# Thinking about Maine



## Quabbinite (Oct 27, 2012)

We're considering a move to Maine. Does anyone know anything about Maine? We Homeschool so that's one thing we need to know about. What kind of gardening works best? Crops? Livestock? Gun laws? etc. ANY info you have will be much appreciated. Thanks!


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

Quabbinite said:


> We're considering a move to Maine. Does anyone know anything about Maine? We Homeschool so that's one thing we need to know about. ...


Maine is very good for Homeschooling. You do not need anything from the state to homeschool in Maine.





> ... What kind of gardening works best? Crops?


What kind? Growing 

Apples, blueberries, potatoes, corn, cranberries, etc.

We consistently do poorly with tomatoes. With most crops you need to focus on how many days are needed to ripen the crop.





> ... Livestock?


Yes.

I have had goats and sheep, now I am doing pigs. We have 8 doz poultry [chickens, ducks, turkeys]. Bees.

We see folks doing cattle, horses, llamas.





> ... Gun laws?


One of the best states for gun laws.

Open Carry is allowed.

If you want to hide your guns, CCW is 'shall issue'. Anyone requesting a CCW permit 'shall' be issued a permit unless the police can prove your a felon.

We have annual automatic weapons shoots that are open to public. For everyone to bring out there class-3 weapons. I do not have class-3 weapons, but I have been told that silencers are fairly common [and of course the full-auto crowd].

Everyone I know hunts.



Over 90% of the state is forest. Almost all privately owned and open to hunting, fishing and sledding.

We have a huge statewide sled trail network, it links every town and every tourist location. Many places that would take a day to get to in summer, becomes easily accessible by sled in winter. Since sleds go so much faster than cars anyway, it really opens up accessibility to remote towns.

Most families we have met have at least one 'camp'. They may go to it once/year or every weekend. It is a cultural thing here. The town we settled in is very rural and is about a third camps. Nearly everyone fishes and hunts.



On the other hand. The local economy has been depressed for many decades. The recent housing bubble that popped, never really effected Maine. Low wages, very few jobs, low land prices, low Cost-Of-living, low taxes characterize most of Maine.

I moved here with a small pension [about equal to if I were flipping burgers] and my Dw transferred her job here p/t. We earn more than the average household income for our township. With $25K/year you can support a family.



The Hippy Communes of the 70's formed a farm association to self-regulate organic food production. Thirty years later when the rest of the world began to catch on to organics, Maine already had a functioning certification system. The first in the nation and without government tentacles.

I moved up here in 2005. I see new people moving here every year starting up farms. Every year we see more Farmer's Markets opening through-out the state. I believe it is a real growing sub-culture in this area.



Over 50% of the state population is clustered in a 50-mile radius around one 'city' [Portland] in the Southern extreme corner. The other 99% of the state has a fairly small population-density.

A lot of people who come to visit Maine never make it past Portland.

Tourism is big along the coast. We have over 3,000 miles of salt-water coastline. Homes along the coast are very expensive, many are only occupied seasonally. Tourism is the primary 'industry' of the state, and it has no effect on most of the state. Since the tourism is based on coastal Maine, not forested Maine with it's hundreds of rivers and lakes. 

Coastal towns and Portland apparently have very high taxes, and I hear a high Cost-Of-Living.


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## Bob Huntress (Dec 17, 2012)

Your location is listed as MA. I'm sure you have to have been there a bunch. I grew up in towns like Haverhill, MA and Plastow NH. By national standards Maine is rather restrictive, in my opinion but compared to where you are now, Maine is a very conservative haven of sound reasoned thinking. I've grown use to life here in Tennessee, so Maine would seem restrictive, yet, compared to Mass, it sounds like you'll love Maine.


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## BroodCoop (Feb 20, 2012)

We lived in Maine about 5 out of the last 15 years. Winter is long and summer is a big rush to get ready for winter.

Check out the MOFGA website.


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

Quabbinite said:


> We're considering a move to Maine. Does anyone know anything about Maine? We Homeschool so that's one thing we need to know about. What kind of gardening works best? Crops? Livestock? Gun laws? etc. ANY info you have will be much appreciated. Thanks!


I'm a native Maine(iac) who is a realtor & Licensed ME Guide - will be glad to help you some.
PM me if you like ?


