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1. Where did you come from and how long have you been in Maine?
Cape Cod,Massachusetts. 30 years ago
2. What was the most important reason why you moved to Maine?
My wife decided that I should go live in the Maine woods. Her "work" with my employer made it seem like a good idea.
3. What made you pick the particular town in Maine that you moved to?
I had a place to live for a short while there owned by my family. Stayed there ever since.
4. How long did it take you to get comfortable with the move?
Well, getting up that first morning in May and seeing it snow like fury was a bit of a damper, but I never considered an alternative.
5. If you had to do it over again would you still move to Maine? If no, would you have chosen a different town in Maine, moved to someplace other than Maine or returned to the place you left?
This question is not relevant to me. When you are a displaced person, where you are ends up being where you are. I came here to start life over, and have done so.
6. Is your "overall " life better or worse in Maine than where you moved from?
Hmmmmm. Well, I have little to complain about. Although I wasn't born here, I am a "Mainer" through and through in most ways that count. While I will never be independently wealthy, when I retire I will be at peace and in a peaceful place. I have absolutely no health issues personally, and every day that I breath the air off the Gulf of Maine, I am grateful to be here. Where I left is now nearly sprawled to urban blight. There are no dirt roads left on Cape Cod...at least to write about. I am now married to the woman to whom I should have been married when I first had the chance forty years ago. Money and financing issues? Well, they only appear when you want to spend it on things that are truly irrelevant to a good and meaningful life.
7. Do you have friends of relatives in other states that tried to either directly persuade you not to move to Maine or showed their displeasure/disapproval/incredulity/disgust/non-enthusiasm in more subtle ways? Why, do you know?
My parents had already retired here when I moved, and they concurred that it was a good move for me to make, all the while assuming that I would stay the summer and move along. Boy! Were they ever surprised at what I did next! All of the "good friends" that I had on Cape Cod slipped away, some slowly, some instantaneously once I cleared the county line.
8. Do you think the town where you live now in Maine will eventually turn into the place you left? If so, how long will it take?
Right now, the town in Maine that I live in is being overrun by all of the negative forces that turned the town I came from into ugly urban spraw. We are moving "back to Maine" next year. It took 23 years, and anyone who lives in sprawl now, and wants to leave should look VERY carefully at what is happening in the populated areas of Maine for their future.
9. Since you got here, what has surprised you most either about Maine or your town in Maine? (good or bad)
Despite being overrun by contemporary issues, how Maine still largely refuses to approach many major civic problems in a "modern, and progressive manner".
10. Would you recommend others move to Maine?
Absolutely not unless that person had thoroughly researched the state and area to which they moved, and most important of all, had truly learned what it was about life and living that was of primary importance to them. There are many people on this list who long for much of what they think they know about Maine, and genuinely want those things to be central in their life. However, if there isn'a a shopping center and fast food joint food court within fifteen minutes of their bed, they will be terribly, terribly lost and disappointed. If they will not be able to walk out in the back yard and see deer, while still being able to work for a big company in unionized, high hourly wage job with huge benefits package, they will become angry and disillusioned. I think the vast majority of people can't make it in Maine because they need or have become accustomed to having some entity...employer, government, church, trust fund...take care of at least a major part of the details of life. Some are terrified at the prospect of having to go an hour to see a doctor, and then obsess that the doctor might not be as "good" as the doctor that they left in Philly. Maine is not for them. A lot of folks sprinkle their conversations with examples of running to Costco or the Seven-eleven...Maine isn't for them, either. Getting a job isn't the issue in Maine. Getting "the right" job, with a big pay scale and big benefits package IS a major problem in Maine, so advance research and best of all, quite a lot of time with "boots on the ground" here, is what is needed, and without real serious research my advice to others is simple: stay put and make your life work where you are.
11: What haven't you done yet since moving to Maine that you would like to do?[/quote]
There is much of the central and northern part of Maine that I haven't seen with my wife yet. I have never been on a whale watch cruise, nor to see the puffins. But I am at peace with what I have been doing here, and the multitudes of places that I have been in Maine. And I will continue to explore as time becomes available. Right now, the next few years are revolving around building a new home and getting settled into another dose of "the real Maine".
