I moved my young family to the coast of Maine in 1993. Ive never regretted it, and we all still live here.
The sad thing is people are not moving to Maine, except maybe southern Maine, Portland, Freeport and the Lake Sebago area. This might be an exaggeration but the number is really small.
Granted retirees, and higher net worth individuals are moving here for 3rd, 4th or 5th homes....but its still a trickle.
The problem is young, aspiring, irreverent entrepreneurs are NOT moving or relocating to Maine. You can research the numbers for yourself.
The number one reason entrepreneurs and startup ventures are not moving to Maine is the cost. Its a pain in the ass doing business in Maine, but digital businesses are much better in terms of costs and eliminating government intrusion.
The second reason is the weather. The third reason I think is Maine is rural, NOT urban. People that have lived in a city all their lives THINK Maine is urban or hip, but its not. Its RURAL.
The upside is there are few places in the world, and certainly in North America as clean, beautiful, inspiring, safe and interesting.
But a massive inflow of passionate entrepreneurs is not happening.
Governor LaPage has recommended dumping the Maine income tax. Youll never see it happen. But yes thats a start. If you eliminated or reduced the size of local, state and federal government and so-called government services by 60-70% -- it could help, but itll never happen in my lifetime.
Maine needs an overhaul from top to bottom with regards to BUSINESS.
Billionaires move here because its untouched and they can build wildlife easements, parks, and trusts to protect themselves. Which is fine. But Billionaires are only here for few weeks each year. Youll rarely find one here in February.
Just my thoughts on the topic.
It sounds like Im negative about Maine. Im not. But believe me when I say government hacks and the welfare state mentality have ruined the business climate, and almost everything in Maine.
Marc Charles
