh in its infancy with the three rivers setup with mountains on either side, and a historic town inside its own "Golden Triangle". There's even commuter rail to Montgomery County, MD and DC for jobs/entertainment. Frederick, MD is a short drive for everyday essentials and things to do in a cool little city. I could easily live there given my current job. But you don't have to go too far south and it gets hillbilly in a hurry. The southernmost Blue Ridge town/village in VA, Lambsburg near the NC border, isn't too far from Mt. Airy (AKA "Mayberry" of Andy Griffith fame), but as you may expect, too slow-paced for my liking, and even further from the coast compared to the Northern Virginia portion of the Blue Ridge.
York County, ME would be a close second for me overall since its the mildest part of the state and the shortest commute to Metro Boston-area jobs. Its also close to NH for tax-free shopping, while not being too far from Portland for everyday commuting for play and/or work. North of Brunswick, ME gets too sparsely populated for me to make an everyday living in my preferred lifestyle.
Maine has a huge coastline. Kittery is an hour from Boston. 10 minute drive to the C&J Trailways station with hourly service to Boston/Logan Airport. Portsmouth NH is on the other side of the three bridges. I lived in Portsmouth for a decade. It's a great place. Kittery would be no different except you'd have to drove over the 1A bridge to get to town.
My mom used to have a house on a cliff in Tenants Harbor looking at Penobscott Bay where you fell asleep to the white noise of the waves breaking on the rocks below. Sailboat in the harbor. Easily the best sailing on the east coast. The midcoast is fairly isolated. I'd have problems living there. Downeast is really isolated. I have no interest.
Most of the people live between Portland and the NH line. I could live on Casco Bay somewhere like Falmouth Foreside with the Portland waterfront a few miles drive. Skiing at Sunday River would be about an hour and a half.
So Maine wins easily for me but I wouldn't want to be much farther east than Portland/Casco Bay.
Amenities: Tie. Both are predominantly rural with small towns and a handful of small cities. I don't imagine that there's a drastic difference between the two. Safety: Slight edge to Coastal Maine. One of the safest states in the country. Scenery: I'd go with Coastal Maine. I know there are "mountain people" and "ocean people," but I think the scenery of Coastal Maine is a bit more unique than VA's mountains. In terms of mountain scenery east of the Mississippi, I'd probably place VA in 4th or 5th place behind NC/TN, VT, NY, and NH. But I'd probably say coastal Maine (particularly the Acadia region) is far and away the most scenic coastline in the Eastern U.S. Outdoor Recreation: Coastal Maine. Sure, there's more hiking in VA, but Coastal Maine has mountain hiking too. There's also skiing along the coast of Maine. There's nothing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of VA that compares to the coastal recreation of ME. Weather: Blue Ridge Mountains of VA. I'd take June-October in Maine, but the remaining 7 months would be more enjoyable in the mountains of VA. Cost of Living: VA. Maine isn't a pricey state overall, but the coast is expensive. Particularly close to the water. Things to Do: For my tastes, Maine. I love boating and being on the water. There's no comparison in the VA mountains. ME also has some small mountain skiing and hiking along the coast and bigger mountain experiences a relatively short drive (much closer than the coast is to VA's mountains). Economy: Portland likely beats any city in the mountains of VA in a one-on-one, but Portland's the only game in town when it comes to economic engines along the coast of Maine. VA has several small cities in the region and that length of 81 is a much more important artery for commerce than 95 along Coastal Maine is. Both regions have sections that are only an 1/1.5 hours from a major city (Boston/DC), but they're just a bit too far outside for those major cities to be super influential on much more than tourism.
Overall, I'd probably pick Portland or York/Kittery in Coastal ME over anything in the mountains of VA.
Maine has a huge coastline. Kittery is an hour from Boston. 10 minute drive to the C&J Trailways station with hourly service to Boston/Logan Airport. Portsmouth NH is on the other side of the three bridges. I lived in Portsmouth for a decade. It's a great place. Kittery would be no different except you'd have to drove over the 1A bridge to get to town.
My mom used to have a house on a cliff in Tenants Harbor looking at Penobscott Bay where you fell asleep to the white noise of the waves breaking on the rocks below. Sailboat in the harbor. Easily the best sailing on the east coast. The midcoast is fairly isolated. I'd have problems living there. Downeast is really isolated. I have no interest.
Most of the people live between Portland and the NH line. I could live on Casco Bay somewhere like Falmouth Foreside with the Portland waterfront a few miles drive. Skiing at Sunday River would be about an hour and a half.
So Maine wins easily for me but I wouldn't want to be much farther east than Portland/Casco Bay.
I somewhat agree with you although I would rather live around the Brunswick/Bath area, for example Harpswell, than around Ogunquit during the summer months at least. US-1 traffic around Ogunquit/Wells is horrendous and unavoidable throughout the summer. Midcoast is not without traffic issues (Wiscasset... damn Red’s Eats) but it’s not as bad. I don’t think I’d live much further east than Boothbay though, isolated indeed.
Wow, great information about coastal Maine in these recent posts. I’m particularly grateful for the basic blueprint of where Maine starts to become isolated.
Ugh, if it weren’t for how sparsely-populated and isolated most of the state is, and if it wasn’t so damn cold, Maine would be an absolute no brainer for me. I’ve kind of always dreamed of living in Maine, or at least a beautiful part of New England (and what’s more beautiful than Maine?)
Like if you live in Bar Harbor, the scenery of Acadia and the surrounding area must be so beautiful and wonderful. But holy cow, it seems like it’s smaller than Mayberry and I get the impression that most of the non-Portland areas of Maine have median ages that are much older than the US average, which doesn’t seem like it’s great for people in their 20s and 30s looking to make friends. And then of course in the winter it’s the coldest damn place you’d ever want to be in your life.
Like if you live in Bar Harbor, the scenery of Acadia and the surrounding area must be so beautiful and wonderful. But holy cow, it seems like it’s smaller than Mayberry and I get the impression that most of the non-Portland areas of Maine have median ages that are much older than the US average, which doesn’t seem like it’s great for people in their 20s and 30s looking to make friends. And then of course in the winter it’s the coldest damn place you’d ever want to be in your life.
Western Virginia (except for the college towns) also has heavily elderly demographics with median ages well into the 40s. This is not so apparent in statewide averages since the Washington, Richmond and Virginia Beach/Norfolk areas are much younger and more populous.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
