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Old 12-30-2009, 05:11 PM
 
Location: Waldo County
1,220 posts, read 3,917,324 times
Reputation: 1414

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Quote:
Originally Posted by kattygirl27 View Post
ACADIANLION!

Hi we would be moving from Indiana. We would have 24m worth of income before moving. (I like to hedge my bets) As to my skills I can flip burgers, milk cows, wipe butts, sell, sell, sell, file, type, and I pick things up pretty quickly. Maines tiny population is one of the things that draws me to it. Oh and I have spent time in Oregon so I know that coastal towns outside of Cali and Florida have water too cold to swim in.
You have fifty percent of what you need in order to have a fighting chance of sticking it out in Maine: a CAN DO attitude.

BUT, there are problems. First of all, compared to wherever you are in Indiana, Maine is a very, very small economy, yet a very, very large territory....at least for the northeastern part of the country.

This presents a real problem for people coming here without gainful employment. The majority of the population lives in the southwestern most corner of the state, and the remainder is small towns....by small towns I mean the third largest city in Maine is Bangor, with about 35,000 people, and the rest of the towns go down from there. That means that there is little opportunity for work. That's the bad news.

and in some ways the news gets worse. If you need health insurance, it will be very expensive for you here, and even if you get work, it is highly likely that there will not be health insurance included as a benefits package.

Study hard and long, and read as much as you can about Maine before you try to leap. It's a tough place unless you have all the wrinkles ironed out before you cross the border.
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Old 12-30-2009, 05:15 PM
 
Location: Waldo County
1,220 posts, read 3,917,324 times
Reputation: 1414
Your "can do" attitude bodes well for you. But remember in a big state with a small population and small economy, there are a lot of people here with limited skills who will be happy to do most anything and do. And they are here ahead of you.
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Old 12-31-2009, 09:14 AM
 
Location: Caribou, Me.
6,928 posts, read 5,856,320 times
Reputation: 5251
Quote:
Originally Posted by kattygirl27 View Post
Did I forget to mention the part where we want no one around? Do you think summer pay would be able to keep us a float the rest of the year if we really only need a good 10K a year to make it?

You'd find it difficult to have solitude near the coast in the summer. Plus it's expensive to live near the coast. Summer jobs don't pay great.
Maine is great but winters can be hard....especially if you're struggling to just survive. (Been there done that).
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Old 12-31-2009, 09:35 AM
 
Location: South Portland, Maine
2,356 posts, read 5,693,982 times
Reputation: 1536
Quote:
Originally Posted by kattygirl27 View Post
Did I forget to mention the part where we want no one around? Do you think summer pay would be able to keep us a float the rest of the year if we really only need a good 10K a year to make it?
What are your projections..or solutions for expenses

housing
food
healthcare
ect.
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Old 12-31-2009, 02:53 PM
 
Location: In my own world
879 posts, read 1,719,995 times
Reputation: 1031
Hi, Mainers! I'm trying to decide where to relocate to, and I've narrowed it down to Alaska and Maine- I think. I've been curious about Maine for years, and have known a few nice people from there. I have questions similar to the original poster. My interest would be to move to Maine, buy an affordable parcel of land (in due time) at least 5 acres in size, and build a very small house, and put up greenhouses for plants.

I am completely turned off with what is happening in my home state of WA. The overbuilding, raping of the land, and overpopulation have become too much for me. We have TONS of people coming in from all over, many from the east coast (Boston, etc.). I want to go where the people are NOT going. I will need to find work when I get there. I have a lot of skills, am really a jack of all trades type, and am not super picky in terms of pay. I am not into materialism, so as long as I can afford food for myself and my dog, things are ok. I have a great work ethic, am never late or absent, and wonder how difficult it is to find a job. I've built houses, worked at a bank, run plant nurseries, was a bell captain while going to college- you name it. I'd love to have a few part time jobs, and I prefer working for small businesses, multi-tasking. I can repair a building one day, and cook a meal the next! Any ideas on where in Maine I might want to focus my energies? I'd like to not be far from the water as that's one of my favorite things about my home state of WA, and something I'll really miss. As long as it's within an hour's drive, I'll be fine. Thanks for reading!

