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THANK YOU..MAYBE YOU SHOULD MENTION THE SOCIAL FACTOR IF YOUR NOT FROM AROUND HERE..AT LEAST IN WATERVILLE AREA.. STANDOFFISH,COLD FOLKS..STILL TRYING TO FIT IN.. THANK YOU
This is a great video, I retired and moved to DownEast 6 years ago. esp., the topography, granted just beautiful and I live right on the ocean. However, the health care system and care, even for generally routine treatment, is truly worse than awful and near negligent. On the internet, video's regarding health care, especially ambulance availability are truly frightening in that the video's from Medical personnel working in the system sadistically state that waiting for for 20 minutes or longer is known as "acceptable" when moving here. It's also "known" that if you need any type of surgery even though routine but serious, you need to go to Portland or Boston. So, although the topography is breathtaking, as you age even though you are in good health now, if there's any complications, even since I'm only 10 miles from the hospital, my health, IMHO, is at grave risk and I'm in pretty good physical condition. Also, of course, think you can rely or trust contractors, realtors, home inspectors, even lawyers- better think twice especially since realtor's can represent both the seller and buyer of a property at the same time- its called Dual Agency & collude with home inspectors to hide information from buyers who are called "PFA" people from away. You have to be very careful moving here!!!!
Happens everywhere. I’ve lived in Jackson Hole for the last dozen plus years. It’s now Aspen to the tenth power. We aptly call it Jaspen. I’m moving back to New England.
JUST SPENT THE LAST WEEK IN MAINE!!! I loved the place, but I'm not telling anyone. Ok, going up 26 off of 95 and heading toward like Norway, Oxford, Poland and right up to US 2 .....is that all expensive? I would mind being a poor ass through there, that is gorgeous country!!! Shhhhh
Well from my perspective trending political views are at fault. If Maine doesn't wake up and stop with the woke attitude she will be lost. This isn't because of any influx it's the weak minds that listen to the Media and pop culture, thinking they want to be like California yet not having even a quart of the money it does. Just doesn't work, and we will all see that clear enough if things keep going that way.
Thirty years ago my parents and I were travelling through Maine when Dad suffered a ruptured aortic aneurysm which nearly killed him. He spent two weeks in the Eastern Maine Medical Centre in Bangor, being treated by some of the nicest and best health professionals my family has ever had the pleasure to meet. We also befriended several local people with family members in the hospital at the same time and were invited to their homes for meals several times. The people were extremely kind and generous. We are from Newfoundland, Canada, a place also renowned for its friendly, welcoming people. It was so reassuring and comforting to know we were among friends when my dad was lying in intensive care and we did not know if he was going to survive. I want to pass along my heartfelt thanks to the wonderful people of the beautiful state of Maine. God Bless you all.
@lockandloadlikehell I've been in Maine all my life and would help anyone out. I actually was on my way home the other night from work and found a guys wallet on the side of the road. I spent 20 to 30 mins picking up his cards. I made it my mission to track this guy down. The guy was from a different country that moved here. Well in his wallet was a insurance card to his work. Called his work the next day and his h.r lady came and picked it up. I don't know if you traveled here and had a bad run in with someone. But I think most Mainers would help. Southern Maine not so much but central Maine and upwards most definitely.
I was "forced" to live in Maine from '76 through '80. The USAF insisted on it. I was stationed at Loring AFB in northern Maine near towns like Caribou, Limestone and Presque Isle. As native southern Californians, my wife and I were not happy with moving to Maine. Eventually, we adapted to the extreme weather. The first winter there we saw 188 inches of snow. Ambient temps down to -29 degrees F (not counting chill factor). We actually started liking life in northern Maine. When we decided to not re-enlist, we talked about staying in Maine as civilians. We decided against it due to the lack of tech jobs in northern Maine. So, we bought a new car and drove back to southern California. We have great memories of the 4 years we lived in Maine. Great experiences and great people.
Holy crap!! 188 inches of snow? That would be a hard no for me. And I like a little winter.... but here in central Missouri, our yearly average is 16 inches. I can handle THAT.
Lived my first30 years in the Bangor area. Yours is one of the first videos I've seen that's honest about stuff like cost of living/job challenges. Part of why I left was that I couldn't get a full time job. I was working 4 jobs & couldn't afford to eat. Moved to one of the most expensive counties in the country yet have managed to do MUCH better. I always tell people Maine is great if you already have money.
@@ChristopherFodor, that's your right. But I did. Toys R Us holiday overnight stock crew. Suncoast, KB Toys, and B. Dalton for regular afternoon/evening shifts. Sometimes, between the four jobs, I still wasn't getting more than 25 or 30 hours. And all at minimum wage (I think Toys had a $1. per hour bonus for part of my "overnight" shift.
@@ChristopherFodorummm, you could work 10 jobs for a total of 40 hours, if they each only allocated 4 hours per. He never said each one was full time. Dude must’ve had one helluva time dealing with his W-2s…
You make an excellent point regarding becoming depressed in the winter. For me, it was the few hours of daylight versus other parts of the country. I always enjoyed winter, but as I grew older, the many hours of darkness took their toll. I later moved to an area in the southwest and the depression disappeared.
That's because you apparently didn't learn any of the multitude of winter activities that were available. It is remarkable the difference that can make.
I lived in Maine for a few years back in the 1980s. I picked up a few weather jokes: "We have two seasons in Maine: Winter and the Fourth of July." Another: "This year, summer will be on Tuesday."
The farther north in Maine the larger the black flies. Some call them woodcock. And if you don't know that bird, you'll have a lot of catching up to do even to visit us here in Maine.
Extremely honest job here and a wise bit of advice. My sister and her husband teach at U of Maine and I am considering retiring there. Being on the coast I think you covered the important parts, but in my research I think there are 3 other items to know about Maine. 1- Maine is a large land mass and various areas in Maine are far different than each other. This post is perfect for the coast as the issues are addressed. But in other parts of the state you have completely different environments as you go further North, East or West. 2- 5 seasons in Maine depending on where you are: the 4 everybody else had plus what is often called mud season and/or bug season. When the snow thaws it gets pretty muddy and in some spots really muddy. If you are near running water there is a period where black flies are challenging and if you are near still water it will be mosquitos. It really is only a few weeks of it being bad, but you need to know what you are getting into. 3) The last thing that is key to know is that folks help each other in Maine because they know there will be a day when the shoe is on the other foot. That said it sometimes takes a minute or two for a Mainer to warm up to you, but when you make a friend there it is a friend for life.
I have lived in Maine for most of my life and I for one will take the cold over the bugs any day of the week. I also greatly appreciate knowing that when I go into a lake or river there will be no alligators or venomous snakes in them. I'll never know why people move to Florida to become prisoners of their air conditioners. As far as long winter nights go we do need to remember that Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota all have borders north of Maine so the lack of light would be even worse there. Not to mention that we are about on the same Latitude as Spain So most of France and Great Britain get even less light than we do, but I don't hear them complaining about it.
Good points. Wife and I live in the hilly region of South Carolina and love it here: rural living and nothing too extreme: This summer has been brutal after so many nicer summers but even this lasting about 8-10 weeks and the highest was around 99 a day or two. We had been to Maine only once, late June 2016 where we stayed a couple of days in Eastport. We have so many great memories from just those few days. And we want to go back there!! But I don't think we are up to the cold and snow up there to live in ME permanently, just too much for us. But I envy relative scarcity of bugs and snakes in ME. As for FL: what a nasty climate! Once on a cruise, a native south FL guy told me he was disgusted with the 'warm, wet blanket' almost all year. Yuck!!
Sooo you live in a colder longer winter? We here in Florida are slaves to AC while your slaves to Heater and oil burners locked up dealing with cabin fever 🤔🙄
@@imbatman3620 I see your point! As you can see from my comment, Maine is not for me and neither is FL! South Carolina is too warm 8-10 weeks and too cold 8-10 weeks but rest of the year is amazing. Oh, y'll: Please don't move up/down here! We are getting over-crowded with yankees as it is! (CA and NYC people should especially stay away!!).
@@imbatman3620 Winters here are not nearly as bad as they used to be. When I was a kid temperatures in the negatives were relatively common. That has become very rare. You can also put more clothes on to mitigate the cold. When you are down to your skin and still hot there is nothing more to take off. But different strokes as they say. Florida would be Hell for me and Heaven for others. I do enjoy those months where I can go outside and don't have to worry that something is trying to feed on me though. The lack of giant snails is also a plus.
@@meengla Can you please also tell people California is all full up and to stop coming here. We're way overcrowded with people from the south, midwest and east. 39 million people. Traffic is a nightmare. 😉
I moved to maine about 15 years ago, and could never imagine living anywhere else. But those long dark days in the winter are just killer. I feel like it hits everyone on some level, unless you get really excited about skiing.
Moved to Maine in 2002 (yes, I'm from "Away!) from the L.A. area (no, NOT Lewiston-Auburn!), and never looked back. I recently left the Portland area and found a modest home on some land in central Maine. Despite (or in spite) of some of the challenges of living here, it truly is The Way Life Should Be.
It used to be "The Way Life Should Be" as it says on the sign entering the state... Too many people are trying to push the lifestyle of the rest of the country on our fine little state of less than 2 million total
Maine looks like a grand place for a Summer, possibly early Autumn vacation. You Mainers are a strong hearty bunch of folks and are rightly proud of your heritage. The harsh realities of Winter and the mud season require generations of toughness that only the inhabitants have. The taxes tend to keep me only as a visitor to your wondrous state. Thank you for your honest presentation.
Love your comment!! LOL We are a hearty bunch for sure, but if one is a native who grew up before the 2000s it was just a part of growing up. I do love my state, and am pretty sure I can handle about anything life throws at me, and still thrive.
Why would anyone stay away based on what 1 dude in a RUclips video said. Common sense would be that if you visit you can decide for yourself whether you want to move there or not.
You tell the truth. Thank you. I am a Mainer. Born in Aroostook County and moved to Hancock County. I have lived in several states and always came back to Maine. It is hard: you pay more for everything, you travel a lot just to meet your needs. And you don't get outside without fighting off blackflies, mosquitoes and now an army of ticks(that are able to withstand our winters). And now we are watching our state change. People 'from away' have brought their lifestyles with them. They hate it when an old timer talks about Maine...we get that smile on our face and the glint in our eyes(could be the woodsmoke). Oh well, if you don't move here....thank you. If you do...welcome.
*Wave* from another person in Hancock County. :) I live 'over by the big rock'. If you're from around these parts, there's a good chance you know where I mean! :)
Well to be fair, states dont change just because outsiders moved in, its a complex system of big corporations taking over a lot of things. This is happening everywhere and has been since around the 2010's. This has caused huge rises in cost for just about everything, I am a total capitalist, but we cannot ignore some of these changes are due to big corps crapping on everyone's backyard.
I'm a Dmv native but i've been in Maine off and on for the last 20 years. It sucks that people who have been here their whole lives are being priced out. This state can do better when it comes to elderly and veteran care.
This, except it’s all my young friends who now can’t afford to live here because the cost of real estate has exploded and local incomes haven’t kept up.
My grandfather had what was basically a homestead 50 miles north of Bangor. He lived there many years, some with just an outhouse and no running water. He was an outdoorsman. He hunted, fished and gardened. Good thing because he was about 25 mins to the nearest grocery store.
I grew up in Maine (Auburn) and my parents still live there. I now live in So Cal. I visit my parents every August for a couple of weeks, but after two or three weeks, I am ready to return to where I live now.
