If you love Maine, it doesn't have to be a place you just visit once in a while.
It can be where you live.
Everyone knows Maine for its natural beauty; visitors flock to its coast, mountains, lakes, and quaint towns from all over North America all year round.
One of the state's nicknames is "Vacationland.
" You may not think of Maine as a place to live--but why not? Mainers used to be thought of as reserved and unfriendly to newcomers, but it's not so.
They are becoming famous for their friendliness, according to recent reports.
In Down East--The Magazine of Maine, February 2006, an essay by Michael Magras about his move to Maine says, "On my wife's way to work one day, a driver slowed to allow her into an intersection and smiled warmly as he waved her ahead.
There followed a series of happy encounters with store employees, garage attendants, town hall clerks, and others that has continued largely unabated.
Never before had we been treated to such a pageant of neighborliness.
" An article in The Kennebec Journal's January 5, 2008 edition, about the great ice storm of 1998, agrees.
"Line crews who arrived from rural North Carolina [to restore power to the area] were amazed by the warmth of Maine people..
..
They were used to rural friendliness and they were dumbfounded by how patient and friendly Maine people were," according the then-spokesman for Central Maine Power.
Currently only about half of Maine's residents were born there, so your new neighbors may have arrived from somewhere else not long before you--which may help explain why they're so friendly and welcoming.
Just be friendly yourself and act as though you expect to be welcomed; you probably will.
If you're looking for a safe place to raise kids, Maine is it.
The state of Maine averages about 15 to 20 homicides per year; by comparison, the city of Detroit, Michigan has an average of one per day.
Random violent crime is virtually unheard-of in Maine.
Want to live in a place where you can buy a bag of potatoes or a Christmas tree by putting your money in a can, taking the merchandise, and going on your way--without being watched? Maine is that place.
Here are some other benefits to Maine residency you can look forward to: --You don't have to pay sales tax at LL Bean.
--You may never have to water your yard.
(It rains about 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches per month--an even enough distribution that you won't worry about the flood/drought cycle that plagues many other parts of the country.
) --The weather is actually fairly mild.
It rarely gets above 90 degrees in summer, and winters are milder than in many other parts of the country, including upstate New York, the Great Lakes area, and the Midwest.
--The landscape constantly provides new scenery: spring and summer, something different is in bloom every couple of weeks; fall, the colors change daily; winter, the snow/melt cycle provides an ever-changing diorama of dazzling white beauty.
--You get to live where other people vacation.
Want more information? Read Moving to Maine, Updated and Expanded 2nd Edition: The Essential Guide to Get You There and What You Need to Know to Stay by Victoria Doudera (it gets a 5-star rating on Amazon).
She also has a book called Where to Retire in Maine.
And if you're looking for a house to buy, now is a great time.
It's a buyer's market, and the real estate market (according to some experts) is expected to recover more quickly in Maine than in other states such as California.
So don't wait.
Happy real estate shopping, and welcome to Maine!
It can be where you live.
Everyone knows Maine for its natural beauty; visitors flock to its coast, mountains, lakes, and quaint towns from all over North America all year round.
One of the state's nicknames is "Vacationland.
" You may not think of Maine as a place to live--but why not? Mainers used to be thought of as reserved and unfriendly to newcomers, but it's not so.
They are becoming famous for their friendliness, according to recent reports.
In Down East--The Magazine of Maine, February 2006, an essay by Michael Magras about his move to Maine says, "On my wife's way to work one day, a driver slowed to allow her into an intersection and smiled warmly as he waved her ahead.
There followed a series of happy encounters with store employees, garage attendants, town hall clerks, and others that has continued largely unabated.
Never before had we been treated to such a pageant of neighborliness.
" An article in The Kennebec Journal's January 5, 2008 edition, about the great ice storm of 1998, agrees.
"Line crews who arrived from rural North Carolina [to restore power to the area] were amazed by the warmth of Maine people..
..
They were used to rural friendliness and they were dumbfounded by how patient and friendly Maine people were," according the then-spokesman for Central Maine Power.
Currently only about half of Maine's residents were born there, so your new neighbors may have arrived from somewhere else not long before you--which may help explain why they're so friendly and welcoming.
Just be friendly yourself and act as though you expect to be welcomed; you probably will.
If you're looking for a safe place to raise kids, Maine is it.
The state of Maine averages about 15 to 20 homicides per year; by comparison, the city of Detroit, Michigan has an average of one per day.
Random violent crime is virtually unheard-of in Maine.
Want to live in a place where you can buy a bag of potatoes or a Christmas tree by putting your money in a can, taking the merchandise, and going on your way--without being watched? Maine is that place.
Here are some other benefits to Maine residency you can look forward to: --You don't have to pay sales tax at LL Bean.
--You may never have to water your yard.
(It rains about 2 1/2 to 4 1/2 inches per month--an even enough distribution that you won't worry about the flood/drought cycle that plagues many other parts of the country.
) --The weather is actually fairly mild.
It rarely gets above 90 degrees in summer, and winters are milder than in many other parts of the country, including upstate New York, the Great Lakes area, and the Midwest.
--The landscape constantly provides new scenery: spring and summer, something different is in bloom every couple of weeks; fall, the colors change daily; winter, the snow/melt cycle provides an ever-changing diorama of dazzling white beauty.
--You get to live where other people vacation.
Want more information? Read Moving to Maine, Updated and Expanded 2nd Edition: The Essential Guide to Get You There and What You Need to Know to Stay by Victoria Doudera (it gets a 5-star rating on Amazon).
She also has a book called Where to Retire in Maine.
And if you're looking for a house to buy, now is a great time.
It's a buyer's market, and the real estate market (according to some experts) is expected to recover more quickly in Maine than in other states such as California.
So don't wait.
Happy real estate shopping, and welcome to Maine!
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