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

Very good description ET1, somehow I always have good luck w/tomatoes, but gardening is a matter of carefull timing in ME (as you know), and I will say (as a realtor), that homeprices (some of them) have gone way down because of the burst bubble.
On the order of a houses previously selling for in high $40's now selling in mid $20's - obviously not tip top houses.
Market different according to area.
ME is great ! Summer is heaven, and winter no where near as bad as it was when I was a kid - it still keeps out the riff-raff though .
Gun laws are very easy - land is relatively cheap .
Could say much more, family here since early 1600's, but gotta go.



ET1 SS said:


> Maine is very good for Homeschooling. You do not need anything from the state to homeschool in Maine.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

Bob Huntress said:


> ... By national standards Maine is rather *restrictive*, in my opinion but compared to where you are now, Maine is a very conservative haven of sound reasoned thinking. I've grown use to life here in Tennessee, so Maine would seem *restrictive*, yet, ...


I am curious, you said restrictive twice. In what context is Maine restrictive?

The OP listed:
Homeschooling; 
gardening;
Crops;
Livestock;
and Gun laws.

We have homeschooled in four different states and have been members of HSLDA for many years. Few states encourage homeschooling than Maine does.

Gun laws in Maine, are generally about the 'best'. It is a 'shall issue' state. The only state more so is Vt where they simply refuse to allow permits. I was really surprised to learn how restrictive Texas is with their gun laws, they always have such a reputation for openness with guns.

Are you suggesting 'restrictive' in terms of gardening?

Tenn is a lot of urban than Maine. I generally tend to think of urban being more restrictive. [Tenn population density is over 153 per sq mile. Maine population density is 43 per sq mile.] Except for Down South around Portland a most of Maine has population density of less than 10 per sq mile.


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

rickfrosty said:


> Very good description ET1, somehow I always have good luck w/tomatoes, but gardening is a matter of carefull timing in ME (as you know),


True. Mainers must pay attention to avoid crops that need 120-days to mature. 





> ... and I will say (as a realtor), that homeprices (some of them) have gone way down because of the burst bubble. On the order of a houses previously selling for in high $40's now selling in mid $20's - obviously not tip top houses. Market different according to area.


I only moved here in 2005, so I am a new-comer to Maine. I hear what so many multi-generational Mainers say, and it seems that the local economy has been struggling since the ice-block shipping industry tanked from the invention of modern refrigeration. Timber mills certainly are not doing well. 

I have met a dozen other families who have moved to Maine after I moved up here. Many sold homes elsewhere and were expecting to not find any homes here for under $250k. Only to get into homes and acreage for $20k - $80k.

Of course it is expensive on the Coast, and down South near Portland, along the NH border and over by Quebec.

Look up into Northern Maine [especially the UTs] and there is lower prices. I paid $350/acre for forest with no river access, and a second parcel $900/acre for forest with river frontage. Two parcels adjacent to my land are up for sell, one is asking $300/acre.





> ... ME is great ! Summer is heaven, and winter no where near as bad as it was when I was a kid - it still keeps out the riff-raff though. Gun laws are very easy - land is relatively cheap. Could say much more, family here since early 1600's, but gotta go.


All true.


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## Quabbinite (Oct 27, 2012)

OK wow. Thanks to all for answering in such detail and so quickly! So I have a few questions that I would like to lump into this one reply. 

ET1 SS:

1. Do you get issued a license for open carry or how does that work?

2. Texas is actually VERY restrictive on gun Rights. I have a CHL from there and I didn't get it the first time I applied because I had a MISDEMEANOR from just under 5 years before.

3. Is the $300/acre land you mentioned for a minimum acreage purchase? What is the lowest amount of land you can buy there for that price?

BroodCoop:

1. What is the MOFGA website?

RickFrosty:

1. We're trying to sell our home in MA. If you think you could help, I'd rather PM or email you to talk about it specifically and thanks in advance! We're also (obviously) trying to buy land in Maine and maybe put a mobile on it. Doesn't matter where as long as it's secluded and cheap!

Thanks again


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## ET1 SS (Oct 22, 2005)

Quabbinite said:


> OK wow. Thanks to all for answering in such detail and so quickly! So I have a few questions that I would like to lump into this one reply.
> 
> ET1 SS:
> 
> 1. Do you get issued a license for open carry or how does that work?


We have a 'Right' to bear arms. So you purchase a firearm, then you can Open Carry it.

There is no license for Open Carry.





