Maine vs Wisconsin (Portland, Brunswick, Augusta: transplants, crime, house)

[ogre]

The two states you are asking about both have a lot of good qualities. Both consistently rank near the top in various rankings related to quality of life. However, both also have very white populations. Drover's reference to Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay points up something which is probably true in Maine as well as WI, namely that the non-white population is found especially in urban areas. Forest-B's post about the American Indian population in Maine does point up the presence of various non-white populations in Maine, including some who may be found in smaller towns. BacktoNE has a good suggestion that college towns tend to have more of a mix of races and ethnicities.

One possible drawback, in the case of pure college towns, is that these communities have a very distinctive, college-town, character, which is so different from the feel of life in other towns that most people will either really like living in these towns, or else will feel very uncomfortable there, without much feeling in the middle. If you like college towns, that works well, but if not, you would probably be best off avoiding these communities. However, what I refer to here are certain places with that distinctive college-town character, which does not include all towns where there is a college present. From what I hear, Madison, WI, is very much a college town. I am not intimately familiar with any of the towns in Maine which have colleges present, so perhaps people who know some of these places can provide some detail, but, from what I do know, I believe that some of these communities are not quintessential college towns, but merely regular towns that happen to have colleges, if that would appeal to you more than a pure college town.

I wish you well with making your choice.

[Drover]

Madison is not "very much a college town" in the conventional sense. It's definitely not a "pure college town." When I think "college town" I think of a town whose culture and business climate is built primarily around the college population, sometimes to the exclusion of the local residents if the students make up nearly as much or more of the city's population as the locals do. This is not the case in Madison, where the student body comprises approximately 18% of the city's population. Combine the city and suburban populations and the students comprise about 10% of the population. Madison is also the county seat of a county of 500,000, and it's the state capital, so there are also lots and lots of professionals in Madison. There is, of course, a chunk of the city that is primarily geared toward students, but it is seamlessly integrated into the rest of the city, which itself is seamlessly integrated into the larger metro area. The end result is a place which offers something for everyone.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by Drover

Madison is not "very much a college town" in the conventional sense. It's definitely not a "pure college town." When I think "college town" I think of a town whose culture and business climate is built primarily around the college population, sometimes to the exclusion of the local residents if the students make up nearly as much or more of the city's population as the locals do. This is not the case in Madison, where the student body comprises approximately 18% of the city's population. Combine the city and suburban populations and the students comprise about 10% of the population. Madison is also the county seat of a county of 500,000, and it's the state capital, so there are also lots and lots of professionals in Madison. There is, of course, a chunk of the city that is primarily geared toward students, but it is seamlessly integrated into the rest of the city, which itself is seamlessly integrated into the larger metro area. The end result is a place which offers something for everyone.

Madison may not be a pure college town, but it is a college town none the less. They don't call it Mad City for nothing. Yes, there are many professionals in Madison, but it also attracts a hippyish, party crowd as well.

[Drover]

They call it "Mad City" because it's an easy adaptation of the city's actual name. That said, it is big enough that you can live there without the college scene having any impact on your quality of life whatsoever. It's a bigger place than many would suspect.

[sfw1979]

How about Minnesota? It has far more things to do and see then WI and the jobs are much more plentiful then WI or ME.

[sfw1979]

Here is a link you might be interested in:

StateMaster - Statistics > Total Black Population (per capita) (Latest available) by state

[moughie]

family10,
You may wish to refer to a previous thread entitled Race Relations In Maine started several weeks back by stephenw. That was quite a lively thread that addressed many of your concerns and questions.
Good luck!

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by sfw1979

How about Minnesota? It has far more things to do and see then WI and the jobs are much more plentiful then WI or ME.

Yes, you would make more money in Minnesota and have more things to do then the other two states, and northern Minnesota is extremely beautiful, but you that state is kind of hard to live in.

[Elcarim]

Originally Posted by K-Luv

Yes, you would make more money in Minnesota and have more things to do then the other two states, and northern Minnesota is extremely beautiful, but you that state is kind of hard to live in.

How so? I have some friends who are from Minnesota and are getting ready to move back home. She's told me about 40 below temps for 20-30 days and the havoc it wreaks on their water/sewer systems. What else?

[Drover]

Exactly how much more is there to do in Minnesota than Wisconsin? The two states are practically identical in culture, geography, outdoor recreational activities, urban and rural amenities...