In New Hampshire, neon underglow lights are not illegal but must be avoided to avoid potential fines, penalties, or legal issues. The New Hampshire Department of Safety has numerous rules about lighting on vehicles, and it is essential to understand these regulations to avoid potential fines, penalties, or legal issues.
In New Hampshire, any motor vehicle may be equipped with not more than three auxiliary driving lamps mounted on the front at a height not less than 12 inches. However, neon underglow is not illegal in New Hampshire, but it is important to avoid restrictions such as red, blue, amber, or green lights. Liability issues may arise, and the driver must permit authorized persons to inspect the headlighting equipment of the vehicle.
Blue lights are reserved for law enforcement and emergency response, while red lights are restricted to traffic stops. Spot lamps and auxiliary lamps can be equipped with not more than two lamps, and warning vehicles are allowed to use red lights. However, warning vehicles have no ability to use yellow or amber lights, or yellow underglow lights.
Tinted glass laws are also in place in New Hampshire, with under water accent lighting being illegal while underway or anchored. Red light cameras are prohibited by state law. A vehicle must be rejected if any bulb, sealed beam unit, or lamp fails to light or does not function properly.
All New Hampshire registered vehicles require a safety inspection within ten days of registration. Driving with interior lights on is legal in most states, but this is not the safest option.
📹 New Hampshire Tint Laws
The video is about New Hampshire tint laws and how they are different from other states. In New Hampshire, the tint on your …
Are smoked headlights legal in New Hampshire?
The use of headlight tinting is prohibited in several U. S. states, including Florida, Illinois, Michigan, New Hampshire, Texas, Vermont, and Washington, D. C.
Is it illegal to drive with interior lights on in Massachusetts?
Interior light usage may be considered distracted driving, which involves activities that divert attention from driving, such as texting, talking on the phone, eating, or changing the stereo or navigation system. This can result in a violation or accident. Despite the United States’ lack of historical charm, it still has plenty of charm, as Stacker lists the 50 oldest cities in America. It is important to remember that distractions can cause violations or accidents.
Are U turns illegal in NH?
In New Hampshire, it is legal to make U-turns unless otherwise indicated. However, it is important to ensure good visibility and signal when turning. Parking on crosswalks, intersections, highway tunnels, or streets that impede traffic flow is not allowed. Double-parking alongside parked vehicles is also illegal. Parking distances include 20 feet of a crosswalk, 15 feet of a fire hydrant, 50 feet of a railway crossing, and 20 feet of a fire station driveway. Vehicles must be 75 feet away on the opposite side of the road.
What makes headlights illegal?
California laws prohibit the use of blue, green, red, or other colors for headlights due to their insufficient light output for visibility and night assistance. High-intensity discharge (HID), LED, or Xenon headlights, which appear blue, actually emit a bright white light. LED and HID lights are legal if they are an OEM feature on a vehicle and not aftermarket parts. If they are an aftermarket upgrade, they must be white (between 5000k-6000k) and not too high or low to the ground. These regulations ensure that headlights are visible and assist drivers at night.
What is the headlight law in NH?
The text outlines the requirements for front lights on motor vehicles during the period from 1/2 hour after sunset to 1/2 hour before sunrise, and when rain, snow, or fog interfere with the road view. Motor vehicles must display at least two lighted lamps on the front, with one suitable lamp on the front of a motorcycle being sufficient. Headlamps must be approved by the director and equipped with a proper lens or other device designed to prevent glaring rays.
Headlamps must be located at a height of 54 inches or 24 inches from the ground on an unladen vehicle. No device that obstructs, reflects, or alters the beam of the headlamp shall be used in connection with it without approval from the director.
All lamps, bulbs, or lights used in headlamps must be of the specified candle power and free from dents, rust, and other imperfections. The driver of the motor vehicle must allow any properly authorized person to inspect the headlighting equipment and make necessary tests to determine compliance with the provisions of this section. Any headlamp color approved by the director for motor vehicles shall be considered approved for motorcycles.
Can I have interior lights in my car?
In Idaho, interior car lighting laws may be restrictive, such as limiting red color visibility from the front, prohibiting flashing lights, limiting blue color to red, and requiring white license plate illumination. Custom interior car lights can include door lights, dome lights, trunk lights, map lights, and accent lights. It is essential to research specific state laws regarding these restrictions. Custom interior car lights can be decorative and can be used to enhance the overall aesthetic appeal of your car.
Why do parents tell you not to turn on the car light?
Leaving on the light on a dark road can be dangerous due to its impact on visibility and the number of people in the car. While it is legal, it is not safe. Bottled water is generally safe unless the water system is poor, as regulations for both are similar. If you are concerned about water safety, consider using a water filtration system. Check out our list of top filtration systems for more information.
Can I install interior LED lights in my car?
LED strip lights are a simple and stylish way to add extra lighting and style to your car’s interior. They work by emitting light when electricity is passed through small LED bulbs. With the right tools and knowledge, anyone can install LED strip lights in their car. For a more personalized lighting experience, consider investing in AiDot Orein WiFi RGBIC LED Strip Lights, which come with a remote control for customizable colors. Installation is as simple as plugging them into any USB port or power bank, making it an easy way to give your car interior a unique look.
