Thinking about moving to Maine (Portland, Bangor: apartments, home builder, construction)
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We're moving up from Houston, TX area in the fore-seeable future. We are paying $2.19 a gallon for regular unleaded today. How is it there?
I've been wondering about grocery costs and such, as well, as I begin preparing myself for the transition. I pay $3.15 for a gallon of milk and $1.39 for a loaf of wheat bread. I know it may sound silly, but grocery costs, when you're feeding a family of 5, can be significant. It means about $500 a month for my family right now.
I've also been curious about the heating costs. I stated in my own new thread that we pay $400 light bills in the summer here - which, unfortunately, nearly wipes us out for at least 3 months out of the year, though the entire stays unseasonably warm here, with normal winter temps staying in the upper 60 for the most part.
HI Pixieshmoo,
We live in Yarmouth and will be selling our house this spring. We want to relocate down south. If you have any questions about Yarmouth, I would be happy to help. You can pm me anytime. I have lived here for about 15 years, so I am very familiar with the town.
We send our children to a Christian school in Portland (about 15 min. away), but I know the schools here have a good reputation.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Adrienne
Thank you very much! I've actually read alot about Yarmouth and I think I like the sound of it. I will let you know if I have more questions, thanks again.
The Tax Foundation, a policy research group, estimated the average taxpayer's total state and local tax burden for 2005 in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. That burden reflects what residents pay in state and local income taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, luxury taxes and fuel taxes, among others. Maine is ranked #1 (meaning it is the least tax friendly state), with a tax burden of 13% (New Jersey came in at #14, with a 10.4% tax burden). Of the New England states, New Hampshire is the most tax friendly - ranked #49 at 7.4%.
With regards to property taxes (per capita/year), the five worst states are (in this order) New Jersey ($1,871), Connecticut ($1,733), Maine ($1,439), New York ($1,402), and Rhode Island ($1,368). For comparison, the best state in this category is Arkansas ($191), and the national average is $935.
Yes, Maine can definitely be a very expensive place to live.....
Huh, my mother lives in BBH Maine and her taxes are athird what mine are in CNY. There was no mention of Ca. taxes? I heard NY is the highest in the nation.
Greetings all. My wife and I are very seriously considering a move to the Bangor area. We've visited several times over the past few years, in every season, and met with realtors to get an idea of the homes we could expect to get for our budget (about $150k). We are "Tree Huggers" in every sense of the word. Avid hikers and kayakers. I myself am a composer and graphic designer with dreams of crafting native american flutes from my workshop in Maine and selling them on the internet. I just turned 40 so it's a mid life 'now or never" situation. Seems like all the relocators here are longing for the same things we are...the "simple life". We are coming from the urban jungle known as Long Island, New York. Been here for 30 + years. The over population, ridiculously over priced homes, road rage, filthy streets and influx of south american gangs (Our county recently beefed up their gang task force in an effort to combat them) has gotten OUT OF CONTROL! So with that said, we just sold our condo and have a serious decision to make. The biggest concern would not only be finding a job, but what about HEALTH COVERAGE.
I am pretty much resigned to getting a job in a store at first. Stillwater avenue has a huge mall. But do companies in general offer health coverage? What about wages? Does anyone know what you can expect to earn working a full time job in a department store? I know it's hardly a career, but from what I am reading, it's the most likely job I can expect to land. We will have a considerable down payment so are thinking the low mortgage will compensate for the other high costs. Are we in fantasy land? Also one thing we've not heard mentioned are the natural "inconveniences". I've heard it said that "Black Fly should be the official state bird of Maine!" What's the story on that? Is there a black fly "season"? If so, how long does it last. Also, being avid hikers, we've heard that you encounter bear, occasionaly in your yard. Are there "bear free" hiking trails that are monitored by the state for safety? Sorry if this sounds silly, but it is a concern! Lastly (for now!), is the LONG winter. How much does it cost on average to heat a 3 bedroom ranch style home per month. I realize that is a very broad question, but a rough idea, anyone? What's the cost per gallon on oil deliveries these days? Any comments on the Bangor area in general are welcome. Thanks to all in advcance, and I was so happy to come across this forum! Really a great insight from all different angles.
