Moving to the US: Maine vs Louisiana (Portland, Bangor: insurance, crime rates)

[dogsandart]

I'm originlly from Mississippi and embarrassed to admit that. I've also lived in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee and now, North Carolina. I can't wait to move to Maine, hopefully this year. The south is too hot and humid and for about 6 months of the year you will not want to be outside. It is much more conservative, relligiously, politically and culturally. Schools are vastly underfunded, as are libraries. I had relatives that lived in New Orleans and they refused to put their kids in the public schools. Environmental protections are under constant threat and the majority of people do not believe in climate change. New Orleans is a nice place to visit, but I, personally, would not want to live there. And hurricanes are a real threat in Louisiana. They're much more rare in Maine.

[seasallyttle]

Originally Posted by dogsandart

I'm originlly from Mississippi and embarrassed to admit that. I've also lived in Georgia, Texas, Tennessee and now, North Carolina. I can't wait to move to Maine, hopefully this year..

If you haven't already seen them, you might enjoy the Funny or Die funnyordie.com new tourism videos for Mississippi and North Carolina

[Pincho-toot]

I'd go with Maine. I haven't been up there, but I have been in Louisiana and don't get me wrong, it's a beautiful state with kickass food and rich culture, but reality is, it also has high crime, poverty, in my opinion far worse weather (really humid and hot for a long time) and without a doubt, the worst drivers in the country.

Maine on the other hand, one of the safest states, 4 seasons, relatively isolated yet only a few hours from Boston, New York, Philadelphia and if you wanna go to Canada, Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, Ottawa, even Toronto.

I guess another deciding factor is whether you like crawdads or lobsters better!

[thenewtexan]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

"I know nothing about Maine, nothing at all, so which areas are known to be the most culturally sound and diverse?"

Portland is probably the most diverse city in Maine. They know in some "communities" as Provincetown North. The schools have 38 different first languages.

I laughed out loud at this.

[in_newengland]

Say no to Louisiana for all the reasons previously mentioned. But are you truly aware of what winter is in the northeast? DARK, bitterly cold, deep snow all the time, loooooong depressing winters. Not too many places in the US have good climates--you either get a terrible winter or a terrible summer.

Maine has beautiful summers but they're short. The winters are long and harsh.

But if you have to chose between Louisiana or Maine, it's Maine for sure. No comparison.

[LeavingMaine]

I lived in Maine for 16 years and finally moved south to NC last month. The main reason for moving was the weather. Winter is long and depressing. This past winter was mild compared to the previous one. The daily chore of shoveling, plowing and hauling firewood can really wear you down. Add to that stressful driving in the snow and ice. I had one incident where it took me 1 1/2 hour to go 10 miles because it was snowing so hard and the plows weren't keeping up.

I lived in the midcoast area and traveled to Portland (1 hour) to do most shopping except for groceries. Hard to find good quality restaurants in my area, Portland has an abundance.

Economy is still not great, housing prices are still not recovering in my area.

Make sure you visit at all times of the year. Traffic congestion is quite a problem going up the coast in the summer months.

[in_newengland]

OP, are you sure you can get into the US? The immigration regulations are kind of overly strict and even silly. They need to change it. You have to win an immigration lottery, marry an American, or have your business transfer you. Or maybe if you are a millionaire you can buy your way in. Sometimes if you're a doctor or have extremely fine research skills, you can manage to get in that way.

I'm not trying to discourage you. I just want to make sure you're not putting the cart before the horse.

You would like the Maine people. You'd like the lifestyle--except, beware of those winters. The weather will interfere with almost everything you want to do in winter. It's almost impossible to make plans to do anything because the blizzards, freezing rain, deep frozen snow, etc. can make driving impossible and events get cancelled due to weather all the time.

If you still can come to Maine, what about very southern Maine, like the York or Kittery areas? They are touristy and on the coast. York has New York money in the summer and if you have a business it might do well there, at least seasonally. In Kittery you drive across a bridge and you're in the state of New Hampshire (which has wonderful Portsmouth!) and it's is a short drive to MA where you can get a train into Boston if you need an urban experience.