Are LED signs in cars legal?
LED signs in vehicles are permitted on private property in most states. The debate over whether a city should ban or limit signs with changeable images or digital display faces is ongoing at all levels of government nationwide. The decision to convert an existing legal sign to digital display should be left to local governments. A jewelry store challenged city law banning Electronic Messaging Centers (EMCs), which display electronically changeable messages and allow illuminated text that can change frequently.
The court held that the complete ban on EMCs meets all the tests for a time, place, and manner rule, is content neutral, narrowly tailored to serve significant government interests, and leaves open ample alternatives. A car dealer was also denied a permit to erect an electronic changeable copy sign on their property, but the court ruled that the city need not provide detailed proof that the regulation advances its purported interests of safety and aesthetics.
In what states is it illegal to drive with interior lights on?
The myth that driving with interior car lights on is illegal is rooted in misconceptions about distracted driving laws and the belief that anything impairing visibility is unlawful. While keeping interior lights on may not lead to a citation, it can reduce visibility and distract drivers from their surroundings, increasing the risk of auto accidents. It is advisable to turn off interior lights, such as vanity and dome lights, while driving, especially at night, for safety and the safety of others. Misconceptions about traffic laws and safety concerns have led to the misconception that driving with interior lights is illegal.
Is it illegal to ride in the bed of a truck in New Hampshire?
The legal restrictions on riding in the back of a pickup truck vary by state. While 31 states have some regulations, 20 have no legal regulations. This means that passengers in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, or Wyoming don’t need to worry about restrictions. However, for the remaining 30 states, it’s essential to check the legal requirements for each state.
Some states only have age requirements for passengers in the back, while others, like Arkansas, Utah, and New Jersey, prohibit passengers from riding in the back. Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s safe, and riding in the back of a pickup truck can fall under this category.
📹 What they DON’T Tell You About Living in Maine | Moving to Maine
If you are seriously considering moving to Maine, this video is a MUST WATCH. Having vacationed in Maine for most of my life, …
My family and I moved to the Trenton a few years ago and I’m thinking of purchasing a single family home, but with real estate prices currently through the roof, is it still a good idea to buy a home or should I invest in stocks for now and just wait for a housing market correction? I heard Nvidia and AMD are strong buys.
I’m a born and raised in Maine, Mainer. Over the past several years and most notably in 2019 until present Maine has experienced a massive influx of new residents from away. This sudden and explosive population boom has really stressed many communities. Housing prices have skyrocketed and many locals are priced out of their local communities where they work. The old “Maine the way life should be” motto is becoming a pipe dream for the locals and a reality to the wealthy people coming here, paying cash for homes and creating bidding wars. As a native Mainer it is upsetting to see. Maine is already a very expensive State to live in. Our taxes are high from property taxes to vehicle registration. I wouldn’t recommend Maine for any middle class family looking for a better life right now. Just a quick tour in any coastal or lake front town and anyone can clearly see that most of the nicest parts of Maine aren’t even owned or populated by Mainers anymore.
As a Mainer, I love the summer, but I do look forward to the ghost town aspect after Labor Day. There are still plenty of activities to do in the fall. We tend to go to the antique shops to look around. We tend to hold tight onto our money, but if we come across a treasure, we’ll loosen up our wallets. Apple picking is another great thing to do. I recommend the town of Cornish for both of those activities. There’s still hiking and canoeing that can be done. By all means, go to the beaches along the ocean and take a walk. You won’t be alone, but you won’t be elbow to elbow either. Drive further north than Kennebunk. There’s plenty of Maine beyond that. 😊
My dad would spend a week or more backpacking baxter state park . He passed jan 2017 . Cleaning out his gear i have his peter limmer boots, his kelty pack ( i use ), a rack and ropes . Also, metal head skis and leather boots in a metal carry case. He would come back with great stories of both Baxter maine and his adventures climbing and skiing mount washington’s Tuckerman ravine . Maine may be one of those great places to go visit, but not to live full time . Dad’s maine black fly stories were so detailed we could feel them .
We lived in touristy Santa Cruz and then retired to San Diego which was much worse. Traffic, over crowded everywhere, planes and helicopter noise all the time. We lasted 6 years. We moved to a small town in New Hampshire, on a lake (the Lakes Region) and it’s just great, even in winter. The town serves the town year round, nothing closes. We renovated the Opera House and the Colonial Theater which we can all enloy. We don’t really notice the summer traffic maybe because we’ve lived with much worse. It’s lovely.
I love Maine. My parents retired there and I spent a lot of time in Maine, including a period of time where I lived there. I miss it so much. We were near the coast and winters were not bad, often rain instead of snow and summer so comfortable. Beautiful autumn as well. And my parents enjoyed every moment living there ❤
I lived in Kittery, Maine (most southern coastal town, where the bridge you are describing arrives in Maine) for four years back in the ’70’s when I was in the Marine Corps. It’s cold and the winters are brutal but, the summers are fantastic. The fall colors are unbelievable and the people are great.
