Does Maine appeal to any young people these days? (Portland: job market, college)

[nep321]

I noticed that Maine has the highest median age of any state in the entire nation, with a median age of about 43 years old. I am 33 and live in Connecticut. I have visited Maine and think is a beautiful place and have even dreamed of living there. But why is the population skewed older than any state in the nation? Is it because young people don't like it? Is it brain drain? Or what? I don't get it. Maine is the cheapest New England state to live in, and is affordable in general. Is the job market just difficult? What are the reasons why the state doesn't have many young people?

Are there young enclaves throughout the state? Maybe Portland or something?

Next week I am planning a 2-3 day trip to Maine. I will be driving up by myself (if weather permits). I have been to the Portland area already, five years ago and loved it, but that was just the tip of the state. I want to explore much more of the coast all the way up through that Down East area or whatever it's called. I want to see Acadia National Park and Baxter National Park. I won't do any hiking though because I'm scared of moose, caribou and bears. Then I want to go allllllll the way up to Caribou and all the way to the end of U.S. 1. The whole area looks stunning just by looking on Google Maps. I think I will fall in love with it, since I'm a nature lover.

But anyway, how come the state lags far behind with young people? It kind of concerns me. I am currently unemployed and looking for an accounting job here in the Hartford, CT area, but may expand my search to the entire state of CT or heck, even all of New England soon (including ME), depending on how things go in the coming weeks. I'm sure ME would be an extreme culture shock though for someone from CT.

[woxyroxme]

The young people are in exile, they grow up in Maine, go off to college and end up taking jobs out of state. It's like the old saying goes "You gotta go where it sucks to make the bucks"

I don't live in Ohio because I like it here but I will be back in Maine as soon as I can get into a position where I can.

[LilyMae521]

You are going to be doing alot of driving if you try to cover all that territory in a 2-3 day trip. Maine is b-i-g.


From what I know, having family there, Portland area would be place for younger folks. But there are many knowledgeable posters here, they will probably weight in. Good luck.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by LilyMae521

You are going to be doing alot of driving if you try to cover all that territory in a 2-3 day trip. Maine is b-i-g.


From what I know, having family there, Portland area would be place for younger folks. But there are many knowledgeable posters here, they will probably weight in. Good luck.

So I'll make it 4 days then. I love driving anyway and am prepared to devote 3-5 hours of driving per day if necessary.

[massnative71]

Jobs, jobs, jobs. Maine's economy has eroded over the past 40 years to the point of where it's much dominated by service jobs, medical, and government/social services. On the other hand, what limited decent paying jobs remaining (ie. forestry) are not careers that young people have an interest in doing anymore. These kids grow up with the notion that "work" consists of joking around a cubicle all day long while then "going out for drinks" at some trendy bar every evening with their "fun" co-workers. We can blame modern culture and the media for that. So while there is still significant demand for some of these sectors, and they can be much more rewarding and better paying than some of these run-of-the-mill office jobs; there is no push to get the young kids into these majors or training programs. It just isn't "sexy" enough. So they go into fields where the prospects are better elsewhere, then much of what you have left are the dropouts who work at Walmart while spitting out 3 kids by the time they are 21. Portland would be an exception, there is more of a white collar economy there. But jobs there tend to be lower paying and more competitive than larger cities, and the COL is not low enough to make up the difference.

I'm sort of an anomaly, in that I moved up here from Mass. FOR employment (I'm in an atypical line of work).

If you plan on covering all that ground, you will find that it's a vast and very diverse state. It's nothing like the other 5 NE states really. Up here in The County, it might as well be a different planet from Portland and the southern part, which is very different from Down East which is very different from the Western Mountains. Baxter State Park is a must see, I wouldn't worry much about the wildlife. Thousands visit the park every year with no issue. They will not bother you if you don't bother them, but if you are really worried then keep in mind that Maine is a "conceal carry" state. Either way, it will be you loss for not taking advantage of the natural wonder that it is. Check out MDI and Acadia, maybe up the coast to the amazing town of Eastport, and then take Rte. 1 up north to Aroostook County. If you can, head up to the St. John Valley, it's a unique place even compared to the rest of the county.

Over on the west side, Moosehead Lake and the Rangely Lake regions would be a good start. Two very beautiful areas.