Huh, my mother lives in BBH Maine and her taxes are athird what mine are in CNY. There was no mention of Ca. taxes? I heard NY is the highest in the nation.
Depends on what you're measuring. Maine has the highest total tax burden (local, state, and federal) as a percentage of per capita income in the United States, according to the Tax Foundation. New York and Vermont are at the top for taxes in absolute numbers, but their per capita income is higher than Maine's. If you live in Maine and have a New York income, you'll do much better.
Greetings all. My wife and I are very seriously considering a move to the Bangor area. .
Well you certainly have touched all the "hot buttons". I think you should plan on coming to Bangor and staying in a motel for about a month before you actually make the move. While you are there, explore the area and go job hunting. What you will probably find is that retail stores will pay some small variance from minimum wage and NOT provide any sort of benefits. Health insurance will be very easy to buy, although it will not necessarily be particularly affordable at your age. We buy health insurance for my wife and with a very large deductible her monthly premiums are just below $300. This is a private health insurance plan from Anthem/Blue Cross. Health insurance for those not covered under a group plan from a large employer is expensive, and health insurance for purchase by employers are so expensive that many small employers simply cannot afford to provide it for their employees. Remember: Maine is a very small economy, and that dictates what people can earn, not the mean spiritedness of employers.
As a long time resident I wish that people would quite yammering about the Black Fly. We have Black Fly season in the spring, and they swarm around open bodies of water, and in the deep woods. Are they annoying? Yes. Do they bite? Sometimes. Will they carry off your first born young? No. Once the spring rains end, for the most part, so do the Black Flies, although there are mosquitos and Black Flies in the deep woods all the time. Wearing appropriate clothing will solve the problem, if there is one.
Bears. Well, I spent more than a decade travelling throughout the state on business at all times of the day and night. The ONLY black bear that I ever saw was walking the road at high noon about 1/2 mile from the center of Ellsworth after I retired. ARE there black bears about? Yes, certainly. And if you are hiking in the woods and come across one, it would be best to be very respectful and go back the way you came. But the chances of running into one in the middle of the day while hiking unless you are in the REAL wilderness, is about the same as being struck by lightning. As far as "Bear Free hiking trails" monitored by the state is concerned.....well, let me put it this way. Up above I have said that Maine has a very small economy. If you think that Maine might have the resources to staff rangers to police the wildlife off walking trails for the convenience of city slickers who are afraid of Black Flies, you have missed most of what you should have seen when you were in Bangor. I realize that that is a VERY harsh statement, and no, I do not mean it to be insulting. Maine doesn't have the gang problems that you describe, but it does require a bit more self reliance that folks from the urbanized area of the country are used to. If you are an avid conservationist and nature lover, you will have a field day here in Maine. But you will be making a choice to live HERE like THIS, rather than within the shadow of Manhattan's sky scrapers and the conveniences therefrom provided.
Maine winters are a problem for everyone. Home heating costs can vary a great deal, but far too many houses in Maine are old and poorly insulated. Since the majority of homes use Number 2 fuel oil, the cost of heat is directly related to the cost of oil. My parents have an old farmhouse that is in very good condition. But their oil cost is substantial due to the nature of the house. A modern, three bedroom ranch house, if such even exists and is available will probably consume somewhere in the 1200-1500 gallon range. A larger old home could well consume double that amount. A gallon of oil right now is in the $2.30 range, but that changes almost daily.
For the price range that you have mentioned, you will be able to buy a nice, older home in the greater Bangor area, but most likely you will end up living outside of the city itself. To the cost of fuel, you will have to add the cost of gasoline to drive to where you are going, and since distances will be greater, you will probably drive more here, and further distances, than you are used to driving on Long Island. This may or may not be a serious issue for you, and the chief reason that I have suggested to you (and to others in this forum) to come to Maine for longer than a quick visit. Spend several weeks looking around, and if you can't do that, then perhaps the idea of moving to Maine isn't a well thought out plan at all.