Last edited by NomadicBear; 12-31-2009 at 03:12 PM..
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Old 12-31-2009, 03:02 PM
 
52 posts, read 212,439 times
Reputation: 28
Apparently from what they keep saying it would be better to go to Alaska. I don't need much out of life in terms of material things but I do need to be able to keep a roof over my head and my husband fed.
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Old 12-31-2009, 03:32 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,239 posts, read 60,963,154 times
Reputation: 30128
We were once in that position.

We looked a lot at Alaska. We choose Maine.

I think that Maine is much better.

But we came here with a bit of cash, so I was able to buy some land and get started building a house; before our cash ran out.

Now with my pension and a p/t job we are doing fine. The house is not finished, but it would not have been finished even if we had gone to Alaska.

Anyone who is thinking of Maine really needs to come to Maine and see for yourself.
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Old 12-31-2009, 03:38 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,239 posts, read 60,963,154 times
Reputation: 30128
Quote:
Originally Posted by NomadicBear View Post
Hi, Mainers! I'm trying to decide where to relocate to, and I've narrowed it down to Alaska and Maine- I think. I've been curious about Maine for years, and have known a few nice people from there. I have questions similar to the original poster. My interest would be to move to Maine, buy an affordable parcel of land (in due time) at least 5 acres in size, and build a very small house, and put up greenhouses for plants.
Maine does have some very affordable bare land.

The regs here make it very easy to build your own house.

The growing seasons are fairly unreliable. But it works.

Our diet is shifting more and more to foods that we produce.

If you can maintain a minimum-wage income stream [or two], a family can make it in Maine.

Health coverage is a major problem, but it would be a problem anywhere.



Quote:
... I am completely turned off with what is happening in my home state of WA. The overbuilding, raping of the land, and overpopulation have become too much for me. We have TONS of people coming in from all over, many from the east coast (Boston, etc.). I want to go where the people are NOT going. I will need to find work when I get there. I have a lot of skills, am really a jack of all trades type, and am not super picky in terms of pay. I am not into materialism, so as long as I can afford food for myself and my dog, things are ok. I have a great work ethic, am never late or absent, and wonder how difficult it is to find a job. I've built houses, worked at a bank, run plant nurseries, was a bell captain while going to college- you name it. I'd love to have a few part time jobs, and I prefer working for small businesses, multi-tasking. I can repair a building one day, and cook a meal the next! Any ideas on where in Maine I might want to focus my energies? I'd like to not be far from the water as that's one of my favorite things about my home state of WA, and something I'll really miss. As long as it's within an hour's drive, I'll be fine. Thanks for reading!
Any of the Unorganized Towns [which means 52% of Maine].

We have water, 1/4 mile of riverfrontage.
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Old 12-31-2009, 04:11 PM
 
Location: In my own world
879 posts, read 1,719,995 times
Reputation: 1031
Thank you, forest beekeeper. You don't know it, but I've read hundreds of your posts over the years. In fact, you seem like someone I'd like as a friend. I think I'm interested in the same thing you have already done. I have all the skills, and most of the tools, needed to build my own house. The only thing I'd need is an electrician to install the panel and sign off on the work. My preference is an A-frame with a loft, built out of wood milled on site, but I'm not sure I'd find a parcel with the timber needed. Thanks for the response!
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Old 12-31-2009, 04:29 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,239 posts, read 60,963,154 times
Reputation: 30128
Quote:
Originally Posted by NomadicBear View Post
Thank you, forest beekeeper. You don't know it, but I've read hundreds of your posts over the years
So your like a stalker then?





Quote:
... In fact, you seem like someone I'd like as a friend. I think I'm interested in the same thing you have already done. I have all the skills, and most of the tools, needed to build my own house. The only thing I'd need is an electrician to install the panel and sign off on the work.
They brought the powerline in 100 feet from the transformer alongside my driveway, set a pole and mains breaker, it cost me $700.

NMLM came out and dug a trench from the pole to our house [He is really nice, it would be hard to find a better neighbor].



Quote:
... My preference is an A-frame with a loft, built out of wood milled on site, but I'm not sure I'd find a parcel with the timber needed. Thanks for the response!
We looked at A-frames. My parents had one.

It appeared that a steel warehouse is cheaper per square foot, then most other forms of building [and I do like high ceilings, it is a personal thing], so we choose a warehouse.

Fortunately it was very easy for a single guy to e-r-e-c-t the building.

You could cut your own timber, I have seen the setups. I have known guys who have done that too.

Good luck.
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