Moving Downeast, Eastport or Jonesport

Submitted by Odd-Mountain3076 t3_yi71rx in Maine

Possibly getting a job where I will be relocating to the area and have a few questions;

-It seems to be the land that Maine forgot; where the maps stop and the fog begins. Not quite Maine and not quite Canada. I've lived and been all over this state over the past 20 years but have never experienced an area more left out of the discussion and mind than east of Schoodic. I search for "Downeast" and get hits for Bangor and Ellsworth.....

-How is the internet out there. My wife needs high speed for work. Starlink may be our answer.

-Is the drug/gun violence issues as bad as I have read? Any areas we should avoid?

-The position im taking has been a revolving door, hard to fill due to the remoteness. Is it really that bad?

-Housing. Apparently non-existent for rentals due to the seasonal market these days. Any tips there.

-When is the best time to buy a house there? For those responding that live/have lived. What was/is your favorite parts of living there?

15

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

MuForceShoelace t1_iuhmnc1 wrote

I mean, the drug problem in maine is immense, but like, it's middle aged unemployed paper mill people slowly dying of prescription opioid addiction in terrifying numbers at their house, Not breaking bad or gun battles in the street from drug lords.

46

tobascodagama t1_iuio9ai wrote

There has been a skyrocketing murder rate... by which I mean increasing from like one murder per year to four.

13

[deleted] t1_iuhjb9t wrote

[deleted]

26

laelgon t1_iuhtwot wrote

I'm down in Machiasport, only been living here since July, and I've got gig speed spectrum that's been very reliable.

Otherwise I agree with everything you've said.

I know there's drug problems, and I've seen a couple people who've clearly been using, but it's nothing compared to when I was living in MA.

I've really enjoyed the remoteness, just me and my dog, but definitely not for everyone.

All that said, I work a remote tech job, so I won't pretend to know what it's like working local and living on that kind of income.

7

DirgoHoopEarrings t1_iui42wc wrote

Hello, fellow remote tech woker in Downeast Maine! What are you working on?

7

laelgon t1_iuid5h5 wrote

I write online education software for biology and human anatomy courses. How about you?

8

Odd-Mountain3076 OP t1_iuihzfw wrote

OK, so this brings another puzzle piece. The internet is for my SO who is a remote Tech worker. So it seems pretty good then and doable? My job is state level helping the fishing community.

2

bubba1819 t1_iuilddd wrote

What kind of fisheries work do you do? Just curious. I know a lot of people that way that work as fisheries biologists as well as fishermen.

2

Odd-Mountain3076 OP t1_iuis87x wrote

Um...keeping it a fair playing field and allowing all the fishermen to keep food on the table as best they can. Don't have the job yet, but it's my professional goal if I get it.

1

laelgon t1_iuiqc8a wrote

I don't want to discount people that have said they've had bad experiences with internet in the area, but it's certainly possible to get fast and reliable internet. I haven't been through a winter here yet, so maybe my gauge of the reliability will change.

0

BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_iuhpajw wrote

I think the delineation of Downeast starts at the Sullivan bridge on route 1 - as others said, it really depends on how much you tolerate/love being somewhat remote. It’s beautiful down there, but I’m from Hancock (near Ellsworth), which is a pretty small town, but every time I end up true downeast Ellsworth seems like NYC.

12

PapaZiro t1_iuhtkey wrote

As someone originally from Lamoine, I really do think the delineation mark is the Penobscot River, traditionally speaking. Ellsworth is certainly Downeast, even though it's still relatively busy.

7

BARRYTHUNDERWOOD t1_iuhvs9u wrote

It’s the eternal question. I think midcoast ends right around the bucksport bridge, and Downeast starts at Sullivan bridge. And the towns in between dwell on a plane of existence between realms, both within and apart of both. Schrödinger’s Ellsworth.

14

Odd-Mountain3076 OP t1_iuiimfp wrote

My interview asked me what my definition of downeast was, Told them Schoodic to Canada. Acadia region was from there to the Narrows, Midcoast was there to Brunswick, southern was there south. They seemed to be pleased with that. Apparently the get a lot of folks from away that seem to think Portland north is Downeast because of the train lol

2

seeclick8 t1_iuhvqo1 wrote

Interesting article in the Press Herald this morning about the economy in that region and how it is attracting people from away. The region, not the economy. The organic farms and plans for a farm to table restaurant. Worth reading. It is a really beautiful part of Maine.