Funny, I lived in Los Angeles - worked in Santa Monica. Really didn’t care for the fake, phony, high maintenance people who thrive on getting a quick glimpse of a celebrity at a coffee bar. I now live in New Hampshire and my soul is at peace. So funny- different strokes for different folks. Good luck to you and don’t forget your sunscreen! ☀️ 😊
@@Travelgirl0224 For me, its the weather. I'm a misanthropic loner, so I really don't like interacting with other human beings, and I loathe celebrities. Back in high school I was an avid cross-country skier, so I used to love the cold and the snow. Then I was in a really bad bicycling accident the summer between my junior and senior year in high school wherein I wrecked my right arm, and I have very limited use of that arm to this day. Thus, I haven't skied since. Also, I lived in Austin, TX from1998-2002 and then moved back to the northeast to Toronto from 2002-2005 and 2006-2007, and I decided that, if I wasn't going to ski, I just don't want to deal with the brutality of the northeastern winters anymore.
South coastal Maine is different from central and North... My mothers family is from the beautiful lake country of central Maine... first frost by mid september... Winter starts promptly by October 15th :)... winter ends when mud season begins,April/may followed by bug season which lasts till mid July... People "from away" have stumbled back out of the woods mere skellitons during bug season! :) Fall colors in central Maine are usually the last week of September or first week of october meaning a hard chill has set in nights before then! Mid Summer dont walk across the paved country roads with the hot asphault bubbling up between your toes! YOU RUN really fast! Wonderful memories visiting there.
🤣🤣🤣 This is just funny. Thanks. I am more concerned to find a year around road that will be treated during Winter and How to kill those Black fly. I have been to Main twice once during summer and another during Spring were we got cut in snow storm. Yeah learned a lot . Rent a truck with a plow, problem solve.🤣
@@carmencolon3520 Extreemly important Get the underside of your vechicle coated to help avoid the salt on the roads rusting out your car every three or four years! You need to coat your fly screens with something to keep the black flies out of your house! We used kerosene. If you go outside for a campfire, keep hurricane lanterns with citronella oil to keep the bugs away! put one on each end of your picnic table! Maine is just plain awesome! You just MUST climb Mt Katahdin in Baxter state park. However its several miles in from the parking lot! Do it the EASY way!
If you look at the fisheries management compared to California, Maine is a disaster. No wild salmon, otters, ocean water opaque with alluvium. No exclusion zones for species to breed and grow to size in safety.
I was a life long MA resident who moved to Central Maine before moving to Central Texas 18 years ago. My take…. The young man hooking up my cable when I moved to Maine says to me “Why did you move here? Winters are bad then it turns to mud and when it finally warms up the bugs are horrible” some truth to what he said, the black flies especially can be nasty. But don’t think other places don’t have their bug challenges. Try getting into chiggers here in Texas or kneeling on a fire ants nest. Not good trust me. We are retired now and talk about moving back to Maine. Texas summers are hot as hell and the winters though mild are not Florida warm. Those beautiful views and all that water both salt and fresh up there are alluring.
You’ll regret it. Not what it once was in many ways. Retirement in New Hampshire will give you better tax benefits. We are looking to leave Maine (4th generation) for NH. Good luck
I'm living in Cedar Park, and Maine is one of my target states to move to soon. Other than the winters and maybe a somewhat less robust economy, I'm not seeing many downsides compared to Austin, which has become a LOT worse place to live since I moved here 20 years ago.
I lived in Maine for 43 years, I Retired from the MDOT, we moved from Maine because the cost of living was more than what we made working full time jobs. now it's even worse than it was in 2008 when i retired, I love Maine, I Love almost everything about Maine. the jobs just don't pay you what it cost to live there, unfortunately!
Been thinking about moving on from WSDOT (Washington state) to MDOT, but it was a bit strange seeing nothing but tech 1 jobs. As a tech 2 with a Class A CDL for 14 years, Certified Crane Operator license, Flagger card, Concrete Tester Cert, and eight winters under my belt including mountain passes I'm not sure what the correct transfer path would be, but the Tech 1 requirements in Maine are almost the same as ours ie: never touched a stick of rail, never touched HMA, never touched a plow. Do you know what the next job class is at MDOT if not "Tech 2"?
I live in Massachusetts. I'm used to the bad weather and high cost of living. My husband and I love Maine. For the past 22 years, we've been visiting every year. We find that many towns in Main are laid back, slow pace. We've lived in Boston, Brighton, and Springfield, Massachusetts. Live here is hectic. Winters are bad. New England, after all. We would rather like the quiet and monotony. We like that in Maine, there are many opportunities for low-cost real state; especially towards the northern towns, with acreage. We've been looking. Anyway, no matter where one goes, there are always pros and cons. Thank you for being honest.
I live in Connecticut and I enjoy visiting family in Maine during the summer. But the six hour drive is killer. But once you get close to Maine you end up with almost no traffic so that does make the drive a bit better.
Maine was the first place I lived on my own after leaving college in Idaho. I was only there 1½ years, in the Portland area, but found everywhere I explored absolutely gorgeous. Now, some 40+ years later and having lived in many different states and also in Europe, I keep thinking about returning. It's just that I'm all the way over on the other coast on the Oregon border now and the thought of actually MOVING again is just so darn daunting! (P.S. I love - and miss terribly - actual winter weather!)
@nameunknown5736 Having grown up in Portland, I don't even recognize it anymore! I still miss it every day, however. I remember when North Deering (Washington Ave ext) area was the 'suburbs' and Munjoy Hill was the 'scary' part of town. Now you can't find an apartment under 5k a month for a studio!
@@meghanodonoghue9066 I agree. The prices for living in Portland is absolutely ridiculous. There's much safer and cheaper areas in Maine! I avoid portland and Lewiston lol
I live in the Buffalo, NY area, and of course, our winters can be long and extreme, so people complain...loudly and often! About 20 yrs ago, I finally made peace with winter, and I love it! The trick is to find things you like to do outside, that you can't do any other time of the yr., instead of complaining about something you can't change, unless you relocate. Made life a whole lot more enjoyable!
Sounds great to me. I absolutely love winters. And the cost of living in Massachusetts is out of control. I’m definitely moving to either Maine or New Hampshire within the next year or so. I need out of this place. I lived in NH for 13 years and honestly wish I never moved back but due to family responsibilities I made the choice I thought was right at the time. But ever since I’ve been back in Mass I’ve been thinking of getting back out. My house here should sell for a good amount of money depending on the market but I guess I’ll just see how it pans out. Great video, thanks for taking the time.
I grew up in MA, moved to NH. Bought a house in Manchester, it more than doubled in value over 12 years... sold it last year pocketing 200k. There was nothing decent under 200k in NH, so I searched ME. I did end up buying a beautiful home on a dead-end street, with a lake in my backyard! Nice quiet setting, in a decent-sized town. But, be warned... the taxes are a killer up here! Remember, New Hampshire has no state tax, no sales tax, no excise tax. Here in Maine, even though my property tax is a fraction of what it was in New Hampshire, all of the other taxes combined add up big-time. The excise tax on my car alone is over $500 per year! And you don't realize how convenient stores putting your stuff in bags is, until you come up here and the Walmart cashier looks at you like you're an idiot when you have to carry all your stuff out without your own bags. I'll probably stay, since the crime in big cities and the big city traffic doesn't exist up here, 45 minutes north of Bangor. I would definitely recommend New Hampshire over Maine.
I experienced Maine as a kid at a summer camp near Weld. Beautiful woods and meadows. By August, when we were leaving camp, I was surprised how cold it was getting in the morning already.
Born and raised in Maine. Couldn't wait to get out. Moved to California and lived happily there for over 30 years. After losing my wife to cancer I moved back to Central Maine near Moosehead. I remembered why I left so many years before. Stuck it out for 5 long years before leaving for sunny Florida! I noticed this video is mostly about southern Maine. From Augusta south is commonly known now as northern Massachusetts!
Florida is Summer all year round lol I live in SFL the lowest it gets in the Winter is like 60 degrees I think we had it at 32° but that's like North Florida Central Florida Maybe South Florida never. You have to also stay clear of some areas Local Government they are horrible. They say that's everywhere I hope they all drop dead fuck them.
What is it like in cenral Maine? The reason I ask is because this state is one of the few I would ever move to If I were to leave California. I am from southern California (born and raised), and I've been wanting to go to Maine for a while, and it was in my top two states to visit in the east coast. I was in New Hampshire for 9 days this past July doing some outreach work, and I got to go to York Beach for a few hours along with Boston for two days since there was leisure time and my flight from Manchester was in the evening. I thought it was a really cool place because it felt calm compared to where I live in California; I enjoyed going to the Nubble lighthouse, eating at The Goldenrod where I tried blueberry ice cream and a lobster sandwich. Based off of what I saw and experienced, I liked how things were. Side note; New Hampshire was my first state in the east coast, and I enjoyed my time there.
Maine is a beautiful state, have visited many times! Should note that like other states in the eastern part of the country (including my home state of CT), Maine has its fair share of down & out old factory towns. We had a nice stay in Bar Harbor & Bangor and decided to stay over in the Lewistown/Auburn area on our way home. Our hotel overlooked the Great Falls on the Androscoggin River. Very scenic, but the downtown area was pretty rough.
I was born in Brunswick & grew up in Freeport. I moved out of state after college but still have many relatives there I visit. I currently live next door in New Hampshire & have no plans of ever moving back. I enjoyed the years I lived in Maine & traveling up & down the seacoast.
I visited Maine as a tourist from Texas a couple of times and really enjoyed the time. I live near San Antonio Texas, and I hate the summers. Today, August 29, the high was 99*F, the first day in about 2 months that it didn't pass 100*F. I've never been through a Maine winter, but I'm to the point in life that I might give it a shot. I snow ski at least once a year so maybe living in Maine might work for me.
Amen. Lived in TX my whole life and it is absolutely getting hotter here every year. Several weeks straight with 100F+ nighttime temperatures. Think about that northeners. You've eaten dinner, it's been dark a few hours and you want to walk the property before turning in. You open the door, and BAM, a 100F+ wind hits you in the face. Daytime outdoor activities in the summer will slowly become a thing of the past in the South, especially for children. Already have schools closing due to the heat. I'm not a fan of the cold at all but it's becoming unbearable down here. Maine seems attractive with all its unincorporated land.
Yep. I bought a house in Northern Maine for summer. I miss the diversity of Texas foods and how easy it is to find someone to do work on my house. Here "mexican food" is a food truck an hour's drive away. And there's a shortage of labor because everyone goes south for work (PA, NY, etc). There's no AC when temps get to 80 degrees, either. Very different from TX.
Lived there one year. Property taxes differ greatly depending on county. Aroostok is one of the cheapest. Southern and Central Coastal properties are sky-high. I will move back to Maine, but, next time with more knowledge. A great place to be if SHTF.
If the shtf, and you are in maine, you better own, know how to sharpen and maintain and use an old fashion cross cut saw. Takes a lot of time and muscle to fell, haul, buck, split and stack 4 or 5 or more cords of firewood by hand.
The best place in the US to be in the event SHTF is Wyoming. Lack of population density and it’s pretty much in the clear in the event of a large scale nuclear event and fallout. Plus it’s cheap AF right now. Check out fallout maps and you’ll see what I mean.
The stats aren't accurate. The police aren't exactly boy scouts and the court system isn't clean. So, because Maine has been traditionally republican crime rate stats aren't really a moral compass. I rented downeast and people broke into my house regularly while I was on disability waiting for heart surgery and the sheriff lived several houses down. After that experience, I would recommend not to rent from craigslist and not to rent period in Maine. The landlords suck. Tenant lawyers don't answer the phone either. If your retired and wealthy then great its a paradise.
Nah, it sucks. See, our non-diverse population is chronically failing. We're the 9th most DC dollar dependent state in America because - for decades - instead of building modern industry and investing in education... We appeased low-skill lumberjacks by trying to keep dead heritage industries alive. Kind of like coal country only not quite as... trashy. So yeah... if you wanna be a socialism-dependent chronic failure living in a place with massive brain drain because it has no options for anyone with a modern industry skillset... watching our youth leave the state every year because we have literally no opportunities for people who shower on a regular basis... Come right on up. Fortunately our blue-voting cities DO generate enough revenues to pump SOME out to our broke loser rural areas so at least you can mooch off of some non-diverse people probably superior to YOUR current revenue generation, I doubt you'll be helping us pull ahead much.
