What's Maine like?

[XemaSab]

To live, I mean.

[mainegreen]

1. Fantastic.

:D

[XemaSab]

3. Even in the winter?

:scared:

How long does winter typically last, and is it cold and snowy all winter, or merely cool for part of the season? :shrug:

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

23. Winter ranges any where from end of Nov to beginning of April.

You will probably have to heat your home for half of the year. Some winters are very snowy and others aren't so much.

[DS1]

2. Cold

obviously. but the coast is pretty enough

[Maine-ah]

61. it is beautiful, I live right on the coast.

2 fabulous things about living on the coast is that it is warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

Downside?

we depend too much on the tourist industry to survive.

[madinmaryland]

4. Two seasons...

Winter and Mosquitos.

[boilerbabe]

37. Hahaha, that is true!! But...

Don;t forget blackflies, which are probably only found in Maine (or at least the part that I am from)! Maine is beautiful, but in some places, very econonically depressed. I grew up in a paper mill town that has now turned to tourism (Millinocket, just outside of Baxter State Park--home of Mt. Katahdin). I now live in CT, but go up to visit family and friends at least once a year.

And don't forget the moose!! Awesome critters:)

[madinmaryland]

70. Heh. I had forgotten about those!

I lived in CT for about 20 years before moving to MD. Mostly in Fairfield County (Danbury & Norwalk).

[freethought]

5. Maine can be a fantastic place to live, however

there are some drawbacks and things one should consider if one is contemplating moving there.

I lived there from 2002 to 2008, in an area known as the "mid-coast". This area is the region that, for the most part, is around the Kennebec River-Bath, Brunswick, Wiscasset. If you like a coastal flavor to your living this is the place for you! I also spent some time around Maine's biggest city and economic center, Portland, also a great place to live.

The problem with Maine is the difficulty in finding good jobs, these were difficult to find even in the best of times. I would rather not think about how hard it is now. Given this reason, many of Maine's young people are leaving the state to seek employment opportunities elsewhere. Those that are coming into the state to live tend to be retirees. My late parents were part of this movement into Maine. If one goes far inland or way up the coast the employment situation becomes even harder. Parts of Maine can be a hardscrabble existence.

Maine is about to loose it's biggest employer, Bath Iron Works. This outfit has been cranking out U.S. Navy destroyers for many years but its run is coming to a close, losing out to other outfits in the southern U.S. The main shipyard may have closed already.

The cost of living may also be a consideration as well. Like previous posters said, the winters are long and cold. The tourists during the late spring and summer may also drive one totally bonkers.

If you can make a living there, by all means check the place out. However, I feel obligated to inject some information so one has an accurate idea of what to expect.

[XemaSab]

6. There is a remote possibility that I may get a job there

I'd like to do my homework first.

My biggest concern is the winter. I've visited in summer and winter, and the two weeks I was there in the winter were BRUTAL. :scared:

[Gormy Cuss]

12. Winter is not bad on the southern coast -- less cold, less snow.

Elsewhere it will freeze your Redding toes off, but if you're living there you'll have a chance to acclimate better than on a visit. I never wore gloves in Maine unless the temps were below 30 degrees, for example. It just isn't cold when you gradually build up to it. Interior and northern Maine can be quite cold and snowy.

Spring is short but glorious, summer is rarely hotter than about 80-85 degrees, and fall is beautiful.

[boilerbabe]

40. In July, the summers can get hotter and more humid,though

and there are always some great thunderstorms, too! And you can see the Northern Lights from a lot of places in Maine! Plus, they sell beer on Sundays!!

[GreenPartyVoter]

13. Yeah, it can be brutal but the scenery is a great trade-off. And depending on where in the state you

are you can still find ways of amusing yourself. :)

[boilerbabe]

41. Yeah! As long as there is a library, I'm OK....n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

69. We have nice libraries. And whatever they don't have they can get on inter-library loan. :^)

[boilerbabe]

39. Yes, Xema, the winters there are brutal unless you are on the coast

where it might not be as bad (in comparison). Last winter was pretty brutal to all of us in New England,but I think Maine beat us as far as snowfall. You do get used to it after a while, though and depending on what your living situation is, you might just never want to leave! Just dress warm (but beware of overheated houses, so dress in easy to remove layers when out visiting!), and invest in a few tanning salon sessions to get rid of the seasonal affective disorder. As long as you have a good job, a decent place to live, and make some friends, you should do very well!