Incidentally, since you have said that this is a "now of never" life change adventure, I would suggest that you go for it, but don't put down too many deep roots until you are sure BY EXPERIENCE that Maine and its magic and evils is the right place for you.
Thanks Acadianlion for your honest and enlightening answers, and no offense taken. You're suggestion of a longer visit is definetely a wise idea. We've done 3-5 day extended weekends in the past, hoping to get a true feel for the area...rather unrealistic I suppose. I appreciate all your input. Further food for thought.
Thanks Acadianlion for your honest and enlightening answers, and no offense taken. You're suggestion of a longer visit is definetely a wise idea. We've done 3-5 day extended weekends in the past, hoping to get a true feel for the area...rather unrealistic I suppose. I appreciate all your input. Further food for thought.
I too am "from away". Thirty years ago, my wife (at the time) decided that I should live somewhere other than near her on Cape Cod. It was a devastating experience because I lost everything....including my job. I moved to Maine because my parents lived here, and I had always wanted to spend the summer in the family camp by myself. I had practically no money, and NO prospects, except that the summer was coming. I had three years to develop something as I had child support payments that would start at the end of that time.
Well, I thought I knew the territory. I had spent all my summers as a child here, and my mother's family was located in the area. If some people reading this now think that Maine is rural, I will state emphatically that comparitively, Maine was the FRONTIER thirty years ago.
I got subsistance jobs using my few seventy grade shop skills. I worked every day and a lot of times doing rather unpleasant things, mostly for $4 per hour! I survived and my parents let me live in the summer camp all that winter. It was wonderful, but that is only assuming that you can appreciate the wonder of waking up in the morning to ten degree temperatures in your living room!
I started a business. Why not? I didn't have any money, so I decided to "go for it". It was hard, but I stayed alive and had the experience of a lifetime. It can be done.
I have read so many posts in this forum from people who yearn for a simpler, less costly lifestyle...only to see that what they want is something...anything...other than what they have now. And there are posts from people who made the decision to move here knowing nothing about the state or its people, only to be terribly disappointed, frustrated, and due to their lack of planning and understanding, broke and trapped.
Moving to Maine will a great experience for you, if you understand that it will be the same only very, very different from where you are now. We speak English (for the most part) here, and have indoor plumbing (for the most part) here. We have big box stores, although you probably have ten within a half hour drive of where you live now, and here there will be one within a two hour drive.
Don't be afraid of Maine and what it has and has not: but come and spend time and explore around. You may find the perfect retail job in Machias or Eastport and Presque Isle or Farmington, or you may find something totally different and not what you expected at all.
Expect the unexpected and be prepared to find life as it really should be...although it won't be as it is for you now. It will be better and different.
In reading all these posts from people thinking of moving to Maine I have to say this since I haven't seen it yet. My family has been vacationing in Maine for the last 10 years in the Naples area. So we really know Maine from a visitors perspective and we love it. During this time we really tried to get to know Mainers because we love Maine and thought about retiring there one day. A guy I worked with was transferred from the Philly area to Bangor. Then a few years later I saw him back here in Philly I asked him how is Maine. He said after a year or two he and his wife requested a transfer out of Maine because they were never accepted there by native Mainers. I heard the same thing from a Mainer when we vacationed in the Moosehead Lake area one summer. He said being from Maine is what they, native Mainers, have and they don't want/accept people moving up here. Just last year while renting on Brandy Pond three women who turned out to be sisters were walking on the path near the lake. I started a conversation with them, you know just trying to be friendly, one woman told me she lived in Maine 15 years now, she was originally from MASS and said she never found Maine people welcoming to outsiders. As a result of all this my wife and I are looking more to Vermont to retire to someday or maybe New Hampshire instead of Maine. We're from PA. Any comments on my thoughts?
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ny vs me