@@TheRm65 meh, in my case the person I sued was a landlord whom is known by the towns folk and claimed to be a ‘private investigator’. Dunno if that was true or not. The Belfast court system is busy but to misplace paperwork when it suggests a person affiliated with law enforcement is suspect is like saying my dog ate my homework to your math teacher. It’s questionable if this is the culture of having a double standard or lack of money. In my case giving the court more money would probably result in the same misplaced documents. Seeing it appears it somehow was human error by well paid court employees.
My father in the early 60's to 1970's worked as the center director for the park service on Mount desert island...I grew up in Bar Harbor. Best experience of my life! Loved the 4 seasons in Maine but my mom from fla. Hated the cold. We loved to camp and my dad would spend 3 weeks of his government. Vacation in August with the family camping g out. I remember in August of 1968 we went to tunk lake it was a beautiful warm sunny day when we pitched the tent and put the old town canoe in the water....we went swimming off the sand beach. Next morning when we got up there was 6 inches of snow on the ground. I have 8mm film of it to this day. He is right about the weather....4 distinct seasons there.....but.....worth it!!!!
As a native New Yorker, I enjoy Maine because of those reasons. Unless you’re from the south we deal with the same weather only New Yorkers use F bombs to complain about it while sitting in traffic…..
Mt. Wash. Valley N.H. here and we get tons of tourist / away folks that bring all their " adults behaving badly issues " w/ them.. Road rage , domestic fights , unsafe driving are the most heard on the scanner..I'TS a vacation area , slow , easy , patience , appreciate it..
My husband and I are moving from Conifer, Colorado. It snows here 9 months out of the year; sometimes 3ft at once. We are a purple family. We already live rural. Would we be accepted in Maine?
Personalities and how folks "come across" make a big difference in how New Englanders interact w/ others.. Pushy , cocky , know it all , demanding will send the wrong vibe to locals..
I agree! My family has been here since the early 1700s. Although we welcome long cold winters, with skiing ,hiking, ice climbing etc. And we really love solitude. I love getting up every morning in my island home and seeing NOBODY!
Love this. We don't need folks from other parts of the country trying to make it "just like home" when they move here. When a good part of the South and West becomes nearly unlivable due to climate change, a bit of "cold" in Maine will be a blessing. Even here I've noticed a big change in the severity of winter over the past fifty years I've been here. From a constant cover of 2 to 3 feet of snow to little to none along the coast.
When I was a kid winters with temperatures well into the negatives were not uncommon here (one winter it was so cold that the ocean froze over where I lived on the coast). That doesn't happen any more. The winters have become quite mild temperature-wise. Snow is a crapshoot of course. Some years a lot and some hardly any.
I spent most of my Winter vacations in Bangor visiting my grandparents. Winter was a challenge with snow sometimes reaching the top of their porch roof and we would have to dig a tunnel out to the splowed street to get out of have to dig a tunnel out to the plowed street.
I love it here. 24 years built house on Sebago. Job market pitiful. Winter the best skiing snowmobiling. Omg LOVE IT. nothing like cheap wood stove heat.
As a Canadian looking to escape a totalitarian dictatorship. Maine would be closest to rural Canadian lifestyle. Slow paced, low crime, friendly people. The cost of living in Maine is still half what it is in Canada. Mind you the lack of jobs unless you work in medical is disheartening. I would be a lumberjack or work a fishing boat. Not afraid to get hands dirty but not sure those pay well in the US
Avoid Michigan. They just passed a law requiring you to use requested pronouns. If you slip up, all someone has to do is claim they felt frightened and scared. Fine up to 10k and prison. They made it a FELONY!
I live in Connecticut. I purchased a house in Grand Isle at the top of Maine with Canada across the street. So I will feel like I am living in Canada but still in the US.
As a fellow real estate professional in TX I appreciate this video a lot. So many times I have to try to wake people up to the reality of moving to rural Texas from LA, or wherever they come from.
I appreciate it when people like you two MAKE real videos that tell people the truth about a place and not sugar coat it! Some of us are told to come move to places and if you get stuck and are miserable, that is a level of hell I do not wish on anyone! A friend has been trying to get me to move to Rhode Island and another to Boston - I am not sure if I want to keep driving in ice and snow anymore!
@@vanessahenry7238 -The lftiztz (their W/Joke policies, and the ilglz& welfare recipients they love) have destroyed those states. (unless you are one, then you'll love it. VirtueSignalling opps at every turn, pandering opportunities, child mutilations, holier-than-thou attitudes, and abtionz.)
Depends on what part of rural Texas. I live in the Hill Country west of Austin, but that is DRASTICALLY different than living in rural West Texas, or the panhandle, or near any of the Texas borders.
I was born and raised in Bar Harbor. Met my future hubby from Florida and moved to West Palm Beach. Nope, wish I had stayed in Maine. Cold yes, but the people are friendlier and more helpful. And voted the safest state in America 🇺🇸
Okay, just because we might not want to LIVE in Maine doesn't mean we wouldn't love to VISIT!! Where can we see all those beautiful postcard towns in your video?
I want to go back to Maine so much. We live in Florida now for health reasons, but Maine is stunning and a great living experience. We lived in Bangor and it is much more diverse than you think.
Keep🌲Maine🌲clean and beautiful. nine months of cold, and the bugs can be bad. and people when it’s cold, there’s not a whole Lotta sun,so you do get depressed. Depression is a high here in Maine. Sad but true that’s the way it is in colder climates.
I grew up in Maine and I'm a USM graduate. I could not deal with winter anymore and ended up in Fort Lauderdale. I would tell people to visit where you are thinking of moving to off season.
I was born in Maine. Everything he says is true. I hate cities and I hate busyness and crowds, so I stay here. But winter is a big problem. I hate winter. It’s super long, super cold and super dark and depressing. We live in a small town and we are fixing up our old house. A trip to Home Depot is a major trip for us. If we forget something we need or run into something unexpected in the house it’s so time consuming to go to Home Depot. It takes about 40 minutes to get to the store and sometimes we have to do it more than once. So, we spent more time shopping than we do fixing the house. We’ve been at it for 11 years now. Maine definitely is not for everyone. My Dad, my brother, my son and one of my sisters moved out because they couldn’t stand it anymore.
He's full of it in a lot of ways, Portland has so many jobs it's crazy, I've been working 3 jobs just because I know the owners, even dishwashers are getting over $20 an hour
@@GabrielGarcia-300 I can understand what you are saying if you’re talking about Portland. I don’t doubt it. I live in the midcoast and there are no good jobs. The midcoast is way different from Portland. The housing prices are extremely high in the Midcoast and income levels don’t support it. My brother moved out of Maine to find a good job. He has an education and all the good paying jobs were out of state and he hates the extreme winters here, so he left. Several other family members have moved too.
@@GabrielGarcia-300it’s still not worth it, the apartment costs are literally the same as right outside Boston but they have nowhere close enough high paying jobs in maine. I make 2x more than anyone would offer an engineer in Portland and also pay less in rent while only being 10-15 minutes outside of Boston.
@@michelejones5538 lol high prices and "extreme winters" I'm not laughing at you, I spent most of my adult life in Alaska, minimum wage was $8 an hour and avg pay, and cost of living was worse than here. Not to mention we had extreme winters, in Valdez it's 450" of snow in town annually, and Fairbanks or interior is avg -40 to -60 without wind chill, and dark most of the day. Main is a cakewalk compared to there
you lost me on lack of diversity. does that mean too many white people of northern European dissent? Is that a bad thing? Should I be ashamed of my heritage? Am I a bad person for having my own opinion and not letting our illustrious gov do my thinking for me?
As with any of these points, they can be seen as both a negative or a positive depending on your perspective and exactly what you are looking for...trust me...you are not a bad person! Thanks for watching the video though and I appreciate your comment.
Moved to Maine from Maryland in July 2021. Couldn’t afford to live on the coast, so we lived about an hour and a half north of Portland. Maine is beautiful and the people were totally welcoming and kind. Unfortunately, health care is a disaster there. I ended up having to go nearly four hours to Boston for my oncology appointments and it took nearly a year to find a primary care doctor and he was in New Hampshire! Ended up leaving an abusive marriage and Maine after one year. I would definitely go back to vacation but never to live there.
Same winter here in New England. But not so many snow mobiles here thankfully. Unfortunately Maine is also more crowded in the summer. Actually Maine is cheaper than here.Much healthier pace of life in Maine. You are right about limited diversity though. Love it.
I've moved to Maine twice, with a dozen years in Phoenix between my stints. The number one negative I've experienced is the biting bugs. In Phoenix, there are virtually no flying insects any time of the year. (There's only the sporadic swarm of killer bees, lots of scorpions, rattlesnakes, and black widow spiders, but they don't bother too much.) Here in Maine, one must have a good supply of bug juice to survive. The short summers are actually a positive here because it means fewer days with those pesky pests.
My son got a job in Bar Harbor last fall. He could afford to live there in the non tourist winter season but came spring he couldn't find a place to live that he could afford even moving an hour away so he moved back. Liked it just couldn't afford it.
A family member just purchased his first house in Brownville, Maine from Westchester County, NY although he did a stint in the army at Fort Drum in upstate NY. It is now January and 16 degrees there. I wish him the best but I need to be around people, nature, Starbucks and that small town New England feel in Ridgefield, CT.
Maine is two different states. I inherited property in Jackman that's been in the family for over 70 years and it's not downstate Maine. Different accent and even languages, different culture. I can't imagine living up there FT and having to work though unless it's remote work. There's not a lot there job wise. On the channel The World According to Briggs, he has nice things to say about downstate Maine and one thing not considered is it's probably the safest state in spite of the lack of diversity, it's not as closed as one might think. In the interim of inheriting that property, I've moved to Iowa(that was culture shock coming from Long Island) and now Arizona. I miss the east coast, the ocean and seasons.
Its more like 7 sections. Coast below Portland , Coast up to Ellsworth, Coast above Ellsworth. Interior south, interior middle , interior nort h the big woods, and Aroostook county. Jackman is the big woods. A great drive is up rte 11 . Most jobs are Portland South. Its safe. It has very little diversity. Small town folks are not that friendly. I like Aroostook County a lot. There is not much there. Its a longway from any city,Bangor. Maine has issues too. Taxes can be high. Education is expensive but low quality. Most of the citys are mediocre. Lots of bugs. Ticks are common and carry disease. I cant believe people still camp and hike.....
@@kennkid9912 Could be, but I saw a difference between Jackman and down east. In terms of education and diversity, get out a bit more. I have lived in Iowa and AZ and Iowa is the least diverse place I've lived, but has decent education. AZ is more diverse, but not good education. It's 48th in the country. Low taxes are a lot of it. IDK what you consider high taxes...I lived on Long Island for 40 years and the average property tax now is probably around 12k a year. Education is decent, but it's not a good value at that cost. Iowa is just as good at 40% of the cost in NY. AZ property taxes are ridiculously cheap. We have 2600sq/ft on 1.46ac in an upper middle class town and pay 2450 a year. The schools suck though. When we moved here, my oldest daughter started the 11th grade and already had enough credits to graduate, so she took mostly AP classes her last two years. Most small town places are parochial as you have found. In Iowa, a lot of people I worked with came from small towns and had all the friends and family they'll ever want. This translates into a not invented here mentality and they have to know you in some way to get your foot in the door. I had a hard time finding work at one point and what I found was, if a local said you were okey doke, you got in. When I lived in NY, all the work I ever got was through interviews and being unknown. AZ is somewhere in the middle, more like NY. From what I understand, the Jackman I knew as a kid has changed. I heard they had some aryan idiot in charge of the town at one point. I have fond memories though of spending my summers up there. I used to take Rt 201 to Jackman. I'd want to live near the coast if I lived there. The World According to Briggs said Ellsworth is good.
