Here's some trivia about Maine that you may not know. (Westbrook: crime, how much)

[Acadianlion]

I have been reading these threads for several months now. It strikes me that a lot of people long for what they see as simplicity and genuineness of life and they think they will find it in Maine. But at the bottom of it all, a lot of people seem to think that if they just relocate, they can have everything that they have where they are now, only it will be more loving, quiet and rural. They will be able to step into the job that they have now, live in the same kind of house now, earn the same amount of money and have the same employment benefits that they have now, only it will be just different.

It just isn't so. Maine is quite unlike most other places in this country. Perhaps if I were to pick a state that is somewhat like Maine, it would be Minnesota, although Minnesota's industrial and agricultural industries are quite a lot larger than Maines, as is the population. But Minnesota is quite a liberal place politically, as I understand it, and so is Maine.

Maine is also very large geographically. MUCH larger than most people realize and since there is such a small population here, and such a small economy, people have to drive quite a lot to find employment. It is not unusual for people to have to drive more than fifty miles one way to work. Sometimes that is challenging due to Maine's independent meteorology, but I will cheerfully put Maine's highway crews up against any bad weather crew in the world.

Now, here is a trivia item for you. About twenty years ago or so, I ran across an interesting statistic. Ellsworth, Maine, the county seat of Hancock County, was the largest city in the United States.

Hard to believe. And what about Los Angeles, you might say...there are a gazillion people there.

Right. But Ellsworth (at that time) was the largest in area in the nation.

Now I understand that Los Angeles is the largest in area. Seems that they cheated and annexed a couple of small outlying townships and grew in size.

Ellsworth has a population of around 6,000. My point here is that if you even THINK that you might like to live in Maine, you really need to come here and spend some time exploring various areas. Fantasizing about it while sitting in front of your keyboard is NOT going to teach you what you really need to know about moving to Maine. For most who post here, Maine is much better than you can possibly believe...and much worse, depending on how much you want EVERYTHING in your life to change if you move.

[Dragondog]

All valid points ALion

One can have a very distorted view of a region- almost idlyic.
Get off the keyboard- and visit an area for weeks or more. Never just move blindly-mistakes can be avoided if you plan and move slowly.

Unless you actually have a job waiting and must move- its better to visit Maine- and New England and stay for at least a few weeks before deciding.

I used to 'fantasize' about California- and the whole lifestyle- well now California although still wonderful, no longer appeals to me for many reasons.

Seems there is lots of interest from those living in 'urban hellholes' in places like Texas, California NYC and the DC area wanting to live in New England.

The quality of life is higher here, crime is lower, there is much less congestion (except Boston and Fairfield county CT) along with a long history, settled population, good schools, charming towns etc- but is it right for you?

I have lived in central eastern Connecticut all my life- and now in middle age have begun to appreciate New England now more then ever.
Its NOT perfect here- but there is peace for me, with less aggressive people, and I feel safe and secure.

Leaving the rat race is a great idea- adapting to New England culture will take more work then 'dreaming' of it on the computer-just my thoughts.

[Elcarim]

Yes, prep-work is a HUGE part of choosing a new place in the country to call home. This is one of those life-changing decisions that we should all take VERY seriously and not walk into blinded by promises of grandeur. Isn't that why we're all on here talking to the locals trying to learn as much as possible prior to visiting and then finally settling on a place?

That's why I'm here, rather than looking at all the vacation propaganda put out by the state. Houston advertises relentlessly about how WONDERFUL it is to visit - they conveniently leave out the fact that you may get held up at gunpoint between your hotel room and the car or while you're standing pumping gas!

I want to know the real, down-to-earth living, working Maine. We're not trying to choose a vacation destination to come play with our kids for a few weeks - we're trying to find the best place we can to raise up a family and instill values and good ethics into our children while keeping them as safe as possible. We want to know that we'll be surrounding ourselves with other, like-minded people who are more interested in the QUALITY of life rather than focusing so much on getting rich (the common mindset here).

The facts and real-life information some of you are sharing on this site is invaluable to those of us who are absolutely serious about not only changing location but changing our entire lifestyles. If we can't change our lives, then why bother changing location? We can probably live the same life we're living now anywhere in the country - if that's what we want. Fortunately for our children, it isn't.

We may never be accepted there as "Maniacs" (though that is the common consensus among our family members right now after learning of our plans to abandon ship and treck "all the way up WHERE?!") but we're sure willing to learn all we can to be a part.