[GreenPartyVoter]

72. Cold on the coast, but the mountains have it BAD. I can remember in college tanning in late spring

next to monster-sized snowbanks behind my dorm. :P

[freethought]

75. Well that's good news!

If you're able to find good employment in Maine that's a big piece of the battle. A great many posters have said it right. On the coastline, the weather is a bit milder, the ocean makes it a little cooler in summer and less cold in the winter. Inland however, winters can be out and out brutal and in summers you get acquainted with the Maine state bird-the Black Fly. If the job is in the general Portland area you're golden!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

18. The information of about BIW is incorrect.

That company is not going out of business or even close to it. The main shipyard is in full operation.

[boilerbabe]

42. I am glad to hear it..was getting worried ...

I have friends that work there and I think they are linked up with Electric Boat down here in CT,but am not sure. Seems to me that I heard that BIW was adjusting their manufacturing capabilities to match current demand, so your news is welcome to me!

[freethought]

76. Really! That's nearly a 180 degree turnaround

from when I left Maine in 2002. The town of Bath had pretty much resigned itself that the shipyard would be closing and were wondering what they were going to do after the shutdown.

That's great news!

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

22. I was born and raised in Maine... moved away after college...

but moved back 3 years later. I love it here!!! It's a great place for raising kids. I love hiking and camping here in the summer time too. I feel like this state is somehow a part of who I am and I just wouldn't feel right if I wasn't living here.

[TK421]

28. With little money, and not much vacation time on my hands, my dream is

to go to Maine...who knows, even live there one day. I've had relatives who have been up there describing it, and man what I wouldn't give for just a week of some peace and fucking quiet! Problem is...I'm sure many tourists are looking for that same thing there

[boilerbabe]

51. True, but there are places where you can still get away

It's best to know someone up there you can visit. If you have enough money, you can get a house up there very inexpensively if you go to the right places. My grandmother just passed away and I think her house went for like $30,000 (not sure). I can't sleep when I'm up there--it's too quiet!!!!

[boilerbabe]

44. Where did you grow up?

Are you living in the same area? I'm from Millinocket, went to school in Portland years ago. I moved to CA in 1980 and came back in '94, but am now in CT. But I go up to visit friends and family anywhere between Portland to Millinocket. I would live there, but the hometown is just too far away from civilization. Yes, the summers there (and the fall) are awesome!! A tent, cooler full of beer, and some good bug dope, all set!!

[boilerbabe]

38. I agree, the economy there sucks unless you are already rich!!

And all of the summer homes (what we natives used to call "camps") are now priced out of our range. The entire state will eventually consist of rich vacationers and the lower income people that serve them if something isn't done about this. Most of my friends in Millinocket got laid off due to the mill's downsizing/shutdowns, etc. The way of life that we were once accustomed to is gone. I now live in CT and will probably stay here as long as I have a decent job.

[GreenPartyVoter]

68. It's already like that in Castine. :^( Few locals. Few people fish in this town. The old accent is

dying out. And the houses are definitely priced way the heck out of our range. If you don't inherit family homes or land you are SOL unless you live in Milbridge. And out there you wouldn't have a job so still couldn't afford a $90K house.

[freethought]

77. Castine and Camden

Castine is still home to Maine Maritime as far as I remember. If you want to see some old yankee money go to Camden, just further up old Route 1.

[GreenPartyVoter]

78. MMA is still here. Camden is in a race to be the next Bar Harbor, if I recall. Lots of shops,

galleries, restaurants. Not that it's bad but it's different from the local color of yesteryear. Heck, Deer Isle and Stonington are going the same way, but as long as they remain working towns they should be able to hang on to some of their earlier flavor.

