Who lives in Maine and wants to answer some questions...

Good post

We have 150 acres of 'treegrowth' land. You can still do a few things on 'treegrowth' land. Some of mine is in a floodplain, which produces fiddleheads and has a sugar bush.

'Treegrowth' is good for running goats, sheep, or hogs. Mushroom logs or ginseng. As well as firewood production.

When you take one acre out of 'treegrowth', they do not care where that one acre sits. Part of it could be your house footprint, and part of it could be your garden, etc. Out-buildings on skids or pontoons don't count as taxable so they can be anywhere.

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I have lived here 9 years. Not an expert. Love it, good bad and in between.

I came here because after living in DC/Baltimore area my dh and I got sick of b/s, pc and lots of government. We came across the town we live because dh looked at a map of Maine (he grew up on Cape Cod, when it was really considered 'waste land' and not a tourist trap, it was used for farming) and determined that he wanted to live in the same area (sort of 'mid coast'/down east-- but even that depends on who you talk to) of this state, that his family lived in Mass area.
I found it (we both did) to be refreshingly different, and sort of reminded me of my small town life in New York state (s.w. area) when I was a kid.
I love Maine. Yes, the libs are mostly in the south (northern Mass, as others have said) Things change over the years, but it still beats Washington DC /Baltimore vicinity.
One of the first times dh and I went out to have dinner, we walked toward the restauraunt. Two people were walking towards us. They both smiled and said hi.
That stuck in my head for a long time.

The last time Bangor was on the coast the Ice Age was just ending, so it must have been a long time since you've been here! ;-) And my tomatoes are thriving -- we picked a few today -- without plastic or anything else. I know a market gardener north of Caribou in Aroostook County who is well known for the melons he grows every summer.
Are we talking about the same state? Maine, right?
Okay, you got me on that one!

C'mon Cash, you and i both know people who live south of the Maine border
know more about how things are here than we locals do.

When I was shopping for land, I had supper in a small diner [six booths]. A lady came in with her daughter, the daughter was wearing a highschool basketball uniform. They all knew the girl, they all knew her team's ranking and who they had played that night.

It sounded like most of them had been attending home games, and they all showed a lot of enthusiasm for that girl.

That made a big impression on me.

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Did I mention the poor schools? Here is a map of Maine The average fellow with minimal geographic education and getting their info from the TV would not know the actual shape of their state. They shrink Maine in height and make it narrower... to "fit" the shape of the TV. If not they would need 3 images... Two north and south and one off to the east.

As easily seen in the map below. Augusta is in the lower 20%(maybe 15%) of the state, near the coast. Mountains take up nearly 1/2 the area to the west and south of Augusta. So as I stated plain above. The area south of Augusta and not in the mountains is a small portion of Maine.

To a north east coastal dweller 20-30 miles is far. To most it's right down the road. Regardless of that. The elevation of Bangor is less than 200 Ft. and it's blessed with a coastal climate.

[QUOTE=stanb999;6679717]Did I mention the poor schools?

Speaking of poor how is your bankrupt capital city Harrisburg doing ?

[quote=woodsy;6679741]

[quote=woodsy;6679741]A bit like asking a rural Michigan homesteader how deeply they are impacted by the demise of Detroit? Every heavily populated state in the nation is going to soon be watching some of their cities going hoofs up. A legacy of corruption, lavish pensions, a deeply entrenched entitlement mentality, the stable working class heading to the suburbs, and all the other ills, is hardly something Harrisburg has a patent on. Detroit, Camden, and Harrisburg just seem to be early adopters, LOL

Okay we've established that Stan doesn't want you to move to Maine!
Like any state, some towns have great schools, some have lousy schools and most fall in between. We live in a UT and our kids go to an award winning elementary school. Like any move, you will hve to look into each district carefully (I feel that it's important to check out the schools even if you plan to home school).

To summarize thus far-
Maine is rural in places and not-so-rural in places, although the cities are tiny compared to much of the rest of the country.
Maine is liberal in places and less so in places, but we're yankees and we really would rather you just keep your political opinions to yourself mostly.
Maine has bugs nd tourists. Both get worse in the summer. There are NO chiggers though!
Maine hs cheap land, but (like anywhere) you should do due diligence before buying in case it's really a swamp.
Maine has a growing season typical of northern states, on average last frost is mid June, first frost is early September. You can certainly grow almost everything, but it might help to consider amendments like row cover or tunnels.
You might need to get a job to live in Maine. We, the residents of Maine, would prefer it, for one thing.
Maine is cold in the winter and reasonable in the summer. It has weather patterns typical of New England, although I think we all agree that it hs been milder thn in past decades. It's going to snow here, and if it doesn't a lot of people are very unhappy (and out of work).
Maine is friendly, the scenery is beautiful, it is very small-farm accessible and those of us who live here don't blame the rest of you for wanting to move here.

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They shall all sit under their own vines and their own fig trees, and they shall live in peace and unafraid. Mica 4:4

Oh yes most of the schools from middle school to high school are cesspools of ill mannered, under educated, entitled little brats. Your kids can be taught to say "no" and know better...but it does take effort on the part of parents, but I'm sure this is the case the world over. Maine is very homeschooling friendly...little paperwork, regulation.