8

laelgon t1_iuigvxn wrote

I'll have to check out that restaurant, it's right around the corner.

I do think in a slightly perverse way the economy does play a role drawing people like me because it's made for one of the last places you can get coastal housing in New England on a middle-class income.

I've tried to figure out how to write this without sounding like a jackass, so here goes: The house and land I got, with its ocean view, would be a multi-million dollar property back in Mass. I got it for less than I'd seen one-bedroom condos listed for back there. It's a ridiculously strong draw for people who don't mind the remoteness and aren't reliant on finding local work.

3

seeclick8 t1_iuivkx8 wrote

And it is an undiscovered part of America with such spectacular scenery on the coast

1

bubba1819 t1_iuhx7nx wrote

Very familiar with the area you are talking about. I would personally recommend Eastport over Jonesport. There’s a much greater sense of community in Eastport and your closer to Calais. Not sure if you have kids but the schools aren’t great in either Jonesport or Eastport but the Calais schools are the best in the area IMO.

As far as internet goes, if you don’t live down a long road then you’ll most likely be able to get Spectrum. Someone I know down there just got Starlink and they said that it works great. They do a lot of gaming and they have no complaints.

There is a lot of heroin use throughout Washington County but violence from drug use is rare, outside of domestic violence. Most of the jobs in this county are manual labor and often result in injuries leading to a higher level of opiates being prescribed which is in part why there is such a high level of heroin use.

Many people moving into this region from away really struggle with how remote the area is and making new friends. This is in part why I recommend Eastport over Jonesport. There are more community events in Eastport and your closer to Calais which has more going on. Calais also has the only movie theater in the county, unless Milbridge got there’s up and running. Also, if you have a passport, you can pop over into Canada and there’s a ton to do.

As far as housing goes, it’s near impossible to find a rent so I would recommend buying if you can afford it. You might be able to find someone that rents on AirBNB to rent to you for the off season while you find a place to buy. As far as buying goes, right now is a great time (I mean the market sucks but it’s better now than other times). Buying can be difficult from May to October while people from out of state are looking to buy a vacation home. If your going to settle for Eastport I’d look at buying in one of the surrounding towns. These could be Whiting, Robbinston, or Perry as some examples. Listings up towards Eastport are usually a bit less than down towards Jonesport, so long as it’s not waterfront. You should be able to find a decent house for $200-250K with a little chunk of land. If you want to go for Jonesport, I would buy something in Addison, Columbia, or Harrington. You’ll be able to get a nice house for $250-275K.

Best part of Downeast is the access to the outdoors. Spend your off time exploring the area. Pick a new hiking trail in a different town to hike each weekend. If your into hunting and fishing, join one of the sportmens clubs, good people there. Volunteer for one of the many nonprofits in the area. Check out the events going on at the University of Maine at Machias and get to know some people there.

If you have any other questions or want more info on the area feel free to PM me.

Edited to add: wherever you decide to live just make sure it’s within a 30 minute commute to your work. We don’t get as much snow in this region as we use to but lots of ice. Not uncommon for a 30 minute commute to become an hour commute in the winter, even with having AWD and snow tires.

6

Odd-Mountain3076 OP t1_iuiu2h5 wrote

I do like Eastport, very close to Calais and seems like a lot of property for sale. We are pre-approved for about $350k to buy but don't want to go that high. Job requires me to be within 25mi or 30min. It is a community job, so will probably be involved in that regard no matter where I am.

My biggest worries are housing and internet. Both of those covered and I would be golden.

Thank you though for the insights!!

2

bubba1819 t1_iuiwfmf wrote

You’re welcome! Once you get settled it might be beneficial for you to reach out folks at the Whiting MCHT office. They’ve done a lot to help the fishing communities in the area. They helped the town of Cutler to buy a piece of land ensuring clammers would have access to a critical flat for in perpetuity. They could give you some great advice starting out and is someone you’ll most likely work with eventually. Also, if you settle in Eastport reach out to Sipayik Environmental, some truly great people and have done a lot of successful work in collaboration with other nonprofits in the area.

