Moving to Maine

We moved to Maine from Berkeley in 2019 with our toddler and I am very grateful we did. Most of our friends here are either transplants or grew up in Maine and moved back in their 30s after living in DC/NYC/CA. Remarkably, we have several friends here from the Bay and even Berkeley.  It's been easy for us to make lots of new friends, though of course everything is different now thanks to COVID. We love being outdoors in all weather and live right on the coast. Politically, Maine is becoming more and more progressive, with Democrats now controlling the State House and the Governor's seat.

Beyond the obvious of missing our Bay friends and family, we miss Burmese and Salvadoran food, though Portland has most other cuisines well covered, and we wish there were more BIPOC people here. Especially raising a white child, I worry about exposing him to enough cultures different from his own.   

Overall, it was absolute the right decision for our family. I have not regretted it once, even when it's 10 degrees and windy! 

We moved to Maine and love it! Great schools, and if you live in a town with a small enough population not to have its own high school (not uncommon, even 15 minutes from bigger cities like Bangor) you can choose any high school you want, including private schools, for free. There's tons of nature, the friendliest people as a whole I've met in the U.S., and housing is totally reasonable. We moved between elementary and middle school, and our child thinks it's WAY better here than CA. As for how disruptive it'll be for your child, talk to him about it. Seriously, it's much better if he's part of the decision, in an age appropriate way (ie., he doesn't get to choose if or where you move, that's clearly the parent's job, but he can have input on what he'd be looking for. It may be stay close to his friends, it may be nature like you, may be a place he can play on the basketball team, etc. Listen to him and use some of his thoughts to guide you, then let him know how you listened to him when you tell him your decision). Our main downside to Maine is the lack of diversity- it is the Whitest state in the U.S., but if diversity is important to you, the Portland area has some.

My family just moved this summer, all the way to Maine. Yes, it was hard to say goodbye to friends and our strong support system we'd had for a long time. We were worrried- we moved here knowing no one, my family is not white and our area is 98+% white, my family had never lived so far from everything they knew. The move itself was expensive and we do miss the diversity (and food!) in the Bay Area. But, we have NO REGRETS. AT ALL! We are SO happy we moved and there have been many times we've said "I'm so glad we're not in California."  I can't tell you the number of times we've looked at the cost of something, the "traffic"/commute, the "crowd", etc., and laughed and laughed. We bought a beautiful waterfront house with a yard (we could never have bought ANY house in the bay area, even a one bedroom in a bad neighborhood), our mortgage is less than half of what our rent was, the schools are phenomenal, crime is non-existent (everyone not only leaves their doors unlocked, but they even leave their keys and purses in their cars, even in public!) my commute went from 1.5 hours each way (if there isn't an accident) to 8 minutes in rush hour traffic, and people are so friendly we can't believe it. Though it sounds like Maine isn't the right place for you if you like heat, I can tell you from a recent emigrant that it was absolutely worth it to leave. We can breathe, we can relax, we can actually live a middle class life on a teacher's income. It's a different world and it was the right decision for us.

Born and bred New Englander here, went to college in Maine, best friends are still there. I'd tell you to consider the Portland area. Maine is very white and most of the state is not the LL Bean fantasy many have. It's clannish and provincial. And I say this as someone who loves the place! 

The cost of living is much lower, but the flip side is you'll have AC and heating bills. The pay scale is also drastically different, so be prepared for this. 

The Portland area is a more progressive, arty, food-centric area, and you can hop the train down to Boston (or drive 90 mins). It's also a more expensive than the rest of the state, but coming from here you'll not find it exorbitant!

Good luck.

I made the opposite move when I had a young family, moving from southern Maine (just south of Portland) to the East Bay. I had some family on both coasts and much of my son’s family on his dad’s side still live there. It is quite beautiful there and sunny summer days are why they call the state Vacationland. Fall is also lovely. Winter and spring (which feels like it never really comes - it feels like winter until the 4th of July most years) are pretty tough, with cold and ice. I also found that there was a large addiction problem in most communities, in part due to the winters. Ultimately, the lack of diversity was why I left. Lots of white people, although that may have changed in the 10 plus years since we left. I wanted my son to grow up in a more culturally diverse place. With that said, Portland has really grown and is a fabulous city. If you decide to move, I’d encourage you to look in the Portland area. They have a minor baseball team, some fabulous shops and restaurants and concerts on the waterfront. Boston isn’t too far, and there’s Amtrak access. And the seafood is really so good! Good luck with your decision.

I spent every summer in Deer Isle when I was a kid. Maine is absolutely amazing. I saw the Northern Lights and the shooting stars were like a light show. That being said, the winters are long and dreary, and the politics are super weird there. I would look at the bigger towns like Portland, myself. You should take a look at Down East Magazine's web site, they had a big article about this a couple years ago.