# Thinking about moving to Maine from Alberta.



## okotoks guy (Jun 25, 2011)

My wife and I are considering a move to Maine. My wife is a Registered Nurse and is going to look at 
Maine to do a travel assignment. We have 2 young daughters aged 19 months and 4 years old. 

Can anyone suggest what city or cities would be best to look at with regards to low crime,friendly
people,good schools etc. Also,are there any cities to avoid?

Thanks in advance.


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## peterc38 (Jun 25, 2011)

okotoks guy said:
			
		

> My wife and I are considering a move to Maine. My wife is a Registered Nurse and is going to look at
> Maine to do a travel assignment. We have 2 young daughters aged 19 months and 4 years old.
> 
> Can anyone suggest what city or cities would be best to look at with regards to low crime,friendly
> ...



There aren't any big cities per se. Portland is the biggest city (pop, 60,000) and Augusta is the capital (pop. 30,000). In my opinion, Maine people are more friendly than other places I have been to. In regards to crime, obviously there are no guarantees anywhere these days, but Maine has very low crime. If the wife is a nurse, Maine medical center in portland is a world class hospital. You can easily find a place within 25-30 minutes of Portland in a rural, quiet setting. For the most part, Real estate is cheap by New England standards (not including waterfront of course) and you can still get a good sized piece of land. Taxes are high though, but in my opinion, Maine does a decent job with your tax dollars in regards to roads, schools, etc. If you have a question about a specific area, you can PM me and I'll let you know what I think.


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## rottiman (Jun 25, 2011)

You might want to check into the immigration rules side of this move.  It may not be as simple as loading up and moving.  It is a whole lot easier moving from the U.S. to Canada.  going the other direction is more restrictive in terms of requirements.


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## summit (Jun 25, 2011)

I'd look at the Sidney area. It's a nice in-between from Augusta and Waterville (which both have fairly large hospital campus). The area there is far enough outta town to have alot of nice countryside and access to lakes - especially those in the Belgrade area - but close enough that travel to and from work is minimal. 
The coastal areas are nice, but taxes and home prices are higher than inland... plus you gotta deal with all the tourists during the summer months, and some pretty restrictive building codes. If the coast is for you, check out areas in Lincoln county/Damarscottia area. It's a nice 1/2 way point to inland central as well as midcoast area where property can still be had reasonably, and it's not too built up.
I'd stay outta Lewiston/Auburn.... thats the armpit of the state IMHO. There are some bigger hospital systems in L/A, but if your wife wants to look for employment there, I'd stay outta the L/A metro area, look at a spot like Poland Spring, which is a nice jaunt out in the country away from L/A, but still close enough to commute. 
Bangor area is a fairly large metro area, but has alot of availiable property outlying. It's a ways inland, but if you are a big country forest kinda guy, there is plenty of it up there. It's not too far of a drive north of Bangor to find some nice isolation... where the towns have numbers like T5 R7 instead of names...
Portland area is ok, but it's built up alot, taxes are high, and more like living outside of Boston than living in ME.


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## midwestcoast (Jun 25, 2011)

rottiman said:
			
		

> You might want to check into the immigration rules side of this move.  It may not be as simple as loading up and moving.  It is a whole lot easier moving from the U.S. to Canada.  going the other direction is more restrictive in terms of requirements.



+1 to that. Look @ the immigration side first even though it's not nearly as fun as dreaming About where to settle. Your wifes job can really help you but it's not exactly a golden ticket. 
These quickest n easiest way I know of to get in is for one of you to get a TN-1 temporary work visa through an employer. That's how I got in the door. They used to be only good for a year, so I'd have to do a border run to renew. Now you can get 3 years I think.  You still need to plan In Advance how you'll be able to get a Green Card. Know all the req's and processes beforehand 'cause you can screw yourself by how you do the initial crossing... Seriously consider using an immigration Service. I'm married to a citizen, which makes it as easy as possible, and had a Service submitting everything and it still took 18 months of hoop jumping to get the card.  Not trying to talk you out of anything, the process isn't THAT bad, you just need to know & follow the rules.


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## okotoks guy (Jun 25, 2011)

rottiman said:
			
		

> You might want to check into the immigration rules side of this move.  It may not be as simple as loading up and moving.  It is a whole lot easier moving from the U.S. to Canada.  going the other direction is more restrictive in terms of requirements.