[Maine-ah]

62. BIW closing?

first I've heard of it. I googled and didn't find anything about BIW closing.

Defense secretary coming to tour Bath shipyard
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=257645&ac=PHbiz

In a telephone interview Wednesday night, Collins said Gates' visit is important to the shipyard's future because he will have a major say in how many Navy destroyers are built – and where – in the years ahead.

Gates, who has never visited BIW, is recommending in his upcoming budget that Bath build all three DDG-1000 destroyers – the only ships to be built in a new line of surface combatants known as the Zumwalt line – before embarking on construction of more Arleigh Burke destroyers.

[bluedigger]

7. Nine months of winter

and three months of lousy skiing!:rofl:

I agree with most of what has already been posted. I grew up there and Maine is one of the most beautiful states in the Union! Do not move there unless you have a job lined up, or are independantly wealthy! The economy sucks! It is the northern end of Appalachia, after all, for better and worse. Bath Iron Works is not dead yet, however!

The only Republican supporters of President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, Maine Sens. Olympia Snow and Susan Collins, will benefit from Gates’ recommendation that all three DDG-1000 Zumwalt destroyers be built at General Dynamics’ Bath Iron Works. Collins released a late-afternoon statement enthusiastically endorsing the decision. “This is incredibly welcome news for Maine,” Collins said. “I worked hard to convince the president and the Navy to include full funding for a third DDG-1000 in the budget.”

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/PROG04079.xml&headline=DDG-51%20and%20LCS%20Winners%20In%20Gates%20Budget

Collins and Snow may not be our pols, but they are good ones - they didn't cross their party lines for nothing!

[boilerbabe]

45. Excellent!

I always figured that Olympia (I don't know Susan Collins--was gone by then) would do what is right regardless of party politics. I also figured that BIW was somehow attached to GD, which is also the parent company of our local sub manufacturer here in CT (Electric Boat). Glad to hear that they both have been saved from the downsizing!!

I agree that the economy sucks--it is not so bad where I am living now, but my hometown (Millinocket) has pretty much gone under and rich Flatlanders have vultured all the pickings (hardly anyone there has their camps anymore--my family included). It's sad. I am hoping that maybe my hometown can attract some sort of major industry, since they were a mill town and once the mill is gone (it has been shut down, downsized, raped, looted, pillaged so many times)for the final time, they will need to have a large industry to anchor the town.

[Midlodemocrat]

8. I would retire there in a frickin' blink, if I could live along the shore.

We bought property years ago, but they couldn't get water to perk, so we had to give it up.

It's the most beautiful state in the Union if you live on the shore in Southern Maine.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. *ahem* Those of us further downeast would like to lay claim to having beautiful

shoreline too. Rocky and rugged and all that. :)



More heaven here: http://www.thelestergalleryllc.com/terrell-lester/index.html

[boilerbabe]

46. Beautiful work!!

I saw a few familiar sights in that slideshow. Now I am dying to get some prints from this artist. I saved the site in my favorites for later reference, since the $$ is not going to be there this week...

I take it you are from maybe the Bar Harbor area? Baaaah Haaaabaaaah (no, I don't like sheep---naaaaah)

[GreenPartyVoter]

67. I am to the west of there and grew up in Deer Isle. :^) Terrell has a coffee table book out with

most of those pics, and some lithos too I think. The second "page" of pics was from up north in Baxter. Another fave place of mine. Went to girls scout camp there and on family camping trips as well.

My husband also takes photos in the area. One of these days he will have to put some online. He is toying with doing a calendar. :)

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. Cannabilistic child molesting clowns from beyond space and time...

vampires, haunted automobiles, psycho pyrokinetic prom queens, rabid dogs, low men in flashy cars.

Stay the fuck away.

[XemaSab]

10. I'm cool with all that

Men who can see the future, strange cemeteries, kinky lawyers, crazy writers, insomniacs, mysterious objects in the woods, and purveyors of curious goods, though, I'm not so down with. :(

[boilerbabe]

48. What , you don't like Stephen King???? Shame on you!! n/t

[Aristus]

26. The haunted car was in Pennsylvania.

I'm just sayin'...