I hear you! I lived my whole life in Nova Scotia. Our forrests and lakes and rivers. Our coast lines. Fisheries, everything is almost exactly the same. Even the rough condition of our roads are the same! What’s happening here in Nova Scotia is that our government is inviting wealthy people from just about anywhere to come and live here making it too expensive for the average family to live here. Especially along the coastal communities. Basically the same thing that happened to the Hawaiian islands. The locals are homeless and the few that had homes just got burned out.
I moved to Maine for some of the very reasons stated in this article. The 4 years I lived there I did LOVE it but, as others mention, the short days on winter with long shadows and cold can really cause some depression. The short period of time when you’re not in winter is the time you’re otherwise preparing for winter. And now, remembering life in Maine, I miss it so much! Once Maine gets into you it’ll never leave you! You’ll always want to go back!
I’m a born and bred South African who is now an American citizen. I’ve lived in Minneapolis MN for 20 years and the summers there are great but the winters lost its novelty value pretty quickly in my opinion. I’ve been travelling (campervan) through the US for the last (just less than) 5 years and by the end of this year will have visited all of the lower 48 states. Right now I am in Maine and is just stunned. New England is general is fantastic but Maine will hold a special place in my heart after this. Having said that…I will not want to spent my winters here. As a person growing up in sunny SA, MN was enough. Those short days can get one down.
Hi Cam! A native “Mainah” checking in. Just weighing in on how people think Maine winters really kill tourism here. Not so: while the Maine Seacoast closes down for the winter; Maine’s Western Mountains and Northern Maine are gearing up for snowmobiling, downhill and cross country skiing, winter camping and other winter fun activities. Maine is truly a 4 season vacation destination.
I grew up in CT and then went to college at SMCC and then stayed because I got a job. One thing you have to know is that Portland south is basically northern Massachusetts. Then when you get farther up north from there it’s more real Maine. But the real Mainers will call you a flatlander or a tourist.
My wife and I lived in Bangor for six years. Maine is a wonderful place and I love the people. Basically, what drove us away is those long cold and windy winters. Bar Harbor Harbor must have 1 million people during the summer. If you want to go there during the winter to avoid the crowds, everything is closed. It is a wonderful state, if it wasn’t so damn cold for so long.
Thing’s they don’t tell you in Maine. They don’t like people moving in and trying to change their lifestyle. People moving in and think their smarter then you. People moving in and wonder why they don’t have the same things where their from. I was in Brewer yesterday at a discount bakery store. This guy walks in with his wife and began looking around for a certain bread product. They didn’t carry it. The cashier said sorry, we don’t carry that. The gentleman said as he was leaving, around my neighborhood in New Jersey we have discount bakery’s everywhere and they carry that bread. If I was the cashier I’d say go the f__k back to New Jersey then. He didn’t he just said sorry. See how they come and visit but want the same where they come from. Why visit if you want the same as where you come from?
I live in a tourist hot spot on the Jersey Shore.Honestly,the summer sucks!!!Cant move your car from Thursday to Monday morning,the amount of people is just too much and my neighbor rented her home to an actual psych for a month and this woman made half of my summer a nightmare. They tried everything to get her out and couldn’t. That said its fall!!!Best time of year!Yahoo🥳🥳🥳
I few years ago I bought a sizable (by Connecticut standards) lot in LaGrange, about 45minutes to an hour north of Bangor. It’s a little more than 160 acres. I’m a builder in Connecticut, and I intend on building myself a modern off grid home on it, with the intent of keeping to myself. I can’t wait.
Lived in Maine for many years, moved south for economic reasons. We resided in rural Maine. It’s a great place to live if you’re young, embrace the outdoors, and can find the means to maintain the lifestyle. However, as you age, Maine winters become an adversary rather than a playground. The opportunity for slipping on icy pavement, or feeling a wind that will cut you like a knife, or snow removal & hazardous driving conditions, etc., just increases the challenge and must be taken into consideration.
At one point in my future I may need your service. I’m a disabled U.S. Army Infantry veteran who has been consigned to a wheelchair life now. Which I think will be great once I get the differnt support I need. I have been looking for “Home” all my life as I’ve lived all around the world and mostly the country. I took the time to look around once I moved up this way and decided I had found what I was looking for…Maine. This is where I will take my last breath if I can help it. Righ now I’m in New Hampshire, and will probably have to be for at least another year, but then. I would like to use my VA Home Loan to get a home in Orono. I do recreational math and I like the maths department and the town. I’ve gone there when most of the students were gone and talked to locals. I liked it them and Orono very much. Thanks for the article. And yes, Maine has that intangible something. “If you have to ask, you’ll never know.” L. Armstrong. (He meant Nawlins, but I’m using it for Maine…cuz I can!)
I lived in Calais Maine. It was nice to be able to get in the car and drive to the coast. Fresh lobster,scallops and clams. Ice storms,humidity, mosquitoes (Maine state bird), black flies,long winters.therevwere alot of positives and a lot of not so positives. I met a bunch of good people. Of course also a lot of ass holes as well.