@@nokoolaid Ellsworth is the hub north of Belfast. Its ok. A shopping area. If u dont go there you go to Bangor. My relatives live in Nebraska . The people were nice enuf. Farmers. They no longer live there. My ex brother in law moved to Arizona. Why I have no idea. My sister moved back east to Mass. Their kids live in N and have done well. I have lived in Me. for 39 years. I have seen it all. Taxes are not cheap. our school is pretty mediocre. Its kind of a closed community ,if you want to be buddies with them. I dont care so it doesnt bother me.
@@kennkid9912 We moved to Iowa for my job and then to AZ for my wife's job. People in Iowa are nice too, almost too much, like they won't say what they think or feel, almost passive aggressive, at least coming from NY where people are more blunt. We might move again. My oldest daughter is married and moved to Oregon and has two kids. I like Oregon better than AZ. It's actually pretty mellow. Weather is better half of the year. I don't see myself moving back east. Too expensive, although Oregon isn't cheap either.
Central, western and far north are my fave. Remember, the road stops in Kokadjo. I LOVE the areas where moose outnumber humans. Maine is the most beautiful state on the planet in my opinion although I live in the second most beautiful (NH). "Welcome home" is right (for outsiders, it's on the state line sign) 💕
@@kenm7179 Travel the whole state and test river water downstream from the mills. The only difference is New Jersey can afford signage to warn you while Maine cannot. The Penobscot smelled of chemicals so strongly you ran from your car to get inside. I have lived in both states.
I was stationed at Loring AFB in Maine when I was 19 years old in 1993. I remember it snowed in the month of June, all the cars were completely covered. 😅
Thanks for the Video, Portland also has an overwhelming homeless population with tents all over the sides of roads and off the highway. I was not expecting that when I visited Portland a few months ago, also parking in Portland is very expensive 42 dollars a day, around the Monument Sq area.
Be prepared to order most of your goods online and have them go to a Post Office. There are not many choices in stores to shop in rural areas. It can become frustrating. Raised in Maine, couldn't wait to move as a teenager. After moving out of state I brought my family back to Maine, because it's the way life should be.
Being from New Hampshire in the 80's, my experience and many others is, if you're not from Maine, you'll have a hard time making friends with anybody. You're an outsider. Hell, if your family moved to Maine when you were six you're _still_ an outsider even well into adulthood!
Truth. I'm from there and always tell people moving there will never be the same as being from there. It's a mindset. People from away see it but will never know or understand it and without it they'll never really belong. Not until enough changes to make it like living anywhere else, lol.
The Maine Fall and Winters would be one of the things that would attract me. I'm not a fan of big cities. I live in Rhode Island and have spent a lot of time in Maine and New Hampshire. My wife and I had planned to move north. But taking care of elderly parents, work on our house that now fits like a glove and the friendships that have grown over the years have anchored us to RI. Now we are in our mid-seventies and RI has its own quirky charms. And the seafood is cheaper in RI. Yea, we have lobsters too. Besides, Portland is only 3 hours away and North Conway is about 3 1/2 hours away so visiting is not a problem. Next trip, it's off to Wiscasset. Your videos are great.
Hi! Contrary to @livetheseacoast's happy dog-whistling acceptance of blatant racism we don't ACTUALLY want any more little sad bigots up here. Maine is for strong people. Not weaklings.
@@bluedog562 Nope, we don't. Nor were we all denied a right to vote until 144 years into America's history. Nor did we all have family locked in AMERICAN camps while white germans ran free. Hell, here in Maine, we're not all French Canadians or Catholics... ya know, we have a slight history of discrimination there... We weren't all denied religious liberty until 1979 like our native population was. We weren't subhuman under the law until the Civil Rights Act, like black people were. Quite a diverse set of stories in America. Not even limited just by race. Go figure. Good job not respecting America's path. You're a helluva patriot, champ.
@@Livetheseacoast I remember driving at night - it was a sea of moths, fireflies, and other bugs dancing in the headlights. I hope it's still like that (healthy ecosystem).
When we lived in Warren, Maine back in the ‘70’s, it was wonderful until our taxes went from $91.00 year to $7500.00 because we restored our 1871 Cape. We sold it in the ‘80’s and the new owners added a two car garage to the ell and their taxes went to $12,000. We have since moved to WNC Smokies, another tourist Mecca and we are in a similar boat with traffic. We tried Alaska too; but the llllohg dark winters were a deterrent. Maine is still my choice but too old for moving again.
All great points. I'd elaborate that it's not just snow, anywhere within an hour or more of the ocean sees very heavy, wet snow. The kind of snow that people have heart attacks trying to move if they're not physically fit.
That Maine accent of yours sounds like it came from south of the Mason Dixon Line. There's nothing wrong with Maine a stout hardy people can't handle and it's diversity is just fine. The charm of this wonderful state should be preserved not diluted.
I’m originally from Maine and now live in another state. Recently I went back for my first visit in over four years and was sadly disappointed in what I saw! My home town was totally changed into a fantasy land. In other words,Maine,the way life never was! Gentrification at its worst. I know nothing stays the same and some change is good,but not what I saw! Wealthy people from away have forced people out! Taxes have risen to outrageous levels, good paying jobs are hard to find. I spoke to a woman who commuted over sixty miles one way for a decent paying job! That’s not living,that’s struggling to survive! This is happening all over the state,I doubt that I will ever return. I would rather keep my memories of the way Maine life used to be.
Unfortunately it is like that in almost every state now except for a few of the southern states. I dont like the government being involved in what isnt their business, however, I am reaching a point in which I think local governments will have no choice but to intervene in real estate and force these big companies to screw off. Ever since the 90's real estate has exploded, companies are mass buying homes and renting them out EVERYWHERE, this is why prices are so high in almost all states not just due to migration. To some extent, its kind of what people have been voting for, it can only change with votes.
I was stationed in Brunswick Maine from 86 to 90... best tour in my 24 years in the Navy. One of my favorite memories was the Sunday drives up Rt 1 (coastal highway) and stopping for 99 cent lobster rolls.
Thanks for watching! You can download our FREE Re-location guide right here: bit.ly/3sCUOt6
Or just schedule a call with Cam: calendly.com/avery-realtygroup/15min
THANK YOU..MAYBE YOU SHOULD MENTION THE SOCIAL FACTOR IF YOUR NOT FROM AROUND HERE..AT LEAST IN WATERVILLE AREA..
STANDOFFISH,COLD FOLKS..STILL TRYING TO FIT IN..
THANK YOU
This is a great video, I retired and moved to DownEast 6 years ago. esp., the topography, granted just beautiful and I live right on the ocean. However, the health care system and care, even for generally routine treatment, is truly worse than awful and near negligent. On the internet, video's regarding health care, especially ambulance availability are truly frightening in that the video's from Medical personnel working in the system sadistically state that waiting for for 20 minutes or longer is known as "acceptable" when moving here. It's also "known" that if you need any type of surgery even though routine but serious, you need to go to Portland or Boston. So, although the topography is breathtaking, as you age even though you are in good health now, if there's any complications, even since I'm only 10 miles from the hospital, my health, IMHO, is at grave risk and I'm in pretty good physical condition. Also, of course, think you can rely or trust contractors, realtors, home inspectors, even lawyers- better think twice especially since realtor's can represent both the seller and buyer of a property at the same time- its called Dual Agency & collude with home inspectors to hide information from buyers who are called "PFA" people from away. You have to be very careful moving here!!!!
Happens everywhere. I’ve lived in Jackson Hole for the last dozen plus years. It’s now Aspen to the tenth power. We aptly call it Jaspen. I’m moving back to New England.
That’s a great point.
JUST SPENT THE LAST WEEK IN MAINE!!! I loved the place, but I'm not telling anyone. Ok, going up 26 off of 95 and heading toward like Norway, Oxford, Poland and right up to US 2 .....is that all expensive? I would mind being a poor ass through there, that is gorgeous country!!! Shhhhh
You forgot to mention all the people moving and trying to change Maine into the place they just left.
Yep...that's a real thing!
Well from my perspective trending political views are at fault. If Maine doesn't wake up and stop with the woke attitude she will be lost. This isn't because of any influx it's the weak minds that listen to the Media and pop culture, thinking they want to be like California yet not having even a quart of the money it does. Just doesn't work, and we will all see that clear enough if things keep going that way.
@@Livetheseacoast Right? Like the dog-whistling bigots, Cam!
@@Livetheseacoast A real thing that absolutely sucks.
@@Livetheseacoastsame thing happened to Tahoe.
Thirty years ago my parents and I were travelling through Maine when Dad suffered a ruptured aortic aneurysm which nearly killed him. He spent two weeks in the Eastern Maine Medical Centre in Bangor, being treated by some of the nicest and best health professionals my family has ever had the pleasure to meet. We also befriended several local people with family members in the hospital at the same time and were invited to their homes for meals several times. The people were extremely kind and generous. We are from Newfoundland, Canada, a place also renowned for its friendly, welcoming people. It was so reassuring and comforting to know we were among friends when my dad was lying in intensive care and we did not know if he was going to survive. I want to pass along my heartfelt thanks to the wonderful people of the beautiful state of Maine. God Bless you all.
My parents are Newfoundlanders so I can attest to the wonderful people and how helpful they are!!!
Maine is paradise.. Maine is all white in my book !
I've never heard of Maine being renowned for friendly, welcoming people. 😅
More like standoffish.
@richardlacey4923 it's one of the least free states and is definitely NOT ranked most affordable New England state
It's more expensive than even NH
@lockandloadlikehell I've been in Maine all my life and would help anyone out. I actually was on my way home the other night from work and found a guys wallet on the side of the road. I spent 20 to 30 mins picking up his cards. I made it my mission to track this guy down. The guy was from a different country that moved here. Well in his wallet was a insurance card to his work. Called his work the next day and his h.r lady came and picked it up. I don't know if you traveled here and had a bad run in with someone. But I think most Mainers would help. Southern Maine not so much but central Maine and upwards most definitely.
I was "forced" to live in Maine from '76 through '80. The USAF insisted on it. I was stationed at Loring AFB in northern Maine near towns like Caribou, Limestone and Presque Isle. As native southern Californians, my wife and I were not happy with moving to Maine. Eventually, we adapted to the extreme weather. The first winter there we saw 188 inches of snow. Ambient temps down to -29 degrees F (not counting chill factor). We actually started liking life in northern Maine. When we decided to not re-enlist, we talked about staying in Maine as civilians. We decided against it due to the lack of tech jobs in northern Maine. So, we bought a new car and drove back to southern California. We have great memories of the 4 years we lived in Maine. Great experiences and great people.
Holy crap!! 188 inches of snow? That would be a hard no for me. And I like a little winter.... but here in central Missouri, our yearly average is 16 inches. I can handle THAT.
@@brockreynolds870 Yeah, the 188 inches were extreme even for Maine. The average snowfall each year was "only" 144 inches.
I grew up in Maine, born there and right through college and did many roadtrips...never made it that far north.
@@michellemartinez2 Good question. I guess because that amount of snow happened all winter and inches at a time.
@@michellemartinez2 Because about 90% of the United States... snowfall events are less than 12 inches at a time.
Lived my first30 years in the Bangor area. Yours is one of the first videos I've seen that's honest about stuff like cost of living/job challenges. Part of why I left was that I couldn't get a full time job. I was working 4 jobs & couldn't afford to eat.
Moved to one of the most expensive counties in the country yet have managed to do MUCH better.
I always tell people Maine is great if you already have money.
Thanks so much for the kind words. Glad you found a place that works better for you!!
And that’s the way they like it.
I highly doubt you were working FOUR jobs
@@ChristopherFodor, that's your right.
But I did. Toys R Us holiday overnight stock crew. Suncoast, KB Toys, and B. Dalton for regular afternoon/evening shifts.
Sometimes, between the four jobs, I still wasn't getting more than 25 or 30 hours. And all at minimum wage (I think Toys had a $1. per hour bonus for part of my "overnight" shift.
