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I sometimes get a bit cranky while corresponding with people on this forum. Since my purpose is to provide information that can truly help to make an informed decision, I do get annoyed when people pay attention only to what supports a point of view they already have, sometimes with no basis in reality. Yes, I know you've all had the experience of being argued with about conditions in the place where you are living by someone who has never actually been there! That being said, if anyone really wants the lowdown on Maine (or anywhere) here are some things to consider:
The responses on this forum are, for the most part, absolutely truthful as far as they go, and represent the authors' actual experience of living in Maine (and other places). Most of those responses, however, may be of little use to YOU and may even mislead you, for a very simple reason: the writers' situation is different from yours, sometimes so very different that there's just no point in comparing. That glowing recommendation may come from a retired person whose income is not dependent on the local economy. Maine is a good place for retirees. For someone with a family to support, the picture can be quite different. Did the poster come here with bags of money that they haven't yet depleted, or did they make their way from scratch? What do they have to fall back on? Is their situation really comparable to yours?
Dig around and find out. A while back, when I asked a question about how rentals in a given city compared with elsewhere, one person responded with details about their apartment, how easy it had been to get it, how affordable it was, and how much they liked living there. I might have considered that a great recommendation for the city in question, but when I probed a bit I discovered that the responder was a young man with his first apartment after leaving his parents' home. He had nothing to compare with, having never lived in any other city or apartment but this one. So, while it was nice to hear of his experience, it had no relevance to my question or to my own experience.
There's a lot of discussion of snow and whether it is or is not a great burden, but not much discussion at all of individual situations. Is snow really burdensome in Maine? It depends, again, on your situation. If you own a four wheel drive truck with a plow, snow doesn't matter much to you and you can well say "I've never had a problem due to snow." If you will be dependent on others to plow for you, you may get home from work to find the driveway must be shoveled out before you can get into it. If your landlord provides plowing, he'll do it when it has STOPPED snowing - but that won't help you if you need to go to work while it's coming down. If you must pay a service to plow you out every time, you'll find it costly. If you shovel out on your own, it's time consuming and might be very difficult - again, depending on factors like how young and strong you are and just how much you really like snow. These are things that deserve to be thought about because you will encounter them persistently in Maine. You may very much want to hear "snow is no problem" and look no further when you do, but you really should inquire whether the person saying so owns a plow and a snowblower - items you might not be able to afford. Know ahead of time that, if you can't afford a plow, you'll be dealing with this issue and that it will cost you time, labor, and/or money.
While some will say that they have a job, have had no problem getting one, and therefore Maine is economically sound and rife with opportunities - well, again, ask some questions. Do they support themselves entirely with that job? If they bought a house years ago and their mortgage is paid off, their situation is nothing like that of someone who will be renting and is dependent on getting and keeping a job. They may be able to comfortably sustain a layoff or cutback in hours or pay. Is that your situation? They may work in an entirely different field from you, one that is either easier or more difficult to accommodate in Maine. If you couldn't find a job for six months or longer, would you be ok? If you had to accept a job at minimum wage with no benefits, could you get by on that? For how long?
Dig deep for answers, ask hard questions, and don't ignore the postings that make you uneasy - those are the ones you should pay particular attention to, if you don't want to wake up and find your dream has turned into a nightmare. If you look at all the topics listed, you'll often see something like "Can't wait to move to Maine, a place I've never even visited" right next to "Desperate in Maine" and "Please help us." I have a strong feeling "can't wait to move" is carefully not reading "Desperate in Maine" because they want to hold onto their preconceived beliefs.
Maine, like other places, offers a variety of experiences - all of which are real and true and valid. I have relatives retired here who adore Maine. If they don't like the weather, they just don't go outside, and their income comes from elsewhere so the local economy is not their problem. They no longer have children in school so can live anywhere, and they're very well situated to enjoy Maine. I've also seen people come here completely unprepared for the realities of the place because my relatives told them how great it was.
It's a fact that, even though a given individual may have a job and may never have been without one, Maine's economy (in general) is bad by almost any standard. Pay is very low, and living expenses are not low enough to offset that. A friend of mine who manages a mom and pop store in a small rural town had 140 applicants for a single, part-time, minimum wage job. It's a fact, both statistical and observable, that most people who come to Maine will be gone from the state within five years. I attribute this in part to Maine's difficult economy but, even more, to the unrealistic expectations of people who come here. Maine inspires people to dream, and they often don't want that dream to bump up against any form of reality.
