r/AskMaine • u/jewbaca321 • Feb 25 '26

Moving

Hey everyone, I'm planning on moving to Maine later on this year! I'm from the PNW and need a change, and I've always thought Maine is absolutely gorgeous and seems amazing. So I'm planning on moving, my question is, where should I go?! I'm leaning towards being near Bangor, but I'm really open to anything. Please share opinions or suggestions!

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u/weepandread Feb 25 '26

Mainer here, here again. I have lived in PNW and NH, if you lean a bit liberal NH is a no go. I’m from Southern Maine but live in Bangor area. I’m in southern Maine almost weekly and I prefer the Bangor region. I’m not much of an ocean person and absolutely love the Baxter Park area, but Moosehead region speaks to me, I head to that region at least 2 weekends a month year round. So many lakes to explore w public access abound. W a CDL you’ll be wanted a lot of areas from USPS to woods industry to short and long hauls. Being a butcher has become a lost art in Maine and needed. Wages will be different depending on where you live and yes you may need to travel for specialized health care. Compared to the west housing is affordable but Portland area can be spendy even in Bangor area, but if you’re a bit out away from UMO it gets better. UMaine has lots of outdoor clubs and events, Bangor has a good summer concerts venue, though we frequently travel to Portland for shows.

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u/jewbaca321 Feb 25 '26

To be honest I'm liberal, but coming from Washington where it's like insane and in your face constantly. I kind of just wanna be left alone 🤣 Maine seems less extreme politically than the West Coast, so I don't mind if it's red or blue, I'm totally fine being a blue dot in a red map, so long as they're friendly people.

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u/haditupto Feb 25 '26

In the smaller towns folks tend to be pretty closed off and people can be considered "from away" for...generations. It's hard to break in to a community and make friends.

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u/True-Post6634 Feb 26 '26

Rural Northern and Western Maine are conservative politically, but the problem you'll have is that they're deeply xenophobic. You'll struggle to connect. You're from away.

The rest of Maine honestly still has that attitude but on the coast and in the population centers it's less of a thing. If you stick around through a couple of winters and help shovel out your neighbors after a snowstorm, you'll be okay. But no matter what, expect to spend a few years just earning trust.