@@ChristopherFodorummm, you could work 10 jobs for a total of 40 hours, if they each only allocated 4 hours per. He never said each one was full time. Dude must’ve had one helluva time dealing with his W-2s…
You make an excellent point regarding becoming depressed in the winter. For me, it was the few hours of daylight versus other parts of the country. I always enjoyed winter, but as I grew older, the many hours of darkness took their toll. I later moved to an area in the southwest and the depression disappeared.
So true! I'm glad you made it out to a place where the winters aren't as long!! Thank you for the comment. I truly appreciate it.
I live in AZ and while it can be better for SAD, the summer heat sucks. I've been here 11 years and I am still not used to it.
That's because you apparently didn't learn any of the multitude of winter activities that were available. It is remarkable the difference that can make.
How many hours of daylight are there on a winter's day in Maine? I'm considering moving there from the southwest.
@@rustinstardust2094 Depends a bit on what part of the winter. The shortest daylight days are probably from about 7:15- 7:30 am to maybe 4:30-5pm
I lived in Maine for a few years back in the 1980s. I picked up a few weather jokes: "We have two seasons in Maine: Winter and the Fourth of July." Another: "This year, summer will be on Tuesday."
Still true!
Here in the mountains of Wyoming we also have just two seasons: this winter and last winter.
@@MatthewC137 that's a good one!
Maine has Winter and Road Construction seasons
@@bostonphotographer20 I forgot that one!
You forgot to mention Black Fly season. You know….the state bird. 😂
Haha no doubt black fly season is a big bummer living in Maine...thanks for the comment!
The farther north in Maine the larger the black flies. Some call them woodcock. And if you don't know that bird, you'll have a lot of catching up to do even to visit us here in Maine.
I've seen some flies in the Northwoods that could just about pick you up and carry you away!!
B I N G O !
How long in black fly season say north of bangor?
Extremely honest job here and a wise bit of advice. My sister and her husband teach at U of Maine and I am considering retiring there.
Being on the coast I think you covered the important parts, but in my research I think there are 3 other items to know about Maine.
1- Maine is a large land mass and various areas in Maine are far different than each other. This post is perfect for the coast as the issues are addressed. But in other parts of the state you have completely different environments as you go further North, East or West.
2- 5 seasons in Maine depending on where you are: the 4 everybody else had plus what is often called mud season and/or bug season. When the snow thaws it gets pretty muddy and in some spots really muddy. If you are near running water there is a period where black flies are challenging and if you are near still water it will be mosquitos. It really is only a few weeks of it being bad, but you need to know what you are getting into.
3) The last thing that is key to know is that folks help each other in Maine because they know there will be a day when the shoe is on the other foot. That said it sometimes takes a minute or two for a Mainer to warm up to you, but when you make a friend there it is a friend for life.
Well just disregard my comment and what the next video on why you shouldn't move there as it seems it was all covered. Great Job. 👍
Your comment was so insightful, thank you.
Truth
I have lived in Maine for most of my life and I for one will take the cold over the bugs any day of the week. I also greatly appreciate knowing that when I go into a lake or river there will be no alligators or venomous snakes in them. I'll never know why people move to Florida to become prisoners of their air conditioners. As far as long winter nights go we do need to remember that Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Minnesota all have borders north of Maine so the lack of light would be even worse there. Not to mention that we are about on the same Latitude as Spain So most of France and Great Britain get even less light than we do, but I don't hear them complaining about it.
Good points. Wife and I live in the hilly region of South Carolina and love it here: rural living and nothing too extreme: This summer has been brutal after so many nicer summers but even this lasting about 8-10 weeks and the highest was around 99 a day or two. We had been to Maine only once, late June 2016 where we stayed a couple of days in Eastport. We have so many great memories from just those few days. And we want to go back there!! But I don't think we are up to the cold and snow up there to live in ME permanently, just too much for us. But I envy relative scarcity of bugs and snakes in ME. As for FL: what a nasty climate! Once on a cruise, a native south FL guy told me he was disgusted with the 'warm, wet blanket' almost all year. Yuck!!
Sooo you live in a colder longer winter? We here in Florida are slaves to AC while your slaves to Heater and oil burners locked up dealing with cabin fever 🤔🙄
@@imbatman3620 I see your point! As you can see from my comment, Maine is not for me and neither is FL! South Carolina is too warm 8-10 weeks and too cold 8-10 weeks but rest of the year is amazing. Oh, y'll: Please don't move up/down here! We are getting over-crowded with yankees as it is! (CA and NYC people should especially stay away!!).
@@imbatman3620 Winters here are not nearly as bad as they used to be. When I was a kid temperatures in the negatives were relatively common. That has become very rare. You can also put more clothes on to mitigate the cold. When you are down to your skin and still hot there is nothing more to take off. But different strokes as they say. Florida would be Hell for me and Heaven for others. I do enjoy those months where I can go outside and don't have to worry that something is trying to feed on me though. The lack of giant snails is also a plus.
@@meengla Can you please also tell people California is all full up and to stop coming here. We're way overcrowded with people from the south, midwest and east. 39 million people. Traffic is a nightmare. 😉
I moved to maine about 15 years ago, and could never imagine living anywhere else. But those long dark days in the winter are just killer. I feel like it hits everyone on some level, unless you get really excited about skiing.
I hear you!! Thanks for commenting!!
I would take the cold dark days over the 4.5 months of brutal heat and humidity we have to deal with in the South.
I am a 50 plus year native...embrace winter, skiing, skating, ice fishing. Without a winter pass time....I agree the walls close in.
@@slavetothegrind872 The happiest people I know in the winter are cross-country skiers.
You need to learn winter activities.
I have zero pity for your type.
Moved to Maine in 2002 (yes, I'm from "Away!) from the L.A. area (no, NOT Lewiston-Auburn!), and never looked back. I recently left the Portland area and found a modest home on some land in central Maine. Despite (or in spite) of some of the challenges of living here, it truly is The Way Life Should Be.
It used to be "The Way Life Should Be" as it says on the sign entering the state... Too many people are trying to push the lifestyle of the rest of the country on our fine little state of less than 2 million total
Maine looks like a grand place for a Summer, possibly early Autumn vacation.
You Mainers are a strong hearty bunch of folks and are rightly proud of your heritage.
The harsh realities of Winter and the mud season require generations of toughness that only the inhabitants have.
The taxes tend to keep me only as a visitor to your wondrous state. Thank you for your honest presentation.
Love your comment!! LOL We are a hearty bunch for sure, but if one is a native who grew up before the 2000s it was just a part of growing up. I do love my state, and am pretty sure I can handle about anything life throws at me, and still thrive.
You just gave me all the best reasons to actually live in Maine! Thank you!
Yes-just don't use the realtor-who values multiculturism. Maine is fine just the way it is.
Yes, I like most of them
Keep spreading the word! Tell them all how they won't like it here so we that are here can enjoy our peace and quiet. It will be our secret.
Why would anyone stay away based on what 1 dude in a RUclips video said. Common sense would be that if you visit you can decide for yourself whether you want to move there or not.
@@Rebel-cd6gc Uhmmm, @stephenschroeder6567 was trying to be funny, and their comment was funny. Called reverse psychology.
They took our jobs!!!
Well now this sicko just killed over 20 ppl in Maine and this video pops up smh becareful what you say sad
😅
You tell the truth. Thank you.
I am a Mainer. Born in Aroostook County and moved to Hancock County. I have lived in several states and always came back to Maine.
It is hard: you pay more for everything, you travel a lot just to meet your needs. And you don't get outside without fighting off blackflies, mosquitoes and now an army of ticks(that are able to withstand our winters).
And now we are watching our state change. People 'from away' have brought their lifestyles with them. They hate it when an old timer talks about Maine...we get that smile on our face and the glint in our eyes(could be the woodsmoke).
Oh well, if you don't move here....thank you.
If you do...welcome.
Thank you for the kind words!
*Wave* from another person in Hancock County. :)
I live 'over by the big rock'.
If you're from around these parts, there's a good chance you know where I mean! :)
*whispers to other readers*
and that's what living in Maine is like. ;-)
Same except I'm still in Aroostook
Well to be fair, states dont change just because outsiders moved in, its a complex system of big corporations taking over a lot of things. This is happening everywhere and has been since around the 2010's. This has caused huge rises in cost for just about everything, I am a total capitalist, but we cannot ignore some of these changes are due to big corps crapping on everyone's backyard.
All the reasons I want to move to Maine!
Love it!! Thanks for the comment!
Especially the lack of diversity
@@dubscheckum8246clown take
@@YashKnowsBest you've never had diversity rob you at gun point
@@YashKnowsBest not all of us want it... we shouldn't be forced into it... respect that.
I'm a Dmv native but i've been in Maine off and on for the last 20 years. It sucks that people who have been here their whole lives are being priced out. This state can do better when it comes to elderly and veteran care.
Like Florida
Blue states don't care about old people or vets.
This, except it’s all my young friends who now can’t afford to live here because the cost of real estate has exploded and local incomes haven’t kept up.
My grandfather had what was basically a homestead 50 miles north of Bangor. He lived there many years, some with just an outhouse and no running water. He was an outdoorsman. He hunted, fished and gardened. Good thing because he was about 25 mins to the nearest grocery store.
I grew up in Maine (Auburn) and my parents still live there. I now live in So Cal. I visit my parents every August for a couple of weeks, but after two or three weeks, I am ready to return to where I live now.
Sounds like So Cal is the place for you!! Thanks for the comment!!
Funny, I lived in Los Angeles - worked in Santa Monica. Really didn’t care for the fake, phony, high maintenance people who thrive on getting a quick glimpse of a celebrity at a coffee bar.
I now live in New Hampshire and my soul is at peace.
So funny- different strokes for different folks. Good luck to you and don’t forget your sunscreen! ☀️ 😊
@@Travelgirl0224 For me, its the weather. I'm a misanthropic loner, so I really don't like interacting with other human beings, and I loathe celebrities.
Back in high school I was an avid cross-country skier, so I used to love the cold and the snow. Then I was in a really bad bicycling accident the summer between my junior and senior year in high school wherein I wrecked my right arm, and I have very limited use of that arm to this day. Thus, I haven't skied since. Also, I lived in Austin, TX from1998-2002 and then moved back to the northeast to Toronto from 2002-2005 and 2006-2007, and I decided that, if I wasn't going to ski, I just don't want to deal with the brutality of the northeastern winters anymore.
Auburn does suck
@@hunter6719 And Lewiston is even worse. Haha.
South coastal Maine is different from central and North... My mothers family is from the beautiful lake country of central Maine... first frost by mid september... Winter starts promptly by October 15th :)... winter ends when mud season begins,April/may followed by bug season which lasts till mid July... People "from away" have stumbled back out of the woods mere skellitons during bug season! :)
Fall colors in central Maine are usually the last week of September or first week of october meaning a hard chill has set in nights before then!
Mid Summer dont walk across the paved country roads with the hot asphault bubbling up between your toes! YOU RUN really fast! Wonderful memories visiting there.
So true! Thank you for your insight!
🤣🤣🤣 This is just funny. Thanks. I am more concerned to find a year around road that will be treated during Winter and How to kill those Black fly. I have been to Main twice once during summer and another during Spring were we got cut in snow storm. Yeah learned a lot . Rent a truck with a plow, problem solve.🤣
@@carmencolon3520 Extreemly important Get the underside of your vechicle coated to help avoid the salt on the roads rusting out your car every three or four years!
You need to coat your fly screens with something to keep the black flies out of your house! We used kerosene. If you go outside for a campfire, keep hurricane lanterns with citronella oil to keep the bugs away! put one on each end of your picnic table!
Maine is just plain awesome! You just MUST climb Mt Katahdin in Baxter state park. However its several miles in from the parking lot! Do it the EASY way!
Coastal Maine is fantastic. Beautiful scenery. Really friendly and close-knit people. Relaxed pace, especially in fishing villages.
Couldn't agree more! Thanks for the comment!
I have wonderful memories of coastal Maine.
Coastal Maine is beautiful but only affordable now for out of staters. Wonder why the animosity?
