joeydokes

joeydokes t1_j29tnnd wrote

Reply to Considering moving to Vermont by Redbettyt47

Good luck to you! I'll bet you're in for a big surprise if you're going the rural route; assuming you last beyond 5 years. Many relocates dream of the pastoral peace/quiet/solitude that a remote homestead exudes; only to find it also leads to isolation/lonliness/drinking. Surviving takes extended family or a fat checkbook, maybe both.

Go to Town Meeting Day, sit in the back, keep opinions to self, recon who the 'fathers' are. Volunteer to be helpful but not seen as an agent of change. In 10yrs your opinion may matter.

Give your business to locals first; both in the trades and to the farmers (whole milk, eggs, meats and the like). That goodwlll goes a long way.

Small town/village/hamlet, wide-spot-in-the-road, is for sure a community that's tightly knit; by generations of inter-marriage. If your kids are grown then PTA or school connections are out; save the annual hunters' dinner perhaps. Are you a church goer? Besides schools, that's about the only other 'institution' in town that's part of its glue that bonds.

A veteran? The local Elks club is a gathering hole. Do you hunt? Join a range, target shoot, take instruction; familiarize self w/local gun shop. Enjoy fly fishing!

Get in your ride and explore all the dirt roads for 30min around you. Lots of nooks and crannies to enjoy by foot. Just about anywhere there along the longtrail there are networks of hikeable woods. Avoid dog-parks. Train you pooch to an ecollar so you can let them enjoy the woods leash-free; most of the time you'll be the only person around anyhow.

If you're coming from (sub)urbia you'll have an eye-opening experience, that's for sure. Embrace it, including the suck!:)

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joeydokes t1_j1zsa6g wrote

Reply to comment by lucidlilacdream in Newcomers to New Hampshire and Maine continue to drive population growth: More people are dying than being born, so population growth depends on people moving in from elsewhere by TurretLauncher

Besides covid and supply issues in general, I suspect it could be in part due to consolidation. I.E. Bangor has 3 major networks NorthernLights, StJoes/CovenantHealth, and PCHC. Would not be surprised if good prices and salaries are inversely proportional to their networks.

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joeydokes t1_j1zr1nf wrote

Reply to comment by OurWhoresAreClean in Newcomers to New Hampshire and Maine continue to drive population growth: More people are dying than being born, so population growth depends on people moving in from elsewhere by TurretLauncher

Moreso even, considering proximity to Boston/N.Shore

UNH grad and 5yrs little Squam area resident before moving to VT; which is uniformly pastoral . Southern NH, unlike lakes region or whites' is really developed; less greenspace between hamlets, more billboards... :)

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joeydokes t1_j1zjk4k wrote

Reply to comment by OurWhoresAreClean in Newcomers to New Hampshire and Maine continue to drive population growth: More people are dying than being born, so population growth depends on people moving in from elsewhere by TurretLauncher

Your same observations could be made for Vermont. Where much of the northern half is salty and Hicks in The sticks, the southern half trends more to the manicured look; with very different expectations.

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joeydokes t1_j1xmgl7 wrote

Reply to Newcomers to New Hampshire and Maine continue to drive population growth: More people are dying than being born, so population growth depends on people moving in from elsewhere by TurretLauncher

I hope my post is showing more insight than ignorance as I'm not a true Mainer, but have been in (rural) NNE for the past 40 years. Sorry for the 'book'; maybe it'll start a convo.

Most of the greying is in the rural parts; not sure how many young folk would want to live there, let alone have the family support network needed to survive, let alone thrive. From afar, they may see it as their dream; but seeing something from distance and being in the middle of it is the reality check. Many new arrivals don't last a year, let alone 5, or 10. The "Peace and Quiet" (serenity) turns into isolation and loneliness (and substance abuse). The silence and solitude of Nature can be deafening. Whittling helps, when you're not too busy w/chores :)

A good example would be the owners of Airline waystop. I'm not doxing, them but hat-tipping their efforts of these past 5 years. Relocates, with kids, over-worked, in the middle of bupkis - that can become a grind in no time w/out the support of extended family (IMO)

Farming is another example of multi-generational endeavor; and succession (farm advocacy in general) is something I know a bit about.

Anyhow, the rough math in my head:

71yrs (b 1951) is the mean of the 30m boomer generation; which has a long slope from '51 to '61. And 73yrs (1949) is prob closer to the average. This means that boomers are now 61-76yrs old.

Over 76 is the post-WWII generation; who came of age w/the Korean War and McCarthyism, who didn't qualify as Brokaw's greatest. That cohort will be mostly gone in 10yrs and the bulk of the boomers will likely be in nursing homes or supervised care.

Regardless, between moving out to warmer climes, to go into nursing, or to go into the dirt, there's going to be a lot of real-estate opening up (all across Northern NE) in the next 10-15 years. And the bulk of it will be in wide-spot-in-the-road townships that have spent generations getting and keeping their shit together to survive.

There's not a whole lot of horticulture/Animal Husbandry/Ag (like VT); no fields of hemp as prolific as berries in the barrans. Even if ME/Extension were to try and attract farmers it would be a hard-scrabble life. Maine is timber/forestry and most of that land is owned by 2 big outfits.

Rural + recreation has potential, but places like Jackman can have only so many guides and rafting centers. Skiing is likely going to see decline in 20yrs.

TL:DR: Surviving (non-recreational) rural would not be for the faint hearted, even with only a 'reasonable' commute to a 'real' job. Rural life is wearing many hats, including the mostly unemployed one in winter.

The only way to 'grow' ME (IMO) is expanding the (sub)urban areas and attracting good paying jobs because the community is forward looking, green and affordable. In a Bangor neighborhood over 1/2 the neighbors are 65+ and living in the house they grew up in. I've no doubt its the same in other small ME 'cities'. Homes on a postage-sized lot that sold for 1/2 of their present day value in the 'aughts. Starter families would need real, livable, wages to afford even a 100yr old home. That's quite a challenge to solve.

Sadly, the little places in the other 2/3's of the State may come to look as overgrown as their cemetaries. It's all happened before these past 200 yrs and will likely happen again.

............................... We're #1 :) ~300K are 65+

https://www.prb.org/resources/which-us-states-are-the-oldest/

21.7% are 65+

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/ME

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joeydokes t1_j1r6640 wrote

Reply to A lonely holiday by Sexcercise

You have an odd handle, regardless, it's just another day in the loop to trudge through. In addition to what all the other commenters said, and providing you have a ride, you always had the option of volunteering somewhere if you really needed some company. Despite it being the company of strangers and not family, for some it's better than nothing.

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joeydokes t1_j1qalre wrote

Reply to How prepared are you for these long power outages? by VegUltraGirl

Visit r/preppers maybe

The basic plan is to be equipped for 30 days of no power or assistance . Build up your store a week at a time. Lots of helpful tips and tricks!

Imagine yourself living in the 19th century but with a generator and lots of Jerry cans ;)

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joeydokes t1_iyerraf wrote

Reply to comment by joeydokes in Maine is out of pediatric hospital beds. “As of Nov. 24, about 30,000 of the country's 40,000 pediatric hospital beds were available. Five states are at 90% capacity or higher. Currently the most overwhelmed state is Maine, at 109% capacity” by membaberry18

"why should I wear a surge mask if I don't have a fever and I'm not infected?"

"Why should I wear an n95 mask if I'm okay with being infected and letting my immune system fight it?"

Honestly, I don't have a good answer.

all I know is I was at a (funeral) reception yesterday and there were over 60 people in a tiny little room and the only one with a mask on was me. I give up.

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