Maine move from west coast

[boiselover]

Why not take a trip to boston or something like that if its cheaper it would be worth it?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by slyfox2

But no matter where you go in Maine, expect to pay through the nose for dental care. Where I came from in Mid Atlantic, a root canal was done by my local dentist for 400-700 bucks. In Maine, the local dentists won't do them and they send you to the endo guy. But for all of north of Augusta there is only one endo guy(in Brewer) and he charges about $2200 to $2500 for a root canal, and it takes a good 3 months to get an appointment. His base price is estimated at $1400, but everyone I've talked to says that is just to get you in there, and the real cost is above $2000. And a root canal is not exactly a sure thing. For $2500 you can have an implant which is a sure thing, and might be done in a hospital which might make it qualify for major medical.

About the same thing can be said for Urologists.

Bangor has one. It takes 6 months to get in to see him. In mid-August, at my annual check-up, my PSA was high, I got an appointment to see the EMMC urologist, next spring. Not happy with the delay, I looked around and I found a Urology center down in Rockport, that has a whole herd of these guys. I got an appointment in 2 days. Digital exam, followed by a biopsy, CAT scan, bone scan, surgery all done just boom - boom - boom, 2 days to a week delay between each step. In an 8 week span of time, I went from thinking I was healthy, to being diagnosed with cancer, to surgery, to now in recovery.

If I had stayed content with EMMC, I would not be seeing a urologist until April.

[CabinCritter]

Wow, sounds kind of like the dental and medical care around where I currently live in NC. Eventually when you get in to be seen it appears just to be a money trap to see what they can squeeze from you. Forget about a cure or fix for whatever ailment is happening. Chemo destroyed many of my teeth. Every time I go to a dentist they give me a hard time about pulling a tooth. They insist on root canal only. Umm ya, not going to do any good in my case...why on earth would I spend the money for a losing battle? Implants are my future. Way to go Submariner! You definitely have to take your care into your own hands these days.

I can't answer for Maine but oil prices in Mass were crazy when I lived there. My mom still lives there heating with oil. I told her she is coming to live with me when I have my home done. She really shouldn't be wasting her retirement money heating when she can still enjoy life. I'm planning to heat with wood when I move up that way in a couple years. I've been missing wood cook stoves for a long time now so that is my goal....even if it doesn't heat my entire home. The size of my home is yet to be determined but I'm trying to make sure heat can flow to all the necessary places. There are some interesting alternative heating options these days that are economical at least on paper.

[bigchuckie]

Avoid Lewiston/Auburn Portland is nice

[boiselover]

so general consensus is lewiston/auburn is terrible? Portland looks ideal the most similar to boise which I enjoyed living in and calling home. However would the commute not be terrible from portland to lewiston? distance wise its fine and I assume traffic is nothing like here in california but the weather would slow me down and make it a risky trip right? The job I hope to take is in lewiston and pays well compared to others. I'll visit and can't wait to provide some legitimate feedback as opposed to research and regurgitated opinions

[CabinCritter]

Originally Posted by boiselover

so general consensus is lewiston/auburn is terrible? Portland looks ideal the most similar to boise which I enjoyed living in and calling home. However would the commute not be terrible from portland to lewiston? distance wise its fine and I assume traffic is nothing like here in california but the weather would slow me down and make it a risky trip right? The job I hope to take is in lewiston and pays well compared to others. I'll visit and can't wait to provide some legitimate feedback as opposed to research and regurgitated opinions

It is always better to visit a potential living place than to go on advice of others. However, opinions and advice of others is often very helpful at least in certain ways. Perhaps there is a town just outside of there that will catch your fancy and leave you with a very short commute time. You can always head to one of the larger towns for medical/dental care. One with a good reputation at least until you find your favorite.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by boiselover

so general consensus is lewiston/auburn is terrible? Portland looks ideal the most similar to boise which I enjoyed living in and calling home. However would the commute not be terrible from portland to lewiston? distance wise its fine and I assume traffic is nothing like here in california but the weather would slow me down and make it a risky trip right? The job I hope to take is in lewiston and pays well compared to others. I'll visit and can't wait to provide some legitimate feedback as opposed to research and regurgitated opinions

no there are a few on here that have actually lived there and don't complain about it

ive never understood why others are so quick to dump on places they have never lived

augusta is another example that many dump on

its ignorance

I lived in auburn, near the turnpike exit and its a beautiful area

Lewiston has some very nice neighborhoods, but Lewiston in particular use to be a mill town, a powerhouse, with many many immigrants coming from away- and a lot of apartment housing and tenements
it is a city in transition now- no longer a mill town

Lewiston also gets a bad rap because many somalians came to the city a decade ago and caused an uproar


again,, if I worked in Lewiston, check out the neighboring towns - I like to be in the country,,,
check out, greene, leeds, Poland, minot, turner, sabattus, wales, Monmouth, Winthrop

[inthetrees]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

no there are a few on here that have actually lived there and don't complain about it

ive never understood why others are so quick to dump on places they have never lived

augusta is another example that many dump on

...

Have you driven thru Augusta in the last 5 years? It feels a lot more like a big city than rural Maine. There are many run down areas with no businesses; sure they are trying to improve this, but right now and as of a few years ago, I don't know anyone that would want to live in Augusta. Then again I moved to Maine to get away from big cities.

I despise driving thru the town, but that is mostly due to the condition of the streets and the traffic. In the winter time the city itself does a horrible job with the snow... Thankfully 80% of the population of the city voted to improve their streets last week.
I drive to Augusta about few times a month.

[maineguy8888]

I have never lived in Augusta but my sister does, and I go a fair amount. It's a weird city: some very nice things, and some truly awful areas.
As for Lewiston, it has had a bad reputation long, long before the Somalis started arriving.