If you look at the fisheries management compared to California, Maine is a disaster. No wild salmon, otters, ocean water opaque with alluvium. No exclusion zones for species to breed and grow to size in safety.
If you move here KEEP THAT WAY PLEASE!! Do NOT come in wanting the things you've left. We like it as it is.
The drive from Maine to and through New Brunswick during the Fall is breathtaking.
Just moved here. Loving it so far!!!
I was a life long MA resident who moved to Central Maine before moving to Central Texas 18 years ago. My take…. The young man hooking up my cable when I moved to Maine says to me “Why did you move here? Winters are bad then it turns to mud and when it finally warms up the bugs are horrible” some truth to what he said, the black flies especially can be nasty. But don’t think other places don’t have their bug challenges. Try getting into chiggers here in Texas or kneeling on a fire ants nest. Not good trust me.
We are retired now and talk about moving back to Maine. Texas summers are hot as hell and the winters though mild are not Florida warm. Those beautiful views and all that water both salt and fresh up there are alluring.
Unfortunately all places to live have their pros and cons... you are welcome back to Maine anytime!
@@TheRm65 the pronunciation must be clear and precise for sure.
You’ll regret it. Not what it once was in many ways. Retirement in New Hampshire will give you better tax benefits. We are looking to leave Maine (4th generation) for NH. Good luck
Maine in the summer! Florida in the winter!
I'm living in Cedar Park, and Maine is one of my target states to move to soon. Other than the winters and maybe a somewhat less robust economy, I'm not seeing many downsides compared to Austin, which has become a LOT worse place to live since I moved here 20 years ago.
I lived in Maine for 43 years, I Retired from the MDOT, we moved from Maine because the cost of living was more than what we made working full time jobs. now it's even worse than it was in 2008 when i retired, I love Maine, I Love almost everything about Maine. the jobs just don't pay you what it cost to live there, unfortunately!
Thanks for the comment!
N.H. here and the Income tax and sales tax and tax on everything ,including air are brutal..
Been thinking about moving on from WSDOT (Washington state) to MDOT, but it was a bit strange seeing nothing but tech 1 jobs. As a tech 2 with a Class A CDL for 14 years, Certified Crane Operator license, Flagger card, Concrete Tester Cert, and eight winters under my belt including mountain passes I'm not sure what the correct transfer path would be, but the Tech 1 requirements in Maine are almost the same as ours ie: never touched a stick of rail, never touched HMA, never touched a plow. Do you know what the next job class is at MDOT if not "Tech 2"?
My family just moved to Maine. They love it so much, the rest of the family are now leaving to Maine.
Awesome!! Send em our way we will take good care of them!
How is Maine, what’s your input. I’m planning on moving there
@@elimelechs.l3246 plz stay away
@@povertywithnathan6336 what do mean stay away
@@LivetheseacoastI'm a black man how would I be treated in Maine? I love to visit in the future.
I live in Massachusetts. I'm used to the bad weather and high cost of living. My husband and I love Maine. For the past 22 years, we've been visiting every year. We find that many towns in Main are laid back, slow pace. We've lived in Boston, Brighton, and Springfield, Massachusetts. Live here is hectic. Winters are bad. New England, after all. We would rather like the quiet and monotony. We like that in Maine, there are many opportunities for low-cost real state; especially towards the northern towns, with acreage. We've been looking. Anyway, no matter where one goes, there are always pros and cons. Thank you for being honest.
I live in Connecticut and I enjoy visiting family in Maine during the summer. But the six hour drive is killer. But once you get close to Maine you end up with almost no traffic so that does make the drive a bit better.
Maine was the first place I lived on my own after leaving college in Idaho. I was only there 1½ years, in the Portland area, but found everywhere I explored absolutely gorgeous. Now, some 40+ years later and having lived in many different states and also in Europe, I keep thinking about returning. It's just that I'm all the way over on the other coast on the Oregon border now and the thought of actually MOVING again is just so darn daunting! (P.S. I love - and miss terribly - actual winter weather!)
I hear you!! Moving is brutal...thanks for the comment though!
Don't move to Portland. There's so many other better areas that are alot cheaper and more beautiful!
@nameunknown5736 Having grown up in Portland, I don't even recognize it anymore! I still miss it every day, however. I remember when North Deering (Washington Ave ext) area was the 'suburbs' and Munjoy Hill was the 'scary' part of town. Now you can't find an apartment under 5k a month for a studio!
@@meghanodonoghue9066 I agree. The prices for living in Portland is absolutely ridiculous. There's much safer and cheaper areas in Maine! I avoid portland and Lewiston lol
I live in the Buffalo, NY area, and of course, our winters can be long and extreme, so people complain...loudly and often! About 20 yrs ago, I finally made peace with winter, and I love it! The trick is to find things you like to do outside, that you can't do any other time of the yr., instead of complaining about something you can't change, unless you relocate. Made life a whole lot more enjoyable!
Sounds great to me. I absolutely love winters. And the cost of living in Massachusetts is out of control. I’m definitely moving to either Maine or New Hampshire within the next year or so. I need out of this place. I lived in NH for 13 years and honestly wish I never moved back but due to family responsibilities I made the choice I thought was right at the time. But ever since I’ve been back in Mass I’ve been thinking of getting back out. My house here should sell for a good amount of money depending on the market but I guess I’ll just see how it pans out. Great video, thanks for taking the time.
@sway696 let's talk! 603-303-7361
I grew up in MA, moved to NH. Bought a house in Manchester, it more than doubled in value over 12 years... sold it last year pocketing 200k. There was nothing decent under 200k in NH, so I searched ME. I did end up buying a beautiful home on a dead-end street, with a lake in my backyard! Nice quiet setting, in a decent-sized town. But, be warned... the taxes are a killer up here! Remember, New Hampshire has no state tax, no sales tax, no excise tax. Here in Maine, even though my property tax is a fraction of what it was in New Hampshire, all of the other taxes combined add up big-time. The excise tax on my car alone is over $500 per year! And you don't realize how convenient stores putting your stuff in bags is, until you come up here and the Walmart cashier looks at you like you're an idiot when you have to carry all your stuff out without your own bags. I'll probably stay, since the crime in big cities and the big city traffic doesn't exist up here, 45 minutes north of Bangor.
I would definitely recommend New Hampshire over Maine.
@@dennisdmenace6249.....just a property tax (new hampshire that is).
@@JJ-11391 I hear ya. Actually already purchased land in N H anyways. Start building this spring. But I still love ME to vacation.😁
@@JJ-11391 thank you 🙏 take care
I experienced Maine as a kid at a summer camp near Weld. Beautiful woods and meadows. By August, when we were leaving camp, I was surprised how cold it was getting in the morning already.
Born and raised in Maine. Couldn't wait to get out. Moved to California and lived happily there for over 30 years. After losing my wife to cancer I moved back to Central Maine near Moosehead. I remembered why I left so many years before. Stuck it out for 5 long years before leaving for sunny Florida!
I noticed this video is mostly about southern Maine. From Augusta south is commonly known now as northern Massachusetts!
Florida is Summer all year round lol I live in SFL the lowest it gets in the Winter is like 60 degrees I think we had it at 32° but that's like North Florida Central Florida Maybe South Florida never. You have to also stay clear of some areas Local Government they are horrible. They say that's everywhere I hope they all drop dead fuck them.
Only flatlanders don't know the difference between Massachusetts and Maine. DeSatan can have you.
What is it like in cenral Maine? The reason I ask is because this state is one of the few I would ever move to If I were to leave California. I am from southern California (born and raised), and I've been wanting to go to Maine for a while, and it was in my top two states to visit in the east coast. I was in New Hampshire for 9 days this past July doing some outreach work, and I got to go to York Beach for a few hours along with Boston for two days since there was leisure time and my flight from Manchester was in the evening. I thought it was a really cool place because it felt calm compared to where I live in California; I enjoyed going to the Nubble lighthouse, eating at The Goldenrod where I tried blueberry ice cream and a lobster sandwich. Based off of what I saw and experienced, I liked how things were. Side note; New Hampshire was my first state in the east coast, and I enjoyed my time there.
I would rather live in Maine than Florida! That state is awful. It was a nice place to live like 15 our 20 years ago not now
@@colingordon0986 no way. Unless you like freezing cold, liberals and high cost of living.
Maine is a beautiful state, have visited many times!
Should note that like other states in the eastern part of the country (including my home state of CT), Maine has its fair share of down & out old factory towns.
We had a nice stay in Bar Harbor & Bangor and decided to stay over in the Lewistown/Auburn area on our way home. Our hotel overlooked the Great Falls on the Androscoggin River.
Very scenic, but the downtown area was pretty rough.
The smell of the Androscoggin River I can't get past. Sad what the paper mills did to that river.
Yeah you only stay there if you must.
I have family in Maine. I try to get there to see them once a year. It is a beautiful state indeed!!
Awesome! Thank you for the comment!
I was born in Brunswick & grew up in Freeport. I moved out of state after college but still have many relatives there I visit. I currently live next door in New Hampshire & have no plans of ever moving back. I enjoyed the years I lived in Maine & traveling up & down the seacoast.
I visited Maine as a tourist from Texas a couple of times and really enjoyed the time. I live near San Antonio Texas, and I hate the summers. Today, August 29, the high was 99*F, the first day in about 2 months that it didn't pass 100*F. I've never been through a Maine winter, but I'm to the point in life that I might give it a shot. I snow ski at least once a year so maybe living in Maine might work for me.
Amen. Lived in TX my whole life and it is absolutely getting hotter here every year. Several weeks straight with 100F+ nighttime temperatures. Think about that northeners. You've eaten dinner, it's been dark a few hours and you want to walk the property before turning in. You open the door, and BAM, a 100F+ wind hits you in the face. Daytime outdoor activities in the summer will slowly become a thing of the past in the South, especially for children. Already have schools closing due to the heat. I'm not a fan of the cold at all but it's becoming unbearable down here. Maine seems attractive with all its unincorporated land.
The cool weather sounds like heaven. I am in Texas now and current heat index is 116. Lack of diversity = majority American. I would love to be there.
Yep. I bought a house in Northern Maine for summer. I miss the diversity of Texas foods and how easy it is to find someone to do work on my house. Here "mexican food" is a food truck an hour's drive away. And there's a shortage of labor because everyone goes south for work (PA, NY, etc). There's no AC when temps get to 80 degrees, either. Very different from TX.
Thanks for the comment! Sounds like Maine may be calling your name!
@lkbarrett39 you may find you like Southern Maine better...much more in terms of food options and it's relatively easier to find help.
How are you at -10 with a wind chill of -30 ? And 18-24” of snow in 24 hrs.
@@franciscyr2471 lol. Truth. I love our propane heaters and wood stove in ME, but it's no different than our required AC in TX nine months a year.
I have lived in Minnesota and put up with the harsh winters here and look forward to living in Maine!
Lived there one year. Property taxes differ greatly depending on county. Aroostok is one of the cheapest. Southern and Central Coastal properties are sky-high. I will move back to Maine, but, next time with more knowledge. A great place to be if SHTF.
Thanks for your insight and for your comment! I appreciate it and you are welcome back anytime!
If the shtf, and you are in maine, you better own, know how to sharpen and maintain and use an old fashion cross cut saw. Takes a lot of time and muscle to fell, haul, buck, split and stack 4 or 5 or more cords of firewood by hand.
The best place in the US to be in the event SHTF is Wyoming. Lack of population density and it’s pretty much in the clear in the event of a large scale nuclear event and fallout. Plus it’s cheap AF right now. Check out fallout maps and you’ll see what I mean.
The lack of diversity is a ‘plus’. Lowest crime rate in the country.
As with all of the points here, they can be both positives or negatives depending on your perspective and point of view!
