WhiskyIsMyYoga t1_j290g8i wrote
A traffic jam in my area is three cars at a stop sign.
I can bring my telescope out on my deck and see Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars on most clear nights.
There’s a huge swath of woods for exploring right out back.
We’re attractive enough as a place to live that people are actively moving here instead of fleeing for economic opportunity, so it gives me hope that my kids will stick around.
I also work part time in Philly, and I miss the good art, music, and culture sites that bigger cities have when I’m home in Maine. But for food? I haven’t found a serious competitor to Portland, yet.
Squidworth89 t1_j29v5yd wrote
I still keep reading young people are leaving Maine. So not sure how now they’re actively moving here instead now.
Even from a personal standpoint growing up in a family with 4 kids as of last year I’m officially the last one here, with plans to eventually leave. The ratio of cost of living to earnings here I don’t see getting better.
PinkLemonade2 t1_j2arhtw wrote
Patience, grasshopper. Jobs are jumping out of the office, and Maine still needs to hire an abundance of infrastructure workers.
There are options, and in the future I'll argue there will be so many more. The future suits Maine... cant say that for many places elsewhere, imo
Squidworth89 t1_j2attfh wrote
There’s already plenty jobs around… hence Maine already has a shortage of workers… doesn’t mean wages are worth what they’re offering though… Maine isn’t a cheap state to live in, already has a shortage of workers, but somehow has low pay.
PinkLemonade2 t1_j2avhyf wrote
I suppose it's dependant on the industry.
But when I see the employment opportunities available, it does make me question what's going on.
Want to jump that pay hurdle? Get trained, one way or another. 6 months training could net a huge jump in salary, in many industries. And alot of training opportunities are one way or another aided by either the industry or a government entity. Because they need people!
I feel like the jobs are there, the money is there, the demand is there, and the workers are arguably there to a certain extent - it's just a matter of linking up all parties in need.
And the cost to live in Maine is all relative. I hear about how it's "not cheap", but let's be honest- financially, it's much more straightforward, and I think the end game is very financially viable. You don't realize the added everyday costs in an urban area, that may present cheaper. Until you're hit with daily $13 charges to cross a bridge....
lucidlilacdream t1_j2djkjq wrote
This is all very optimistic, but the professional jobs here do not pay enough compared to the COL. A great example is nursing. Maine is in desperate need of nurses, but even Vermont which has the same COL treats and pays the nurses better.
I worked for an employer here that’s generally considered a good one, in a professional job, and the pay was just not enough. They also had a very old school mentality about remote days and WFH, and just poor boundaries between work and life. Unfortunately, there are better opportunities for young professionals outside of Maine. The reason we live here is because my spouse works remote and I am finishing my masters. Unless I can find remote work once I finish my degree, I don’t know if we’ll stay in Maine because there are so many career opportunities outside of Maine with better pay, benefits, time off, and policies.
There are many things to love about Maine. The professional opportunities, are unfortunately, not one of them. Maybe this will change as employers get desperate.
lucidlilacdream t1_j2dihzz wrote
The problem is the jobs don’t pay enough.
LockedOutOfElfland OP t1_j2b0pvz wrote
Would you say the young people moving to Maine are mostly young families rather than single young professionals?
raisinbrahms89 t1_j2dd5tt wrote
We're a "young" family that recently moved to Maine. While this is a great place to raise our family so far, I can't imagine being a single person looking for a partner here. Maybe it's my Northern Maine location, but there aren't many opportunities to meet single people. I was talking with one of my students a few weeks ago and she mentioned struggling to find a prom date last year because she is related to almost everyone in a 30 mile radius.
lucidlilacdream t1_j2djq0v wrote
I have some single friends in the southern maine area, and the dating scene seems hard and limited.
PinkLemonade2 t1_j293wzb wrote
The quality of food is absolutely incredible.
Something to be said for quality over quantity in the food industry.
DropNo7983 t1_j2br3wy wrote
You think so?! The one thing I miss about living in Colorado was the food. The food up here is not very good imo. They don't know what a spice is, unless it's salt and pepper. Can't forget to smother everything in 27 sticks of butter. Absolutely no variety of different food. Vegetables go bad a day after I buy them since they're so old by the time they get way up here (unless you go to a local farmers market). The Mexican restaurants here are even horrible, and I didn't think you could ruin Mexican. Albeit the seafood is amazing, but good luck tasting anything other than butter if you venture out of the seafood. The food is about the only thing I DO hate up here. . .
PinkLemonade2 t1_j2ar638 wrote
....and bourbon is my yoga, did we just become best friends?!?
Frirish11 t1_j2c78jk wrote
Can I get that on a t-shirt? That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while, hahaha.
lucidlilacdream t1_j2dia0a wrote
But young people do flee for economic opportunity. Most of the people moving here are working remote, so they built their careers elsewhere.
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