Thank you for your insight and honesty!

[vter]

I was born and raised in Vermont and I agree with the OPs sentiments. Many folks say they want to move here after reading too much Vermont Life (Downeast's Vermont equivilant) and taking foliage trips....but visiting is so much different than living. I've seen many downcountry folks pack up and move after a year or so as they came here with such romantized ideas of what it's like to live here. Seems like the same happens in Maine.
If I didnt love Vermont so much, I'd be living in Maine!

[chris]

Ellsworth has a population of around 6,000

Wow I wonder what year that was?


And btw, well said. I've also tried to emphasize these points about Maine several times (not very elegantly I might add). There aren't many places like it, it's beautiful and peaceful, while at the time, unlike any other place I've ever lived in (too many stories - I could/should write a book).

The main issue for anyone moving to Maine is *employment* though. This can't be emphasized enough. Of the five or six families I've known who have moved to Maine within the past 10 years, all have left, mainly due to difficulty in retaining a decent income. I also think a big part of it was also maybe a comfortable (more convenient) lifestyle they might have had before they moved to Maine.

I've also noticed that Maine has changed quite a bit over the last 10-15 years, and not for the better... The two things I find disturbing about Maine since I've moved away are:

1: Increased poverty throughout the state coupled with a lack of job creation and increased taxes every year.

2: The number of methaone clinics that have opened up (one next to one of my uncle's home in Westbrook - just one of several that have opened up in the area in the past few years).

I've considered moving my own family to Maine several times, but these two aspects of it are simply too real to ignore.

I'll still return to Maine with my family every possible summer that I can but as for living there, that's something that needs to be considered very carefully and financially, well planned out in advance. A warning to all who are about to take the plunge.

[chickadee]

Originally Posted by vter

I was born and raised in Vermont and I agree with the OPs sentiments. Many folks say they want to move here after reading too much Vermont Life (Downeast's Vermont equivilant) and taking foliage trips....but visiting is so much different than living. I've seen many downcountry folks pack up and move after a year or so as they came here with such romantized ideas of what it's like to live here. Seems like the same happens in Maine.
If I didnt love Vermont so much, I'd be living in Maine!

Yes, it's like the blind infatuation that people experience when they "fall in love" with someone incompatible, and they simply cannot see straight -- even the most obvious pitfalls involved. Then, a year or so after the wedding, reality and disappointment set in and they do not live happily ever after!

Age, occupation, or economic status don't seem to make any difference. It was just not what they had expected. What's the divorce rate these days? Over 50%?

There are some good comments in this thread about false expectations vs. reality. Making a "home" is much harder work than most anticipate, wherever you live. When folks make a big move based on highly romanticized notions, the inevitable adjustments are that much more difficult, often overwhelmingly so.

I wonder what the turn-around rate is for Maine newcomers? I have seen a lot of it, too.

[truckmen]

Yes. Maine is truly "the way life should be". :-)

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by chris

I've also noticed that Maine has changed quite a bit over the last 10-15 years, and not for the better... The two things I find disturbing about Maine since I've moved away are:

1: Increased poverty throughout the state coupled with a lack of job creation and increased taxes every year.

2: The number of methaone clinics that have opened up (one next to one of my uncle's home in Westbrook - just one of several that have opened up in the area in the past few years).

To be fair, both of those points are problems in every state right now. Maine has struggled economically for many years, so maybe it shows up worse there, but those problems are hardly unique to Maine.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by GAhighschoolC

I have a question - where I live now its more who you know than what you know that gets you employment unless you are a transfer from a major corporation.

I have lived in smalltown NM, and now I live in bigtown Washington. I have relatives and friends from coast to coast. Conservatives and liberals alike.

And I can say with all confidence that that is true EVERYWHERE. Getting a job is always more who you know than what you know.

[Elcarim]

Yep, the same in TX too, unfortunately. And the misconception of the "hospitable South" is just that, a huge misconception. Even those of us who live here are sneered at more than we see smiles. Of course, it's difficult to play nice when you're constantly concerned about anyone who approaches you too closely or too quickly.

I'm very friendly, smile a lot, I guess, and wave at people when I pass them if they're looking my way. More times than not, I get these "and what are YOU looking at?!" stares back. Who knows?

I've actually read that Mainers are overly friendly for the most part. I'm sure you guys deal with a lot of uppety tourists throughout the year that may tax your "friendliness" resources at times, but I hear y'all are pretty kind folks.