A move to Maine will bring fresh air, thick woods and beauty; here are a few tips to help with the transition.
Maine is a beautiful state with thick forests, a rocky coastline, and friendly, helpful people. Taxes are high but housing costs are generally low, depending on your location. If you plan to move to one of the larger towns in Maine, such as Portland, Brunswick, Augusta, or Lewiston-Auburn, housing is a bit pricier, but in the country and in small towns, homes are still very reasonable.
If your move to Maine is from another northern state, you'll be familiar with the necessity of heating your home in winter. Maine winters are long, cold, and dark, and heat is a primary factor when choosing a home to buy or rent. If you're moving from a warmer climate, this may be something new to you. Make sure the house or apartment you'll be living in has a good heating system: preferably gas or oil heat, as electric heat is unreasonably expensive; and inquire about a back-up heating system, as power outages are rare, but must be planned for. A wood burning stove is a wonderful way to heat homes on those especially cold winter nights, and they serve as a very useful back-up to regular heating sources.
On the flip side of heating, Maine homes are notoriously lacking air conditioning. This will come as a shock to those relocating from more southerly warmer climates, but the truth is, Maine has very mild summers. For perhaps three weeks of every summer, the temperatures rise and the humidity matches the heat, and Mainers get uncomfortable. But it is only three weeks at most. The rest of the time, a cool breeze flowing through the windows is all you need.
Jobs in Maine are plentiful, but it isn't the place to go if you're looking to make a lot of money. The largest employers in Maine are Hannaford Company (a grocery store chain), MBNA, Bath Iron Works (a shipbuilding company) UNUM Provident, Maine Medical Center, Mercy Hospital, Sunday River Ski Resort, and L.L. Bean. These are good, solid companies that take care of their employees and offer good benefits.
Most of the public schools in Maine are doing well. According to the NEA, reading, writing, math and science scores are up, and SAT scores are on the rise. Maine schools are safe and they offer all the latest technology. The only drawback to Maine public schools is that their teachers are some of the lowest paid in the country, but that seems to be a trend with all the careers in the state. Cost of living is relatively low, so the pay is comparable. Maine offers a wonderful variety of private schools, parochial schools, and the state is very friendly to homeschoolers, offering them the opportunity to take part in activities at the local public schools.
One thing you'll want to buy when you first get to Maine is a copy of the Maine Atlas and Gazetteer. This is a comprehensive map covering every road in the state, from interstate highways to unpaved logging roads. It is indispensable for helping you find your way around in a new place.
Once you get to Maine and meet the friendly people, breathe the fresh clean air and spot a bald eagle or a moose, you'll also be saying it is "the way life should be."
