Why are so many people moving to Maine? (Portland, Mariaville: real estate, condo)

[tarragon]

I am a Mainer and am wondering why so many people from out of state are choosing to move here. especially people who already live on the east coast. If folks don't like living in the city, why don't they just find a quieter area in their own state?

A lot of people from away who move here, start living here and trying to change the way we live instead of embracing our Maine ways. For instance, I work with someone who moved here years ago from the west coast and continuously makes fun of the way Mainers talk, not in a nice way. Also, how Mainers have more teeth missing etc., etc.,

So, I'm just curious, why did you choose our state?

[7th generation]

People are moving as far from DC as they can without crossing the border.

[dubthang]

I've moved to Maine in 2000 from NH. I came here for college originally. I went back and forth between Portland and NH for a few years before settling down in Portland for the last 13 years or so. After college (I transferred back to NH half way through), I came back to Maine for work. Work has kept me in the Portland area so I bought a condo here. I met my wife here too.

We plan to leave Portland in the near future (hopefully) as we are tired of dealing with Portland. We are looking to move northward, either in Maine or northern VT.

[YorktownGal]

It's the gun laws

[92greenyj]

When the wife and I decided it was time to bail out of California we worked down a list of potential states. We proceeded to do heavy research on our 7 contenders. We looked at quality of life, cost of living, school ratings, tax rates, recreational opportunities, local culture, cuisines, etc. slowly but surely we whiddled down our list. Our final 3 was Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Vermont got the axe from me as the more I read, it just sounded to liberal and granola munching for my tastes. Almost like a California east.

Then we started looking at houses in both NH and Maine. We found most of the homes we really liked were in Maine so we finally just cut down to Maine. We loved everything about the state. The cost of living, the scenery, the culture, the people, the overall feel of the state, the foods, the gun laws (or lack thereof), no smog testing outside of Cumberland county (important to me), the school system for my kids, etc. Maine just called to us and we answered. We close escrow on our new home in Mariaville at the end of April and will arrive at the end of June and we can’t wait to explore and enjoy everything our new state has to offer and leave the madness that is California in the rear view mirror.

[92greenyj]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, I have a copy of the Maine dictionary being delivered tomorrow from Amazon. Gonna read up and learn the dialect before we arrive. I’ve already had to google the term “dooryard” as I’ve seen it a few times and hadn’t heard it before.

[tarragon]

Well, welcome. The "dooryard" was very unfamiliar to my husband as well!

I have traveled the world over and when my feet touch Maine soil, it's so good to be home. I don't mind people from out of state moving in as long as they accept our way of living, talking etc., and don't try to change everything. I live part-time in another state for the time being and I just adapt instead of trying to complain and flip things around.

When I listen to the person I work with make fun of Maine people and our ways, I wonder why he/she still stays here.

[PAhippo]

Originally Posted by tarragon

Well, welcome. The "dooryard" was very unfamiliar to my husband as well!

I have traveled the world over and when my feet touch Maine soil, it's so good to be home. I don't mind people from out of state moving in as long as they accept our way of living, talking etc., and don't try to change everything. I live part-time in another state for the time being and I just adapt instead of trying to complain and flip things around.

When I listen to the person I work with make fun of Maine people and our ways, I wonder why he/she still stays here.

Maybe you should ask him. I would.


As for wanting to change everything, we get that here in north central PA too although mostly from Phila/NJ people.

Pretty annoying.


I was attracted to Maine because I found the people more creative, more respectful of others' privacy and a lot of time have a weird sense of humor (and I mean that in the nicest way).


All those trees and water added to the attraction.


Ended up staying in PA for several reasons-mainly, I admit, too lazy to move.

[WhoFanMe]

Maine Single-Family Buyer Facts

Fact 1: In 2020, 70.29% of the buyers made a move from within the State of Maine, which represents a decrease of 5.13% from 2019.

Fact 2: The majority of Maine’s out of state buyers came from Massachusetts (9.08%), followed by New Hampshire (4.02%), New York (2.05%), Florida (1.84%), and California (1.37%).

Based on information from Maine Real Estate Information Systems, Inc. (d/b/a Maine Listings) figures pulled on January 21, 2021 for the period of January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2021.

[Cuffler]

Originally Posted by YorktownGal

It's the gun laws

You ain't whistling Dixie, Girl. That's for sure!

My wife and I escaped from Konnecticutstan and just in time. I can believe how dower things are there now even since September when we crossed the bridge as residents for the first time. I feel refreshed, breathing fresh free air, ready for anything now and am absorbing Maine as if it were my home-born state. I've been reading as much as I can about living in rural Maine during the past 100 years. It's fascinating. For instance:

Here's a trivial factoid about old MAine that I suspect few people know today.

I read alot about using the "privy" or "outhouse" and the trials and tribulations that caused. I laughted out loud, however, when the subject of teaching children how to use it as they matriculated out of diapers to underpants. They were taught a valuable phrase:" Elbows Up!" Elbows Up". As they would go to the outhouse and sat on the edge in those early days, they were taught "elbows up!" in case........in case they lost their balance and fell backwards. Their elbows would hopefully keep them from ending up in a very precarious situation! Now, you can only use your imagination as to just how horrible that event might be! So, "Elbows Up" has become my new daily slogan which keep me from falling into the abyss on a daily basis! LOL. This is true, btw.

You can't go wrong reading books written by reknowned Maine writer, John Gould. He said, "We don't write books about Maine, we live them! The last one I read was "This Trifling Distinction", Reminiscences from Down East. He died in 2003, three years shy of 100. It must be the lobster and the air that keeps so many Mainers around for so long!

There....you're welcome for the new stream of reading material. Saw our first Robin yesterday, Woohoo!