Retiring to Maine?

As a very recent Maine resident from the great state of MA..Let me offer my observations in these past 10 days.

1. Mass Drivers are the worse?
Um.....If I am tailgated one more time on a two lane road, w/o street lights lights, going at least 55mph I'm taking a sharp right.

2. Every one is friendly.

3. Sarcasm. Not spoken here. Actually, it is, b/c everyone seems to be a Boston area transplant.

4. Gas is expensive.

5. People, like every where else, are AWESOME.

All those in Windham hope to meet you soon....down the street in Naples.

Peace.

Definitely consider renting for an entire year before buying. Rural Maine in winter is something that can wear of some folks. Realistically, you can read all the books and get lots of advise but nothing beats being on the ground visiting areas and looking a the pros and cons up close.

The three southern most counties of Maine are extensions of Mass. Lots of transplants and a lot less natives. These counties are "maine light" and are not representative of the rest of the state. Property can be expensive if its within commuting distance of greater Portland or close to the seashore. Lakefront within a couple of hours of Portland and a lot of the coast is expensive as many folks from Mass buy second homes in Maine along the coast.

Most retirees want services like hospitals, local doctors, local dentists reasonably maintained local roads, local fire, local police, trash pickup, and close proximity to grocery stores. That is not neccesarily a given in much of rural maine. There is a large rural poor population on poorly funded government programs that tends to drive away health professionals and it makes it tough to recurit new ones. In general active retirees dont mind the inconvieniences but as folks get older they tend to move out of the rural areas and the coast.

There is really only one viable airport in Maine in Portland. Bangor does have some flights but they tend to be high cost and poor connections. Most folks drive down to Portland or over to Manchester

Most surveys show Maine being one of the highest if not highest in overall tax burden with NH being one of the lowest. Property taxes in NH have significant variations from town to town and generally the towns with low taxes have higher overall property values. In the long run its better to spend more up front as the yearly taxes in high property tax towns can be onerous. A large block of the property taxes in Maine are sent to the state for redistribution around the state, sounds great in concept but there is lot of overhead and inequities in the distribution. In general 3/4 of maine is poor and rural and the remaining quarter of the state has to subsidize the rest. In NH the split is reversed, 3/4 of the state is doign well and it subsidizes the other 1/4.

Western Maine about 30 miles north of the Maine Turnpike is nice as the moutains and the ocean are a reasonable drive. If you looks at Chip's Maps, the Lakes and Moutains region is a good place to take a look at. Do realize that they tend to be in the snow belt relative to the coast.

...So, we have that going for us.

How about the New Hampshire northern seascoast area, like Dover, Rochester, etc.? You kind of get the best of both worlds. You are in an easy drive of the Whites, some good Southern NH hiking, you are minutes from the Maine border, and like NH you are in a not-too-terribly-long drive to a bunch of hiking destinations in Maine.

Brian

Edit: Oh, and most importantly you are also within striking distance of a bunch of decent sized cities, both NH, MA and ME. So you can pretty much have your cake and eat it too!

Little Rickie said:

Chip & PA, have you visited the state?

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Absolutely...and I love it. My brother moved to west-central Maine (Farmington) in 1985. Near the Rangely area, which is gorgeous. He's now a pastor in a church in Belfast. As far as my "now go home" comment, I thought that maybe Chip was a closet Maine resident when he responded with "New Hampshire".

Another (huge) vote for Bethel.

