Would You Rather Live in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, or Coastal Maine?

[Space_League]

Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars

Coastal Maine. I don't really care about the ocean, but I wouldn't want to live somewhere surrounded closely by mountains on all sides, with no major cities anywhere nearby --- would feel very isolated. Also coastal Maine isn't as poor and has more tourists coming through, so the towns probably have more amenities than would expected for their size.

I'm more interested in visiting Appalachia though.

most of Maine feels considerably more remote to me than Shenandoah. Maine is also poorer than Virginia in general. I think the blue mts Virginia is much more livable year round. Someplace like Staunton VA is extremely livable and has a great mix of outdoors, historic settings and practical amenities.

Maine is more rugged and even more beautiful. I would say it's a better place to visit.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by barneyg

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.

That’s why I started by singling out Kittery. Other than Outlet Hell on Route 1, you’re south of the tourist mayhem. It’s an extension of Portsmouth NH which is four season. Somewhere like Wells, the sidewalks roll up in October and it’s totally dead all winter. When I pointed out where I would pick, I pointed at Falmouth Foreside which is Casco Bay between Portland and Bath but closer to Portland.

Someone pointed out how old Maine is. Yep. It’s a metro Boston retiree spot. Young people flee to places with better economic opportunities. Nursing homes have a huge problem finding staff. The dating scene is BMW. In Maine, that’s not a car. It stands for Big Maine Women. Thus the attraction of Kittery where you’re an hour from Boston and I-95 is 4 lanes to 128. Jobs. Women with college degrees and all their teeth.

Speaking of women, college degrees, and teeth, we spent a night in Bristol VA. You get the same sense of rural poverty that you get in Logging Truck Maine. Like most of Northern New England, if it doesn’t have tourism or a college, it’s pretty downtrodden.

[Duderino]

Originally Posted by Green Guy

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.

All very accurate. It's a naturally blessed state, and even better that it's overwhelmingly unspoiled/untouched. But rural Northern New England can absolutely be arduous if you're not accustomed to very long, often harsh winters (and the lack of sunlight--that's not to be underestimated, either). And if you have any desire for bustling and diverse civilization, you're in for an excursion.

I too fell in love with the Maine Coast and adore its small towns, but much more moderate weather and my deep love of lush mountains would definitely pull me towards Virginia.