We are getting ready for our annual trip to ME. Been doing this for over 30 years now. The problems you mentioned is with tourist towns. And if you want to move to ME do not pick a tourist town. There are many places that do not change with the seasons. There is where the gold is, lol. Unless you have deep pockets stay away from the coast. Except above Camden. You can still buy a nice home at a reasonable cost and there are few tourists up north. The biggest difference to us, we live in PA. Is some places stay below zero for weeks on end, and there is no escaping the long dark winter. If you are prone to depression move south.
Yup! I was born and raised in Maine and still live here! Pretty much from Memorial Day weekend through leaf peeping season, this state is PACKED with tourists from other states and Canada. However, once the trees are bare and it starts getting closer to winter, it can definitely feel like a ghost town, especially in the large tourist areas (Bar Harbor area, Old Orchard Beach, and the mid coast area to name a few). A lot of the shops and restaurants in these tourist trap towns do in fact shut down for the winter and don’t reopen until spring. It’s actually kind of depressing. On the flip side, us Mainers pretty much have the entire state to ourselves during the winter months, but with the arrival of spring/peak season comes INSANE traffic, impossible to find parking, and everything becomes SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive. My boyfriend and I like to travel on the weekends, and we usually stay in AirBnbs and not only are most Airbnbs totally booked up for the spring, summer, and early fall, but the prices also go WAY up because the owners of these properties know they can get top dollar during tourist season. I guess we can’t have it all!
Life long Floridian checking in, we had the same issues but in reverse when I was a kid. From Easter to Halloween it was a ghost town, and we all suffered through the long hot summer together, and helped each other clean up after the hurricane. Now our population has exploded to a point nothing closes for the off season anymore, and the traffic always sucks. I kind of want to rent a house in Maine for the winter to experience off season again.
I lived in Maine for almost 4 years – but I was a captive audience. I was stationed at Loring AFB from ’76 through ’80. Loring no longer exists but was near Limestone and Caribou. About as far north as you could go. As a Californian born and raised, living in Maine was quite a shock. My wife and I actually started liking our life in Maine. As my enlistment was nearing its end, we discussed the idea of staying in Maine. The lack of tech jobs worried me so we decided to head back to California. No regrets, but the Maine experience was a positive one.
About the whole “nice people” thing, it really doesn’t apply to most of Maine, kind of only on the coast in the more wealthy towns. I’ve lived in central Maine my whole life, while spending a couple years growing up on midcoast of Maine. Once you head inland a little bit, there are no valuable industries and your neighbors might give you a call if your house is on fire, that’s the extent of it. Most of the people in this state are miserable and/or impoverished.
Maine’s population has grown over 13,000 since last year. When we crossed the bridge we always rolled down the windows and took a deep breath of that good Maine air, while dad honked the horn with our “phone code”. We used to have a party line and our ring was one long, two short. That’s how we knew to answer the phone. A lot of the population growth has been from immigrants, and most of them have made the communities they’ve moved to richer. Native Mainers look forward to when the tourists leave. Most people who move here willingly move after a couple bad winters, especially if they have to snowblow and shovel their own property.
I love it when the tourist leave. Seriously if you live in maine. You will hate tourists. They make the roads a lot more dangerous. They don’t care about the environment. And their attitudes. If you want to vacation in maine remember people live here year round. And listen to people that live in the place where your vacation in
Don’t know about lower Maine. We live Downeast on the seacoast. Most tourists don’t venture up the coast very much beyond Bar Harbor. In our town here in Washington County, there isn’t a traffic stop light for at least 40 miles in any direction. We don’t have any fast food restaurants or fancy coffee shops either, but we really don’t need them. 👍👍👍
Maine winters suck! Lived there 25 years. Gone now are the tools including the roof rake, snow shovels, ice chipper, snow blower, and snow plow. Salt covered cars, frost heaves and -10 degrees on the thermometer. Then when the snow melts you get mud season followed by black fly season. Sorry, I can’t miss it.
I have a whole different view of living Maine, we built a beautiful custom home on 5 acres near Buxton Maine about 20 years ago. Our builder felt it necessary to let everybody he could get to listen that people from CA were moving there and he was building this big 3500 sqft custom home. Well the day I walked into the town hall building to register my vehicles everybody already knew who I was and made it very clear we could leave anytime. I traveled a lot at the time and spent many days a month out of the state or country for work, my wife worked locally and she took a beating from the locals as they all knew who she was. When we would go to the grocery store the locals would very deliberately ram their grocery carts into ours and tell us to leave. This went on for nearly two years, at every turn in our local town or Gorham we were made to know that we were not wanted there. We had a boat moored at Sabago Lake and even there the locals were not very accommodating for the very short boating season. The only place we felt ok was out of town Portland nobody knew us, and any other town far enough away. We miss the short trips to Boston to go shopping but we lasted only two years in Maine and sold our house and moved south to NC. I would never recommend anybody move to Maine that wasn’t from there originally. Nice place to visit but don’t attempt to live there if your from “away”.
