Looking at far north Maine (Bangor, Augusta: fit in, mobile home, school districts)

[wanna_be_remote]

My wife and I are looking at far north Maine as a relocation possibility. We are sick of the gulf coast heat, over population, and ridiculous property taxes, and corrupt politicians (likely everywhere). We've been looking for about two years and we keep coming back to either Caribou or Presque Isle as the best location for us. We previously were looking at the Dakotas, Wyoming, north Idaho, Oklahoma, and Arkansas for similar reasons, but north Maine wins after hundreds of hours of research. Obviously we would make a trip up to ascertain the area. There are plenty of jobs for both of our professions, so this is not an issue. I have family near Augusta.
We like remote places that still have the basics to offer. We don't care about nightlife, museums, fantastic school sports programs, anything like that. If we can get bait, fishing/hunting tackle, pizza and burgers we're set. We're into fishing, hiking, hunting, outdoor stuff with our boys. Cold and snow are not issues for us. We've both lived in places where this is a regular feature.

Questions, please:

1. What are the real "boots on the ground" differences between Caribou and Presque Isle? Stats on various websites show more similarities than differences. Which city would you choose and why?

2. As an option, what about living in Mars Hill and driving to work in Caribou or PI? I imagine the roads are kept sufficiently clear to ensure commerce and travel during winter.

3. It's difficult to get solid data on how well schools perform. They seems to give the most generic data. Our boys are still in elementary school. How conservative/liberal are the local schools? This is huge for us. Homeschooling may be a thing for us if US schools continue their downward spiral. Where we are, the school bathrooms are going "gender neutral" and we are not in favor of this. So many other things wrong as well. My sons are severely ADHD and on a 504 plan. Anyone know how the schools in these areas are with kids with disabilities?

4. We are quietly solid Christian conservatives, but the southern states have lost their way in many respects. We are friendly to all, live and let live, but do want to be left to our own devices. We avoid the extreme political/partisan politics. We understand politics and do our best to avoid advertising our beliefs or pushing them on others. Again, live and let live.

5. How bad was the madness during the pandemic/lockdowns in far north Maine? It was often ridiculous here and heavy handed.

6. How good or bad are local municipal and property taxes?

[Kiwiluver]

As a North Carolina boy, you will not regret the move. I live in Washington County and could throw a rock off my deck into Canada. P.I. Has more stores than caribou from what I have seen such as Lowe’s and Chinese Freight. I’d live anywhere in Aroostock or Washington county. Do some digging around on this website. Maybe visit for a week in January or February I hope you like 7 month winters, maybe more.I’m in my workshop every night, I believe last night may have been 1st night I haven’t turned on the heat. It was 49 degrees here on July 10th. I lived in the Blue Ridge Mountain so I’m used to it at 4000 feet the weather is very similar most of the year. Good luck

[wanna_be_remote]

Thank you for the reply, Kiwiluver. Those temps sound great. The gulf coast ick for 9 months of the year is intolerable. I'd rather have 49 degrees than 100+. I rarely wear a jacket until the temps drop below about 35. People here look at me like I'm a lunatic. I look at them, bundled up like they're going to Hoth, at a mere 55 degrees. If I had to pick a perfect temperature range for comfort, it would be 45-65. I like winter very much, even down in the single digits. It's nature's reset button to kill off the nasty bugs. Here, the mosquitoes and gnats are non-stop for 9 months of the year. We rarely get freezes here, so there is no real reset. The air is thick with the worst humidity I've ever experienced. Just yesterday, it was 103 with humidity so bad, it was palpable to breath it in when walking the dogs. Your 49 would be very welcome.

[svband76]

Maine would serve you well, especially one of those 2 counties. I feel Maine though is/was way over the top with lockdowns and masks etc. Still. Just read Bangor Daily News. Gov Mills is in lockstep with pharma mentality. That's all I'll say about that it. At least Washington County is still pretty sane. More country conservative feel. Nice people. Unpretentious, unlike Bar Harbor, the Mid-Coast and the glossy Downeast Magazine types.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by wanna_be_remote

... We like remote places that still have the basics to offer.

Maine is mostly 'remote'.

... Which city would you choose and why?

I think it is kind of humorous to hear anyone talking about 'cities' in Northern Maine.

... I imagine the roads are kept sufficiently clear to ensure commerce and travel during winter.

I have found that Mainers are exceptionally good at maintaining drivable roads through the winters.

In my township they do not use salt on the roads. Salt costs too much and our taxes are low.