I should have mentioned that the wife has done travel nursing assignments in the past. These travel
companies look after all the paperwork and general red tape that goes with working in the US as a 
Canadian. She spent 4 years before we met in Charlotte and Wimington NC and she also did 3 month
assignments in Indy and 3 months in Fresno. We are trying to think of a new place that would best suit
our situation. I was thinking somewhere around the Smoky Mountains would suit me just fine and she 
was thinking Colorado. I happened to throw Maine out there as a possibility and we did some(very quick) 
research. I would like to live in a clean place where there are good schools,low crime. A place with fishing 
and hunting. The house would also need to be affordable. Some of the places in Maine seem to fit the bill.
There were homes (again, just quicky internet research) that seemed very nice with 5 acres of land.

Thanks for the advice all. Don't be shy if you have great things to say about the Smoky Mtns. as I could 
show the wife that it's not just an inbred place infested with banjo playing gimps!


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## Wallyworld (Jun 25, 2011)

I realize Traveling Nurses travel but where in Maine would she be working? What do you guys like to do?  I wouldn't get very excited about any crime north of Augusta with the exception of far Down East Maine, Washington County has a lots of Oxy Contin addicts who like to steal. The Mid Coast area is nice, Rockland is a working mans town but one of my favorite places would be Brunswick, college town, close to Portland, close to the coast. Further North, another college town, Orono, lots of stuff to do being a college town, expensive taxes but little towns around Orono aren't so bad. Far north is desolate, cold but a paradise for hunting, fishing, snowmobiling etc. Ellsworth area is also nice. Growing, lots of transplants, the coast, way busy in the summer with tourists. You figure out where you might be stationed and I'll give you some more opinions.

Edit,you can buy a nice house in Millinocket Maine, for next to nothing, Mill town that is slowly dying. Houses that would go for over 100,000 in so. Maine are going for 40,000


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## Mt Ski Bum (Jun 25, 2011)

okotoks guy said:
			
		

> Thanks for the advice all. Don't be shy if you have great things to say about the Smoky Mtns. as I could
> show the wife that it's not just an inbred place infested with banjo playing gimps!



Nope... that's pretty much what the smokies are like... just a bunch of banjo-playin' hillbillies...

Montana, especially the south-western corner, is pretty nice... friendly people, beautiful scenery, not nearly as many people as Colorado... just stay away from eastern Mt... unless you want to live with a bunch of inbred rednecks, walleye-fishing freaks, & grumpy old farts... LOL... I'd reccommend NW Montana also, but there's too many neo-Nazi & anti-gov't groups that spring up in that area...


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## okotoks guy (Jun 25, 2011)

Mt Ski Bum said:
			
		

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Whoa,Whoa,Whoa there................................................just a minute. Did you say Walleye fishing?????? LOL
Who really cares what the hospitals are like or how many GSW's they see on a typical Saturday night. Do they hit 
well on live bait or artificial? What cranks and what depths are they hitting best at?

On a serious note. Is there really neo nazi GROUPS still around? We get the odd skinhead up here or a little gathering 
once a year just to get on the news and when they know the cops are there to protect them. I don't even think they 
know what they are mad at. They just hate the world. That's the last sort of BS I need to try and explain to my daughters 
or even care to see myself.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jun 26, 2011)

Mt Ski Bum said:
			
		

> Nope... that's pretty much what the smokies are like... just a bunch of banjo-playin' hillbillies...
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Umm, you're joking, right?

I have spent a lot of time in Maine and love it there, but chose to live here instead because I can live in a beautiful place with plenty of outdoor opportunities, but there's still easy access to a progressive culture.


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## begreen (Jun 26, 2011)

I would pick the North Carolina hills in a heartbeat. Between Boone and Asheville there is great country and good people.


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## webbie (Jun 26, 2011)

Heck, NC is the home of the original Mother Earth News. That makes it a Mecca.

Folks are moving into the Asheville area from just about everywhere...lots of folks who went to FL first and then got quickly tired of the heat and/or crime.

The tough part for us is that if you have been raised relatively close to big water, it's tough to move too far inland!


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## Wallyworld (Jun 26, 2011)

BeGreen said:
			
		

> I would pick the North Carolina hills in a heartbeat. Between Boone and Asheville there is great country and good people.