“Bert and I come down to the dock around 6 o’clock in the early mornin’. Bert went into the boat house to fetch the pots and slickers and I stepped into the cockpit to start up the Bluebird.” – from the tales of Bert and I “All you Maine men proud and young When you run your Easting down Don’t go down to Fundy Bay She’ll wear your time away.” – Gordon Bok Maine’s maritime history and folklore is a very rich vein of ore, indeed.
I completely understand your attitude toward tourists. I lived in Lake Tahoe for 20 years and the tourist season(s) got old really fast. Like you, my favorite time was after labor day until ski season. I haven’t lived there since 1998 and from what I hear the out of towners have literally trashed the place
i was born in portland and i live on “the hill”, Maine has changed alot, at least portland has and not for the better!. i went to adams school on the hill, it,s now condos, then i went to emerson school also on the hill, it,s now condo,s, then we moved to “kennedy park and i went to north school, it,s now condos, there was yet another grammar school on the hill called schaler, it,s now condo,s . as for jobs? jordan meats is gone, the village cafe is gone, nissans bakery is gone, b and m baked beans is gone, portland transmission is gone, standard linen is gone, crosby lofton is gone, songo shoe is gone . unless you are a waiter all the waterfront jobs are gone, here,s a prediction, munjoy hill will one day be a gated community, the eastern cemetary will be smoothed over for sky rise aprtments,, it just wouldn,t surprise me,
I lived there for 25 years. Most of my active adult years. Portland is a nice place. I loved it, but I’ll have to say rural Me. is a place for the physically fit and folks who like bad food. I left at the age of 50. Work: Get a masters in Social Science (Loads of poverty people in Me.), or a welding certificate so you can work at BIW. (Shipyard.) Seasons in Maine: Winter. The most critical. Learn to drive on black ice.(Rolled my car only once.) Get your own plow truck. Be prepared for heating bills that are more than your mortgage. Invest in rugged winter clothing. Learn snowshoeing and cross country skiing. Buy a generator. Keep your car battery on full charge. Buy a wood lot. Heat your house with wood . (Careful not it burn it down.) November is a good time to stay indoors, so you don’t get shot by a deer hunter. Mud season: (Apr-Jun) As soon as you leave pavement the mud is everywhere. In rural Maine, buy a four wheel drive. Black fly season: (Jun-Sept) It’s in a class by itself. Run from your car to your house. Never try to do yard work without a bug net on your head, wear gloves and remember to duct tape your wrists and ankles shut or you will be eaten. As for the deer fly bites…well…ha,ha… Ever been shot on the back of your neck by a BB gun? That’s what it feels like. Redneck season: All year round. Ignorant varmints with 2 digit IQs who will steal you blind, lock your doors. It wouldn’t hurt to keep a gun handy. (Needed mine more than once.) If you live in or near the woods, as I did, (Me.
Maine is a beautiful state. I went there once and was amazed at how nasty the people were. I actually saw numerous bumper stickers that read, “If it is tourist season why can’t we shoot them”. On Sunday I found a Catholic church and went to mass in the Portland area. After the service the priest stood at the back of the church to socialize with the parishoners. He saw me and said who are you and why are you here? I reminded him it was Sunday and I was from out of town and it is a church commandment to attend church on Sundays. Didn’t even faze him. I was staying at a motel without a restaurant not far from the airport. I saw a McDonald’s near the motel and decided to walk there and get a cup of coffee. I’m a senior citizen and the McDonald’s was filled with my peeps. I walked in and I got stares that should have killed me. Would I ever go back? No. I’m sure Mainers are pleased as much as I.
No regrets living in Maine as a Masshole/half-time Mainer growing up. Everyone is so nice and the beautiful summers are worth the long winters and the stick/mud season. Also, winter in Maine is different, there’s a culture around snow and the cold to make it fun, especially if you’re into the outdoors. The post tourist season in Rockland is the best time of year. The communities are tight and everyone knows eachother which I find comforting and lovely. Maine is the best, safest, and nicest place to live. I will never not love living here.
Born here, moved away for about 20 years, came back & love it still!! I’m way up North & I have seen snow in July at the lake & 80 degrees in March…saying goes “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute or two!!!” Downstate at the coast is beautiful, but I prefer the woods, & not many tourists!!!
I live in a tourist town in the Florida panhandle. It’s the worst 4 months of the year. The city caters to the tourism to the point of contempt for the local tax payers. Restaurants are packed, roads are jammed and while most tourists are polite and respectful, some are absolute pits, throwing trash out their car windows, abusing servers and lifeguards and generally behaving boorishly. I’ve vacationed in Maine several years, I can understand how tourist season must grate on the locals but is also a necessary evil.
I lived in Bangor for a year. I was so unprepared for how long it would take to drive literally anywhere that wasn’t Bangor. Portland 2 hours (Bangor to Portland is equal drive time as Boston to Portland), Ski resorts 2 hours, Acadia/MDI 1.5 hours, Baxter State Park/Mt. Katahdin 1.5 hours, Canadian boarder 1.5-2 hours. And once the winter months set in, going even a few towns over can turn into an hour + task. I get that some people love the remoteness and solitude, but for me it became a chore any time I wanted to go anywhere outside of Bangor.
