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At the last minute, a rental in central Maine for which I had one foot out the door fell through. When one's entire household is packed and ready to move, even across town, the trauma is pretty severe; and doubts about my own motives prompt this question.
A lovely landlord in northern Maine is offering a rental sight-unseen. I've checked out this party as much as someone not a CIA agent can and find no reason for worry. If all goes as planned, I'll be relocating November 1. Nothing on either end is set in stone, and the landlord isn't pressuring the rental.
Friends and family aware of the shock the loss of the central Maine home had on me have asked if a relocation to northern Maine won't result in too much "culture shock." I speak serviceable French, one of the draws of a U.S. state so near Quebec. Additionally, the upturn not only in violence but in the general speed of everyday life in my mid-Atlantic region was another of Maine's draws. I wondered if life in central Maine near a major university would be slow enough to suit me.
But I'd like some frank (or even French) responses as to what a non-Mainer can expect, relocating to a border-town. I'm wondering if being a Baby Boomer will help or hurt chances of being welcomed to the community and if others who have made the move have found the relief from the twenty-first century I hope to find.
Thanks for all responses--the more blunt, the better, in either French or English!
You are far from the first person to have made such a move; I rent apartments and I hear the stories of people coming to look at an apartment. (I live in Caribou).
The language thing is never a barrier; at times an opportunity and is always interesting. (I speak a bit of French and work in the heavily-French areas at times).
People in this part of the state for the most part are very friendly, and laid back. There are also numerous neat communities just across the border.
Good luck and ask any questions you'd like
Mon Dieu! I really would suggest that you go visit before you make a decision. I don't think life in a central Maine town near a major university would be too fast paced...compared to Pennsylvania. Maine is pretty sparsely populated and the pace of life isn't too much where ever you go.
You haven't said anything about what your job is. Often it is the people you meet at work who are the beginnings of a social group, friends etc. That could be a social anchor for you. Maine is a very large state and very sparsely populated...go check out the perspective new town.....see if it feels comfortable....if there are things to do that match your interests.
The rental that you lost certainly isn't the only one in central Maine.....I would bet there are hundreds of others....go look around....maybe avail yourself of some professional renters assistance.
I agree with Elston. Coming from PA, and moving to a very rural area might be a shock to your system.
While I loved visiting a property in Western maryland in the mountains, we eventually agreed that we couldn't actually live there full time. It was just too rural for us.
Look for a central Maine place to replace what you lost before you jump to a very very rural area which may be very different in your cultural, political, and other views. Mainers are wonderfully nice everywhere, but if you are a very liberal person and everyone around you is a tea-partier, you might find that your topics of conversation are limited. Not always, as I tend to be on the liberal side in some ways, moderate in others, and conservative on others, and I have friends and even a brother who are far to the right of me.
However, you need to develop friendships in your new area, and if its very far to the right of you(or very far to the left) on politics, religion, and everyday life, it will be harder to establish tight friendships.
Also, are you moving there for work or for retirement? In the rural areas, there is much much less movement of new people into the area. While new people are accepted everywhere in Maine, older people who have lived in the area a long time have all the friends and family they want, and don't tend to gravitate toward more than an aquaintence relationship with new people. My parents found this when they moved to a new area.
I thought slyfox's post was non political.....he just said if you are far to the left or far to the right of the community norms......that can be a barrier and is a consideration. I looked at those demographics when I was selecting a new community to move to......both in Maine and in Florida.
I thought Slyfox's post was a mix of silliness and nonsense.
He (or she) is usually much more helpful.
Did you move here from a great distance late in your life, or have you always lived here? If you always lived here, you simply don't understand about moving to a new community when you are old.
Silliness or nonsense to you, what I said was based entirely on the actual experience of both my wife and I and my parents. What I said was based entirely on real live experience. Think what you want. Perhaps you are more outgoing than I, or my parents. Where I lived north of Baltimore for 33 years, I was way more liberal in almost all ways than the community I worked in. We had few serious friends, but many many people we just knew. When I moved up to wonderful Maine, I was careful to look at the community in addition to the wonderful scenery. Much of the population where I live now experiences the world much as I do. My wife and I have more close friends after two years here, than we did after 33 years in the place where our view of the world(political, religious, and everyday) was pretty much different than the community.
