I live on a little island off of America. Ask me anything.

[Stimmyplip]

Due to living in a small island I'm frequently bored. Hence the thread.

@MissConductUS we've decided against it. I want to concentrate on selling one of the other boats before buying another one!!

@HopelesslydevotedtoGu

Good question!

For us the government doesn't subsidise us at all.

Our school is paid for by town money by way of our property taxes. We have such a great school as we have a lot of millionaires who have summer houses here.

Same with our internet. We had an amazingly fast fibre optic system built by ourselves for every home but it came by raising our taxes, we pay for every penny of it ourselves.

Our ferry also pays for itself.

We are maybe unusual in that our fishing industry is getting better. Lobsters/mussels and oysters becoming more popular means there's actually a lot of people waiting for licences!

And growing aquaculture methods are creating many more jobs. We have friends who have started mussel rafts. They float big rafts out in the sea and grow mussels off the ropes. They're making a fortune. The same with other friends and oysters.

I'm sure there are some islands who are subsidised by their local mainland but we definitely aren't one of them! In fact, our tax dollars prop up a county in the state that was very poor before.

@HopelesslydevotedtoGu

We are really lucky in that we have a health centre on the island with the pas (physicians assistants) on rotation. There is always one on the island and on call.

With our big tax dollars we can afford to run it MUCH more cheaply than other doctors in Maine.

A visit (without insurance) is $50. And emergency visit is $55. DS can have his well child checks there. At a mainland doctor they've charge $250 for the same check.

When I got a foot injury last year it happened on another island. I went to their health centre and it cost 6 times more than ours!

A lifeflight off is paid for by either your insurance or yourself. It's not a state service anyone will pay for.

An emergency ferry run is $1200. I think the town probably pay for the ambulance but I suspect that's highly unusual anywhere in America and again, only due to our large tax base.

@HopelesslydevotedtoGu

I'd say probably half of the people here were born here.

The other half have moved because of work opportunities, marrying an islander, for a better quality of life (school, more freedom for children).

Some people have moved here because they're weird, miserable shits and have tried to drop out from society a bit (not me .)

Maine has become quite trendy.

Apart from our horrific tick issues (which most of New England is suffering from now) we have a lot of things going for us. There's severe drought worries in lots of parts of the States, and ever growing life threatening weather conditions. We're unlikely to see these as quickly.

Is it going to be a nightmare driving from Boston to Boothbay Harbor this afternoon?

We also are quite unusual in that we have an amazing retirement home which is free for islanders. It means so much to people to be able to continue to be near their family and live with their friends!

We also have a community fund. When people are down on their luck, can't afford fuel etc, or if they had to be life flighted off and couldn't pay, the community fund will help.

They also help for uni tuition if someone doesn't receive full scholarships. Or if you wanted to take a plumbing or trade type course.

When people have something awful happen here, the summer people step in. Three people who've recently had cancer have had their bills paid by summer people.

When my Dad was seriously ill a few years back and I had to rush home and see him, our next door summer neighbour (who I've met briefly literally 5 times at that point) paid for our airfares home.

People's generosity here really makes me quite testy at times!

@chemenger It probably is I'm afraid.

It's 3 hours without traffic, Friday afternoon could be anything from 4-6.

At least you stop in Booth Bay, coming further up is even bloody worse!

We were in Booth Bay for the Windjammer parade the other week, we have good friends there. Have you been before?

They spotted what was probably a big great white there this week.

@RandomMess I can't say too much on this thread as I've totally outed myself but let's just say I've had to learn some coping techniques!

People here voted 280 - 160 for Hillary to Trump.

I just looked that up and it actually surprised me there were that many Trump supporters.

It's funny. I always try to get on with people no matter their political leaning. Obviously in the UK, as I'm pretty far left the people I naturally gravitated to were as well. And all living in each other's pockets as we do here you HAVE to get along. Ds's friend's parents are his teachers, doctors, emergency services, the librarian etc.

BUT, it's hard because it's not just a case of having slightly differing political opinions anymore. The current Republicans in office are (in my opinion) enforcing some fucking shameful policies. I keep my mouth tightly shut but I find it impossible to be 'real friends' with people that voted for him and continue to stand by him.