We used to travel to Maine until it became expensive to do so. We moved too far away to consider Maine anymore, but the Smokies are our new “Maine”. We love it just as much, and it’s closer to there at our new location than we were to Maine when we lived up north. We do miss clams and lobster in Tennessee.
I’m a born and raised Mainah (who lives 10 minutes over the border in NH, so I’m still a New Englander through and through!) and can attest to everything stated in the article! It IS a gorgeous state, especially along the seacoast! There are lots of fun things to do that are “touristy” but also lots of off the beaten path things to do too! Every kind of eating establishment you can think of from diners to fine dining…lobstah rolls to vegan! Sandy beaches, rocky cliffs and lighthouses, mountains, river and meadows to enjoy. HOWEVER, winters are a challenge for many especially if you have health issues like fibromyalgia, mood disorders (depression, anxiety etc) or arthritis…its not the way life should be. Just thought I’d put that out there as another consideration.
I live in the Bay Area California and am looking to move in a next few years. I want to be giving my thousands in taxes to state that actually is doing something and not pocketing all our money. Traffic is constantly getting worse, people are fake, I’ve personally never been a victim to a crime but this state is so soft it’s absolutely insane. I love that you said there’s a sense of community where you’re friends with your neighbors because that’s one thing I’m really looking for. I can sacrifice good food for a once a year treat and traffic during the summer. I’ve never been to the snow so driving in snow is a concern but I will do anything to get out of California 😂
Came up here as a kid and I have fond memories of Maine. My husband and I actually came up here for the fall colors. However, every place in the country has its positives and negatives. We are from Oklahoma. We don’t have tge long endless winters but we have summers so hot at 110 degrees …at times that when it gets 80 degrees…we are breaking out our sweats!😂
Big city people are like a disease to smaller towns and communities. Once they find one appealing, they spread en masse and eventually it becomes what they left. I grew up in Barrie Ontario, was a great area at the time. The population was about 35-40 thousand but still felt like a small town. Over the next 20 years, people from Toronto and its suburbs began moving in, driving up housing prices and congesting infrastructure. When I left years ago the population had more than doubled. What used to be a 5-10 min drive to anywhere became 30-45. Traffic on the highway on weekends from cottagers going north on Friday then back Sunday was never great but became absolutely ridiculous. Unfortunately, the only upside was when i had enough and moved, I sold my place for triple what i paid. I’ve been thru a few times since and the difference is now crazy. Population is over 150,000. I don’t regret leaving at all as its no longer what i originally loved, but instead just a distant suburb of Toronto.
I hear you about tourists “invading” your town. I lived near Ashland, OR & during the Shakespeare Festival the tourist are REALLY annoying. One it I literally sat for 20 min. while tourist walked against the red light. It was annoying. I will NEVER live in a tourist area again. Thanks for the article.
Grew up in Eliot and Wells. Wells at that time was 5500 year-round population, but 50,000 during the summer, with 1 million coming through every month during the summer. Trip to the stores on Rt 1 that took 5 minutes during the off-season could take a half-hour during the summer. You learned all of the back roads that could get you there quicker. Stores and restaurants closing off-season – yes, a lot do, but more and more are staying open nowadays. Places like The Goldenrod in York Beach close down in the fall, and the owners head to the Caribbean for the winter to recover from the insane hours they have to put in during the4 summer. I don’t blame them one bit!
We have a cabin in northern Maine. Gods country. In 5 more years ill be staying at our off grid cabin. I spent 18 years in Alaska. The less im around people the better life is. Maine is the greatest place on earth. . I live in Pennsylvania now and work in the forest for my lively hood. I love aroostook. County. Gods country😊
I was born and raised in Maine, and Maine is truly a beautiful state however the mosquitos are worse here then anywhere else I’ve visited and that’s beyond our country! The winters were brutal however, the past 5 years the winters have been weak. The shoreline, mountains, rivers, lakes and forests are fantastic! Most places now stay open after Labor Day til Columbus Day, due to the leaf peepers and beautiful falls. Also, Taxes are ridiculous…. highest taxes next to Hawaii
It’s not that I hate all tourists/transplants because I do not. Most are nice people. However you frequently run into tourists/transplants that want to change things. They want rules and regulations. I could literally give hundreds of examples. They are changing the state into where they left and it’s not nearly as nice as it was before the influx of new people discovered Maine.
Moved to Maine back in my early adulthood and it wasn’t for me. There were a lot of things were just a matter of personal preference, like me not adjusting to living and working full time in a rural area. but there was one thing that I found shocking and unacceptable, and that was how racist a lot of people were. Me, coming from NYC and environs, was stunned by the way some folks ignorantly assumed I would agree with them just because I’m white too. I was like, why TF are you guys even racists when you hardly ever even see any Black people around here anyway? It was pathetic the way they were convinced they were so much better than a whole group of people they literally had no experience with. I was glad to leave.