> ... 2. Texas is actually VERY restrictive on gun Rights. I have a CHL from there and I didn't get it the first time I applied because I had a MISDEMEANOR from just under 5 years before.


Yes, I have heard that.





> ... 3. Is the $300/acre land you mentioned for a minimum acreage purchase? What is the lowest amount of land you can buy there for that price?


We bought 105 acres at [email protected]

The parcel adjacent to me current asking $300/acre is 345 acres.

It is really up to the person selling. You may find 200 acres asking [email protected]

When parcels get chopped up into small lots the price goes way up.

It is common to hear folks talk about owning 500 acre that they surveyed off 50' squares along side the road, and sold each 50' lot for the same amount of cash they spent for a couple hundred acres. They end with 450 acres behind the road frontage house lots.

I met one lady who inherited a large parcel, she has no other source of income. So every couple years she sells off a tiny chunk for her family land.





> ... 1. What is the MOFGA website?


http://mofga.org/

I am a member


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

I can't help you in Mass, but PM me w/what you want for land, top price, how much land, power/maintained road, etc., and general location if you know that, along w/your email so I can send you stuff .



Quabbinite said:


> OK wow.RickFrosty:
> 
> 1. We're trying to sell our home in MA. If you think you could help, I'd rather PM or email you to talk about it specifically and thanks in advance! We're also (obviously) trying to buy land in Maine and maybe put a mobile on it. Doesn't matter where as long as it's secluded and cheap!
> 
> Thanks again


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## Tonah (Jan 4, 2013)

You have to be careful buying cheap land up here in Maine. Watch out for the mass blueberry crops. Most of them spray pesticides. That will quickly give you cancer ei. death. My husband and I was looking into moving. Getting more land here. This on land was cheap and was a cross the street from a blueberry farm. In order to move there you had to sign a paper saying you wouldn't sue them. Its crazy! But other than that Maine is great. Grapes do great here also. I have had mine. On the coast of Maine for 15 years. We are building a homestead this year. Hopefully going off the grid as well.


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## ewpro35 (Dec 4, 2012)

Quabbinite said:


> We're considering a move to Maine. Does anyone know anything about Maine? We Homeschool so that's one thing we need to know about. What kind of gardening works best? Crops? Livestock? Gun laws? etc. ANY info you have will be much appreciated. Thanks!


I live in Maine, but would like to recommend checking out the writing of Eliot Coleman. He wrote a few books, one of which I'm reading through now, The New Organic Grower. Overall, a very good book, but he also writes about gardening in the different seasons from the perspective of someone in Maine. It may be useful to you.


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## rickfrosty (Jun 19, 2008)

ewpro35 said:


> I live in Maine, but would like to recommend checking out the writing of Eliot Coleman. He wrote a few books, one of which I'm reading through now, The New Organic Grower. Overall, a very good book, but he also writes about gardening in the different seasons from the perspective of someone in Maine. It may be useful to you.


Coleman is great, but it is good to consider shed roof type earth-sheltered greenhouse attached along south side of home - too much cost/effort to heat a normal g.h. in Maine, and you don't need glass on all sides, just set @ 45 degrees +/- on south side (where the sun will be fall through spring).


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## Tonah (Jan 4, 2013)

Our greenhouses are heated by woodstove. They are out in our fields. Its not that hard to heat them. Not to mention this year we used composting sides. That really helps with heating the greenhouses. Maine is rustic and winters are madness. Summer is just to prepare for winter.


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## woodsy (Oct 13, 2008)

I'm really missing the blackflies and deerflies right about now.


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## Quabbinite (Oct 27, 2012)

Tonah said:


> You have to be careful buying cheap land up here in Maine. Watch out for the mass blueberry crops. Most of them spray pesticides. That will quickly give you cancer ei. death. My husband and I was looking into moving. Getting more land here. This on land was cheap and was a cross the street from a blueberry farm. In order to move there you had to sign a paper saying you wouldn't sue them. Its crazy! But other than that Maine is great. Grapes do great here also. I have had mine. On the coast of Maine for 15 years. We are building a homestead this year. Hopefully going off the grid as well.


Thanks for the info!


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## Quabbinite (Oct 27, 2012)

Thanks, everyone. All very good info that I would not have otherwise known until I already moved. We're still stuck on Maine and have been making some calls over the weekend. We're probably going to plan a trip up there some time this week or this weekend to look at some houses. We were originally planning on buying land and then building, but that's probably not practical considering we're on a tight budget.


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