What's Maine Like?

[lillybug0514]

I have always said that if I could not live in TX, I wanted to live in Maine. I'm not sure why I decided this but I did

Is anyone from here? What do you like most about it?

 

[2tim]

I have always said that if I could not live in TX, I wanted to live in Maine. I'm not sure why I decided this but I did

Is anyone from here? What do you like most about it?

I'm in Maine. I live on the coast, in a town called Brunswick - which is about half an hour north of Portland. You know those Norman Rockwell paintings of ideal New England living? He lived here for a time. And when you see the place you believe it.

There is a church on every corner.
People are kind to each other.
There's a lot of common sense here.
It's a mellow place.
There's lots of cool stuff to do. Outdoors stuff, fireside stuff, ocean lake and river stuff.

Here, the pine needles go down to the sea.
It's the best of both worlds.
It's how life should be.

It's cold here in winter. You have to be rugged to live here.
But if it wasn't like that, the place would be full of people.

Got some questions? I'll do my best to answer them!
2Tim

 

[lillybug0514]

Thanks tim that sounds amazing

I was thinking about taking a trip up there for a while

 

[Ur1AndOnly]

I have always said that if I could not live in TX, I wanted to live in Maine. I'm not sure why I decided this but I did

Is anyone from here? What do you like most about it?

Maine is beautiful..Its alittle windy and the ocean is freezen...but it has lots of nice places to visit...and beaches.

 

[2tim]

Oneandonly, are you in Maine too? What's your favorite thing about Maine? Mine is a thiing called "the gloaming". That's when the sun has set but the sky is light enough that the trees and the leaves look black. I love that the sound of the wind in the trees is the same as the sound of surf against the shore - and that we have both here.

God bless!
2Tim

 

[Angieh]

Hi!!!! Been in Maine 12 years now.... Originally from Upstat NY in the Finger Lakes also equally as beautiful.... Anyway, Maine truly is a treasure.... I'm in a little town about 25 miles from Portland, called Raymond..... I love the seasons and Maine certainly gives you an assortment of them..... Hope you enjoy your trip to Maine.... Angie

 

[larose]

I'm in Maine. I live on the coast, in a town called Brunswick - which is about half an hour north of Portland. Got some questions? I'll do my best to answer them! 2Tim

How hard is it to find work there?
My wife, daughter and i would really like to
move there. How expensive is it there? Rents?
Utilities? Food? Gas?

Just a few questions for you Tim.

In Christ Jesus,

chris

 

[Tier]

Hey-- I am in Maine too, my last year of high school.
For jobs, you could search for "maine" and "jobs". The situation is not bleak, but it is by no means booming.
Gas is about 2.85 at the moment, the highest it went was 3.25, during the storms. You could probably find it for 2.60.
Rent and property taxes are high, compared to a mid west state and relative to income, very high.

 

[2tim]

How hard is it to find work there?
My wife, daughter and i would really like to
move there. How expensive is it there? Rents?
Utilities? Food? Gas?

Just a few questions for you Tim.

In Christ Jesus,

chris

Finding work was aesy for my wife and I. And there seem to be plenty of jobs. I think that you one could move here quite easily if one does the research first - which is what we did. For instance, we rented a small house (like a cabin really) on 11 arces, with a huge state park as our only real neighbor, for $600/month. Now, this was out on an Island, so its a trade off - you will pay more in the city.

The cost of living here seems to be well calibrated to the wages that are available. And you can find anything from clerking in a convenient store to Law practices.

My advice is research the places you'd like to check out - it saves you a lot of driving. I would be happy to give you some suggestions if you give me more of an idea of what sort of lifestyle/environment you would be looking for.

2Tim

 

[larose]

Finding work was aesy for my wife and I. And there seem to be plenty of jobs. I think that you one could move here quite easily if one does the research first - which is what we did. For instance, we rented a small house (like a cabin really) on 11 arces, with a huge state park as our only real neighbor, for $600/month. Now, this was out on an Island, so its a trade off - you will pay more in the city.

Sounds wonderful, but what did you do for work?!
We're not really city folk.

The cost of living here seems to be well calibrated to the wages that are available. And you can find anything from clerking in a convenient store to Law practices.

My wife's a church secretary. i have a BS degree in
Industrial Mgmt., but since my conversion in 1990, i've
been drawn to helping people, ie, Hospice chaplain, job
coach for mentally ill, advocate, etc.

My advice is research the places you'd like to check out - it saves you a lot of driving. I would be happy to give you some suggestions if you give me more of an idea of what sort of lifestyle/environment you would be looking for. 2Tim

We are Catholics with Franciscan spirituality towards
simplicity. Living simply, to simply live. However, we do
like modern conveniences. We'd like to live up north
near coast, but probably no jobs up there. My email
address is: larose@slic.com


chris

 

[2tim]

Sounds wonderful, but what did you do for work?!
We're not really city folk.

When we moved I was in Security. I got a job as the security chief at the local hospital. Later i caught shoplifters undercover. My wife is in Human Resources. My wife is a converted city girl. I'm a Mainer trapped in a Massachusetts body.

My wife's a church secretary. i have a BS degree in
Industrial Mgmt., but since my conversion in 1990, i've
been drawn to helping people, ie, Hospice chaplain, job
coach for mentally ill, advocate, etc.

I recommend you look at an organization called "Sweetser" (not sure how that's spelled). In my position as chief of security, one of my main concerns was the safety and safekeeping of behavioral patients and my relationship with Sweetser revealed them to be a worthy organization. They are mental health workers.