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We grew copious amounts of green beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and other vegetables in our Perham, Maine gardens. We had apple trees that produced loads of apples. Our rhubarb was huge. We could have grown blueberries and cranberries had we had more time. All of it was in open air. I always tried to plant after the full moon in May. Most of our tomatoes were picked green, but we did get some and I could get more if I still lived there and know what I know now about sunroom seedlings. We miss all that. Maine is very beautiful in so many ways. However, there were maybe 300 cloudy days a year. The leaves come down the first week of October usually in the north. It can be very cold. Pipes can freeze (ours did multiple times) and are hard to work on when they do. It's expensive to have your yard plowed or time consuming to do it yourself. The snow melts back in early April and mud comes out for a few weeks. Shortly after that the mosquitoes and blackflies come out. In force.

My job forced us to move South, but now that we've been here we probably would not move back. A vacation to Maine would be great though. It was my dream to live in Maine while I grew up in Massachusetts. I'm glad we got to do it for so many years. There are many good people in Maine.

Gee whiz, Stan, you keep moving the goal posts. First you say Bangor, now you're saying Augusta. And you think both of those cities are on the coast? And since you can't win the gardening argument, now you're complaining about our schools? When you admit you haven't been here for years? Nice try. Thanks for playing.

Ok I don't live there ( my mom was raised there and would LOVE to move back) Why I won't/don't, main reason ARs are really big there and are working to get anyone with animals. there is a bill that they are trying to push though that would make it unlawful to put a "spot on" flea treatment on your dog unless your vet does it. think about that, every month a vet visit. what next???
oh and the horrible "turn abouts" seem to be everywhere and the toll roads...
other then that i love the place. whoopy pies,nice people, fiber stores, puffins,the taste of Maine restraint's fish chowder....oh and the state museum is WONDERFUL

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Never heard of such a thing.

I stock tetanus shots, rabies, parvo, all the vaccines. I have never had to go through a vet.



Do you mean round-about? Or traffic circles?

I am only aware of two toll roads. Down by NH at the extreme Southern end of I-95 there is a toll, and the Golden road [which is all gravel]. I have not paid a toll in years. Where are you finding toll roads?

Only a very tiny portion of Maine has toll roads.



Dover has a whoopy pie festival.

The churches, granges, VFW / Am Legion posts, all have huge suppers with good chowder. I don't recall ever trying it in a restaurant before. I always hear to avoid it in restaurants, that is for the tourists.

__________________
http://www.mofga.org/

http://www.mofga.org/Programs/FarmAp...2/Default.aspx

I'm complaining about the schools because certain Mainers can't understand geography even with a map. Can you see it? It's that green image in the post above. 20 miles is coastal. 150 has coastal influence. The good growing areas are south Bangor and east of the mountains, or on the direct coast. This area is less than 15% of the state. It is a Small, little, petite area. It is were most Mainers live because the rest suffers from thin soil, bog, or it's frozen half the year.

Stan- I guess maybe we're misunderstanding your requirements for "good growing". If flat and warm are the requirements then you are correct, Maine lacks that. I, however, am having ratatouille for dinner again- home grown eggplants, tomato, zuchinni, green beans. All from my mountainous Maine garden, all picked this morning. Growing is fine here, thanks.

I also find it odd that you are saying the coast is a small, petite area... Maine has 4000+ miles of coastline AND an additional 4000+ islands, many inhabited. That's not a small number of coastal farms. Personally I wouldn't agree that the coast is the best farming land, but would look north to the County and all of their taters... Must be some decent dirt up there, right? Or west, to the mountains- I live on what was a massive commercial orchard 100 years ago. Massive, as in miiiillllles of apple trees. Some of them are still producing, although most have been eaten by forest. I'm surrounded by small farms and homesteads, even up here in the wild and woodsy mountains!

Maine is not comparable to Kansas, say, or Georgia for growing or climate. But that should be obvious.

Oh, and as for toll roads- 95 is a toll road, at least for half of it's length. But it's easy enough to not use it.

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They shall all sit under their own vines and their own fig trees, and they shall live in peace and unafraid. Mica 4:4

Oh you must try theirs! It was GOOOOOODDDDD. they are in Woolwich.
it is my aunt's fav and she is a born and raised in weeks mills. (a 93 year old Maine-iac) Oh and dulse! can't forget that chewing salty goodnesss! OH OH OH and LL BEAN!

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He who thinks he knows, doesn't. He who knows he doesn't know, knows.~ Joseph Campbell

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tailwagging---You went thru the West Gardiner toll booth sounds like....and the "ROTARY(s)" are what the locals call the traffic circles in Augusta...and they have changed them slightly since Hannaford went in where Cony High School was (I went to Cony for 2 years). Due to our changing seasons and winter those who use those roads must pay to keep them maintained....there are free alternatives, prolly bumpier and slower.

As far as them changing the veterinary rules...it simply wont fly...not enough vets, not enough money to pay vets, and online sales are never going to be regulated. Maine has lots of "stupid" laws that people obey or dis-obey at their own discretion. Common sense seems lacking due to politics these days....real people just get on with their day...

Stan...I wont argue with you....I know I live in the farming region of Central Maine...lots of Dairy farms in my area, China is about dead center....as you get coastal the topsoil is much thinner and ledge more prominent so you get blueberry barrens...most of Maine's pop. is close to I-95 from Portsmouth to Bangor....

Every state has 10 virtues and 10 faults....pick and choose your priorities.

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less vets around works out wonderfully for the ARs if it does go though.
More people will not be able to get it done by the vets so more people can be/will be criminalized by not doing it or by doing it themselves = more animals seized = less animals in "slavery".

Mpillow have you been to the China dine-ah? or the Red Barn in Augusta?

__________________
He who thinks he knows, doesn't. He who knows he doesn't know, knows.~ Joseph Campbell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeMrK...AE7062ADE5A19C