From Bethel, it's only 30-60 minutes to most places in the White Mountains. Plus you are close (1-2hrs) to a lot of the big mountains in Maine, including Grafton Notch State Park

The people in Bethel are very friendly in my opinion. Sunday River is nearby and that's a lot of fun in all seasons. Decent food in and around Bethel as well (i.e. Sud's Pub, Sunday River Brewing Company, etc.).

retiring in maine?!

most people leave maine to retire! I think I will retire down south to NH where hiking trails are easier + rds. are in better shape+ ski resorts are flatter I love Maine born and raised since 78.. If you like to ski too, votes for bridgton, bethel, farmington (farmington 50 min to loaf, riv + s.back) all towns are plenty close to ski resorts and back country skiing and good mt.biking, all have great water for recreating near by and all are close enough to hospitals, stores etc.. $ wise look into wilton, good bang for the buck right next to farmington and super close to mt. blue state park and tumbledown range, good luck and choose wise

This is a great site/tool/timewaster for anyone interested in foreclosures.*

Choose the county and price range and get an idea of what's what.

Well, if we're getting into real estate listings ... here's a Unit for sale in the complex where our place is in Ogunquit. Just 2 units down from our own:

Oceanside Condominiums

Real nice neighborhood for a pretty reasonable price.

Any thoughts about: Belfast, Bar Harbor & Ellsworth?

I'm thinking anyplace east of Bangor would be a nice area.

FYI I drive 6 hours to get to the Adirondacks so a one to three hour drive to get somewhere is an improvment for me.


Please not if you live in or have visited Maine when you post or if you are just posting an opinion. It will help me sort out this info.

Thanks and keep it coming.

Little Rickie said:

Where would be a nice place to retire to in Maine? Not to big, not economically depressed, where I can enjoy the woods and open water? Quiet and low key is a priority. Don't mind a short commute to town/coast as a trade of for quality of life.

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Maine is a big draw for a lot of people to retire. People from away tend to concentrate where there is some activity of interest and thus communities with good colleges have a draw a well as communities with commercial and dining choices. Portland, Brunswick, Farmington, Waterville areas are examples.

Maine's biggest attraction, as you seem to appreciate, are the year round outdoor activities. Mud season is the exception and people either go elsewhere or use that time to clean, repair and tuneup their toys. Rangeley, Greenville, Millinocket, Camden-Rockland, Bar Harbor are examples but they can run from bustling to boring as seasons come and go.

It is possible to support two homes in Maine for what it typically costs to own one in major urban areas, e.g. a modest home near a coastal urban area and a "camp" up north.

Down East magazine, which has periodic "retirement" features, and Northwoods Sporting Journal are two subscriptions I'd recommend to get a flavor for Maine. Maine Appalachian Trail Club and Maine Island Trail Association are two memerships you might consider. And, if you can't find it at LL Bean or Kittery Trading post, you probably won't need it.

Little Rickie said:

Any thoughts about: Belfast, Bar Harbor & Ellsworth?

I'm thinking anyplace east of Bangor would be a nice area.

FYI I drive 6 hours to get to the Adirondacks so a one to three hour drive to get somewhere is an improvment for me.

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my uncle lives in ellsworth nice scenery little depressed economically. Bar harbor is an awesome place but very expensive and isolated. If you enjoy isolation my folks love vacationing to winter harbor just north of Bar harbor

freighttrain48 said:

40 mins to Boston

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Good grief, how fast do you drive? It takes me an hour to get to Portsmouth NH and I'm minutes from i95!

Little Rickie said:

Any thoughts about: Belfast, Bar Harbor & Ellsworth?

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Well, I can say this about Bar Harbor.....as far as scenery goes it is wonderful. BUT, you will need to realize that in the summer it's human habitation probably doubles, possibly even triples, in size due to tourism. Not saying that is good or bad, but it is something to consider.

Brian

P.S. Oh yeah, as you asked....just visited, never lived in.

una_dogger said:

Good grief, how fast do you drive? It takes me an hour to get to Portsmouth NH and I'm minutes from i95!

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I live in derry nh exit 4 93 I drive the speed limit and with no traffic I could be in boston city limits in about 45-50mins

If you have the flexibility to live where you want and are not tied to being within some mileage of a career, then Maine has quite a few very good options. Belfast would be at the top of my list but there are many terrific communities all along the mid-coast region. Come visit and see for yourself. Belfast has a nice balance between summer tourism, with the fairs and activities that tourists crave, but has a strong year-round community of individualists. If you are into localism, there are few better places in Maine.

