Maine

[annabananaandfamily]

I still have my trio of breda, dh has decided HE really likes them and their quirky behaviors so they are one of the breeds that are staying. I will be hatching some out soon so if you aren't in a rush I will be able to give you a cockeral later on?

Yes! Keep in touch and let me know what you end up with!

Hello all my fellow Mainers!! New to posting here on BYC. I live in Greene and have a flock of 15 hens and a rooster. I have a few EE's and looking for some olive eggers. If you have any suggestions let me know!

Welcome! We have a nice, active group here- you'll love it!

Hello Everyone~
I'm a Marine who has been out traveling the world and enjoying a very intersting life.
But its time to settle down and get back to my roots, so I've got a short list of places I am looking at relocating to, as you can guess Maine is one of them.
The eastern and northern parts fo the state look attractive, but its a big place with a lot to discover, so
Does anyone have any advice, stories, or just interesting stuff to say to someone who is thinking about moving out there?

I plan to start a farm with a good sized flock.
Probably wont ever be commercial, but a great place to get in touch with the land while I pay for it with a real job.
Any advice would be most appriciated.

I grew up in Portland and spent much of my high school time desperately trying to get out of Maine. Spent the majority of high school traveling abroad and after graduating joined the AF and got the heck out of dodge. The funny thing is, after seeing a lot of what is out there and living in a couple of parts of the US, I couldn't get back to Maine fast enough. As far as where to go in the state, it really depends on your specific skill set and what you feel is a reasonable commute. When we first moved back to Maine, we settled in Portland. I had never really been a "country girl" nor had my husband been a "country boy" so it made sense for us. Husband got a job here in Raymond and didnt like his commute, so I very reluctantly agreed to try and find a place closer for him. I was adament that it had to be a rental and I would try it for ONLY 6 months....that was 4 years ago and you couldnt drag me out of this place. I love the town that we live in- its 30-45 minutes from Portland so we can get there easily when needed (ie almost every weekend during hockey season to catch the Pirates games!), only 10 minutes from Windham for easy shopping, but rural enough that there is land available and no restrictions on what type of animals I can have. I believe land/homes are a little pricier here because we are surrounded by lakes, but as long as you are willing to not live right on the water, there is plenty available (theres actually 30 acres right down the road from me for sale right now). I love the schools here and the sense of community is AMAZING. As someone else mentioned, there isnt a ton by way of diversity locally, but believe it or not Portland is a very diverse community! As you can tell, I love living here and think it is a great place to settle down and enjoy life.

Of course, there are some negatives.
cost of living in Maine is kinda high
southern maine is easy access to a lot, the rest of the state...not so much
LePage (but worst case scenario hes out in 4 more years, right?)
No Jamba Juice or Jack in The Box (I know, I know booo junk food. But I would probably give a kidney to sink my teeth into an ultimate cheeese burger and curly fries from jack in the box. And just about anything from Jamba Juice would make my day!)

Anyway, dont know if that is helpful at all, just my 2 cents worth!

 

[ashandvine]

Hello Everyone~
I'm a Marine who has been out traveling the world and enjoying a very intersting life.
But its time to settle down and get back to my roots, so I've got a short list of places I am looking at relocating to, as you can guess Maine is one of them.
The eastern and northern parts fo the state look attractive, but its a big place with a lot to discover, so
Does anyone have any advice, stories, or just interesting stuff to say to someone who is thinking about moving out there?

I plan to start a farm with a good sized flock.
Probably wont ever be commercial, but a great place to get in touch with the land while I pay for it with a real job.
Any advice would be most appriciated.

Holy Manure!!!! Chambertin, you and your Houdans are welcome! lol Good to see you popping into my home state thread! I already read you weren't bringing the time capsule of their genes, but it was fun to see them and if you want I know a few folks here who could set you up again. Great breeders here. Maine is one of those states with a long and enduring poultry/farming wealth.

You only think the Northern parts of Maine look good because you haven't lived there. The congestion you live in now is a complete paradox from the endless wilds and difficulty making money that you'd find up there. That might be part of the draw though, but the challenges to actually living there is one that most people don't want to or can't face. Coastal towns have a lot to offer but if you go just inland from them you get better prices and more quiet. If you are serious pm me for a while. I have lived up and down most of 'near' coastal and driven what I haven't lived in for a long time. Let's talk about what you want. Despite what was said above, by me and others, I am happiest near a coastal town but not in it. I lived two miles from the ocean most of my life and can't stand the tourists but I find that certain towns do offer what the gals above are saying they have a hard time finding: diversity and cheap foods, good entertainment shopping/hospitals. Everything will seem small after where you have lived so get a list of desires and let's talk.


Mustard, the dress weight can vary, esp if someone thinks they have Midgets and what they really have are Beltsville Whites. You can process along the way but 20-25# is a good weight.

 

[joanie_maine]

Another thing about Maine - must like SNOW!!





(My house in 2007 when I moved to Temple)

 

[chickinpecker]

welcome!
I should have hatching eggs later in the spring. Or if I hatch too many, I may have birds to sell, but that is a long way off.

thanks for the response. Please let me know. I understand its a ways off but I don't "need" them, its more of a want. Keep me in mind please!

 

[MustardTiger]

Oh thats a nice big weight. The word midget made me think small maybe I will try two midget whites and two narragansetts from Keric if all falls in the right place at the right time! I am thinking late Aprilish? but I am flexible.


Oh yes, I lived in Wyoming for a while. It is BEAUTIFUL there in a lonely open way and there is amazing fishing on all corners of the state especially if you are a fly fisher. The forests are amazing as are the mountains but everything in the middle of the state looks like a total desolation. I find that people there are similar to here just more cowboy and less um...back woods hilbilly I think jobs are few and far between there too unless you want to work in a mine or in oil. Huge meth problems out there. More so than here I think.