The stats aren't accurate. The police aren't exactly boy scouts and the court system isn't clean. So, because Maine has been traditionally republican crime rate stats aren't really a moral compass. I rented downeast and people broke into my house regularly while I was on disability waiting for heart surgery and the sheriff lived several houses down. After that experience, I would recommend not to rent from craigslist and not to rent period in Maine. The landlords suck. Tenant lawyers don't answer the phone either. If your retired and wealthy then great its a paradise.
@@Livetheseacoast Ah, an enlightened centrist who sees racism and refuses to stand up to it. Well done.
Nah, it sucks.
See, our non-diverse population is chronically failing. We're the 9th most DC dollar dependent state in America because - for decades - instead of building modern industry and investing in education...
We appeased low-skill lumberjacks by trying to keep dead heritage industries alive. Kind of like coal country only not quite as... trashy.
So yeah... if you wanna be a socialism-dependent chronic failure living in a place with massive brain drain because it has no options for anyone with a modern industry skillset... watching our youth leave the state every year because we have literally no opportunities for people who shower on a regular basis...
Come right on up. Fortunately our blue-voting cities DO generate enough revenues to pump SOME out to our broke loser rural areas so at least you can mooch off of some non-diverse people probably superior to YOUR current revenue generation, I doubt you'll be helping us pull ahead much.
@@TheRm65 meh, in my case the person I sued was a landlord whom is known by the towns folk and claimed to be a ‘private investigator’. Dunno if that was true or not. The Belfast court system is busy but to misplace paperwork when it suggests a person affiliated with law enforcement is suspect is like saying my dog ate my homework to your math teacher. It’s questionable if this is the culture of having a double standard or lack of money. In my case giving the court more money would probably result in the same misplaced documents. Seeing it appears it somehow was human error by well paid court employees.
My father in the early 60's to 1970's worked as the center director for the park service on Mount desert island...I grew up in Bar Harbor. Best experience of my life! Loved the 4 seasons in Maine but my mom from fla. Hated the cold. We loved to camp and my dad would spend 3 weeks of his government. Vacation in August with the family camping g out. I remember in August of 1968 we went to tunk lake it was a beautiful warm sunny day when we pitched the tent and put the old town canoe in the water....we went swimming off the sand beach. Next morning when we got up there was 6 inches of snow on the ground. I have 8mm film of it to this day. He is right about the weather....4 distinct seasons there.....but.....worth it!!!!
Snow in August is winter reaching over fall into summer, not four distinct seasons.
A coworkers brother moved to Maine from Georgia in the spring. He didn't last 6 months and moved from there to Florida.
What was wrong with Georgia
@@NutritionPolice sorry. Didn't ask. Stacey Abrams maybe.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
I spent summers in York. Its kinda cold in summer. You have to be naturally strong to handle winter. The pine scented air is beautiful though.
I am exiled in the Midwest. I’m from Caribou and I will be returning at retirement. I love the cold winters and the dark days are comforting to me.
I live in Northern Maine. Totally love it❤
As a native New Yorker, I enjoy Maine because of those reasons. Unless you’re from the south we deal with the same weather only New Yorkers use F bombs to complain about it while sitting in traffic…..
Great insiight! Thanks for the comment and sounds like Maine is the place to be for you!
Mt. Wash. Valley N.H. here and we get tons of tourist / away folks that bring all their " adults behaving badly issues " w/ them.. Road rage , domestic fights , unsafe driving are the most heard on the scanner..I'TS a vacation area , slow , easy , patience , appreciate it..
My husband and I are moving from Conifer, Colorado. It snows here 9 months out of the year; sometimes 3ft at once. We are a purple family. We already live rural. Would we be accepted in Maine?
Personalities and how folks "come across" make a big difference in how New Englanders interact w/ others.. Pushy , cocky , know it all , demanding will send the wrong vibe to locals..
As a Mainer, I want to thank you for keeping people out of our quiet state.
I agree! My family has been here since the early 1700s. Although we welcome long cold winters, with skiing ,hiking, ice climbing etc. And we really love solitude. I love getting up every morning in my island home and seeing NOBODY!
Awesome stay out!
Im a Maine Native, southern Maine in now northern Mass. The real Maine doesnt start until about Bangor.
Thanks for the comment!
What defines "real Maine?"
Is it when the outside revenue dependency kicks in?
Madawaska is real Maine
@@Dit1160 Grew up Mad town
Old wise tale..so old that I never hear it anymore..
Love this. We don't need folks from other parts of the country trying to make it "just like home" when they move here. When a good part of
the South and West becomes nearly unlivable due to climate change, a bit of "cold" in Maine will be a blessing. Even here I've noticed a big
change in the severity of winter over the past fifty years I've been here. From a constant cover of 2 to 3 feet of snow to little to none along
the coast.
When I was a kid winters with temperatures well into the negatives were not uncommon here (one winter it was so cold that the ocean froze over where I lived on the coast). That doesn't happen any more. The winters have become quite mild temperature-wise. Snow is a crapshoot of course. Some years a lot and some hardly any.
What wonderful insight from an insider, thank you!
Thank you so much and thanks for the encouraging comment! I truly appreciate it.
I spent most of my Winter vacations in Bangor visiting my grandparents. Winter was a challenge with snow sometimes reaching the top of their porch roof and we would have to dig a tunnel out to the splowed street to get out of have to dig a tunnel out to the plowed street.
I love it here. 24 years built house on Sebago. Job market pitiful. Winter the best skiing snowmobiling. Omg LOVE IT. nothing like cheap wood stove heat.
As a Canadian looking to escape a totalitarian dictatorship. Maine would be closest to rural Canadian lifestyle. Slow paced, low crime, friendly people. The cost of living in Maine is still half what it is in Canada. Mind you the lack of jobs unless you work in medical is disheartening. I would be a lumberjack or work a fishing boat. Not afraid to get hands dirty but not sure those pay well in the US
Sounds good!! Come on down!
Avoid Michigan. They just passed a law requiring you to use requested pronouns. If you slip up, all someone has to do is claim they felt frightened and scared. Fine up to 10k and prison. They made it a FELONY!
I live in Connecticut. I purchased a house in Grand Isle at the top of Maine with Canada across the street. So I will feel like I am living in Canada but still in the US.
Maine is pretty blue and it's a poorly run state by god awful Democrats.
As a fellow real estate professional in TX I appreciate this video a lot. So many times I have to try to wake people up to the reality of moving to rural Texas from LA, or wherever they come from.
Jed that means a lot! So great to hear. Thank you for the kind words!
I appreciate it when people like you two MAKE real videos that tell people the truth about a place and not sugar coat it!
Some of us are told to come move to places and if you get stuck and are miserable, that is a level of hell I do not wish on anyone! A friend has been trying to get me to move to Rhode Island and another to Boston - I am not sure if I want to keep driving in ice and snow anymore!
@@vanessahenry7238 -The lftiztz (their W/Joke policies, and the ilglz& welfare recipients they love) have destroyed those states. (unless you are one, then you'll love it. VirtueSignalling opps at every turn, pandering opportunities, child mutilations, holier-than-thou attitudes, and abtionz.)
Depends on what part of rural Texas. I live in the Hill Country west of Austin, but that is DRASTICALLY different than living in rural West Texas, or the panhandle, or near any of the Texas borders.
Kinda keep places like Corpus, Rockport, and of course Port O'Connor on the down low until I move there 😉👍
I was born and raised in Bar Harbor. Met my future hubby from Florida and moved to West Palm Beach. Nope, wish I had stayed in Maine. Cold yes, but the people are friendlier and more helpful. And voted the safest state in America 🇺🇸
Come back!
Okay, just because we might not want to LIVE in Maine doesn't mean we wouldn't love to VISIT!!
Where can we see all those beautiful postcard towns in your video?
I want to go back to Maine so much. We live in Florida now for health reasons, but Maine is stunning and a great living experience. We lived in Bangor and it is much more diverse than you think.
There are 4 seasons in Maine. Almost winter, winter, still winter, and mud.
Keep🌲Maine🌲clean and beautiful. nine months of cold, and the bugs can be bad. and people when it’s cold, there’s not a whole Lotta sun,so you do get depressed. Depression is a high here in Maine. Sad but true that’s the way it is in colder climates.
9 months of cold is hard, but I swear the summers are so fun.
Thank you for the honesty!❤
@paullockwood4872 you are welcome! Thanks for the comment!!
I grew up in Maine and I'm a USM graduate. I could not deal with winter anymore and ended up in Fort Lauderdale. I would tell people to visit where you are thinking of moving to off season.
Yep lived in Maine for 10 winters as a teen and in college. Moved to Phoenix after college and never regretted it.
I live in the mid coast and came from away. I love it and don’t want to change anything. It is why I left where I came from and I love the cold.
I was born in Maine. Everything he says is true. I hate cities and I hate busyness and crowds, so I stay here. But winter is a big problem. I hate winter. It’s super long, super cold and super dark and depressing. We live in a small town and we are fixing up our old house. A trip to Home Depot is a major trip for us. If we forget something we need or run into something unexpected in the house it’s so time consuming to go to Home Depot. It takes about 40 minutes to get to the store and sometimes we have to do it more than once. So, we spent more time shopping than we do fixing the house. We’ve been at it for 11 years now. Maine definitely is not for everyone. My Dad, my brother, my son and one of my sisters moved out because they couldn’t stand it anymore.
He's full of it in a lot of ways, Portland has so many jobs it's crazy, I've been working 3 jobs just because I know the owners, even dishwashers are getting over $20 an hour
@@GabrielGarcia-300 I can understand what you are saying if you’re talking about Portland. I don’t doubt it. I live in the midcoast and there are no good jobs. The midcoast is way different from Portland. The housing prices are extremely high in the Midcoast and income levels don’t support it. My brother moved out of Maine to find a good job. He has an education and all the good paying jobs were out of state and he hates the extreme winters here, so he left. Several other family members have moved too.
@@GabrielGarcia-300it’s still not worth it, the apartment costs are literally the same as right outside Boston but they have nowhere close enough high paying jobs in maine. I make 2x more than anyone would offer an engineer in Portland and also pay less in rent while only being 10-15 minutes outside of Boston.
wow, I can think of few worse places to live for someone who says " i hate winter" .
@@michelejones5538 lol high prices and "extreme winters" I'm not laughing at you, I spent most of my adult life in Alaska, minimum wage was $8 an hour and avg pay, and cost of living was worse than here. Not to mention we had extreme winters, in Valdez it's 450" of snow in town annually, and Fairbanks or interior is avg -40 to -60 without wind chill, and dark most of the day. Main is a cakewalk compared to there
Visiting Maine has always been on my bucket list...in the fall.
You need to!!
The fall foliage is beyond spectacular!
So, I'm waiting for the negatives. What are they ? Did I miss something ?
Sounds like maine is the place for you!
"The way it should be" is more a state of mind, than a slogan. Something I had heard, but not yet realized until I traversed Maine's landscape.
Been there done that now live in Florida!! To cold in winter and don’t need the extra work ! Snow removal !!!
you lost me on lack of diversity. does that mean too many white people of northern European dissent? Is that a bad thing? Should I be ashamed of my heritage? Am I a bad person for having my own opinion and not letting our illustrious gov do my thinking for me?
As with any of these points, they can be seen as both a negative or a positive depending on your perspective and exactly what you are looking for...trust me...you are not a bad person! Thanks for watching the video though and I appreciate your comment.
I think he means people from other races may not be comfortable here. And that is understandable.
@@pierreaucoin2480Like I always felt driving through the south side of Chicago.
Good to you for mentioning.
I'm not a racist so that wouldn't have even have entered my mind.
It means low crime but he won’t admit it
Moved to Maine from Maryland in July 2021. Couldn’t afford to live on the coast, so we lived about an hour and a half north of Portland. Maine is beautiful and the people were totally welcoming and kind. Unfortunately, health care is a disaster there. I ended up having to go nearly four hours to Boston for my oncology appointments and it took nearly a year to find a primary care doctor and he was in New Hampshire! Ended up leaving an abusive marriage and Maine after one year. I would definitely go back to vacation but never to live there.