1. Where did you come from and how long have you been in Maine?
We came from 'away', been living here since 2005
2. What was the most important reason why you moved to Maine?
The price of bare land and low taxes.
3. What made you pick the particular town in Maine that you moved to?
The price of bare land and low taxes.
4. How long did it take you to get comfortable with the move?
I do not understand the question.
When we made the decision to move to Maine, we were comfortable with that decision.
When we physically moved, we were comfortable in the process.
5. If you had to do it over again would you still move to Maine?
I would come here again.
I would never wish to return.
6. Is your "overall " life better or worse in Maine than where you moved from?
Better.
7. Do you have friends of relatives in other states that tried to either directly persuade you not to move to Maine or showed their displeasure /disapproval /incredulity /disgust /non-enthusiasm in more subtle ways? Why, do you know?
No. We can't think of any.
This is such a better place than where we were before, and a far better 'fit' very well suited to us.
8. Do you think the town where you live now in Maine will eventually turn into the place you left?
No.
9. Since you got here, what has surprised you most either about Maine or your town in Maine? (good or bad)
The lack of agricultural mindset.
10. Would you recommend others move to Maine?
Yes.
11: What haven't you done yet since moving to Maine that you would like to do?
Visit Naples again, maybe Paris again. We had an opportunity to go to Germany for a week last year for free, but we were very busy.
Why Forest! I am truly shocked! Naples is a mere twenty minutes west of Portland, and Paris is just a few miles southwest of that. You must be gettin' old: you can do ALL of that in a day!
"Absolutely not unless that person had thoroughly researched the state and area to which they moved, and most important of all, had truly learned what it was about life and living that was of primary importance to them. There are many people on this list who long for much of what they think they know about Maine, and genuinely want those things to be central in their life. However, if there isn'a a shopping center and fast food joint food court within fifteen minutes of their bed, they will be terribly, terribly lost and disappointed. If they will not be able to walk out in the back yard and see deer, while still being able to work for a big company in unionized, high hourly wage job with huge benefits package, they will become angry and disillusioned. I think the vast majority of people can't make it in Maine because they need or have become accustomed to having some entity...employer, government, church, trust fund...take care of at least a major part of the details of life. Some are terrified at the prospect of having to go an hour to see a doctor, and then obsess that the doctor might not be as "good" as the doctor that they left in Philly. Maine is not for them. A lot of folks sprinkle their conversations with examples of running to Costco or the Seven-eleven...Maine isn't for them, either. Getting a job isn't the issue in Maine. Getting "the right" job, with a big pay scale and big benefits package IS a major problem in Maine, so advance research and best of all, quite a lot of time with "boots on the ground" here, is what is needed, and without real serious research my advice to others is simple: stay put and make your life work where you are." --Acadianlion
I love love love this.....Maine is not for everyone. I wouldn't go so far as to say it take a "certain type" to live here happily....but there are definitely qualities that those of us who live here happily SHARE.
Maine is definitely not for the faint of heart and it really does take certain qualities within a person to be able to make Maine home. It is so worth any sacrifice to those of us who love it; for those that find that it's not a good fit, I wish them much success and happiness when they do find the place that is truly home. There's nothing worse than living some place that just doesn't feel right.
I am sorry but this made me LOL!!! You must not live in Maine USA because there is no place in Maine USA that has low taxes. Maine is one of the highest taxed states in the country! It was #1 at one point and may still be!!
I will answer the questions in a little bit when I have some time to respond...but work calls me right now.
This is yet again untrue.
You are talking about 'tax burden' and not actual taxes.
My Mil Rate is 0.00842, it is very difficult to find a lower mil rate, in any other state. [I do recognize that some other counties in Maine do have lower mil rates]
We have debated the differences between reality and 'tax burden' smoke and mirrors previously.
Reality is real, it is factual. 'tax burden' requires re-indexing the statistics with the purpose of trying to prove a debated point. It is a fabrication. It is not reality.