Also, harder to farm since it is so arrid.

 

[hoppy]

I'll put in my 2 cents, that's all it's worth. I used to live in NH, loved it there except for the snow. prices were affordable, plenty of wide open spaces yet close enough to drive to a city. the pay there is better, no income tax and no sales tax. so why do i live in maine, i have no idea. taxes are high, pay not so good, I hate snow. I've lived here so long, people say i have a maine accent, ha.

 

[CoopChick719]

Hello all my fellow Mainers!! New to posting here on BYC. I live in Greene and have a flock of 15 hens and a rooster. I have a few EE's and looking for some olive eggers. If you have any suggestions let me know!

Welcome Chickinpecker!

Love this Maine thread! I have learned so much from these wonderful people. Hope you do too!

 

[CoopChick719]

Hello Everyone~
I'm a Marine who has been out traveling the world and enjoying a very intersting life.
But its time to settle down and get back to my roots, so I've got a short list of places I am looking at relocating to, as you can guess Maine is one of them.
The eastern and northern parts fo the state look attractive, but its a big place with a lot to discover, so
Does anyone have any advice, stories, or just interesting stuff to say to someone who is thinking about moving out there?

I plan to start a farm with a good sized flock.
Probably wont ever be commercial, but a great place to get in touch with the land while I pay for it with a real job.
Any advice would be most appriciated.

Hello Chambertin,

Thank you for your service, Marine!! I have lots of friends & relatives in the military. I highly respect the choice they have made!

On Maine, I wasn't born here but grew up here from a very young age. Southern Maine does have more to offer in the way of jobs, city life and entertainment. However, I don't care for a lot of the people moving here from away then trying to change things to what they are familiar with or what the left behind. Why did they move here in the first place?

Sorry for the short rant! Northern & Downeast it is very hard to find jobs. That being said I have always found the further North you go in Maine, the nicer the people are! Also Northern Maine is researching ways of helping the farmers diversify their crops by planting for the biomass industry. Thought you might find the article in this link interesting. http://biomassmagazine.com/articles/8397/university-of-maine-energy-grass-study-scores-grant Tried to convince my DH that we should do this with our land up North. With one kid in college & another going soon, he said that was a big NO!

I used to work in the hiring section of Human Resources. Many of the job applicants were military and either the husband or wife was from Maine and just wanted to come home to raise their families. I worked with people from all over the country who moved here to get out of the fast-paced city life, to get back to nature and for the fresh air. Many, many of my friends & relatives have left Maine because they wanted to quote "get the hell out of Maine"! One by one they have returned.

I love having 4 seasons, land that you can do what you wish with, neighbors that aren't right on top of you, and the natural beauty of the state. I can't imagine living anywhere else!

Good Luck & Best Wishes in your search!

 

[annabananaandfamily]

My poor roosters look likw they have been in a battle! Frostbite all over the combs and wattles, no mater what i slather them with.

 

[Chambertin]

I have to say I'm overwhelmed by the responses and good advice. I guess I was attracted to Maine for a good reason.
Plan is to come back with about 40k in savings... Not nearly as much as I had expected but there's been some major changes in life and that's why I'm leaving. Anyway

I've got two options, come back to the US and buy property, then ship back out on the next plane to save up enough to build a house when I return in a year or two. (up north looks good really cheap)
Or
Go back get a job and then find a good piece of property to call home and fix it up as I earn a living. (down south looks good, stable jobs)

Both have serious plus and minus aspects, lots to think about there.

Ashandvine, I REALLY want to take my little time capsules with me but even after contacting some university departments there really isnt anything to be done about live chickens.
My only option now is to "creatively acquire" what I need. Honestly though I really understand why there is such a strict ban on poultry from here.
The average chicken is riddled with everything you can think of and NO ONE cares, not even the consumers. Sad really, very sad.
Its honestly very obvious why many books and movies cite this area as the source of the next super virus.

CoopChick and Annabananaandfamil (thats a lot of A's)
I completely understand. I couldnt wait to get out of my town growing up. By the time I was 18 most people hadnt been outside the state and I had already traveled the nation north to south doing whatever I could or just tagging along with whatever crazy trip there was. Now I also have entered the “been there seen that phase.” The only good thing I can do now is to raise a family and give them the same opportunities I had. I just dont have that same desire to return to the roost though, gotta try something new and this is looking like the place.

I'll sure miss the convenience of the big city, but honestly its all pretty much the same inside. The internet has changed everything. I remember when I had to travel to Detroit to get a fortune cookie, now I can special order Japanese sake for just a few dollars more than I'd spend in Japan. Pretty **** amazing. So long as I can find a few open minded local friends to drink it with the only difference would be the language. (I'll defiantly miss that though, kinda fun being the show pony at the bar)
Jack in the box... you just had to mention it... Now I want some fat wedges. I cant even get a good burger in China, well for less than 40 bucks, fries are a dream.
After going without for so long my only concern will be overeating for the first 5 years.

I never understand people who move to a new place and cant let go of anything. It really defeats the purpose. Oh well, people are special. My house will be my way, but outside of that I'm ready to bend in the wind.

Mustardtiger, love the gif
I am partial to cowboy over hillbilly, thats for sure, but I'm darn adaptable and hillbilly was my origin. (born in Kentucky)
The part that I dont like about Wyoming is that whole middle part, no matter what you gotta cross it to go anywhere. That's a whole lotta nothing, gives you real respect for those early settlers the first time you see the plains in person.

Hoppy,
My only guess would be the land prices. I know online isnt the same as on the ground in housing, but its darn close. NH land seems to be much more expensive per acre. I'm willing to bet property taxes are considerably different too. No idea though, just a guess.