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Old 08-02-2012, 01:16 PM
 
Location: Central Maine
2,865 posts, read 3,631,521 times
Reputation: 4020

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Can someone who lives in or near Skowhegan please tell me what is it like to live there? I am a small-town person and have lived in the Northeast most of my life (although I don't live there now). Also, Maine's property taxes seem to be so much cheaper than VTs and NHs and yet people say it is so expensive to live in Maine? What are the "hidden costs" that I am not seeing?
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Old 08-02-2012, 04:37 PM
 
Location: Sacramento, CA/Dover-Foxcroft, ME
1,816 posts, read 3,391,174 times
Reputation: 2897
Quote:
Originally Posted by DauntlessDan View Post
Can someone who lives in or near Skowhegan please tell me what is it like to live there? I am a small-town person and have lived in the Northeast most of my life (although I don't live there now). Also, Maine's property taxes seem to be so much cheaper than VTs and NHs and yet people say it is so expensive to live in Maine? What are the "hidden costs" that I am not seeing?
I have close relatives that have always lived near there in Madison and Norridgewock. Skowhegan is the bigger town with more services. It is old but it has character. The downtown is not short of old brick buildings and has a quirky one way set-up around the town square. The area is nice with close lakes and is right on the Kennebec River. My dad was Margaret Chase Smith's paperboy once on River Road.

My dad's family still lives in Norridgewock with a vegetable farm right off the Kennebec River. They have four houses on the property. One house is the old family farmhouse. Another is a mobile home to start with then a thousand square foot expansion was adjoined off that with several garages for his tractor collection. Another home is a modular two story with four large pillars overlooking the Kennebec. The fourth house was a rundown shack until they found a used single wide mobile and set it up next to it so now they've moved up from tar paper shack to trailer trash. They came up with that, not me.

As far as taxes and costs, it's all relative. Small house and lot vs. large house with acreage could make a difference. I have no idea what my family pays in taxes but I know they live frugally. And they all seem to have what they want when they want it. If not, they'll grow it, build it, trade it, trap it, cut it or barter for it. I feel like such a sissy, cityboy when I visit them. I don't have all those skills yet. Maybe I'd better get working on it.
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Old 08-02-2012, 07:21 PM
 
793 posts, read 1,343,115 times
Reputation: 1178
They have a state fair there every summer. My uncle used to drive all the way from Lamoine just to bet on the horses.

I've never been, myself....We were going to go this year, but unfortuntely can't. Maybe next year.
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Old 08-03-2012, 04:22 PM
 
1,884 posts, read 2,895,216 times
Reputation: 2082
Is there anything you particularly need or are looking for? You didn't mention job(?) Population 8,000+...I don't live in Skowhegan, but I drive through there on Rt. 2 on my way to Wilton. It's quite picturesque with the Kennebec River. They have a vocational high school. They seem to value educating students so someone must be paying adequate taxes. I wouldn't say there are lots of nationally known stores, but there's a Wal-Mart. There are three Dunkin Donut locations. My friends in Wilton do major shopping in Auburn or Augusta or sometimes Portland. There's a Hannaford grocery store in Skowhegan which is true of lots of towns and cities. Rt. 201 north takes you to Jackman, ME and on up to Quebec/Quebec City (about a 4-hr. drive).... do you like snow? skiing? Eaton Mountain Ski Area My brother used to drive from Ellsworth to the Skowhegan State Fair every year. There's also Lakewood Theater. http://www.lakewoodtheater.org/ I'm pretty sure Betty White and her husband used to perform there summers many, many years ago. Benedict Arnold passed through on his way to Quebec also a long time ago. Here are some links...

Welcome to the Official Website of Skowhegan, Maine - A Place to Watch!

Skowhegan Maine Chamber of Commerce | Business, Commercial, Manufacturing, Civic Interests | Skowhegan Area Chamber of Commerce, located in Skowhegan, Maine

Coburn Park - Within Walking Distance From Downtown Skowhegan

Redington-Fairview General Hospital, Skowhegan, Maine 207-474-5121
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Old 05-15-2015, 07:10 AM
 
Location: Maine
169 posts, read 283,153 times
Reputation: 166
I really don't know if I would pick Skowhegan as a place to live. It has some great things happening in it, but it has a high crime rate and has real problems. Maybe any place is the same nowadays.
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Old 05-16-2015, 03:46 AM
 
Location: Northern Maine
10,428 posts, read 18,684,164 times
Reputation: 11563
"High crime rate" does not mean the same thing in Maine as it does in some ghetto. Maine is the safest state according to the FBI. Skowhegan could rank high in Maine, but be far lower in crime than a similar size city elsewhere.
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Old 05-16-2015, 03:54 AM
 
Location: Southwestern, USA, now.
21,020 posts, read 19,383,279 times
Reputation: 23666
People are nice there...that's all I have to say about it.
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