We love living in Maine. We lived here in the 1970s when our daughters were growing up. Elderly parent issues had us move to southern New England. We returned to Maine three plus years ago. And, now, both our daughters are back as well. Other family live close by as well. One thing that is a little annoying is the false superiority that Mainers tend to have. It is very important to be a native Mainer. If you are “from away”, it helps if you have ancestors from Maine, which I do. The problem is that they fool themselves in being superior. For example, the public education in Maine is on the low side compared to other states. One survey I read had Maine high schools tied last with Mississippi. While Mainers sometimes refer to Massachusetts as Taxachusetts, in fact taxes in Maine are higher. All in all, though, it is great to live in Maine. It is the most forested state in the US. It’s up there for the length of its coastline. It seems every community has either ocean coastline or wonderful lakes. Everybody has a summer or year-round camp. Some of those camps can be in the same municipality. The climate is great. Especially in comparison with other states boiling in heat or enduring floods. Climate change will probably catch up in Maine, of course. But, now, we are very fortunate.
Here you talk about a wonderful upside to Maine- how pretty much crime free it is and the obvious reasons why. Then in another article you talk about one of the downsides of Maine- That it lacks “diversity” which of course means it’s overwhelmingly Euro-American and which, of course you’d never dream of mentioning if it were literally any other race of people. My question is… so which is it? Is it good to be safe but the reasons why are bad? Makes no sense to me.
Southern coastal Maine is not “Maine.” :)> the Real Maine is decent but short Spring (aka Mud and Bug season)and Fall. July & August are HOT & Muggy, October through April+- is COLD & Snowy, wet& miserable. Average temps in January is +-3 degrees, sometimes 8feet of snow on the ground. Yes, both my families are multi-century Mainers. It’s all that genetic inbreeding that makes me “special.” :)>
Imagine how we natives feel when you people move here. Honestly most of us understand that the issues of being a tourist destination are outweighed by the benefits. If you live 5 minutes from NH you don’t live in Maine you live in Northern Mass. Try heading up to Abbott, Dexter or Greenville or better yet….don’t
Spent time with relative thinking I would move there when got priced out of CAduring bubble of 2006. Cold as Hell. Wind-on beach. Black flies. Long Dark winter. No beaches public or very few. Not so great fresh veg and fruit only for short time due to short growing season . You have to love very cold. Old homes, too. Lots of cute towns like Camden. But being by the ocean is most likely very pricey now. Inland is boring and even colder. I just cannot live in New England. I’m from the West (CA) where weather is ideal. Mountains are large and so many differing types of terrain. From desert to sea to lush forest. But I am biased. Just not for me.
I live in Texas. Maine seems like heaven. Enjoy the winter! Some of us don’t get a real winter. Enjoy the Summer, even with tourists. Some of us hide away inside all summer long because it’s 103F, w/ a heat index of 115F 😢 I haven’t lived in ME but I lived in NJ & MA for a combined 20 years & I miss it so much.
What utter crap. The major restaurants are open year round – the crappy utterly garbage tourist “$40 lobster roll” places are not. Maine has a staggering amount of great stuff – good theater, good restaurants, good music – its hard to imagine a better place to be! No matter where you are you’re close to the ocean, the ski slopes, the mountains…. everything. I’ve been in Presque Isle shoveling 5 feet of snow from my drive and still been entirely happy. Maine is wonderful – and getting better. In Lewiston I can have lunch at 5 different places that serve Somali, Indian, etc… so many choices! I. LOVE. LEWISTON. AND. MAINE.
I moved to Maine from Atlanta 17 years ago. I live in central Maine (Turner area) and most of what you talk about only applies to those living on the coast. The traffic and business closures aren’t an issue in the rest of Maine. Now as for the people I would agree that there are tight-knit communities, but I would argue that many of those tight-knit communities aren’t open to new people. I grew up in the south, and it was a culture shock when I first moved to Maine. People are not very friendly here. If you say hello, they will say hello back but my neighbors aren’t eager to be friends. People pretty much keep to themselves. And the nine months of winter is rough. It does affect your mental health after a while. Also, the culture has changed over the years. I’m not so sure that the state represents the way life should be anymore, unless your life involves cannabis. The smell is everywhere now (in town, hiking, camping, cars driving by). So if that’s your thing, this is definitely the place for you. But if you can’t stand the smell, you might want to go somewhere else. So now the positive: beautiful landscapes, perfect summer weather, no dangerous snakes or poisonous spiders, wildlife in abundance, minutes to rivers, lakes, streams, mountains and the coast is amazing. Easy access to specialty foods for people with special diets. Strong farming community with lots of local farm stands. Great community colleges. The Minerva library system is fantastic. Great agricultural fairs. Final thoughts: do your research about the area you want to move to.
