Whats it like in maine (Union: insurance, low crime, unemployment)

[TheKezarWoodsman]

Ill start of by listing the stereotypes ive heard, some i hope true, some false

- its high crime / drugs
- everyone owns a gun and hunts
- very rural
- in high poverty
- high unemployment
- young people are moving out
- people who stay are not the brightest of the bunch



Next, some questions about employment

-what industrys are common
-whats the chance of moving to maine and getting a job as either a fish/game warden (if t1diabetics are allowed) or a forester (the other job im looking to go to college for)

I dont mean to insult anyone, but am just trying to make a general life plan

[KellySou]

Maine has a very real drug problem and that leads to crime. Opiate abuse is very high and meth labs are a problem. Most crimes seem to be robberies and such. Maine has a high percentage of welfare recipients as well. It is hard to find a decent paying job that is full time unless you have a skill set, but that is pretty much how it is everywhere these days. Maine is rural. and things are spaced far from each other. Distances are measured in hours almost as much as miles here.
There are plenty of Mainers with guns that never hunt at all but there are also plenty that do hunt. Guns here are not a big deal to a lot of us because they were always around when we were growing up. My family always had guns and archery equipment.
A lot of young people do leave to go to school and some end up coming back but Maine is the oldest state in the union.
I think that there are plenty of intelligent people here and I work with a bunch at my job. There are all kinds of people here, some moved here because they always wanted to and some are here because their family is here. My job is at a genetic research lab and there are scientists form all over the world there so I feel that to say Mainers are not bright is a great way to start off on the wrong foot. If you come here and act like you are so much smarter than the average Mainer you will most likely find things can be very difficult. There is a need to be able to network here and the person you act condescending to may very well be the person you need to be nice to to get a job you need or a favor later. We have large families here and we form connections that are sometimes hard to see so the "not so bright" guy may be your new employer's nephew or neighbor or the person in HR may be the brother of the guy. Just be open and friendly and not full of expectations. Good luck!

[harlowvart]

I'm not sure where you're getting your info.

Maine is not a high crime state.

Like most other rural states, a fair number of people own guns and hunt. I'd also call it rural, not very rural-- this is the Northeast, so it's a bit more densely populated than many areas out West.

Unemployment is not high. The cost of living is. This is not a rich state.

I believe forester and warden jobs are very competitive.

[KellySou]

Maine is not a high crime state but the crime rate is rising along with the drug abuse. I have lived here for 33 years and can see it first hand. I guess it just seems like it is high now.
Unemployment is not high but the jobs are not well paying ones and a lot are part time or per diem. The cost of living is high because we are far away from things.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

Ill start of by listing the stereotypes ive heard, some i hope true, some false

- its high crime / drugs

All things are relative.

From what I have seen [after living here 7 years] is this is about the lowest crime rate of any place I have lived. I have not heard of any statistic to say crime was high in Maine.



Drugs? I don't really know anything about that topic. Given where we live and the people we know, we have not experienced any drug trafficking, or issues. So it is hard for us to judge how bad the drug problem is.

I have seen a bunch of meth-lab busts in the news, this year. So it must be here somewhere.

... everyone owns a gun and hunts
- very rural
- in high poverty
- high unemployment
- young people are moving out

Hunting, trapping, fishing, foraging are all very common activities among locals where I live.

Guns are common, it is rural, the Cost-Of-Living is very low so families get by on a lot less.

Unemployment is very high nationwide. Total Unemployment is holding at around 24%, which puts the USA today dead even with the Great Depression. But they add a bunch of tweaks and adjustments to discount most of the unemployed, the adjusted number is much less. Most jobs that exist in Main are low paying.

Young adults are moving away, and in equal numbers retirees are migrating here. [I did] I know a lot of retirees who have moved to Maine, to take advantage of the Low crime / Low COL / rural nature of Maine.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

- its high crime / drugs

Compared to other states, Maine has VERY low crime. It's one of the safest states in the Union. Some cities certainly have skeevy neighborhoods, but nothing like you'd find in cities like New York, Boston, Dallas, Seattle, etc.

Drugs are certainly a problem. But no more so than other states. It's a nationwide problem.

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

- everyone owns a gun and hunts

Everyone? No. But certainly lots of people do. The more rural community, the more gun owners and hunters you'll find.

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

- very rural

Yes.

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

- in high poverty

I guess. Maine is a great place to live, but it is a hard place to make a living.

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

- high unemployment

Sure. But who doesn't these days?

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

- young people are moving out

Some do. Some don't. I wouldn't say that it's any higher than other states.

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

- people who stay are not the brightest of the bunch

LOL! No that's not true at all. Maine certainly has its fair share of dim bulbs, but not more than any other place I've ever lived. Maine schools are actually really good.

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

-what industrys are common

Medical, tourism, medical, insurance, medical, service industry, medical, and medical.

Originally Posted by wolfhelm

-whats the chance of moving to maine and getting a job as either a fish/game warden (if t1diabetics are allowed) or a forester (the other job im looking to go to college for)

I have no idea how in demand those fields are, but Maine is the largest of the New England states with lots and lots of wilderness area. Lots of hunters and fishers. I would think that would be a good field to be in.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Not to mention the low hassle rate. In Maine you can live in a town with no zoning. There are many such towns. Want to have some goats, run a small business or operate a private air strip from your farm? You can do it and not have to apply for permission to live your dream. It's called freedom. I get calls all the time from people who ask where or how to apply to do something. They can't believe they can just do what they want without asking permission from some government functionary. There are such towns in Maine. We are hanging on.

The flip side of that scenario is that there are towns that have oppressive zoning and municipal controls of all manner of things. We have Americans who want to live in gated communities with very strict rules that all homeowners must obey. How would you like to live? You do have a choice. Find out BEFORE you buy. Don't buy a property and find out later that you can't do what you expected to be able to do.

[maineguy8888]

In my part of the state, agriculture and woods related industry are really big.

[TheKezarWoodsman]

I kinda like all these answers, atleast most, my only concern is the economy

[roadrat]

I hate to say this but as an out of stater I think you will have a hard time with being a Warden ( Government jobs are being cut left and right, and you may be very shocked at the low pay), Forrester ( most Mainers are very fickle about the people they hire to maintain and or cut there woodlots, most of em don't even trust the guy they have sat next to in church for the past 20 years)



bill