People here try not to talk politics, it's just too controversial these days.

@DaftCat I love Vinylhaven! We have few friends out there. Definitely get your Dh out there!

I’m about to move to Boston from Scotland, DH has been here since February, this is our first New England weekend together. I’m here for a week more then Home for a month then back in September for at least a year.

@chemenger that's exciting! Boston is a really great city. I hope you have a lovely time in Maine!

Honestly, everyone here moans about the traffic but when DH hit the M4 on a bank holiday or the North Circular in a Friday afternoon he was haha!

(Camden is WAY better than Booth Bay )

Make sure you go to the Botanical Gardens in Booth Bay, they're bloody fab. And also the gardens aglow event at Christmas. It's amazing!

I really like Boston (luckily!) and we’re living in the city, a complete contrast to home where we live next to a field of sheep! This is my view now-

That's a huge difference! What a view though!

How are you finding driving? I refuse to drive in Boston and I drove in London for 15 years!!!

I haven’t driven yet, it seems pretty scary, especially the tunnels. I’m seriously considering a driving lesson to give me some confidence. We won’t actually have a car here, we’re using a car club. DH is the most confident driver in the world, and doesn’t understand how I feel. I’m so glad to hear you feel the same!

@Stimmyplip I am working on him 😃 I love the USA, have done since we visited my relatives in Mass nearly 40 years ago, that was when I first went to Maine, I’ve loved it ever since, DH and I have been to Vegas 5 times, and although we love it, we want to go elsewhere in the US, my cousin lives in Friendship ME, she’s offered to put us up for a while next summer, I may just take her up on it. Just have to persuade DH 😃

@chemenger I've driven all over the world and Boston was the WORST. A lesson is definitely a great idea. Dh refuses to drive there now. Nobody indicates and they are the most pushy drivers in the world. They make London drivers look like the most polite drivers like lol!

@DaftCat I love Friendship! My good friend and her family are from there.

I really want to go to Vegas. Utah is the furthest West I've been and I loved that.

Is it going to be a nightmare driving from Boston to Boothbay Harbor this afternoon?

Yes! Wave at me as you go through Portland :-)

It will be worth it for Boothbay. I love that place so much. You really should visit the Botanical Gardens, and also take a boat trip out to see the puffins.

my cousin lives in Friendship ME, she’s offered to put us up for a while next summer, I may just take her up on it. Just have to persuade DH

You should visit during the Common Ground Fair - there's nothing quite like it. One of my funniest moments there was when we were queueing for a composting latrine (as you do) and overheard a guy next to us talking in a Liverpudlian accent. Got chatting to him and asked what he did. He said he'd lived in Maine for 25 years and was a farmer. I said I hadn't met many Liverpudlian farmers. He went on to tell me that he quite liked the Common Ground Fair but it was a bit mainstream for him. Anyone from Maine will appreciate how much that made me laugh.

Anyway, Friendship/Unity/Liberty - the whole area is lovely, and filling up with Amish farmers, as is northern Maine.

Possibly a slightly rude question - I read about small islands in UK with declining population where government are trying to boost population, and it is more expensive to have people living there than mainland.

A big difference between the UK and the US is that in the UK council taxes are capped. There are bands, and the top band doesn't go above a certain rate.

In the US, there is no cap - you pay a percentage of the value of your house.

For example, in Portland ME the mill rate (the tax rate you pay per $1,000 value of your house) is $21.65. If your house is valued at $10 million, then your property tax is $216,500 per year.

Lots of millionaires want to have a big summer house on a Maine island, and they will pay $250,000+ a year property tax for the privilege.

No need for the government to subsidise the islands - the summer population is doing it for them.

Our mill rate is $13.50. DH bosses properties here are worth around $17 million so he must have an eye watering tax bill!

Booth Bay was great, and the traffic wasn’t too bad. Thanks for the tip on the Botanic Gardens, they are lovely. We also saw a Viking ship in the harbour, well worth seeing if you get a chance; it’s coming to Portland later this month. Maine seems really beautiful and laid back. Great beer too! I envy you your island!