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Old 09-07-2011, 12:30 PM
 
4 posts, read 19,292 times
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I am looking to move from Southern California to Maine in the upcoming year. I need advice as to where I should settle my family. It would be me and my three daughters ages 11-15. I work in the medical field and I've heard there are ample jobs to be had working in medicine throughout Maine. I would prefer not to live to far north. I want to be close to either the beach or some place we could go skiing. I would be willing to commute for up to 1.15 hours. I want a community feel and good schools along with outdoor opportunity (skiing, hiking, lakes, etc). I would also be keeping my home in California, so my price range is 150k. What areas would you recommend?
I am going to be visiting in mid-October so I want to know what areas I should go check out while I'm there for the weekend.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Last edited by breadgetbun; 09-07-2011 at 12:40 PM..
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Old 09-07-2011, 12:36 PM
 
Location: Northern Maine
10,428 posts, read 18,822,979 times
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Maine is a safe and stable place to live. We have four real seasons and you are correct about medical openings. Check out the Lincoln area. Welcome to Lincoln, Maine!.

Our fresh water lakes are much warmer than the ocean and they have good beaches.
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Old 09-08-2011, 01:36 AM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,728 posts, read 61,917,105 times
Reputation: 30734
Quote:
Originally Posted by breadgetbun View Post
I am looking to move from Southern California to Maine in the upcoming year. I need advice as to where I should settle my family. It would be me and my three daughters ages 11-15. I work in the medical field and I've heard there are ample jobs to be had working in medicine throughout Maine. I would prefer not to live to far north. I want to be close to either the beach or some place we could go skiing. I would be willing to commute for up to 1.15 hours. I want a community feel and good schools along with outdoor opportunity (skiing, hiking, lakes, etc). I would also be keeping my home in California, so my price range is 150k. What areas would you recommend?
I am going to be visiting in mid-October so I want to know what areas I should go check out while I'm there for the weekend.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Welcome

I am a native Californian. I grew up in the Central Valley [San Joaquin Valley: Modesto - Fresno], on an almond farm farm outside of Modesto. I attended college in Merced and Fresno. I retired in Central Maine.

While Maine has over 3,000 miles of coast line, most of it is rocky.

There are a few scattered sandy beaches, but mostly think of Fort Bragg to Portland Oregon.

Maine does offer skiing, however since we only have low altitude 'mountains' the slopes tend to be kind of short. Ski resort operators focus on crowds so they design runs to be fast, which means they are even shorter. Which fosters a crowd of skiing hotdogs.

In this time of high unemployment, Maine does have a network of hospitals and medical services which require trained personnel.

Maine has been experiencing a long-term economic depression; wages are low, home prices are low, and the over-all cost-of-living is low in many regions.

Just so we understand what you are asking; when you say 'beach' are you saying sand? or are you saying coast-line? If you are thinking pro beach volley-ball you may be out of luck.

Most of Maine enjoys strong communities that are very supportive of their schools.

Most of Maine is rural and forested. Maine has many rivers, with lakes, ponds and bogs. So hiking, hunting, fishing, boating, and even dog sledding abounds.

At this point, it is hard to recommend a region of Maine, until we know more about you and your interests. sorry
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Old 09-08-2011, 03:47 AM
 
245 posts, read 611,349 times
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I used to live in Maine, but later moved to northern California, near San Francisco.

They call Maine "taxationland", but one of the few places where taxes are more is California, so you can't complain. Northern California is even more expensive than Southern California, btw.
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Old 09-08-2011, 09:02 AM
 
Location: Gorham, Maine
1,974 posts, read 5,253,627 times
Reputation: 1505
Quote:
Originally Posted by breadgetbun View Post
I am looking to move from Southern California to Maine in the upcoming year. I need advice as to where I should settle my family. It would be me and my three daughters ages 11-15. I work in the medical field and I've heard there are ample jobs to be had working in medicine throughout Maine. I would prefer not to live to far north. I want to be close to either the beach or some place we could go skiing. I would be willing to commute for up to 1.15 hours. I want a community feel and good schools along with outdoor opportunity (skiing, hiking, lakes, etc). I would also be keeping my home in California, so my price range is 150k. What areas would you recommend?
I am going to be visiting in mid-October so I want to know what areas I should go check out while I'm there for the weekend.
Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I would check into the Lewiston/Auburn area, there are two hospitals (St. Mary's and Central Maine Medical Center) to commute to and you should be able to find housing in that price range close to skiing, lakes, etc.
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Old 09-08-2011, 03:25 PM
 
1,889 posts, read 2,931,148 times
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I would apply at MDI hospital Employment Opportunities ; the schools on MDI are good.....very small town atmosphere, the ocean, lakes, and hiking in Acadia National Park--doesn't get any better....IMHO anyway. Seriously, there are MANY great places to live in Maine. Hiking and the great outdoors are near you no matter what location you would choose.

You could apply at the Franklin Memorial Hospital FCHN Employment Information in Farmington where you would be close to Sugarloaf. Sugarloaf | Maine & New England's Premier Ski and Golf Resort - Great Lodging & Lift Ticket Deals

Farmington is a college town home of the University of Maine--Farmington. There are lakes in the area.

You might want to decide if you prefer to live near the ocean beaches, ocean rocky coast, or lake beaches or near a place to ski. As in many cases, where you find employment may make your decision for you.
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Old 09-08-2011, 04:38 PM
 
Location: Sacramento, CA/Dover-Foxcroft, ME
1,816 posts, read 3,410,475 times
Reputation: 2897
Already some nice advice about where to look for work and to live. I agree with all the posters about their choices for the op.

I live in both places. I live with my personal geograpic psychosis every day. I miss both places when I'm gone too long. Maine mostly, like I even have to say that. But CA is where my son was born and lives so I'm tethered here for life it seems.

When looking for a house, think small. Same with car. Think large for the clothes you'll need. Be close to work and commerce. Get a Maine Gazetteer. When you think about anchoring somewhere, check out the 5 c's... churches, chambers, clubs, coffee shops or convenience stores for the local inside scoop or the community feel. Maybe volunteering is in your cards. Being a hermit is equally acceptable in Maine too. I can say this with confidence, "the deep woods will only be a short drive from your new Maine house". So live as close to conveniences and commerce as you possibly can. Neighbors are everywhere. You can't get away from them in ME any more than anywhere else. If you want a good relationship with your new Maine neighbor, it is acceptable to bring them a pie each day for the first two weeks. Plus offer to take care of their kids for one weekend a month during winter. Ok, ok, just be nice and hopefully they'll be nice.
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Old 09-08-2011, 06:06 PM
 
Location: Union, ME
783 posts, read 1,586,606 times
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Welcome to the Maine forum, breadgetbun!

I have lived in the mid-coast area for close to twenty years. I don't have kids, though many friends who do feel it is a fine place to raise them. I am employed at a local hospital.

Some links regarding this area:

Village Soup - local paper
Miles Memorial Hospital website
Waldo County Hospital website
PenBay Healthcare

Best wishes on your trip to Maine!
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Old 09-21-2011, 12:48 PM
 
4 posts, read 19,292 times
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Thank you all so much for the great advice!
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Old 09-21-2011, 05:56 PM
 
4,565 posts, read 10,723,959 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by breadgetbun View Post
I work in the medical field and I've heard there are ample jobs to be had working in medicine throughout Maine.
Sure at $12 an hour. But people can make so much more working the same job in another state, and therefore never take the job in Maine, thus plenty of openings.

Tip: Get the job, before you move to Maine. Dont move to Maine and look for a job. You may not find one.
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