[LeftyMom]

31. You can't scare her with any of that,

the poor girl lives in Redding.

[XemaSab]

32. .

x(

[LeftyMom]

33. A friend of mine got jumped and branded by white supremacists in Redding.

He made the mistake of... being on a public street while being obviously of mixed race. :scared:

A bunch of inbred hicks basically kidnapped him off of the street. They burnt a W into one of his arms with a branding iron made out of a bent up coathanger and were going to burn a P into the other but he managed to wrestle himself free and take off.

Redding. :eyes:

[XemaSab]

34. He clearly asked for it

choosing to be of mixed race and all. :eyes:

[LeftyMom]

36. He should have picked parents like theirs:

cousins.

[boilerbabe]

49. That's totally f****d up!! n/t

[boilerbabe]

47. Don't forget the guy that married his dog in Bangor....n/t

[struggle4progress]

11. It's kinda like Arizona but with more mosquitoes. Other ways to tell the states apart:

Maine has cooler summers, more rain, and some "beachfront" property -- which in Maine means lots of rocks at the edge of a big expanse of ice water

[graywarrior]

15. You can't git thar from heeyah

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. Ya can if ya take the left fuck.

The right fuck goes ta Massachussetts.

And watch out for potholes.

[boilerbabe]

52. Watch out for them "Massholes" hahahaha.

They drive funny.

[graywarrior]

59. The sideways fuck leads you heah.

[Mopar151]

30. If I was goi'n theah, I would'nt start from heah.

[boilerbabe]

53. Where wouldja staht from? n/t

[Mopar151]

66. Over to Malfunction Junction

You know - you turn up the hill a couple miles past where the Giant Store was,and go straight as you can through the Five Corners - Ya can't miss it!

[boilerbabe]

50. Ayuh! but there's cold beeyuh up theyuh!! n/t

[jdp349]

16. Nice to visit, but not to live in

moved to NYC and haven't looked back

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

21. Good...That's what the real Mainers like to hear.

We don't really want you to stay and ruin it for the rest of us... seriously. ;) We wouldn't have small towns if everyone lived here. Thankfully, the winter weather is usually enough to keep away the people that don't really love it here.

[boilerbabe]

57. OUCH! Guess you don't like those Flatlanders, eh?? n/t

[boilerbabe]

54. That's quite a culture shock--

moving to NYC from Maine! I went from Maine to San Diego, then went from the Los Angeles area back to Maine! I had to drink lots of beer to make the transition.....

Always wanted to live in NYC, but figured that it was too much for me (the rents are outrageous!! I have a 3 bedroom house with pool and 1.5 acres for what it would cost me for a closet in NYC). Great place to visit and walk around, though. I live equidistant between NYC and Boston. So, I can check out civilization and go back to suburbia...

[Danger Mouse]

17. Seems nice enough.

[crim son]

19. It can be a real mixed bag

depending on what is important to you. Winters are cold, but on the coast, so are summers, I think. If you're inland a mile or more and you want to live in the country you will be plagued by blackflies and mosquitoes - so much so that I moved from a beautiful property with 21 acres to a house in town and have never regretted anything but the loss of space. Depending on where you end up, people are... interesting. For my first decade up here I was pretty uncharitable and said that Maine is the place people go to hide from the rest of the world. There are a lot of eccentrics up here and not necessarily in a good way. On the other hand, I've now been here seventeen years and I don't think I'm leaving. The winters are long and hard but they make spring and summer infinitely more wonderful and precious... gifts. People are in general kind and helpful. It's a safe, safe place to live and raise a family, though you have to be selective about schools just like anywhere. And it's clean, and pretty, and sweet-smelling and REAL. I'm in Bangor, halfway up. I wouldn't want to live further north, and I'd probably really love the Portland area.

All in all, it ain't too bad!

