Southern California to Famington (Portland, Orono: home, university, to live)

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Erictelevision

Great. She's been in Cali the last 6 years (Riverside and LA) been spoiled.

Barb has lived in California for 6 years. Where did she live before California?



I am a native Californian, who migrated to Maine for my retirement.

[Nor'Eastah]

Originally Posted by Cuffler

The last time I sat with Californians and was asked about where we were from, we replied "Connecticut". The educated people there rubbed their chins and seriously asked me "where abouts is Connecticut". No kidding.

Reminds me of a TV commercial that was played ad nauseam back a few years, when we were living in Rhode Island: bunch of teens in a classroom, and the teacher asks (showing a map of the US), "Who can find Rhode Island?". One boy said, "I don't see any island," and was swatted by a girl who said, "It's not an island, you idiot, it's a ROAD!". That sort of thing passed for high humor in Rhode Island.

Now we are in beautiful downtown northern Maine. No islands, and dern few roads. Some moose, though, and a loon now and then. Just the most beautiful place in the world. And to think that before we loaded up the truck, friends and neighbors were sure we were moving to Siberia!

[jeremywolf81]

Originally Posted by Erictelevision

Correct, which is precisely WHY she wants to work there.

Well let's put it this way. Maine doesn't lack diversity so much because people are unwelcome here, it's more the climate and (talking education) lack of big name schools (Bowdoin being a 1-percenter exception... seriously are any students in Bowdoin actually FROM Maine?). Just for an idea in action of this; it's a growing trend for middle class Chinese families to send their teenagers to America to be educated at academies here, they're trying for anywhere and there's millions upon millions of them. A school in Maine a couple years back put a big program together to attract some of that diversity and ended up with something like a total of five requests. I don't know if any of them actually came here. To quote the ONE foreign exchange student we had my entire four years of high school "how did I come to America and end up HERE?!"

Colleges in Maine do tend to get out of state students, but it tends to be people from NH, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut sometimes... I think you see the pattern here (if you don't look at a map of the US). And that's mostly going to be at your "bigger" (in comparison nothing in Maine is heavily populated) schools: basically UMaine, USM and maybe a couple of the trendy schools (Colby, CoA etc). Long story short, I'm estimating your friend is going to be in for some real disappointments.

[Erictelevision]

Why will she be disappointed? She knows going in that it's homogeneous, that's what she endures to change.

[namder1]

Lived in NorCal for 23 years and loved it. Lived in Bakersfield for a year and hated every second of it. I have often told my friends I have been to three foreign countries......Mexico, Canada and Maine. I agree with Kingdomkz, she'll be back in Ca. within two years if not less. Maybe after the first winter even!

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by Erictelevision

Why will she be disappointed? She knows going in that it's homogeneous, that's what she endures to change.

This whole discussion sounds a little fishy to me. Moving to the least diverse state to study diversity?

ANYWAY, Farmington is a wonderful little college town. The college has ranked high for many years, nationally, for its education majors. The town is small, but benefits from skiing tourist business in the winter, mountains tourist business in the summer, and foliage tourist business in the fall. That being said, it's pretty far away from anything urban, and I suspect is pretty scarce on night-life opportunities for adults.

[jeremywolf81]

Originally Posted by Erictelevision

Why will she be disappointed? She knows going in that it's homogeneous, that's what she endures to change.

As my post explained; it tends to STAY homogeneous for reasons that no amount of PR will change. Some of the things you're saying here; enduring to bring diversity, etc. give me this sense that she's yet another in a long line of people from outside Maine who come here on a mission to "educate us backward white folk." If my hunches are correct she's in for a real frosty reception and big disappointment.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Erictelevision

Why will she be disappointed? She knows going in that it's homogeneous, that's what she endures to change.

Lets say that 96.9% of Mainers are white. How does getting a job in UM-Farmington Admissions, change that?

Maine's Hispanic / Latino percentage is holding at around 0.7% Is she thinking that she can lure so many Hispanic / Latinos, to migrate to Maine, that she can change the demographics here?

[maineborzoi]

Originally Posted by Submariner

Lets say that 96.9% of Mainers are white. How does getting a job in UM-Farmington Admissions, change that?

Maine's Hispanic / Latino percentage is holding at around 0.7% Is she thinking that she can lure so many Hispanic / Latinos, to migrate to Maine, that she can change the demographics here?

Thinking similar and also adding the Maine latest demographic charts ( from 2014)
Maine QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau

[camanchaca]

Originally Posted by Erictelevision

Why will she be disappointed? She knows going in that it's homogeneous, that's what she endures to change.

I say good for her and best of luck.