They scrape the snow/ice smooth level which has the effect of filling the potholes. The pavement may have a lot of potholes, but in winter the roads are smooth.

The only real problem is this makes it mandatory to maintain separate sets of summer tires and winter tires [studded]. You do not want to drive on smooth polished ice without studded tires.

... My sons are severely ADHD and on a 504 plan. Anyone know how the schools in these areas are with kids with disabilities?

We adopted a son who has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome [F.A.S.], we live in an Unorganized Township. When we took our son to the nearest high school, they went out of their way to offer him special ed programs.

Organized towns/cities have school districts that they fund. Their annual budget sets the school budget for the next fiscal year. Ordinarily there is nothing a school principal can do to increase their school budget.

A child from an Unorganized Township is called a 'tuition student'. Meaning that the state will pay the school an additional tuition for each 'tuition student'. Which has the effect of increasing the school budget by that amount.

At the time we did this the tuition was $9,000. What the high school principal saw when we first walked into his high school was the prospect of his budget going up by $9,000. Thus they were very excited to cater to a special needs student.

... We understand politics and do our best to avoid advertising our beliefs or pushing them on others. Again, live and let live.

I would imagine that you will fit in nicely.

... How bad was the madness during the pandemic/lockdowns in far north Maine? It was often ridiculous here and heavy handed.

Following the news, it sounded like other states certainly lost their minds during the planned-demic.

Maine being rural I did not see it much of that here.



Welcome to Maine

[wanna_be_remote]

svband76 and submariner, thank you for the info. In part, moving to a remote place like northern Maine has been long in coming for us. We are simply tired of being a part of a culture that has forgotten where it came from. I value tradition, traditional pastimes, simple living, and honesty. Down here it's anything but. There are small pockets of this left, but every year the developers push out, annexing smaller areas, and ruining the landscape with strip mall after strip mall. We live 5 miles outside of town in a small bedroom community. Within a year there will be no trees and no difference between us and the town. They just whacked about 2 miles worth of pines down on both sides to build two 55+ communities, one mobile homes and the other houses with a golf course. More is inbound. Our taxes are already insane and this will make it far worse. Coupled with the fact that the schools take our money and don't teach anything other than passing the standardized test nonsense and woke garbage, it's time to go. We still might home school our kids despite moving.

[BobTex]

Originally Posted by wanna_be_remote

My wife and I are looking at far north Maine as a relocation possibility.We are sick of the gulf coast heat, over population, and ridiculous property taxes, and corrupt politicians (likely everywhere).

Texas?

Originally Posted by wanna_be_remote

We like remote places that still have the basics to offer. We don't care about nightlife, museums, fantastic school sports programs, anything like that. If we can get bait, fishing/hunting tackle, pizza and burgers we're set. We're into fishing, hiking, hunting, outdoor stuff with our boys. Cold and snow are not issues for us. We've both lived in places where this is a regular feature.

You should look at the available waters in PI and Caribou, there is not a lot of it there comparatively to other regions/areas. And if subsistence fishing is a goal be aware that there are seasons for keeping some fish.

I am going to preface this with saying I obviously don't live in Maine (I have - Bangor), but i still travel there almost yearly to fish and I have fished over much of the state. Maine is blessed with fine fishing, in fact I've recommended to my fishing buddies many times it is worth a fishing vacation to go. Some areas have much more access to water, good fishing waters, than others. There is also a lot less fishing pressure by the natives than in the South.

If you are intent on being near the Canadian border, and it seems so, are you stuck in PI region? Princeton/Baileyville have great fishing with lots of differing waters especially the Grand Lake Stream flowage. Also not in the areas you mentioned but regions around Moosehead Lake and Millinocket offer supreme remoteness. Moosehead is one of my favorites. I think you should check into the areas, especially if you can work remotely! The outdoors opportunities are greater for your young ones IMO.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by wanna_be_remote

5. How bad was the madness during the pandemic/lockdowns in far north Maine? It was often ridiculous here and heavy handed.

It is maddeningly mad across the border into Canada .

Good luck with your move!

[ViKing8]

@wanna_be_remote Just found your thread - your mindset in very much in line with my husband & I. "Quiet Christian conservative" I like that! We have nearly all the same questions & concerns you have. We're looking to move back up north from FL. Been here for almost 2 years but my daughter is going to college in MA. With the madness in the world, we just want to be closer to her again & we are lakes & rivers and cold weather, heavy forest kind of folk too!

Haven't lived in ME, yet, but the North is calling us as well.

Wishing you the best and perhaps we'll be neighbors in a remote living kind of way!