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showdogz t1_j1xrl5p wrote

It’s too bad that the pandemic majorly contributed to an influx of out of staters buying up real estate in the city and suburbs. I don’t want to live in rural Maine.

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Antnee83 t1_j1ypikv wrote

You got downvoted for not wanting to live in a rural area. Fucken funny.

It's not for everyone, or even most people. Definitely not for me- fuck having to drive an hour to get to a grocery store that doesn't also sell gas.

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metalandmeeples t1_j1z22ra wrote

There are two different rural Maines. On one end of the spectrum there are well off rural towns like North Yarmouth, Pownal, Durham, Arundel, South Berwick, etc. On the other end, there are places like Somerset County.

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Antnee83 t1_j1z2e8s wrote

I don't disagree, but for example I live next to Durham and it's just barely rural.

It seems rural when you're driving through it, but like, you're 10 minutes from freeport, lewiston, brunswick...

I don't think anyone really thinks of places like that when they say "rural." I don't. I'd absolutely fuck with Durham.

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BloobityBloobity t1_j1z4n0u wrote

Funny you say that. I moved here with my wife (I'm from here, she's not) and she insists that we "live in the middle of nowhere" even though we're 20 min to Portland, 8 min to Scarborough, 15 to Biddeford etc.

She's miserable, it's very sad.

Edit: and I love my wife so much that I have definitely looked into moving again, somewhere closer to town or in a neighborhood, but we bought right before interest rates hiked, and we can't afford anything remotely like what we got now.

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Antnee83 t1_j1z5wgz wrote

I get it. I'm originally a city boy, and until I moved to Maine 12 years ago I had never lived more than 20 mins from a major metropolitan area.

I'd like to think I could live in even a place like Durham, with my neighbors at least a quarter mile away, but my brain isn't wired for that. I need to be around other people.

So I'm a suburbanite, and that works for me.

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metalandmeeples t1_j1z74cm wrote

The larger (12+ lots) neighborhoods are where it's at in Durham. There are quite a few decent ones like Hunter Hill Road, Chickadee Lane, Patriot Way, Quake Ridge Road, Beaver Woods Drive, Sand Hill Drive, Rangdale Road, Collins Way, Cherry Blossom Lane, and Ruby Lane. I'm sure I'm missing some others. I grew up in an actual neighborhood in Auburn and that was one of our requirements when looking to move out of Portland. I would not want to live on 125/136/9 with my house > 100 ft removed from the road in the woods.

Edit: Yes, there are HOAs in the neighborhoods that are on private roads, but they exist purely because the town requires a road maintenance agreement to be on the books. These aren't golf course neighborhoods or anything like that.

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BloobityBloobity t1_j200atf wrote

Yes we have one of those neighborhoods right up the road. We take our dogs to walk them there. It's so nice, quiet, close to neighbors but still with multiple acre properties. If there was a house for sale there, I'd be tempted to buy, but one hasn't been for sale in years. Also insane prices.

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metalandmeeples t1_j206f67 wrote

We live in one of them as well and moved here from Portland. We bought just before the market exploded. Having other people around definitely helps to make friends and whatnot. Our neighborhood is all younger couples like us, ranging from late 20s to early 40s. We love it here now!

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BloobityBloobity t1_j20kk8z wrote

Oh that's so nice to hear! I know that the one near us is that age range too. My wife thankfully has found an outlet for meeting people her age through a new yoga studio.

We didn't get in here before house prices exploded but I made out well selling our house in our previous state. It was insane trying to find something decent this time last year. I feel blessed to have caught a house before interest rates went up. Looking at homes now, we'd only be able to afford the mortgage of a much cheaper house.

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LIME_09 t1_j1zkemh wrote

I live in a VERY similar town. We moved here 9 years ago from MA, and I am from Long Island, NY originally. It took me a long, LONG time to feel settled here and that this is "home" for me... as in, just within the past 2 years. I was miserable too. Making friends, and having my kids finally entering elementary school were key contributors to feeling more settled in this rural-ish town I live in (35 minutes to Portland, 10-15 to all shopping needs).

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BloobityBloobity t1_j1zztks wrote

What was the original motivation for moving here?

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LIME_09 t1_j20hls3 wrote

It's the next town over from where my husband is from, and where the nucleus of his family is. We all get along well, so it has been so wonderful for starting and raising our family. Still, it was hard for me for the first bunch of years. I probably would have been happier if we did the Portland renting thing for a bit before buying in our rural town, but in retrospect with housing prices, thank GOODNESS we bought when we did. But yeah, I married a Mainer and I knew that meant moving to Maine.

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metalandmeeples t1_j1z337e wrote

I live in Durham and agree with what you're saying. This stretch of Maine (Durham-Pownal-North Yarmouth) has a population density of less than 120 people/sq mile, but no portion is more than 15 minutes away from a major shopping area or more than 30 minutes from Portland. A rural island that exists mostly because of minimum lot sizes and enormous swaths of undeveloped land.

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joeydokes t1_j1zk530 wrote

Rural to me is taking a cruise along stud Mill road, or any blue highway up to millinocket.

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_freeheeler_ t1_j1z7oom wrote

Better comparison would be Limerick, Limington IMO. out to the NH border where you can be 45 mins from the closest grocery store (I spent a lot of time with my sister in West Newfield growing up). I would never think of Pownal/Durham area as rural. And then the other version would be Somerset County.

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DidDunMegasploded t1_j2087kn wrote

I don't want to live rurally either. Been here for 20+ years, have never lived rurally and I do not want to. I like having all my stuff within reasonable distance.

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MrsBeansAppleSnaps t1_j20cow7 wrote

Funny thing is, rural towns don't even have to be so spread out. There are a lot of rural towns in New England with vibrant Main Streets where most people live in walking distance. A place like Brattleboro, VT for instance. But many people in Maine are obsessed with the idea of living in the woods and if you suggest that our state would be better if every town looked like Bath instead of Standish you get downvoted to oblivion.

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HurtzMyBranes t1_j20eq1f wrote

They may have also been downvoted for implying that a global housing crisis is directly caused by people “from away” moving to Maine.

People migrating to Maine helped increase demand, but pandemic-related supply chain issues increased costs and created delays for new homes. Two administrations worth of bad monetary policy created inflation. Add in NIMBY backlash to every proposed development in populated Maine areas, and you have a recipe for rising home prices that people are demanding be fixed without building new properties.

It’s a lot more complex than blaming a few Massholes.

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