Pretty expensive real estate in that area, everyone wants to live there


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## Tinsnip (Jun 26, 2011)

I'll add an opinion and say that the Bangor area has some excellent opportunities for your wife in terms of employment and is situated mid-state, providing closer access to some great fishing and hunting just to the north. Nice people, pretty quiet and safe, and lots of small towns in the area that provide good buys on homes and land. There's a bit more "culture" further south in places like Portland, but that comes with lots more population too. I would rate Maine very high as a place to live. However, it's not for everyone. If you think you need and enjoy a simple rural life, Maine will feel familiar and comfortable (especially in the winter).

Best of luck to you no matter what you decide.
Tinsnip


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jun 26, 2011)

Wallyworld said:
			
		

> Pretty expensive real estate in that area, everyone wants to live there



Depends where you are.  You can drive 15 miles and the homes are half the price.   It's much more affordable here than most places in New England and the eastern seaboard, including more civilized parts of Maine.   Property taxes are very low.


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jun 26, 2011)

Webmaster said:
			
		

> Heck, NC is the home of the original Mother Earth News.


In a round-about way, that's how I ended up here.   My good friends moved here from Chicago to work for Mother Earth News.  They branched off to run their own magazine.   http://backhomemagazine.com/
Check it out!  It's an excellent magazine.  I came to visit them and loved the area.  When I moved back from Hawaii I couldn't afford anyplace in New England it was top of the list if I could get a job.  I could.  Love it here.


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## okotoks guy (Jun 26, 2011)

I just want to throw a quick Thank You in here to everyone for their info so far. I am checking on
all the tips and input given so far. It's the little tidbits that you are providing that I can't get off Google.

Info such as prices in a certain area are "A" but if get a house that is 10 minutes away,you will get a bigger,
nicer house in the Country +5 acres of land for A-$30,000. Stuff like that can only come from personal knowledge
and you guys are providing it in spades. Thanks,and keep it coming LOL!


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jun 26, 2011)

This might seal the deal :lol:
http://beernews.org/2010/06/asheville-named-beer-city-usa-for-2010/


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## Mrs. Krabappel (Jun 26, 2011)

Also, whenever I have moved, I've found these forums helpful.  Lots of candid info about your area of interest.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/


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## firefighterjake (Jun 27, 2011)

While I realize that your criteria for good hunting and fishing may be different than your wife's . . . I can perhaps give some insight to nursing in Maine as my wife is a RN who has worked in hospitals in Waterville (both of them), Bangor (both of them) and Belfast . . . along with many different nursing homes. 

As for hunting and fishing . . . it's hard to find a spot in Maine that doesn't offer decent hunting and fishing with a 20-45 minute drive . . . a lot depends on what you want to hunt and fish . . . if you're into moose up north and downeast is good, central Maine offers fantastic deer and turkey hunting . . . and then there is the salt water vs. fresh water fishing debate. Really . . . it's hard to not find a place where you can't find something to hunt or fish.

Crime . . . happens everywhere and nowhere is immune. In general it seems as though the further south you go the more violent crime you hear about . . . although lately Bangor has had a spate of killings with . . . uh . . . how should we put it nicely . . . the lower strata of society. I think in the past four weeks there have been two murders and one bad attack when a guy pushed a fella out of the second floor window. If crime were an issue I would probably avoid most of the "big cites" (big being relative since Portland is the biggest city, followed by Lewiston-Auburn -- aka LA -- and then Bangor at 33,000.) We don't see too many suburb cities here . . . usually if you go out 15-30 minutes you can be in a small town or in the country.

Schools . . . again, like anywhere there are good school systems and bad . . . I suspect most school systems do well enough. I know I graduated from a podunk small town school built in a former cow field where there were 11 towns that sent their kids to school . . . thought it was pretty hickish . . . until I went to college and realized that my education was actually quite good compared to many other freshmen in college.

Affordable Homes . . . city conveniences of full-time police, firefighters, well funded schools, free trash pick up, etc. = higher taxes and often higher prices on homes. Waterviews along the coast or any water way also equals higher priced homes. That said, most folks who move from here from away say the prices are good for what you get.

So . . . back to your wife . . . what is she looking for . . . does she want to work at a larger hospital that may be a little more cutting edge (nothing is too cutting edge up here though) -- in this case, generally the further south and larger hospitals are your best bet. Does she want a slower pace and more of a community hospital experience -- a small city hospital may be the better choice.