To sum up, if you're dreaming of Maine, if you think you want to live here, maybe you really do. Before you make that decision, though, you should ask all the hard questions, again and again, and you should come here for at least a couple weeks in the dead of winter. Get out there and shovel that snow! Maybe you'll love it. On the other hand, maybe you'll head for home and be grateful you didn't do anything rash.
Well thought out post Angelo129. Just like everything else in life, try to process what is being said, take the best of what you can glean out of the advice and spit out the rest.
frame of reference ...comes from experience, perception, atittude, and comparison
it has been stated, many on here look thru rose colored glasses, so our vision seems to be skewered. I dont agree with that at all.
i've "seen" starwalker move up here, with some major challenges, particularly with housing, but with good spirit and perserverence, she did find a place she likes , ive seen pictures of forest canoeing around his house because it got flooded, elcarem, after over a year, with major obstacles, and challenges, is now on her way to maine with her family,
very rarely, if ever, did i hear any complaining, even when life kicks them in the teeth, i mention these folks because they arent native mainers, they have thier dream, thier goals, and making it happen. thats not a maine spirit, but an individual spirit.
as far as wearing rose-colored glasses, i think again, its more of an attitude,,, we may tend to be positive or upbeat, because, thats probly how most of us are, and who wants to marinate in misery?
the other thing to keep in mind, we've had many hit and run with broad=brush attitudes, and generalizations, and if not corrected, or contested, it may be concluded as fact...
if i went to the texas forum, and asked,,"does it get hot in texas"? yes thats a dumb question, of course it does, but what i consider "hot" and what a texan considers hot is two different worlds
recently, a poster wrote a desperate thread,,,,
we have a very caring community on here, offering help, advice, where to look for a job, and even food, this exemplifies, most on this forum, is this rose-colored glasses?? no it isnt
my last point is this, many on here have had a challenging year, but you hear little complaining, is it because we all are "comfortable"? i think not,,,we are all going thru our own struggle, but most of us try to hold our head high, be positive for better days, than to hang our heads and ,,throw our hands up
Wow..talk about Blogs. Why are you so angry when people who answer the Blogs about Maine are simply relating their experiences? You sound like you almost want to not have people come on here and voice their opinion or share their experiences. You can't and shouldn't try to stop people for saying or blogging what they feel....not your job.
I did live in Maine for 12 years..Northern Aroostook County to be exact. It was beautiful, clean, friendly, quiet, safe but economically devastated. Did I go without? YES. Before I actually found a job, my family stood in line to receive government donated food. A big truck use to come to town and we got things like cheese, butter, peanut butter, canned meat, veggies, etc. That was a very long time ago. I became an Admin. Assistant to the Town Manger of this small town and eventually Town Manager myself. Our home was very old as most homes up there are and very much in need of repair. My ex husband was from the area so of course he was comfortable no matter what the situation...common to him only just so everyone won't jump on me and say not all Aroostook County men are like that.
The people in this area were absolutely phenomenal. This was where I learned what the word "friend" truly meant. To this day, I still have the same friends. People from this area just simply know how to be a good friend and when they say the care about you...they do.
Why the rant about snow?? It is what it is and YES they get buried in snow year after year and they simply deal with it. I can't tell you how many times I have driven through total white out situations while living up there. Scary but what was I suppose to do?? Had to get home..had to go to work...oh..and they DON'T close school because of snow. They put the chains on the bus and they go.
Would I retire up there? No. The economy is bad up there just like it is EVERYWHERE now; however I do think it is easier to live in a larger city where there is more potential to find a job if you have to retired or not.
Leave the Maine Bloggers alone...try to be more tolerant of people's opinions. Not everyone is going to Blog the way you want them to which is the beauty of having a site like this.
Wow..talk about Blogs. Why are you so angry when people who answer the Blogs about Maine are simply relating their experiences? You sound like you almost want to not have people come on here and voice their opinion or share their experiences. You can't and shouldn't try to stop people for saying or blogging what they feel....not your job.
I'm not angry and my post was a carefully thought out attempt to present all sides and point out the subjectivity of all experience. I voiced my opinion, which is my right, even though you think that right is for others, but I "shouldn't". It's not clear to me how I could "stop people" from saying anything on this forum, even if I wanted to. If I were that powerful, I'd be thinking about my plans for world domination.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Connecticut Pam
Why the rant about snow?? It is what it is and YES they get buried in snow year after year and they simply deal with it. I can't tell you how many times I have driven through total white out situations while living up there. Scary but what was I suppose to do?? Had to get home..had to go to work...oh..and they DON'T close school because of snow. They put the chains on the bus and they go.