2

steelymouthtrout t1_iuht400 wrote

I have a very dear friend born and raised in jonesport area and I have been to that town and down east area many many times. First of all if you go down into jonesport it's a fishing village very small unless you have a doctor skill or something you can give to those towns people they don't want nothing to do with you. If I have a choice between eastport and jonesport I'd go to eastport even though it's quite a bit Northern to jonesport. Jonesport is down a long peninsula and to get on and off of that peninsula is a long drive. Maine is filled with these types of peninsulas and there's one way in and one way out you do not want to live in one of those.

I lived in boothbay harbor and Winter harbor and spent a lot of time in jonesport. Eastport is the answer but it is extremely extremely rural rugged and very difficult. Pick a town that's right off of route 1.

The scenery is stunning and beautiful. The infrastructure is non-existent. Don't know about the Wi-Fi. The loneliness and isolation can tear people apart. Good luck now you know why the job is open. Edit. There's any way you can move into the Ellsworth area that's way better and way more populated. I had two babies born at Cape Coast memorial hospital so I'm sweet on Ellsworth.

5

Ironbird207 t1_iuhobb8 wrote

Personally I like Eastport, it has the best downtown of all Washington county. Gun violence is very low, drugs are a problem but super easy to avoid.

Internet generally sucks, if you can get spectrum you are considered lucky, consolidated is hot garbage better off with starlink if consolidated is your only choice. Starlink you want 0 trees blocking your sky.

Job market sounds about right, everyone is hiring so it's a big competition.

For buying a house, this is probably the worst time to buy tbh. Could wait out for the housing market to crash or get lucky.

4

chubbycactus t1_iui8unu wrote

I have family that lives up there, I visit occasionally.

They complain about the phone service a lot actually, cell phones aren’t very reliable, so they pay for cable/phone. But when that goes down during storms, you’re then stuck with unreliable cell phone service until everything is back up, which sometimes can take a couple days.

Emergency medical service can be difficult, even regular doctors visits. My Aunt usually has to plan day trips to see any sort of medical specialist.

That part of Maine is nice if you’re okay with being alone/isolated and like the outdoors. Not great for those who are used to the ease/convenience of being within driving distance of much more populated areas like Portland.

4

Porcupine-Baseball t1_iuig6te wrote

I live Downeast right now, and have for most of my life.

- I have Spectrum Internet and have zero complaints

- I have never witnessed a gun crime nor had any family or friends be victims of gun violence

-The remote nature is as bad as you want it to be. If you don't mind driving you can do almost anything you'd like.

-Housing is certainly a problem anywhere you go in Maine, and downeast Maine is no different.

I live Downeast right now and have for most of my life. There's a sense of community most anywhere here, especially in a fishing village like Jonesport and Beals Island.

3

babayaga-333 t1_iuizl70 wrote

We are transplants and we've lived here for over a year.

Internet: Get starlink. Do it.

There are drugs everywhere man. It's safer here than in Montana, where we came from.

If you want access to lots of different places to eat and forms of entertainment, you're going to struggle. If your entertainment is nature, you'll prolly be alright. It can be hard to get some things in a timely manner sometimes. We have been surprised how hard it can be to get a plumber, electrician or contractor in while we tackle the reno on this old house. On that note...

As far as housing, if you want to rent, it's tough, but it may be easing a bit. I would buy if you can. Spring and early summer seems like a super competitive market to try to buy. I would avoid that IMO but I just don't understand enough about the market here to say for sure.

We love being near the ocean. It is absolutely gorgeous. There is water everywhere! We like the quiet. But my favorite thing so far has been the people. Everyone is matter of fact, kind and accepting. There is less judgementalism than where we are from. They can be more reserved in some ways, but just really nice people.

2

tobascodagama t1_iuipd0n wrote

Internet speeds will vary depending on your actual address, but you should be able to check what's available from the local ISPs before signing a lease or mortgage. I believe most of Eastport has decent cable internet coverage, but I don't know about Jonesport. Calais and some of the neighbouring towns have fiber, though. There's a municipally-owned fiber utility that has a contract with Pioneer.

1

chefkittious t1_iuiz0xk wrote

My parents live in Addison, own their own business. They had to switch to starlink as spectrum is hit or miss. Drug problem can be a bit startaling but it’s mostly the unemployed or fresh out of jail. I don’t know if their is a full on gun problem but most everyone owns one as a lot of peoples hobbies include hunting.

It’s a quiet part of the world, not a lot generally happens. The biggest commotion right now is the NOAA

1