We are Catholics with Franciscan spirituality towards
simplicity. Living simply, to simply live. However, we do
like modern conveniences. We'd like to live up north
near coast, but probably no jobs up there. My email
address is: larose@slic.com

Brunswick Maine, where I live is half an hour from the city. Nearby are many many simple locales. even the city is different than most. Indeed, there are farms in sight of the buildings in portland.

I will send you more information to your email addres tomorrow.
God bless,

2T

 

[HUBIE]

Larose,


Catholic Charities Of Maine might be a good fit for you as well. They are based in Portland but have outreach programs throughout the state. If you have your degree and background in Industrial Management there are plenty of opportunities in that field as well. We do more than build the worlds finest ships here! There are a good deal of smaller manufacturing facilities that specialize in some really unique products. We even have a company WOODEX that specialize in Wooden Bearings. Yeah, I said wooden. Maine is a very diverse place. I've been here over 20 years now, transplanted from Michigan. The only thing I wish were different here is the Humanistic bent of the majority of the population. All we can really do is let our light shine tho'! If you have any questions I can answer, ask.

Joe

 

[2tim]

Larose,


We do more than build the worlds finest ships here!

Hey, a note of interest: The USS Cole was built up the street from here, at Bath Iron Works. It is with great pride that I point out that though she took a mighty hit amidships - she did not sink. It was Providence, however, and not shipbuilding skill that put the majority of the crew in other areas when the explosion mashed the mess deck up against the deck above. Had it been chow time - the whole room full would have been crushed dead.

Thank you merciful LORD.

2T

 

[hippie]

I've lived in Southern Maine (York County) for 26 years; moved here from Chicago and New York before that.

Work is plentiful particularly in the summer. Most of the jobs are in the service industry although there are a lot of construction jobs available.

Rent can be high usually starting around $600/month (but I wouldn't live in 'em). A decent place is going to run in excess of $800 but most include heat which makes it a good deal. The problem is that you can get a mortgage for about what it costs in rent but then you have to pay your own heat.

The thing I really love about Maine is the weather; we have the best of it without getting the worst.

We've got mountains and lakes and the ocean; we've got Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring and Mud Season.

In the Spring when everything starts to bloom you'ld swear you were in heaven it gets so green so fast.

In the Summer it gets hot but we never get really long heat spells...maybe a week where it's above 90 and then it cools down. It averages around 75 - 80 from mid June through Labor Day and then cools off quickly.

If you want a thrill go for a ride in the Autumn and check out the colors on the trees. You haven't experienced Fall until you've spent one in Maine...and don't forget the cider at the apple mills.

During the winter get ready for cold and snow. Last year we had over 100 inches of the stuff. If you're into snowmobiling (I am) there's nothing quite like a trek across Maine on your sled

Then there's Mud Season...'nuf said about that except that it's short...maybe 3 weeks before Spring rolls back around

Come on up and visit

 

[Sapphira Opalistik]

I was born in Bangor and raised in Medway (Katahdin region - North Maine Woods) until I moved to Mass.

It's gorgeous, especially how the sun sets on Mt. Katahdin covered in mounds of snow, and it takes on the colours of the rainbow. The stars are so clear that sometimes one would think they could just reach up and rearrange them at will.

Summers are balmy; not too hot or cold. The leaves begin to change in August, and I even had snow a few times on my birthday! (9 October.) Indian Summer is my favourite time there.

The people are friendly, the food is incredible, both on the coast and in the north. (More seafood on the coast, more game in the north.) If you're a vegetarian, I totally suggest the Bangor-area.

I love the accent, and although I don't carry all of it anymore, I still call fried dough "dough boys", and "paahk my cah".

Errr! Now I miss it!!! I'm gonna hafta go up and visit family for Thanksgiving.

 

[hippie]

You should be aware that right now Mt Washington has almost 3 feet of snow on it and it is expected to snow tonight in the mountains!!

 

[MsJL]

Now this is a timely topic for me personally - my kids and I are moving to the Bangor area in late winter/early spring. (I'm in New Hampshire right now.)

Gotta tell you, compared to the cost of living in NH, Maine is VERY reasonable. At least from what I've seen in the Bangor area. Our previous house here in NH had property taxes at over $10,000 (I think they're at $12K now.) And a 2-bdrm, 1-bath house in a decent neighborhood can run you over $200K here.

We've been to the York beach area a few times, and Kittery, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be moving there permanently. It's just beautiful there.

How long a road trip is it from Bangor to a nice stretch of ocean?

 

[MsJL]

You should be aware that right now Mt Washington has almost 3 feet of snow on it and it is expected to snow tonight in the mountains!!

You from NH?

i heard the ski resorts are opening already.

 

[hippie]

You from NH?

i heard the ski resorts are opening already.

Nope...Southern Maine....Sugarloaf has 40 inches of snow from the last storm...and Mt Washington was up over 7 FEET !!!

 

[KristiXP]

Now this is a timely topic for me personally - my kids and I are moving to the Bangor area in late winter/early spring. (I'm in New Hampshire right now.)

Gotta tell you, compared to the cost of living in NH, Maine is VERY reasonable. At least from what I've seen in the Bangor area. Our previous house here in NH had property taxes at over $10,000 (I think they're at $12K now.) And a 2-bdrm, 1-bath house in a decent neighborhood can run you over $200K here.

We've been to the York beach area a few times, and Kittery, and I can't tell you how excited I am to be moving there permanently. It's just beautiful there.

How long a road trip is it from Bangor to a nice stretch of ocean?

MsJL, Bangor is actually fairly close to Bar Harbor, I'd say about an hour away. I love Bar Harbor but unfortunatly havn't been there for over a year! Acadia National Park is located there. Let me know when you move to Bangor, I live only 45 minutes away and actually work 15 minutes north of Bangor. If you ever need help getting to know the area, let me know!