Well, I notice, Connecticut Pam, that you're no longer in Maine while I'm still cheerfully shoveling and plowing that snow. My "rant" was clearly intended, as I said, to point out that it's not for everyone. Many people will in fact leave Maine because the weather was more than they were prepared for. Those people would be a lot better off if they were spared a costly mistake. As I write this, my neighbors are packing up to return to Virginia after only one winter in Maine. They're retired and were persuaded to come here by their grown children who live in the area. The children are in their twenties and love the snow; Mom and Dad aren't, and they were shocked at the labor involved in clearing a path to their car even though the landlord plows the driveway. Their kids told them the snow was "no problem" and, indeed, it wasn't for THEM. For Mom and Dad, it was hateful and frightening. Subjective, yes, but their experience of Maine was equally real and valid.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Connecticut Pam
Leave the Maine Bloggers alone...try to be more tolerant of people's opinions. Not everyone is going to Blog the way you want them to which is the beauty of having a site like this.
Nor am I going to post the way others want me to, but apparently they can express their opinions, while I'm instructed to "leave the Maine bloggers alone." Hmmm. Interesting how the set of people you agree with may "voice their opinion or share their experiences" but an alternate point of view, or even the suggestion that one should dig deep for answers, even disagreeable ones, is greeted with "leave the Maine bloggers alone." It appears the tolerance you're advising doesn't extend to me. Be that as it may, I'll be saying what I think.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by angelo129
Well, I notice, Connecticut Pam, that you're no longer in Maine while I'm still cheerfully shoveling and plowing that snow.
Allright! Cut the BULL!! Cheerfully?!?!?! I agree with the rest and will uphold your right to blog, complain, fuss, whatever. But cheerfully?? That I won't buy.
Thanks to all who replied to this thread, especially those who were civil. Irfox, I took no offense at your reply but appreciated the apology nonetheless. It's my pleasure to inject an occasional alternative point of view, both for the sake of balance, because I enjoy a good debate, and to help people "from away" to realize that they may be corresponding with someone who heats their home by burning wood they harvested from their wood lot. In other wordsk their situation may be radically different from that of a renter of a house, like myself, who pays for the oil to heat it.
I meant also to mention that anyone who is seriously considering moving far from where they presently are should read the local newspapers online, and read them every day, to get a good dose of somewhat less subjective experience. I suggest the Portland Press Herald and Village Soup online.
Allright! Cut the BULL!! Cheerfully?!?!?! I agree with the rest and will uphold your right to blog, complain, fuss, whatever. But cheerfully?? That I won't buy.
Heh. You might be surprised, retiredtinbender. In my many years in Maine, I've shoveled enough snow to fill that quarry hole outside Rockland (you know, the big one) and I still think the stuff is beautiful and pure magic. But I have noticed that a lot of people don't agree with me, especially after they've shoveled their first ton or so, or slid the car into a ditch.
Thanks to all who replied to this thread, especially those who were civil. Irfox, I took no offense at your reply but appreciated the apology nonetheless. It's my pleasure to inject an occasional alternative point of view, both for the sake of balance, because I enjoy a good debate, and to help people "from away" to realize that they may be corresponding with someone who heats their home by burning wood they harvested from their wood lot. In other wordsk their situation may be radically different from that of a renter of a house, like myself, who pays for the oil to heat it.
I meant also to mention that anyone who is seriously considering moving far from where they presently are should read the local newspapers online, and read them every day, to get a good dose of somewhat less subjective experience. I suggest the Portland Press Herald and Village Soup online.
that is great to doing thing that make you happy and magical.
I think i worry too much, i guest that came with when do thing with out spend time to do reserch or think in through, but that is me, i will continue do things base on how i feel, just have to live with the consequence and/or reward.
Quote:
Originally Posted by angelo129
Heh. You might be surprised, retiredtinbender. In my many years in Maine, I've shoveled enough snow to fill that quarry hole outside Rockland (you know, the big one) and I still think the stuff is beautiful and pure magic. But I have noticed that a lot of people don't agree with me, especially after they've shoveled their first ton or so, or slid the car into a ditch.
Allright! Cut the BULL!! Cheerfully?!?!?! I agree with the rest and will uphold your right to blog, complain, fuss, whatever. But cheerfully?? That I won't buy.
Perhaps your not smoking the right kind of tobacco?
Just a phrase, but hey, some of us really like the freedoms we have here in Maine.
The clear skies, the wildlife, so much of this have left the rest of the US of A.
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Best Advice for Those Who Want to Move to Maine