Did you move here from a great distance late in your life, or have you always lived here? If you always lived here, you simply don't understand about moving to a new community when you are old.
Silliness or nonsense to you, what I said was based entirely on the actual experience of both my wife and I and my parents. What I said was based entirely on real live experience. Think what you want. Perhaps you are more outgoing than I, or my parents. Where I lived north of Baltimore for 33 years, I was way more liberal in almost all ways than the community I worked in. We had few serious friends, but many many people we just knew. When I moved up to wonderful Maine, I was careful to look at the community in addition to the wonderful scenery. Much of the population where I live now experiences the world much as I do. My wife and I have more close friends after two years here, than we did after 33 years in the place where our view of the world(political, religious, and everyday) was pretty much different than the community.
You live up to your "too soon old; too late schmart!" status slogan......although in this case you have it about right.....your take on the discussion.....is experienced based and wise.
When I am moving I always look to find the proximity to a Unitarian-Universalist church....as I know that will be a core of folks with whom I share values and interests. Attending that church becomes my way of introducing myself into my new community. I did that the last four times I moved.....and it has worked out well for me. If there wasn't a UU church within easy driving distance....that would be a game changer for me. And I do make a point of visiting before moving.
In Maine, Florida, New Hampshire, and now in Florida I applied the above technique and it has worked out well for me.
That being said, I am a pretty self contained person within my immediate family unit....but it is more than nice to have a group of people with whom to share our "joys and concerns" on a Sunday morning.
Thanks, everyone, for the kind of no-nonsense reactions I was/am seeking. Several points of Slyfox' did hit home--especially the one about feeling more at home immediately, in Maine, than he/she had felt for more than a quarter-century at "home." (Ha, I watched an old film, "The Kingdom of Heaven," yesterday, and virtually the first bit of dialogue has to do with the hero's father telling him to go on a Crusade, because his hometown has always despised him.)
Another, fascinating point that Elston brings up. I'm Christian through-and-through; however, I am unaffiliated, "unchurched," as some say. In my experience, having lived in a small rural town once before (which horrific experience--in Pennsylvania--motivated the original post), I've found that being an unaffiliated Christian is worse than to be a Satan worshipper. No joke. You are regarded far and wide as, first, weird; second, perhaps a psychological defective; and, third, as someone richly deserving of the solitude you really don't choose, but that is forced on you by all the "churched" folk. One thing I love about Maine is the mere idea that the state is regarded as Libertarian.
As I said, I'm a Baby Boomer. I used to teach a Humanities subject. I suspect that very rural small towns in Maine, as anywhere else, won't be chock full of people into the types of things I'm into. Frankly, that's the appeal of living so close to French-speaking Canada--not that rural French-speakers will be any more "worldly" than rural Americans. It's just that, perhaps, frequenting a French-speaking diner or something like that would give my brain a work-out.
As for the university town, I actually did get another offer there. The strange thing is that after making my post here on City-Data, I started to think that, Gee, I really want the dual-culture atmosphere. So to MaineGuy, THANKS! I suppose I should ask if any regular here can point me to any thread that deals with old-time Acadian life. For example, although this has no bearing on my circumstances, because of my age, conversations with people in Northern Maine have frequently made reference to a development company that (apparently) is a major cultural force up there, managed and operated by an "Acadian" family. So I suppose I should brush up on...Evangeline?
I really enjoyed reading what everyone wrote. City-Data is maybe the most underrated site on the internet, I'm starting to think.
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) responses as to what a non-Mainer can expect, relocating to a border-town. I'm wondering if being a Baby Boomer will help or hurt chances of being welcomed to the community and if others who have made the move have found the relief from the twenty-first century I hope to find.
I really would suggest that you go visit before you make a decision. I don't think life in a central Maine town near a major university would be too fast paced...compared to Pennsylvania. Maine is pretty sparsely populated and the pace of life isn't too much where ever you go. 
Blessed Be the Ties that Bind......
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