Big Dilemma: Maine, Montana or WV = relocate? (Portland, Caribou: low income, crime)

[movintime]

Ok, speaking from the heart -- we're torn over these 3. Maine has the ocean (near E.port yet cost & crime there an issue -- maybe not now -- but seems in future as society denegertes). Montana is so out-there it'd take sateliite for our family/friends to find/visit often. WV is best of both -- as it is cheaper than both, warmer winter & low cost heating, more central to east/west & southern US for family & friends -- yet due to coal, etc. is unhealthiest via diabetes/heart/cancer, etc. issues.

I know you think I nuts, haha, I must be -- as daddy long ago once said, "why don't you be a lawyer or doc when you growup rather than work for a living?", haha) -- but can offer me guidance. I know mensaguy is WV & E.port familiar. Some are from leftcoast as Sub is. Other folks are NE USA based since birth. So even you southerns from NC/SC/GA/FL, have good input here as to if & why Maine, vs WV or way out west like MT or even Idaho (though cost in ID is too high & too near leftcoast & the imminent Cali migration inward).

Ok, I'll get popcorn out & wait til this thread goes berserk, haha. Please be kind as my mind is startin' to go -- I think, hehehe.

[seasallyttle]

Wow. Maine, Montana and West Virginia are each really different Will you have to work? What are your top three priorities in a new place?

[TheKezarWoodsman]

ive been looking at maine and montana, i will say maine seems easier on the economic factor, and cost of living. However, if you hunt for meat, or are a trapper/hunter/offgrid kind of person you could easily get your yearly meat supply in montana, not so much in maine it looks.

[slyfox2]

You sound like a Montana type person.

[TheKezarWoodsman]

who me or the op?

[mensaguy]

Originally Posted by movintime

Ok, speaking from the heart -- we're torn over these 3. Maine has the ocean (near E.port yet cost & crime there an issue -- maybe not now -- but seems in future as society denegertes). Montana is so out-there it'd take sateliite for our family/friends to find/visit often. WV is best of both -- as it is cheaper than both, warmer winter & low cost heating, more central to east/west & southern US for family & friends -- yet due to coal, etc. is unhealthiest via diabetes/heart/cancer, etc. issues.

I know you think I nuts, haha, I must be -- as daddy long ago once said, "why don't you be a lawyer or doc when you growup rather than work for a living?", haha) -- but can offer me guidance. I know mensaguy is WV & E.port familiar. Some are from leftcoast as Sub is. Other folks are NE USA based since birth. So even you southerns from NC/SC/GA/FL, have good input here as to if & why Maine, vs WV or way out west like MT or even Idaho (though cost in ID is too high & too near leftcoast & the imminent Cali migration inward).

Ok, I'll get popcorn out & wait til this thread goes berserk, haha. Please be kind as my mind is startin' to go -- I think, hehehe.

Crime is not an issue in Downeast Maine. If you think it is, you're getting your news from a bad source. Get a subscription to The Quoddy Tides and read the police reports. Sometimes they are pretty funny. Besides the Eastport police, they also have reports from the county sheriff and the State Police.

Electricity does cost less in West Virginia than it does in Maine, but you're going to use a LOT more of it. You use it to cool your house in the summer. It's really not optional. When you have weeks upon weeks with afternoon temperatures in the low 90s, nighttime lows around 70, and humidity over 80%, air conditioning your home is mandatory, and it is expensive to operate. I don't know anybody in Downeast Maine that has central air conditioning in their home. West Virginia is not an inherently unhealthy place to live. It is true that Huntington is one of the nation's unhealthiest populations, but that has nothing to do with coal. It is because people there are (by population) the most overweight (leading to the stats on diabetes and heart disease). West Virginia also has a large percentage of the population who smoke. These things have nothing to do with the existence of coal mines. If you move to West Virginia as a non-smoker with normal body weight, your health risks are no higher than they would be in Maine or Montana.

West Virginia and Maine have quite a few similarities, although they are not quite as obvious as front page news.

Make your decisions based on facts, not Internet rumors.

[gf2020]

Where are you now and what do you find appealing about those 3 states that would cause you to move?

Depending on your political leanings, source of income and healthcare requirements there may be better states to choose from.

[OpinionExperience]

Originally Posted by movintime

Ok, speaking from the heart -- we're torn over these 3. Maine has the ocean (near E.port yet cost & crime there an issue -- maybe not now -- but seems in future as society denegertes). Montana is so out-there it'd take sateliite for our family/friends to find/visit often. WV is best of both -- as it is cheaper than both, warmer winter & low cost heating, more central to east/west & southern US for family & friends -- yet due to coal, etc. is unhealthiest via diabetes/heart/cancer, etc. issues.

I know you think I nuts, haha, I must be -- as daddy long ago once said, "why don't you be a lawyer or doc when you growup rather than work for a living?", haha) -- but can offer me guidance. I know mensaguy is WV & E.port familiar. Some are from leftcoast as Sub is. Other folks are NE USA based since birth. So even you southerns from NC/SC/GA/FL, have good input here as to if & why Maine, vs WV or way out west like MT or even Idaho (though cost in ID is too high & too near leftcoast & the imminent Cali migration inward).

Ok, I'll get popcorn out & wait til this thread goes berserk, haha. Please be kind as my mind is startin' to go -- I think, hehehe.

I wouldn't worry so much about the health difference. It is an indicator of the overall life style of the residents. Air Quality is more an issue in big cities.

Weather is a bigger issue. Extreme heat or Cold I think could cause more problems with your health.

I live in New Jersey and recently moved back from a lengthy time living in Maine. All the friends I made in Maine either moved there from out of state or were raised there and lived all over the world at some time which made them a lot more accepting of outsiders.

I worked with someone while in Maine that moved there from Bozeman MT. After two years he moved back to Bozeman. My sister lived in Montana and Wyoming for several years and loved it. She is a traveler and has lived all over the world but still favors Montana. I have been there several times and liked the people and the communities.

I have been to Virginia several times and know many people that vacation there. Vacationing there isn't a good gage of the state but I had a good feeling. West Virginia I have heard isn't that welcoming of outsiders either and is very low income.

If you want the Ocean I would lean towards Virginia. Montana for the country. The people in Maine aren't that inviting. Caribou or southern Maine any town Portland south I found the friendliest. Even the people I know in both areas said the same thing.

[TheKezarWoodsman]

i will say maine gets cold in winter up north, but summers statewide seem to be 70-80 degree, with about 0 to -20 degrees in winter. However in montana it seems to get as cold in winter (ive heard -30 to -40 degrees at night) with summers being 90 to 100 degrees. Thats one thing maine has going for it for me (70 is about my heat limit, have not reached my cold tolerance yet living in MA).

Submariner has stated before the mountains in maine is easier for handicapped/retired people due to the appilacions being less steep than the unforgiving rockies (Win for health, Possible loose for scenery, but thats depatable)

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by mensaguy

Electricity does cost less in West Virginia than it does in Maine, but you're going to use a LOT more of it. You use it to cool your house in the summer. It's really not optional. When you have weeks upon weeks with afternoon temperatures in the low 90s, nighttime lows around 70, and humidity over 80%, air conditioning your home is mandatory...

Oh, man, if it were just a little bit warmer, and a little bit more humid, that weather would be just about perfect...no A/C needed.

I spent a few weeks in Miami and Houston this past July/August. 100+ during the days, high 80s at night, it was great!