Took like 3 months to get an appointment
For retirees, accessible medical care is a biggie. When young, one needs a doctor very seldom.
I'll take 3 months of 100F to 3 months of dark, cold, snow filled Maine winter.
3 months?, try 6 months. Lived in Northern Maine and it was brutal.
Same winter here in New England. But not so many snow mobiles here thankfully. Unfortunately Maine is also more crowded in the summer. Actually Maine is cheaper than here.Much healthier pace of life in Maine. You are right about limited diversity though. Love it.
This is exactly the place I'm looking for.Perfect for me
You should try living in Arizona
I’m from mass and now living down here and will be moving up to main to retire
I can’t wait
Glad to hear you are coming back to New England...one thing is for sure I could never live in AZ....
I've moved to Maine twice, with a dozen years in Phoenix between my stints. The number one negative I've experienced is the biting bugs. In Phoenix, there are virtually no flying insects any time of the year. (There's only the sporadic swarm of killer bees, lots of scorpions, rattlesnakes, and black widow spiders, but they don't bother too much.) Here in Maine, one must have a good supply of bug juice to survive. The short summers are actually a positive here because it means fewer days with those pesky pests.
My son got a job in Bar Harbor last fall. He could afford to live there in the non tourist winter season but came spring he couldn't find a place to live that he could afford even moving an hour away so he moved back. Liked it just couldn't afford it.
It's tough, the cost of living really makes it difficult for middle class in this state, sorry your son had that experience!
My wife and i just purchased 47 acres in Maine and are getting it ready to build on.
I'm interested, what town? Also please don't do any overly fancy stuff in the forest cause it raises our taxes
A family member just purchased his first house in Brownville, Maine from Westchester County, NY although he did a stint in the army at Fort Drum in upstate NY. It is now January and 16 degrees there. I wish him the best but I need to be around people, nature, Starbucks and that small town New England feel in Ridgefield, CT.
You forgot to cover mud month (April) when the snow thaws.
Very true!! Thank you and stay tuned for part 2
Maine is two different states. I inherited property in Jackman that's been in the family for over 70 years and it's not downstate Maine. Different accent and even languages, different culture. I can't imagine living up there FT and having to work though unless it's remote work. There's not a lot there job wise. On the channel The World According to Briggs, he has nice things to say about downstate Maine and one thing not considered is it's probably the safest state in spite of the lack of diversity, it's not as closed as one might think. In the interim of inheriting that property, I've moved to Iowa(that was culture shock coming from Long Island) and now Arizona. I miss the east coast, the ocean and seasons.
Very true!! Thank you for your insight and comment!
Its more like 7 sections. Coast below Portland , Coast up to Ellsworth, Coast above Ellsworth. Interior south, interior middle , interior nort h the big woods, and Aroostook county. Jackman is the big woods. A great drive is up rte 11 . Most jobs are Portland South. Its safe. It has very little diversity. Small town folks are not that friendly. I like Aroostook County a lot. There is not much there. Its a longway from any city,Bangor. Maine has issues too. Taxes can be high. Education is expensive but low quality. Most of the citys are mediocre. Lots of bugs. Ticks are common and carry disease. I cant believe people still camp and hike.....
@@kennkid9912 Could be, but I saw a difference between Jackman and down east. In terms of education and diversity, get out a bit more. I have lived in Iowa and AZ and Iowa is the least diverse place I've lived, but has decent education. AZ is more diverse, but not good education. It's 48th in the country. Low taxes are a lot of it. IDK what you consider high taxes...I lived on Long Island for 40 years and the average property tax now is probably around 12k a year. Education is decent, but it's not a good value at that cost. Iowa is just as good at 40% of the cost in NY. AZ property taxes are ridiculously cheap. We have 2600sq/ft on 1.46ac in an upper middle class town and pay 2450 a year. The schools suck though. When we moved here, my oldest daughter started the 11th grade and already had enough credits to graduate, so she took mostly AP classes her last two years.
Most small town places are parochial as you have found. In Iowa, a lot of people I worked with came from small towns and had all the friends and family they'll ever want. This translates into a not invented here mentality and they have to know you in some way to get your foot in the door. I had a hard time finding work at one point and what I found was, if a local said you were okey doke, you got in. When I lived in NY, all the work I ever got was through interviews and being unknown. AZ is somewhere in the middle, more like NY.
From what I understand, the Jackman I knew as a kid has changed. I heard they had some aryan idiot in charge of the town at one point. I have fond memories though of spending my summers up there. I used to take Rt 201 to Jackman. I'd want to live near the coast if I lived there. The World According to Briggs said Ellsworth is good.
@@nokoolaid Ellsworth is the hub north of Belfast. Its ok. A shopping area. If u dont go there you go to Bangor. My relatives live in Nebraska . The people were nice enuf. Farmers. They no longer live there. My ex brother in law moved to Arizona. Why I have no idea. My sister moved back east to Mass. Their kids live in N and have done well. I have lived in Me. for 39 years. I have seen it all. Taxes are not cheap. our school is pretty mediocre. Its kind of a closed community ,if you want to be buddies with them. I dont care so it doesnt bother me.
@@kennkid9912 We moved to Iowa for my job and then to AZ for my wife's job. People in Iowa are nice too, almost too much, like they won't say what they think or feel, almost passive aggressive, at least coming from NY where people are more blunt.
We might move again. My oldest daughter is married and moved to Oregon and has two kids. I like Oregon better than AZ. It's actually pretty mellow. Weather is better half of the year. I don't see myself moving back east. Too expensive, although Oregon isn't cheap either.
Central, western and far north are my fave. Remember, the road stops in Kokadjo. I LOVE the areas where moose outnumber humans. Maine is the most beautiful state on the planet in my opinion although I live in the second most beautiful (NH). "Welcome home" is right (for outsiders, it's on the state line sign) 💕
Hawaii, Alaska, California, New Mexico, Colorado, etc. all exponentially more aesthetically pleasing than any New England state.
@@garganega I've been to all except Alaska, and your comment is 'exponentially" wrong. You must be thinking New Jersey is a New England state.
@@kenm7179 Travel the whole state and test river water downstream from the mills. The only difference is New Jersey can afford signage to warn you while Maine cannot. The Penobscot smelled of chemicals so strongly you ran from your car to get inside. I have lived in both states.
Not like it is anywhere near as cold and harsh as it once was--even 20 years ago.
I was stationed at Loring AFB in Maine when I was 19 years old in 1993. I remember it snowed in the month of June, all the cars were completely covered. 😅
Thanks for the Video, Portland also has an overwhelming homeless population with tents all over the sides of roads and off the highway. I was not expecting that when I visited Portland a few months ago, also parking in Portland is very expensive 42 dollars a day, around the Monument Sq area.
This is what happens when people move to a state and turn it blue.
Be prepared to order most of your goods online and have them go to a Post Office. There are not many choices in stores to shop in rural areas. It can become frustrating. Raised in Maine, couldn't wait to move as a teenager. After moving out of state I brought my family back to Maine, because it's the way life should be.
Being from New Hampshire in the 80's, my experience and many others is, if you're not from Maine, you'll have a hard time making friends with anybody. You're an outsider. Hell, if your family moved to Maine when you were six you're _still_ an outsider even well into adulthood!
Truth. I'm from there and always tell people moving there will never be the same as being from there. It's a mindset. People from away see it but will never know or understand it and without it they'll never really belong. Not until enough changes to make it like living anywhere else, lol.
Cleatus don’t be liking people from away even though cleatus got there somehow
@@Elchupacabra560 Yeah but Cleatus got there long before the people he's hating on did!
@@727Phoenix so basically it’s like some sort of seniority pecking order for dimwits?
Points well made. People ought to appreciate this.
The Maine Fall and Winters would be one of the things that would attract me. I'm not a fan of big cities. I live in Rhode Island and have spent a lot of time in Maine and New Hampshire. My wife and I had planned to move north. But taking care of elderly parents, work on our house that now fits like a glove and the friendships that have grown over the years have anchored us to RI.
Now we are in our mid-seventies and RI has its own quirky charms. And the seafood is cheaper in RI. Yea, we have lobsters too. Besides, Portland is only 3 hours away and North Conway is about 3 1/2 hours away so visiting is not a problem. Next trip, it's off to Wiscasset. Your videos are great.
There’s nothing wrong with low diversity. Tired of hearing about it!
Totally respect that! Thanks for the comment!
Hi!
Contrary to @livetheseacoast's happy dog-whistling acceptance of blatant racism we don't ACTUALLY want any more little sad bigots up here.
Maine is for strong people. Not weaklings.
@@Livetheseacoast What about his racism is worthy of respect?
Be specific.
@@Jon-g2d5kwe are sick of hearing about diversity. We are all humans, we are all Americans, and we all love the Sox, B’s, C’s and Pats.
@@bluedog562 Nope, we don't.
Nor were we all denied a right to vote until 144 years into America's history.
Nor did we all have family locked in AMERICAN camps while white germans ran free.
Hell, here in Maine, we're not all French Canadians or Catholics... ya know, we have a slight history of discrimination there...
We weren't all denied religious liberty until 1979 like our native population was.
We weren't subhuman under the law until the Civil Rights Act, like black people were.
Quite a diverse set of stories in America.
Not even limited just by race. Go figure.
Good job not respecting America's path. You're a helluva patriot, champ.
The bugs! - you need a beekeeper's outfit to go outside - mosquitoes, biting horseflies, gnats that get in your eyes and you breathe in.
Indeed!
@@Livetheseacoast I remember driving at night - it was a sea of moths, fireflies, and other bugs dancing in the headlights. I hope it's still like that (healthy ecosystem).
When we lived in Warren, Maine back in the ‘70’s, it was wonderful until our taxes went from $91.00 year to $7500.00 because we restored our 1871 Cape. We sold it in the ‘80’s and the new owners added a two car garage to the ell and their taxes went to $12,000. We have since moved to WNC Smokies, another tourist Mecca and we are in a similar boat with traffic. We tried Alaska too; but the llllohg dark winters were a deterrent. Maine is still my choice but too old for moving again.
All great points. I'd elaborate that it's not just snow, anywhere within an hour or more of the ocean sees very heavy, wet snow. The kind of snow that people have heart attacks trying to move if they're not physically fit.
Every X you made had me loving Maine even more ❤😊
That Maine accent of yours sounds like it came from south of the Mason Dixon Line. There's nothing wrong with Maine a stout hardy people can't handle and it's diversity is just fine. The charm of this wonderful state should be preserved not diluted.
New Hampsha Native, lived in Southern ME (northern Massachusettes) for 13 years now, thanks for the comment!
@@Livetheseacoast
'Tis but another hardy soul captain... Ayuh!
Sealed the deal with recent news!
Grim.
I’m originally from Maine and now live in another state. Recently I went back for my first visit in over four years and was sadly disappointed in what I saw! My home town was totally changed into a fantasy land. In other words,Maine,the way life never was! Gentrification at its worst. I know nothing stays the same and some change is good,but not what I saw! Wealthy people from away have forced people out! Taxes have risen to outrageous levels, good paying jobs are hard to find. I spoke to a woman who commuted over sixty miles one way for a decent paying job! That’s not living,that’s struggling to survive! This is happening all over the state,I doubt that I will ever return. I would rather keep my memories of the way Maine life used to be.
Unfortunately it is like that in almost every state now except for a few of the southern states. I dont like the government being involved in what isnt their business, however, I am reaching a point in which I think local governments will have no choice but to intervene in real estate and force these big companies to screw off. Ever since the 90's real estate has exploded, companies are mass buying homes and renting them out EVERYWHERE, this is why prices are so high in almost all states not just due to migration. To some extent, its kind of what people have been voting for, it can only change with votes.
I was stationed in Brunswick Maine from 86 to 90... best tour in my 24 years in the Navy. One of my favorite memories was the Sunday drives up Rt 1 (coastal highway) and stopping for 99 cent lobster rolls.
Moved to Northern Maine a bit over a year ago. Love it!