I personally am quite partial for where I live . . . although my wife sometimes wishes the winters were not as long . . . if you draw a line between Bangor, Waterville and Belfast I'm about in the middle . . . the middle of everywhere and nowhere since there is nothing right there . . . but I can be up in The County for great ATVing, sledding or hunting in 3 hours . . . or close to Boston in 3 hours . . . or even across the border to visit New Brunswick or Campobello Island in Canada in 3 hours . . . and I can be in the "city" of Waterville, Belfast or Bangor in a half hour to 40 minutes.

Any more questions . . . feel free to post.


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## steam man (Jun 27, 2011)

I live close enough to firefighterjake and know Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor quite well. My cousin was a traveling nurse from down south who worked there and loved it. Though they have had some labor problems recently the people are pretty decent. Smaller city, great hospital, and any wildlife/outdoor stuff you want.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 27, 2011)

steam man said:
			
		

> I live close enough to firefighterjake and know Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor quite well. My cousin was a traveling nurse from down south who worked there and loved it. Though they have had some labor problems recently the people are pretty decent. Smaller city, great hospital, and any wildlife/outdoor stuff you want.



My wife has a different opinion of EMMC . . . nurses were great, but administration plays a lot of "games." Some folks may or may not like the Unionized aspect of nursing . . . my own feeling is neither for or against . . . I did however dislike many of the things that I heard about EMMC though.


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## okotoks guy (Jun 27, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

> As for hunting and fishing . . . it's hard to find a spot in Maine that doesn't offer decent hunting and fishing with a 20-45 minute drive . . . a lot depends on what you want to hunt and fish . . . if you're into moose up north and downeast is good, central Maine offers fantastic deer and turkey hunting . . . and then there is the salt water vs. fresh water fishing debate. Really . . . it's hard to not find a place where you can't find something to hunt or fish.
> 
> Schools . . . again, like anywhere there are good school systems and bad . . . I suspect most school systems do well enough. I know I graduated from a podunk small town school built in a former cow field where there were 11 towns that sent their kids to school . . . thought it was pretty hickish . . . until I went to college and realized that my education was actually quite good compared to many other freshmen in college.
> 
> So . . . back to your wife . . . what is she looking for . . . does she want to work at a larger hospital that may be a little more cutting edge (nothing is too cutting edge up here though) -- in this case, generally the further south and larger hospitals are your best bet. Does she want a slower pace and more of a community hospital experience -- a small city hospital may be the better choice.



Thanks Jake. Lots of great info you posted there.

I guess as far as schools go, I don't need private school for my girls. I just want the "typical" school for them to attend.
Hopefully a school that 6 year olds don't need to go through metal detectors at the front "gate."

Wife's work. She like's the action. She has worked adult but much prefers PICU and NICU. Children's Emergency would
be good too. Skateboards,snowboards and trampolines keep them busy! 

Me. Work will be me putting on the Mr. Mom hat. It will take a while before I can get a working visa. I am also having some
back issues. I am going for an MRI this week to hopefully find the cause of crippling sciatica that I have been going through 
for the last 4 months. I am not able to work as a result and have no money coming in at present. I know that pain is just 
weakness leaving the body but this is really taking a toll on me. 

Could you tell what the employment situation is like in the area for a 40 year old guy with 20 years of shipping/receiving, 
forklift operating experience? Is there much in the way of warehousing anywhere close to the area. If I had to drive 45 
minutes to work,that would be fine.

Fishing/Hunting. I would basically love to hunt everything except bears. My preferred fishing is for Walleye. I also enjoy Bass
and pike fishing. I have only ever fished Saltwater for Salmon on guided trips but would love to learn to fish on my own for 
whatever species there are.(I have absolutely no idea what a guy can catch in the area.)

Overall,my ideal home would be located in an area where I can't hear my closest neighbours dog barking or diesel truck
idling. The home would be within 20 minutes of grocery shopping and various other ameneties. Kids playgrounds,community
pools etc. would be fairly close as well. I guess I want my cake and would like to eat it too!


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## kettensÃ¤ge (Jun 27, 2011)

I vacationed once near Waterville. Week long fishing trip, stayed at a camp with authentic log cabins from the '20's. Awesome. Seemed like the people were so laid back in Maine that I thought I was in a different country.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 28, 2011)

kettensÃ¤ge said:
			
		

> I vacationed once near Waterville. Week long fishing trip, stayed at a camp with authentic log cabins from the '20's. Awesome. Seemed like the people were so laid back in Maine that I thought I was in a different country.