[mainegrl2011]

Posters make lots of good points. In December, it is dark by 4 p.m. in Maine. I turn Christmas lights on as soon as it gets dark. This past winter was extremely mild. I counted five snow storms--none were of much significance. Last year starting in late January it snowed about twice a week MANY inches of snow. In an effort to keep streets in town and parking lots clear, snow was loaded into dump trucks and hauled off. I've visited Louisiana and have relatives there--it's amazing where people can end up due to marriage. July temps were over 100 degrees. It is hot there many months of the year. I also visited in February; temps were mild... just passing through at the time... discovered that lots of Mardi Gras celebrations take place outside of New Orleans, but didn't go to any of them. Most of the food was delicious--except for crawdads. They tasted like mud--worse than gritty clams. Maine lobster wins IMO. Interstate 10 through/over the swamps were odd (concrete bridges of sorts for MILES) definitely different than roads I've seen most anywhere I've traveled). Tourists in Maine make traffic in the summer, especially along the coast; they also bring significant $ to Maine's economy. Maine wins IMO.

[TPBodine]

I don't think OP should be scared off by Maine winters. If you're in northeast France, you'll actually gain about an hour's worth of sunlight every day during winter by coming to Maine (most of France is north of Maine). Winters might be about 10 degrees (Fahrenheit) colder on average than you're used to (below freezing much of the time) and probably a lot wetter. Maine's coast is (generally) milder than the interior and the north, but it can get smacked by big storms. Winters are a lot worse in other areas of the U.S. (like the midwest), than they are along Maine's coast.

A pastry shop along the coast would probably do well, but the farther north you go, the more seasonal the business will be. Some businesses are only open during the height of the tourist season (end of May to September). In Portland, you'd be more likely to succeed year-round, although there's also more competition.

I can't imagine a bigger weather shock than someone from northern Europe going to Louisiana. I don't think people understand how incredibly draining the extremely hot and humid weather can be until they get there. I spent two years in central Texas and I couldn't wait to get out. Louisiana is supposed to be even worse.

[hughbay]

I always have the suspicion that folks' political affiliations creep into these regional comparisons. "They" vote for these things - which are ALL bad - and "we" vote for these things - which are ALL good. Especially when it comes to the South. My work has brought me to some wonderful places - South Central LA, the South Bronx, Roxbury MA - I wasn't really blown away by the level of equality and enlightenment in those areas. So it can't be that the sum total of a regions voting habits produce particularly wonderful places. On just a cursory search on education between states, I see Rhode Island, California, and the creme-de-la-creme of them all - Oregon - in the bottom 10.

It really depends on where you're planning to live - I would think. Granted, Louisiana is a poor state, but half the counties in Maine are on a similar plane (Aroostook, Washington, Piscataquis, etc) , and the rest (with the exception of the southern two, perhaps) aren't terribly more improved. Young people are moving to Louisiana - there aren't moving to Maine.

Also, a state like Louisiana has a huge population of impoverished minority folks that skew the educational and quality of life data - so it's not exactly a fair comparison. If you SOLELY sampled the Somali folks (God Bless them for all that they've been through and trying to make a life here) - in this oh so wonderful state of ours - and compared it to suburban Boston - yeah, we'd end up looking pretty foolish too.

Our state is among the bottom in economic development and - last I checked - is the oldest state in the country. There's a few counties in Maine where the death rate is far exceeding the birth and there's no industry here at all. I've lived in Georgia - Georgia heat doesn't play. But there's quite a big mental gap between "really hot" and "really cold." Ever worked construction when its -30 out? The human body will DIE in our version of bad weather in a matter of minutes. You can't say that about 100 degrees and high humidity. The body knows this. You simply can't compare the two states of misery. If you think you can - you've never been exposed to either for a prolonged period of time. And then there's all the other things that come with cold weather - heating expenses, vehicle modifications, plowing, rocker panels that rot away five years after you bought the vehicle new off the lot. Is there a reason folks from up here go down south to buy vehicles?

One could go on....I also noticed this fella/gal is interested in their French Creole heritage. Not a whole lot of those here in Maine. Maybe, just an idea, it's a little ignorant to lump all "French" or "French Canadians" into one lump sum. If you know anything about it, there's quite a bit of diversity within that group. Bit like saying Cuba and Puerto Rico are all the same because, "hey, it's 'Latin America' and they all speak Spanish right!!!'"

Let's just keep our eye on the total picture here, worry about the OP's best interests, and less about what makes us feel amazing about ourselves. Yes, "hands down" between Maine and Afghanistan. No to "hands down" between Maine and Louisiana. Lets not be so drunk on ourselves anymore.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.