If you are not used to the culture of rural Maine living (and most of Maine is rural living) I think it's important to be hooked into your community, whether through work, extra-curriculars, or family. My one real gripe has been a serious lack of cultural diversity. By that I mean we don't exactly get world class arts around here, although I don't even have time to go to what good stuff there is. Nor is Maine known for its ethnic diversity.

Don't plan on visiting the Daks too often: it's a loooong haul. But I've kept a pretty full outdoor life living halfway between Acadia and Baxter. Greater Bangor also has a lot of very good local trails for daily biking and skiing.

It takes a certain kind of person to want to live in Bar Harbor year-round. Much of the town shuts down in Fall for about eight months. You must either have enough money to build your own castle, complete with entertainment options (bowling alley anyone?), be happy living "alone" during battering storms, or have the ability to leave frequently. If you were serious about that kind of retirement, there better options than Bar Harbor on Mt. Desert Island.

I've lived in the greater Bangor region for about ten years. For what it's worth, I twice decided to stay when faced with career decisions. If I could do what I do now and live in the Belfast-Camden region, I would go in a second. For reference, my opinions are in comparison to central CT, central MA, and the Upper Valley of NH.

If you come up for a scouting mission, feel free to give a holler.

spencer said:

Don't plan on visiting the Daks too often: it's a loooong haul.

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Hey c'mon, the haul over Rt 2, the "main west - east artery" from where I used to live in Jefferson, isn't too bad now that there aren't as many pulp trucks to get stuck behind!

freighttrain48 said:

I live in derry nh exit 4 93 I drive the speed limit and with no traffic I could be in boston city limits in about 45-50mins

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Ah yes you could! For some reason, I thought you lived in Maine !

Fisher Cat said:

"main west - east artery"

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funny, we call it the "east-west" artery. I guess you CAN get there from here.

spencer said:

If you have the flexibility to live where you want and are not tied to being within some mileage of a career, then Maine has quite a few very good options. Belfast would be at the top of my list but there are many terrific communities all along the mid-coast region. Come visit and see for yourself. Belfast has a nice balance between summer tourism, with the fairs and activities that tourists crave, but has a strong year-round community of individualists. If you are into localism, there are few better places in Maine.

If you are not used to the culture of rural Maine living (and most of Maine is rural living) I think it's important to be hooked into your community, whether through work, extra-curriculars, or family. My one real gripe has been a serious lack of cultural diversity. By that I mean we don't exactly get world class arts around here, although I don't even have time to go to what good stuff there is. Nor is Maine known for its ethnic diversity.

Don't plan on visiting the Daks too often: it's a loooong haul. But I've kept a pretty full outdoor life living halfway between Acadia and Baxter. Greater Bangor also has a lot of very good local trails for daily biking and skiing.

It takes a certain kind of person to want to live in Bar Harbor year-round. Much of the town shuts down in Fall for about eight months. You must either have enough money to build your own castle, complete with entertainment options (bowling alley anyone?), be happy living "alone" during battering storms, or have the ability to leave frequently. If you were serious about that kind of retirement, there better options than Bar Harbor on Mt. Desert Island.

I've lived in the greater Bangor region for about ten years. For what it's worth, I twice decided to stay when faced with career decisions. If I could do what I do now and live in the Belfast-Camden region, I would go in a second. For reference, my opinions are in comparison to central CT, central MA, and the Upper Valley of NH.

If you come up for a scouting mission, feel free to give a holler.

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Belfast is on my short list, thanks.

Does anyone else know much about the place.

Real estate a short distance out of town doesn't seem very high priced? I'd like some acreage where I can let the dog out and not worry about the neighbors and be able to do some hunting. We can always drive into town for the stuff we need.