[boilerbabe]

55. Bangor was our Big City!!

That's where we always went to go school shopping and for big city fun!! The downtown really went on a slide though, once they got the Bangor Mall. Even the Airport Mall seems to be gone after that. It's still a neat town, and it does have a lot of history. Do you remember BMHI?? (Bangor Mental Health Institute)--once made a wrong turn going to the EMVTI (Eastern Maine Vocational Tech Inst.) for a party...wound up at BMHI by mistake (OK, we were stoned and there was a blizzard...1978).

Isn't there something going on with the Bangor Auditorium also? I read somewhere that they might close it down?? I hope not. That was the place for concerts, basketball tournaments.....

I am glad to hear that you are living in the Bangor area. I always will love that place.

[crim son]

64. Oh, that's funny!

When I lived in Brooksville it was our big city too! We'd come here to shop once a week, or every now and then when we needed clothes you couldn't by at Ames :)

There IS talk about taking down the auditorium but only so that it can be replaced with something more modern. They opened that huge casino right across the street from the park and the contrast between the two buildings is truly depressing. But at the moment we still use the place... I went there to a circus w/my son about three weeks ago.

Stoned at BMHI, heh. Sounds about right! :hi:

[midnight armadillo]

24. the winters will toughen you up

People seem so fearful of cold. Live through one and you'll find winter has its own beauty and challenges. It makes spring much more exciting.

Besides, good cold winters drive all the douchebags to Florida, improving life.

[TK421]

29. I love this line!

"Besides, good cold winters drive all the douchebags to Florida, improving life."

RIGHT YOU ARE!!!!! GIVE THAT MAN A CIGAR!!!!!!

FUCK FLORIDA!!!!! GOD, I FUCKING HATE, HATE, HATE THAT FUCKING STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[PJPhreak]

43. Amen Bro!! nt

[WritingIsMyReligion]

73. Yeah, the fear of winter is a silly thing.

Winter is very beautiful, though cold and dreary. I don't understand how people can live in warm weather ALL year round--there are SUPPOSED to be some dark and cold months. That's what makes summer awesome.

[MountainLaurel]

25. Like WV but with seafood and trees instead of coal

And with a 200 percent longer winter.

[book_worm]

27. Cold winters but other than that--Great!

[Jamastiene]

35. Be careful where you bury your pets and

stay away from Castle Rock. Seems like every time you turn around, there's another sheriff dying a horrible death in Castle Rock or some kid dies on a train track or some devilish newbie comes to town and perverts all the natives or thousands of cats appear out of nowhere on somebody's lawn or werewolves, vampires and evil, possessed cars and semi rigs wreak havoc on the place. And whatever you do, don't dig up any strange objects you find in your backyard. Your teeth will fall out and aliens will probe you.

Other than that, I hear it's really nice up there. I'd love to visit or live there myself, just not in Castle Rock.

:hide:



























:evilgrin:
Maine natives take note: That entire first paragraph is a Stephen King pun. I would really like to visit Maine, to be honest.

[boilerbabe]

56. hahahaha! Just had to change my Depends again..thanks!! n/t

[XemaSab]

65. So as long as I stay away from The Rock, everything should be cool?

:shrug:

[peacefreak]

58. Three's a saying around here...

if you can't take the winter, you don't deserve the summer. True, dat. The economy does suck right now, so unless your job is a guarantee, I would think twice about moving here. That being said, I moved here almost 30 years ago & love it.
It does have its benefits--Big Red's, Moody's Diner, free LL Bean concerts in the summer. Beautiful beaches (you can swim 2 days in August--maybe), mountains in the North & West. I think the absolute best time to be here is May & June & September (I may be shot for spilling that secret).
At the very least, come for a visit. We could use your tourist dollars!

[lazyriver]

60. Great place to live, tough place to earn a living...at least in my

neck of the woods north of Bangor. There are really two Maines (Northern & Southern)...well three if count The County (Aroostook) but that's really French Canada up there anyway, eh.

[SoxFan]

63. Summer=August 2-4

[ForrestGump]

74. Sounds good right now

Las Vegas, NV: summer = December 29-December 31, the long way around....

Or so it seems at this time of year.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

71. Better than Florida.

:P

Pretty chill place.