Move from Alaska to Maine? (Old Town, Farmington: to buy, income, live)

[maineguy8888]

Yes, there are lots of old rail beds that have been turned into nice flat bike paths in the County. Plus the roads get so little traffic that in general they are safe.

[puff5655]

So does "The County" mean Arostook county?

[Cataking]

Yes it does. My husband was raised there 

[OutdoorLover]

Here's a good resource if you want to find bike trails in Maine. I believe most if not all trails on this site are former railway beds that have been converted to walking/biking paths, so these should be pretty tame.
https://www.traillink.com/state/me-trails/

[maineguy8888]

Puff, one other thing to mention, since you said you looking for a family-friendly type place:

I am a bit biased, but there is no better place in the world to raise kids than Maine....and especially northern Maine. It is an "old world" culture. It hasn't gone crazy (yet), like almost every other place has. It's all about family. And people are genuine.

I have lived all over as an adult. When it was time for my wife and I to start our family, we left Portland (Maine's biggest city) and headed for the County. It is a wonderful place to raise kids. (I was raised there, and I thank God that I was).

[FlowerPower00]

Originally Posted by puff5655

So does "The County" mean Arostook county?

Yes. A nice vast place to get lost in for a little while. I doubt we are as vast as Alaska as we do not have the diverse species of bear seen in Alaska, but we are vast and beautiful.

[puff5655]

Thank you thank you!

How many people move into the small towns in Maine? Not many? My only small concern is that, like mentioned above, everyone in town will have grown up together. Not having those shared experiences will definitely make us feel like outsiders. At the school, the teachers can't all be locals, can they? One thing we do enjoy about small town Alaska is that the teachers come from all over the country and it makes for interesting conversations about varied life experiences.

Anyhow, we are planning to spend about a week exploring these areas next June.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by puff5655

Thank you thank you!

How many people move into the small towns in Maine? Not many?

In my town most people stay to themselves.

A couple years ago, a corporate subsidiary of Casela tried to build a garbage-incinerator/landfill in a peat bog on land adjacent to my farm. We began hosting 'town meetings' every month and we were getting 200 to 250 attendees.

I was very impressed with how my neighbors came together in crisis. People wrote letters, lawyers showed up pro-bono, etc.

There was a DEP hearing in Old Town and the Penobscot tribe marched to the hearing. I can't express how relieved I was to see those drummers coming to that hearing. We won the case, and Casela backed down.

My neighbors went back to staying to themselves.

Through all of that I got the chance to meet many of our neighbors. A few have been here all their lives. A few moved here from other nearby towns. I think about half of them were born here then lived in other states for their careers, but returned to enjoy their retirements here.

... My only small concern is that, like mentioned above, everyone in town will have grown up together. Not having those shared experiences will definitely make us feel like outsiders.

Yes, that may happen, some.

As you get to know a few people, they may invite you over for BBQs and parties, and so long as your friendly you will get along.

[maineguy8888]

Originally Posted by puff5655

Thank you thank you!

How many people move into the small towns in Maine? Not many? My only small concern is that, like mentioned above, everyone in town will have grown up together. Not having those shared experiences will definitely make us feel like outsiders. At the school, the teachers can't all be locals, can they? One thing we do enjoy about small town Alaska is that the teachers come from all over the country and it makes for interesting conversations about varied life experiences.

Anyhow, we are planning to spend about a week exploring these areas next June.

Our neighbors moved here from Florida out of the blue. We have had tenants move here from Alaska, and another family from Oregon. They all liked it and are doing great. (My wife is from Toronto originally and loves it here).
We had a big Air Force base nearby for 45 years (closed in 1994) so we got used to people moving in and out from all over. Many of those Air Force people ended up staying here or moving back for retirement.
Teachers are not all locals. (The Maine School of Science and Math is ten miles from my town and its students are from all over the state. It is one of the 20 high schools in the country, and most of the staff are "from away"....it is a top teaching gig.)

In the spirit of Submariner, we will be happy to have you over for dinner if you move anywhere close by.

[puff5655]

Arastook county and Caribou look fantastic, but would be a much longer drive for visiting family in Western NY. Ideally we'd like to be nearer to the Katahdin surrounding area, but we'll find out what suits us when we visit.

What is your take on this article? It makes Millinocket sound quite depressing and with an uncertain future. Also sounds like there are very few families with young children.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/20...slO/story.html