Moving to Eastport (Portland, Bar Harbor, Calais: home, tax, live in)

[retiredtinbender]

When we were in Atlanta DW told me that "if you take the pop of Hotlanta just inside the beltway and moved them to Maine; it would increase the population about 3 times.

[rosebud1]

I see another thread about cell phone service, but wonder what experience those of you who live in Eastport have with the different carriers, and who you recommend for the best coverage? Also, what do you do for internet and tv?

[maine4.us]

Cell phone service is provided by US Cellular, but, if you are on Water Street, next to the bay, you are probably going to roam on Canadian towers. That is pricey $$$ US Cellular has good coverage from about Bangor Savings Bank west. I lock my phone off roaming. There may be an international plan, but I am not aware of it.

Cable TV/Internet is Time Warner. Internet is good, reasonable, and reliable. Cable TV is cable TV. Basic package is cheap, but with the add ons, it is about the same price as elsewhere.

Stay away from Fairpoint, unless you have to have a wired phone. I never got DSL from them last year and it was over a month. I see where they just filed for bankruptcy yesterday. I had no issues when Verizon was the carrier, but Fairpoint was a disaster. I still get wrong bills every month from my wireline phone....they can't seem to get the billing right.

[corgis]

We use Time Warner for our internet and TV and my cell phone is with Alltel and I have no problems with service except for occasionally bouncing off a Canadian tower, then I just call them and they remove the charge.

[rosebud1]

Thanks so much - I'll look into US Cellular - haven't heard of them before. We have T-Mobile now and when we visited Eastport there was no coverage except what was bouncing off the Canadian towers.

[woxyroxme]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

When we were in Atlanta DW told me that "if you take the pop of Hotlanta just inside the beltway and moved them to Maine; it would increase the population about 3 times.

I would believe that, they probably have more cars stuck not moving on the interstates during rush hour than there are cars in Maine. When dramammama and I came back from Florida last December we crept up 7 lanes of highway forever, the 7 lanes going the other way wasn't moving either.

[Cushnoc]

Originally Posted by mollysmiles

Many of my classmates are gone from this area, and not all by choice. It's difficult to go off to college, get a degree, and then find work in your field in rural areas--depending on the field of course. Some of my classmates are still around, probably twenty or so within sixty miles, but I have classmates who are senior bank VPs, doctors, officers in the military, etc.... and we either don't have those jobs here at all or there weren't openings for those who wanted to come back. Rural Maine is a great place to raise a family, but when the population in any area is low, it doesn't offer the variety of employment opps found in cities.

Something that people from *away* often forget is how small the total population of our state really is. There are many cities in the US with populations larger than our entire state. Keep that in perspective when considering a move.

additionally, there's an attitude of high school seniors to "get away"
a natural lure to attend college well over the horizon-in another state.
This attitude was prevalent decades ago when i was in high school, and still remains-not only because of job possibilities, or higher accredited colleges, more to, perhaps get away from the umbrella of family,(time to be on your own) and to see what's out there in the big cities.

[retiredtinbender]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

I would believe that, they probably have more cars stuck not moving on the interstates during rush hour than there are cars in Maine. When dramammama and I came back from Florida last December we crept up 7 lanes of highway forever, the 7 lanes going the other way wasn't moving either.

I remember their Guv saying once that at any given time of the day there were at least 240,000 cars on 285 alone in Hot-lanta. And all doing 5mph watching a guy change a flat. Glad to be back home.

[dramamama6685]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

I remember their Guv saying once that at any given time of the day there were at least 240,000 cars on 285 alone in Hot-lanta. And all doing 5mph watching a guy change a flat. Glad to be back home.

Sounds 'bout right. Thanks for the morning giggle!

[peachie_in_maine]

Originally Posted by mensaguy

It has turned out to be quite affordable to do it this way.

Do an area at a time doesn't over cost your budget... I totally agree!

Originally Posted by Maineah

My Mom's family was from Washington County in the Vanceboro Calais /St. Stephens area.

Wow... your from up and over too ( in a sense of course) I did not realize that!

Originally Posted by maine4.us

Cell phone service is provided by US Cellular, but, if you are on Water Street, next to the bay, you are probably going to roam on Canadian towers. .

True, and we don't live in Eastport, but because we border Canada in the same sense in our travels, we call US. Cellular every month and the call takes 4 minutest and poof off the bill. If it wasn't as easy as all of that.. lockingwould be a nice option.
Now........ if that was fairpoint, then forget it... "Don't pick up your phone to look at it, they bill you for things that don't happen or don't make sense (oops another thread and topic alllll together.)