Most of Maine is 'un-organized' townships. 414 towns are UT. 'Most' in my usage means the majority, greater than the minority. Most of Maine has a very low tax base, because most of Maine is not urban. By being rural, most of Maine does not support the salaries of: a mayor, selectmen, city clerks, building inspectors, Fire marshals, housing inspectors, code enforcement officers, etc. Without those folks on salary, taxes are lower.
I can not help that cities are expensive. All cities are expensive, in every state, in every nation. When you have a large group of people living on salary, taken from property taxes, guess what happens? Taxes will be high.
However thankfully here in Maine [on planet earth], most of the state does not have all of that taxing.
Maine does not have the highest income taxes, we simply do not. The highest state income tax bracket is 9.9%. And that state is not Maine.
My property taxes have been $1.05 per acre. For 42 acres and a home, I have paid $47.
Most states have sales tax. Maine's level of sales taxes are not the highest either.
When you take a group of different taxes, and compare them. When no one single tax is the highest from among other states; when no group of taxes are the highest. Then you can not sum it to say that all of the taxes are higher.
When you are lower in one category, and lower in a second category, and lower in a third category; and there are a bunch of categories where you rank average; it is not possible to sum it all to say that your taxes are the highest. Not without smoking something.
To live on the state's average income, in Portland must suck.
Living in NYC on $7/hour must suck too.
Living in L.A. on $7/hour must really suck.
Living in Boston on $7/hour must suck as well.
But if you notice; NY also has large tracts of land where small towns exist, farming communities exist and taxes are lower.
If you notice; California has vast expanses where there are no towns. Just farming communities and taxes are lower.
If you focus yourself on inner cities, and insist on living there on minimum wage, then life would suck. This would be the case in any city. That is reality. The reality in Maine, includes the idea that the boundaries of Maine extend beyond the borders of Portland.
Why Forest! I am truly shocked! Naples is a mere twenty minutes west of Portland, and Paris is just a few miles southwest of that. You must be gettin' old: you can do ALL of that in a day!
Cute.
We lived in Napoli for three years, and I do wish to make a shopping trip. However it does take a bit longer than that to get there.
While I have been in France numerous times, I have never gone to Paris. My DW has repeatedly. However again it takes a bit longer to get there from he-ah.
You are talking about 'tax burden' and not actual taxes.
<cut>
We have debated the differences between reality and 'tax burden' smoke and mirrors previously.
Reality is real, it is factual. 'tax burden' requires re-indexing the statistics with the purpose of trying to prove a debated point. It is a fabrication. It is not reality.
This point I do have to strongly disagree with you on. Yes, the actual tax number maybe lower than other places. But the reality is, it doesn't matter if they are number 4 or 5 or even 20th down the list, if the wages are not at the same level. OK so California pays a bit more in real estate taxes than the majority of Maine, Even if that figure is double or even triple the average when the income is double, it is felt a lot less and takes less of your income to pay it, giving you more to live on. Sure Maine isn't top on any tax list, but we are very close in some major areas and when you have numbers that are near the top, with wages that are near the bottom. The REALITY is there is less to live on and to pay bills with. There is no logical argument or denying that. "tax burden" is not a fabrication, it is the reality of the people who have to carry it through their paychecks. You can debate it all you want, I took statistics as well, I know when "spin" is being applied to numbers. Quoting the actual tax rate is nice, but not the whole picture. How much of your property value is taxed? Maine it is at least 80%, most other states I've been in the taxed value is 50% or less. Some states are less than 10%. That makes a huge difference. Tax Burden is what that is. Same house value here costs me twice as much as elsewhere.
Add to that the cost of utilities here and it gets tighter. Even if you leave taxes out of the equation, it is costly to live here. Maine has some of the highest REAL electrical prices anywhere in the nation. When I say "REAL" I mean both electricity AND delivery charges. Same thing, it doesn't look that bad until you dig deeper and find you have to include the same or even more for the delivery of the electricity to your meter.
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