Searching for a good area, inputs please (Portland, Augusta: 2015, cheap home)

[DeanGuitarist]

We're still looking into Maine. Never been to Maine, but it has been calling me for years. I know it may sound odd, can't explain it. Read about the state, saw beautiful pictures in magazines and on television... it is just pulling me. I've read a whole lot of Maine in these forums. But the thing is, I don't know where to start looking.

We're looking for a town that does have jobs. I've read that it's hard to make a living in Maine. My wife and I are no strangers of work. We're not willing to live in town though. Out in the rural area, where we can grow and raise gardens and some livestock.

I've posted in this forum before...

To give you an idea of where we are looking, say...Augusta and north. Not interested in Portland, only for sight seeing day trips. And the cost of living is a huge turn off.

We're outdoorsy, fishing is a great time for us. I do the hunting, so it's going to be a new experience for me there. And I have to look into the laws...

We're not scared of the snow. I know you guys get plenty of it. It's something we actually are looking forward to having. And yes, a real "white Christmas". We're tired of going outside here and sweating after our Christmas dinner.

I've read about mosquitoes and black flies. From Louisiana, this is no problem. I think our state insect is the mosquito. If not, it SHOULD be!!

I'll be checking in every other day.

I hope yall have a great day and upcoming week.

Ohh...one other thing...any places with drive in movies? We would love to experience this in our lifetime...

[DeanGuitarist]

Don't worry about the drive in. Found some. Wife wants to go to the one in Saco..

[LilyMae521]

I also know from news reports that unemployment in Maine is very low, although not sure how that would apply to you.
Good luck. I say go for it!

[LilyMae521]

Lost the first part of my post above, here it is - I know the feeling about Maine, but I think before folks here will be able to help you they will need more specifics, like jobs, housing, amount of land, budget. From my perusing, the Ellsworth area seems to get lots of good reviews.

[gf2020]

What kind of work do you and your wife do now?

I would start with finding jobs first and then find a place to live that makes sense based on where you are working.

[kevin5098]

When we moved back to Maine we started out in Southern Aroostook. We moved south for jobs to supplement my pension and ended up buying a house and a couple of acres in western York County. There is plenty of room here to raise a garden and some animals. I can shoot and hunt in my back yard and there is some excellent fishing in the area. As aging baby boomers (early 60s) it's nice to have access to nearby medical care. Since re-retiring I found a part time job at a big box outdoor store that is fairly close.

Guess the point of this response is that Southern Maine also has plenty of opportunities for rural living and lots of job opportunities. Good luck in your search and it sounds like you will be happy in Maine no matter which part of the state you settle in.

[DeanGuitarist]

Originally Posted by LilyMae521

Lost the first part of my post above, here it is - I know the feeling about Maine, but I think before folks here will be able to help you they will need more specifics, like jobs, housing, amount of land, budget. From my perusing, the Ellsworth area seems to get lots of good reviews.

I'm a career firefighter, she works in an elderly home, work consist of laundry and housekeeping. She wants to go all in and begin schooling for cna/lpn.

Budget is not too great. We're looking into some old cheap homes on a few acres. Something that we could fix and not run down. We're able to see old sparks left in homes and bring back that shine.

[DeanGuitarist]

Originally Posted by gf2020

What kind of work do you and your wife do now?

I would start with finding jobs first and then find a place to live that makes sense based on where you are working.

It would be hard to find a job now, since we're in Louisiana. We're looking to basically start our lives over and just look ahead when we get there.

[kevin5098]

Originally Posted by Ddhanks

I'm a career firefighter, she works in an elderly home, work consist of laundry and housekeeping. She wants to go all in and begin schooling for cna/lpn.

Budget is not too great. We're looking into some old cheap homes on a few acres. Something that we could fix and not run down. We're able to see old sparks left in homes and bring back that shine.

As of 2015 statistics, Maine had the highest median age of the 50 States. There should be plenty of jobs for cna/lpn here. Have you searched for properties on Zillow or Trulia? We found both of the properties we purchased here online, then contacted a buyers agent for assistance.

[DeanGuitarist]

Originally Posted by kevin5098

When we moved back to Maine we started out in Southern Aroostook. We moved south for jobs to supplement my pension and ended up buying a house and a couple of acres in western York County. There is plenty of room here to raise a garden and some animals. I can shoot and hunt in my back yard and there is some excellent fishing in the area. As aging baby boomers (early 60s) it's nice to have access to nearby medical care. Since re-retiring I found a part time job at a big box outdoor store that is fairly close.

Guess the point of this response is that Southern Maine also has plenty of opportunities for rural living and lots of job opportunities. Good luck in your search and it sounds like you will be happy in Maine no matter which part of the state you settle in.

Thank you. I was thinking that southern Maine may have more opportunities to work. Even though we're not 100% set on area, south could be in the game. I can shoot and hunt in my back yard now. That feeling I never tire of! We'll find happiness. I'm sure of it. Right now, we're sick of Louisiana. Been here our lives, travelled all over. It's like a black veil here. When it's like that, I guess it's time to follow our dreams and beckon the call that's called for so so long..