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I've been here for a few months now getting info on Maine. I love the geography, that you can have woods and the coast. I spent two weeks last year in Jackson Hole Wy. Beautiful country and laid back people. I was doing more research and I see that it is more conservative than most other states.
I'm tired of the turning of a blind eye to welfare abuse, illegal immigration, corrupt healthcare, and a complete do as you want without any responsibility attitude in California. It seems both Maine and Wyoming has not only beautiful country but it seems that people are more willing to work verses a handout, and it seems there tends to be more of a respect between each other. Anyone over there lived in both Wyoming and Maine that could give me a heads up on a comparison?
Having grown up in Maine, I could never live in a landlocked state. I now live on the Lake Michigan coast in Wisconsin which is a nice substitute except for the lack of mountains.
I've seen enough of Idaho to understand the geography, and based on that, I could only consider the Sandpoint area as an area I might choose to live in. The entire state is beautiful, I just need to be around water.
If you take a look at the blue / red political maps, you can easily determine the areas to avoid in either state.
portland is the liberal mecca of maine, the further north you go, the more conservative it is
most folks in maine do not talk about politics... something i avoid with strangers,,,
i travel around the state, have for almost 20 years, have met thousands of mainers I dont know,,not one of them asked me anything to do with religion, or politics...they may ask what part of maine im from... but that doesnt bother me...
live by the golden rule,,you will be fine,,
I LOVE both Wyoming and Maine, but they are very different places.
Wyomiing has far fewer people. You can definitely find sparsely populated areas of Maine, but unless you're up in the County, it doesn't feel as isolated. Wyoming has just under 600,000 people. Maine has 1.3 million --- and Wyoming is a bigger state.
Maine feels more forested. Wyoming's mountains are way, way bigger. What we call mountains in Maine wouldn't make a reputable foothill in the Tetons.
Wyoming has a more western culture. I don't remember the last time I saw a cowboy hat in Maine. You can't not see them in Wyoming.
Maine gets more snow. Wyoming has greater weather extremes. Wyoming is much dryer.
In Maine you're more likely to hit a moose with your car. But you have zero chance of being eaten by a grizzly.
But don't move to either because of politics. Both places have political extremes, but most folks are great, friendly people. Both states have very, very rich people, a lot of poor people, and a lot of people in between.
I LOVE both Wyoming and Maine, but they are very different places.
Wyomiing has far fewer people. You can definitely find sparsely populated areas of Maine, but unless you're up in the County, it doesn't feel as isolated. Wyoming has just under 600,000 people. Maine has 1.3 million --- and Wyoming is a bigger state.
But don't move to either because of politics. Both places have political extremes, but most folks are great, friendly people. Both states have very, very rich people, a lot of poor people, and a lot of people in between.
I hear this a lot, but just for what it's worth, the County is only about an hours drive from Bangor or Fredericton. And believe it or not, there are about 125,000 people within an hours drive of my house (granted that spans two countries but Canadians count as people too....
Now, Jackman, Rangely or Lubec.......THAT seems isolated!
I would think that the County is alot like Wyoming in many ways, based on my time in northern Colorado. True about the mountains, although we do have Mt. Katahdin.
I've lived in both, and loved them, but we don't like winter enough to make either one a permanent home.
Jackson can seem fairly isolated, even with all the outsiders coming in. That is a blessing, and a curse. I love wandering in the Gros Ventre, or along the Wind River range. But I also love to go to the Theater, or take in a symphony, or spend a day in the City, or Sailing.
If forced to choose between the two, I would probably choose Maine for the cultural offerings of living within an easy drive of Boston and New York.
I'm tired of the turning of a blind eye to welfare abuse, illegal immigration, corrupt healthcare, and a complete do as you want without any responsibility attitude in California.
Wyoming then.
Simple as that. You will find most of the livable parts of Maine (IE, the regions with jobs) to be as liberal as Massachusetts. And even if you don't move to those regions, the state is increasingly dominated by the people who live in them. Maine is a purple state on the verge of turning deep blue. People flee the conservative interior for lack of employment and a future, and flood the liberal south. If you didn't like the politics in California, you're not going to like what Maine is about to become.
*Edit* I'll also say this, since it bears mentioning: real mountains (IE, practically none of the ones on the east coast) have a more dramatic aesthetic impact than does the Atlantic Ocean. Real mountains (think the Tetons, the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada [at least from the east]) can be seen almost at all times when you are even modestly close to them. They dominate the horizon -- they captivate the imagination, and stir the spirit.
The ocean, on the other hand -- and particularly the Atlantic -- can only impact you when you are practically on top of it. For years I lived within five miles of the ocean in southern Maine. Because of the prevailing offshore breeze, you could rarely smell the sea... almost never hear it (occasionally we could during a big storm)... and you didn't really see it much. Unless your travels take you routinely to the beach, then even being in close proximity to the water doesn't matter. Thus, truly large mountains become a presence in our lives just by occupying the horizon.
Unless you own beachfront property, the ocean cannot accomplish the same feat. I would take mountains over the sea any day (and luckily in Washington State I do not have to choose... though I still have to put up with the socialists. Also, our ocean out here actually does impact daily life due to the on-shore flow).
Last edited by PrincessoftheCape; 02-05-2014 at 11:52 PM..
Hi Parducci --
I live in the Sun Valley area in Idaho (a couple hours drive from Jackson). It's an incredibly beautiful area, and I feel fortunate to live here. Beautiful mountains, rivers and creeks (fantastic fishing), loads of personal space, and wonderful people. One of the challenges I find in living here is that outside my little slice of heaven, cultural influence is severely lacking. So, I end up spending most my time in my quiet little community, which can sometimes feel too isolated. Moreover, the state is seriously red and conservative. I really didn't think that it would bother me much, but have found that over time, the lack of "acceptance" of folks and ideas to be pretty embarrassing. Again, my nuclear community is wonderful, but it's really just and island amongst conservatism.
Surprisingly, outside of my current area, no other place has captured my heart except the mid and northern coastline of Maine. To me, those areas offer a lot to folks. Incredibly beautiful seaside towns, hills meeting the sea, forever amounts of lakes and ponds (again, fantastic fishing), a wonderful farming culture, loads of arts/events/local activities. And, it's only a few hours drive from the mid-coast to major cultural centers, like Boston.
Idaho will always be in my heart, but I'm really excited on the next big chapter of my life -- living in Maine.
Simple as that. You will find most of the livable parts of Maine (IE, the regions with jobs) to be as liberal as Massachusetts. And even if you don't move to those regions, the state is increasingly dominated by the people who live in them. Maine is a purple state on the verge of turning deep blue. People flee the conservative interior for lack of employment and a future, and flood the liberal south. If you didn't like the politics in California, you're not going to like what Maine is about to become.
*Edit* I'll also say this, since it bears mentioning: real mountains (IE, practically none of the ones on the east coast) have a more dramatic aesthetic impact than does the Atlantic Ocean. Real mountains (think the Tetons, the Cascades, the Sierra Nevada [at least from the east]) can be seen almost at all times when you are even modestly close to them. They dominate the horizon -- they captivate the imagination, and stir the spirit.
I don't know what I and my neighbors are doing in a part of Maine that isn't livable.... guess we didn't get the memo. And the unemployment rate here in the County is 8%.
Katahdin is pretty majestic.....
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