MAIN Home Life House & Home Moving Maine

Known for its lobsters and spectacular coastal whale watching, as well as its inland mountains and acres of pine forest, Maine is the most northern of the New England states and the eastern United States.

Maine's major industries center around agriculture with major crops comprising wild blueberries, apples, potatoes, and maple sugar. Lumber is also an important industry.

Its mix of coast, forest and mountains also make tourism an important revenue source, with millions of tourists per year attracted to the state's prime areas for fishing, swimming, boating, snowmobiling and skiing.

• Demographics : (Maine Census Data)
  Major cities: Augusta (capital), Portland, Bangor
  Population : 1,321,574
  White : 96.9%
  Black, African American : 0.8%
  Hispanic : 1.0%
  High school graduates : 85.4%
  Bachelor's degree or higher : 22.9%
  Average household income: $41,287
  
  
• Crime : see Maine Crime Rates
  
  
• Cost of Living: Compared to the rest of the country, Maine's cost of living is approximately on par, or about 1 % lower than the U.S. average.
  
  
• Property Taxes : Maine Tax Climate - Maine ranks 6th nationwide or among the nation's highest in property taxes, collecting $1,596 per capita in FY 2004.
  
  
• Housing & Real Estate Overview
  Home ownership rate : 71.6%
  Average home price: $210,700
  Average travel time to work : 22.7 minutes
  
  
• Schools : see Maine Department of Education
  
  
• Weather : Like most of the north and especially New England, Maine is warm and humid in the summer, and cold and snowy in the winter with somewhat warmer winter temperatures near the coast.

More about relocating to Maine around the Web:

Real Estate in MaineToday.com - Moving to Maine - Good overview with information on census data, taxes, healthcare & hospitals, driving distances, weather facts & trivia.

Making the Move to Maine - Feature story on Maine's people and culture, overviews by county, general economic data, work & job opportunities, house hunting, home building & real estate, schools & childcare, weather facts.

Living in Bangor - Official city government site with information on the local economy and cost of living, health & educaton, parks & recreation, local transporation services.

Living in the City of Portland Maine - A-Z guide from the official Portland city government site with a virtual Portland tour, city maps, information on neighborhood organizations, and links to area hospitals, transportation services, media and newspapers.

Relocate to Maine - Greater Portland Casco Bay - Links, information & contact details for real estate, apartment rental brokers and extended stay locations, from the Portland Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Maine Real Estate, Apartments & Job Classifieds:

• Augusta : Kennebec Journal
• Bangor : Daily News
• Portland : Press Herald

also see -> Maine Beaches | Maine Eviction Laws

Maine Fall Foliage | Maine Taxes | Maine Tourist Attractions

Maine Wine Tours | Christmas in Maine

also see in House & Home -> Apartment Renting | Buying Foreclosures

Home Buying | Home Energy Savings | Home Insurance | Remodeling