You want to see really laid back you should head to the County . . . not lazy up there at all . . . but definitely a whole other breed of Mainiacs . . . they would give their shirt off a back to a stranger if they thought he needed it more than they did.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 28, 2011)

okotoks guy said:
			
		

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## KTLM (Jun 28, 2011)

Please consider moving to Pennsylvania. And bring some money. We don't have any.  Our elected officials spent it all on sports stadiums and gambling casinos. All that aside, I hope your move goes well and Maine is a truly beautiful place to live.


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## kettensÃ¤ge (Jun 28, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

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The County?


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## peterc38 (Jun 28, 2011)

kettensÃ¤ge said:
			
		

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Yeah, the county. If your from Maine, it needs no further explanation. For all others, "The County" is Aroostook County, largest county east of the Mississippi. My wife is from there. it's God's country, but there ain't a whole lot goin' on for work.


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## Delta-T (Jun 28, 2011)

I suggest you start drinking Moxie now, that way you'll have built up a tolerance by the time you move to Maine.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 28, 2011)

kettensÃ¤ge said:
			
		

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Yup . . . The County with a capital "C" . . . as stated . . . Aroostook County . . . the crown of Maine . . . and a whole other world.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 28, 2011)

Delta-T said:
			
		

> I suggest you start drinking Moxie now, that way you'll have built up a tolerance by the time you move to Maine.



HehHeh . . . Maine's official state soft drink . . . it's good . . . but an acquired taste . . . most folks say it tastes like a combination of Coca Cola and cough syrup.


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## Delta-T (Jun 28, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

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I say rusty nails, and I like it. Last week I used it as a marinade for ribs...deliciouso!


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 28, 2011)

I haven't had it since I was a kid.  On purpose.


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## Wallyworld (Jun 28, 2011)

Delta-T said:
			
		

> I suggest you start drinking Moxie now, that way you'll have built up a tolerance by the time you move to Maine.


Moxie? Nobody drinks that stuff, Allens Coffee Brandy is Maines drink of choice


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## okotoks guy (Jun 29, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

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Sounds like Red Bull! 

Wow, I'm getting lots of really great feedback. Thank You all,I truly appreciate it. 

I am a member of an Outdoors Forum up here in Alberta and there is a lot of taunting,disrespect,bullying etc. There are lots of Threads that need to be locked by the Moderators. This forum is a breath of fresh air!


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## kettensÃ¤ge (Jun 29, 2011)

firefighterjake said:
			
		

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Oh, Ok I might have been there as well since we went to Bar Harbor, Boothbay Harbor, Acadia,  and a couple other places along the coast. The whole place was awesome. 


Here in this area of PA, the County is the county lock up. Never been there.


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## nate379 (Jun 29, 2011)

Moxie.. YUK!  I'd rather run my tongue on the brim of a Walmart toilet than drink that stuff.  Seriously

No coast for Aroostook.. Bar Harbor and all that is WAY downstate.

Grew up in Keegan, ME if you are wondering.  My folks still live there, sister in Eagle Lake and brother in Houlton.

Have to say living out here in AK is very much the same as what I grew up to.  People are great (well outside of Anchorage anyhow), views... can't beat them... do wish we got more snow though, only get a couple feet a winter.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 30, 2011)

kettensÃ¤ge said:
			
		

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Nope . . . at least not if you were in the Bar Harbor area . . . County is way, way up there . . . go to far north and you're in a whole other country where they spell things funny.


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## firefighterjake (Jun 30, 2011)

NATE379 said:
			
		

> Moxie.. YUK!  I'd rather run my tongue on the brim of a Walmart toilet than drink that stuff.  Seriously
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Gotta move over to the Girdwood area for the snow . . . although my sister said this past year was an odd one with lots of rain for quite some time until the weather pattern shifted and then they got the normal snow.

Now as for Moxie . . . you sure you're from Maine?   Next thing you know you'll be telling me that you dislike Fox or Humpty Dumpty salt and vinegar potato chips and hate whoopie pies.


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## Adios Pantalones (Jun 30, 2011)

Whoopie pies are just inside out birthday cake.  Anyone doesn't like them... not sure I'd trust someone like that.  same people don't like dogs.


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