I cannot emphasize how vast ME is compared to a state like CT. If you have just been to Portland, you have barely seen the state at all.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by massnative71

Jobs, jobs, jobs. Maine's economy has eroded over the past 40 years to the point of where it's much dominated by service jobs, medical, and government/social services. On the other hand, what limited decent paying jobs remaining (ie. forestry) are not careers that young people have an interest in doing anymore. These kids grow up with the notion that "work" consists of joking around a cubicle all day long while then "going out for drinks" at some trendy bar every evening with their "fun" co-workers. We can blame modern culture and the media for that. So while there is still significant demand for some of these sectors, and they can be much more rewarding and better paying than some of these run-of-the-mill office jobs; there is no push to get the young kids into these majors or training programs. It just isn't "sexy" enough. So they go into fields where the prospects are better elsewhere, then much of what you have left are the dropouts who work at Walmart while spitting out 3 kids by the time they are 21. Portland would be an exception, there is more of a white collar economy there. But jobs there tend to be lower paying and more competitive than larger cities, and the COL is not low enough to make up the difference.

I'm sort of an anomaly, in that I moved up here from Mass. FOR employment (I'm in an atypical line of work).

If you plan on covering all that ground, you will find that it's a vast and very diverse state. It's nothing like the other 5 NE states really. Up here in The County, it might as well be a different planet from Portland and the southern part, which is very different from Down East which is very different from the Western Mountains. Baxter State Park is a must see, I wouldn't worry much about the wildlife. Thousands visit the park every year with no issue. They will not bother you if you don't bother them, but if you are really worried then keep in mind that Maine is a "conceal carry" state. Either way, it will be you loss for not taking advantage of the natural wonder that it is. Check out MDI and Acadia, maybe up the coast to the amazing town of Eastport, and then take Rte. 1 up north to Aroostook County. If you can, head up to the St. John Valley, it's a unique place even compared to the rest of the county.

Over on the west side, Moosehead Lake and the Rangely Lake regions would be a good start. Two very beautiful areas.

I cannot emphasize how vast ME is compared to a state like CT. If you have just been to Portland, you have barely seen the state at all.

If I go to Baxter, how long would it take to hike to the top of Mt. Kathadin? I only want to hike for maybe 1-2 hours max. If it's too long to hike up, are there any stunning spots around the base of the mountains that I can get some amazing photos?

[nep321]

Also, when I go, I think I'm gonna take U.S. 1 the entire way from the NH border all the way up to Fort Kent. That must be an incredibly amazing drive that goes through small towns, beautiful coastline, etc. Driving on interstate highways isn't as scenic, usually.

By the way, is Maine the type of state where the residents are constantly talking about moving to Florida and complaining about the winter weather? That is how Connecticut people are and it's so annoying. They don't appreciate the beauty and positive things that CT (also in New England) has to offer.

[BobNJ1960]

Originally Posted by nep321

So I'll make it 4 days then. I love driving anyway and am prepared to devote 3-5 hours of driving per day if necessary.

Might as well. Time is something you have plenty of.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by nep321

If I go to Baxter, how long would it take to hike to the top of Mt. Kathadin? I only want to hike for maybe 1-2 hours max. If it's too long to hike up, are there any stunning spots around the base of the mountains that I can get some amazing photos?

Katahdin is an all day deal. To get some good views, a good hike might be to park at the Roaring Brook Campground and from there hike up to Chimney Pond. But that is more 2-3 hours RT. There might be other/closer viewpoints that I'm not aware of.

Originally Posted by nep321

Also, when I go, I think I'm gonna take U.S. 1 the entire way from the NH border all the way up to Fort Kent. That must be an incredibly amazing drive that goes through small towns, beautiful coastline, etc. Driving on interstate highways isn't as scenic, usually.

I would skip at least the portion from NH to Brunswick. It's VERY slow and busy in the summertime, it would get old pretty fast. Your time would be better going a further distance on that first day. You could always make a side trip to Old Orchard or Ogunquit or whatever may interest you along the way.

Originally Posted by nep321

By the way, is Maine the type of state where the residents are constantly talking about moving to Florida and complaining about the winter weather? That is how Connecticut people are and it's so annoying. They don't appreciate the beauty and positive things that CT (also in New England) has to offer.

Yes and no. Many people move to FL, a lot of whom return for the summer (ie. snowbirds). I don't think many don't appreciate Maine for the beauty if offers, winters can be just very brutal. It honestly is a tough life, as people grow older some bodies are able to handle it better than others.

[maineguy8888]

I agree be very wary of Route 1 in the summer time, at least until you get past Brunswick or even Wiscasset. TERRIBLE traffic jams at times.
Chimney Pond is an amazing short hike; you are right down in the "bowl" of Katahdin, looking up at it.