From Santa Barbara, CA to Bar Harbor, ME??

[lynn781]

--Just how much does it cost per month to heat a 4 bed house in ME (in the winter)?

Not cheap in Bar Harbor i Assume, i'm in southern maine so i wouldn't know, but i'm not sure about cali prices so i dont know what's expensive for you.

--Can anyone recommend what I could do to get an idea on what life is like there?

Well, if your moving to bar harbor, the whole town is filled with tourists in the summer theres some nice beaches there though. Theres not all that much to do besides shop and go to the beaches, if your looking for stuff to do try Portland, which is 150 Miles south of Bar Harbor.

--What are the more affordable - family oriented communties in this area?

I'm not sure, there's not much there but if you move there I'd choose bar harbor.

--If I was to fly out to visit, where should I go to meet people and get aquainted with the area?

Well, as i said, there's not much IN the area except for Bar Harbor, but some towns with a little to do are Ellsworth which is about 20 miles, Bangor which is about 45 miles. So really Bar harbor is where you could meet people.

--Anyone know any nice churches in the area?

I dont know of any because i dont live up there.

--I am of Mexican decent, though I was born and raised in California...do you think I will encounter a lot of discrimination? (My husband is white and my kids look white.) I've heard this about the New England area.

Possibly in maine you might run into that, but don't stereotype New England as racist, Because I'm from the Boston/Greater Boston area and it is racially diverse, and ive heard Providence RI, New Haven CT, are as well. But in maine you might run into a few jokes here and there but Nothing serious seeing as Bar harbor is a tourist town.

hope that helps

[rld800]

I relocated to Northern Massachusetts for work .My husband is a native Bostonian.We took so many beautiful day trips including the White Mtn's and lakes regions in New Hampshire, Bar Harbor, Maine,Vermont in the fall. I have been to Europe and all over the US and I will say, nothing beats New England. There are a lot of pretty states in the US but there is just something so appealing and cozy about NE.

Living on the border of New Hampshire was great for tax free shopping and a drive up the coast to see the beautiful homes. NH and Maine are my two favorite states. I fell in love with New England however we wanted to move to San Francisco because we have family there. We wanted to experience somewhere new(my husband had lived in New England all his life)

We now live in Northern California. (SF bay area) Even though SF is a great city, we regret the move and talk often about moving back. Without putting California down, we've met some great people, lots to do and beautiful scenery, but we realize our hearts are in New England.

We both like the four seasons and the fact that there are so many towns in New England makes for such nice day or weekend trips. I agree parts of Maine are reminiscent of a differrent era when people were nicer, less crime,old fashioned values. I think we will move to the midcoast. We love the ocean and just can't picture raising a family in CA. It is just not what we want and the housing prices confirm that!

I am dying to go to the Christmas Tree Shop again too-we are ordering our Dunkin Donuts online and I think we've only been to starbucks twice in two years so we're saving our coffee money! I think Maine would be a great place to live. I have researched property tax and i guess it's all a fair trade. Not as high as New Hampshire but then again you are paying more and I feel the quality of life is worthy of that.

I really think there are so many nice towns in Maine it is hard to choose.
We just want to live in a town where people have good values and it is quiet at night. The stars get so bright in New England it is just magical.

I think moving anywhere takes thought and can be a scary decision but it is definately hard for me and my husband to adapt to life on the west coast living on the east coast all our lives. We are just too used to the good deli's, I-95,etc. These little things make us homesick!

The one thing I will say is I won't miss the California drivers.

Maine or bust!