If you destine yourself to summer place,remember Maine is vacationland. If you come to live in low crime, decent schools, fishing within a half hour, heartfelt community caring and personal privacy, that’s my home. I love the open land, deer, moose, wild birds, dairy farms, and walking in the woods. I love the smell of autumn air, I love neighbors who support you in times of grief. We have some extreme weather, but we dress for cold and wear bug repellent. I love the dump manager who says “Hey, somebody left a nice bicycle and I thought your grandson might like it”. I love the waves at Schoodic Point and light houses. I love digging clams or buying them directly from the digger. No, I can’t get a decent pastrami on rye any hour of the day, nor can I select from a dozen musicals and plays each week. But I have MPBN and Collin’s Center for the Arts. We have problems with alcohol and drugs, but we have less than you do where you right now. We welcome immigrants and even New Yorkers. I love where I live, and I raised my daughter and son here, and I’ll hopefully live out my life here and die here. Maine is the way life should be.
If you Move to Maine bring your people with you. Mainers will be polite but you will not be close friends with them. ( you are from away) Lots of dark days. Winters are rough. Oil bills are high ( pre pay for your oil in some cases) Sadly, I could not recommend living full time in Maine. ( Southerners culture)
It takes so much longer to achieve success in Maine.I live there for a long time and worked hard but could not afford much.Houston,Texas is the best place to immediately get a job and affordable housing,no snow either.Be businesslike if planning a move or you will not make it.Mainers should count themselves lucky that wealthy people live there.
Without exception, every single aspect of life used to be better back then…before I got old, fat, divorced, and went full retired. My knees didn’t ache and I could see my feet back then. I can’t remember when my wife left with the kids because I’ve been black out drunk for some decades. Now get off my lawn.
I’m 66. When I was a kid, summer was climate calamity free and there were 3.5 billion humans on the planet, just under 200 million in the U.S.. Now the planet has over 8 billion and U.S. 330million. In the 9 years I moved to and lived in my paradise, summers turned into a glamp fest and winters (thanks to corporate greed) unaffordable. If that wasn’t enough, almost all decent housing rentals went airbnb. It’s been 3 years since and every remaining person back in Mammoth Lakes CA. tells me how smart I was to get out. Natural beauty is getting loved to death sea to shining sea.
You are not a Mainer. True Mainer’s don’t have the same attitude or feelings you do. Quiet non tourist seasons are good and the tourist seasons are enjoyable also. There are positives and a few negatives at both times, But I enjoy both times. When it’s quiet it’s a good time to relax and when it’s busy with Tourists you know money’s coming to the state others are finding out how great it is here and you willing to put up with some headaches. One big reason you’ll never be Mainer it’s because of your bad attitude 🙃
I hope this article detours people from moving to maine if nothing else. The problem with most transplants here in new England, is the fact that they move from somewhere else in order to start fresh and start a new life in a better state like maine or Vermont, but they end up bringing their political baggage with them and eventually, they actively change our way of life through their vote and constant virtue signaling to eventually turn our home states into the terrible states they left in the first place. It sucks! Leave your politics back home and embrace the new state your choosing to move too!! Dont ruine it all for us locals, who stay here because we love everything about it, just the way it is already…
A lot not mentioned. Once you get away from the shore, you’re basically in the northern edge of Applachians. As in hillbilly country. A buddy of mine was building a cabin up there on his land to eventually move to. He was going to put in a hot shower, but found out that if he did, all the local people he knew who didn’t have one would show up to use it. And it’s nice that everyone is willing to share with neighbors, but if someone borrows a tool or machine, when they’re done with it they’ll just drop it where it is, and you’ll have to go get it. There’s a culture of doing the absolute least possible to get by – being unemployed is standard operating procedure. For a city/suburb slicker, you’re in for a very rude awakening.
so sorry that you don’t really enjoy it here. we moved from n. illinois to maine some 30 yrs ago. snow season is no worse than midwest, but the good thing is towns are equipped to deal with it. we live near ft. williams light house, my husbands favorite part of the day is dog walking at ft williams-meeting the tourists from all over the world is amazing! Biting flies are real, they last about 3 weeks, then we have mosquitoes just like most of the US . Our first few years we experienced the “shut down” of tourist sites, but have found so much else it no longer bothers us. Summer great, warm days, cool nites; only in July is the weather unpleasant, we have relatives in the south who can’t leave their house from Memorial day till Labor day, not so here. In winter throw on a jacket and we are outside everyday!
Although “some” of these comments are definitely true, there are many that were not even mentioned. While many folks do earn a portion of their living from tourism, there is another side to that as well. Many tourists are eager to be here, and treat others well, respect our lifestyle and the beauty that Maine offers. However, the other side of that are the folks that arrive here and feel “entitled” and truthfully and sadly, I don’t know anyone that hasn’t felt that. Another mention that was missed here is the cost of living here vs income. While you may live in Southern Maine and life is different, that is a very small section of the Maine lhat many know. Making a living in some parts of Maine is very difficult, and lifestyles can be very different and very difficult.You mention that the crime rate isn’t all that high, have you noticed the difference in the last 10 years? The Maine that we are seeing now is a HUGE difference, with increased drug traffic, crime rates are higher than they ever have been, increased property taxes forcing some out of their home, increased welfare coming in from other states. That is a small but very important difference in Maine in the last 10 years. Maine is an incredibly beautiful state, but it certainly is not for folks that aren’t truly motivated to work and to work hard.
Black flies, deer flies, mosquitoes, gnats, bear, deer, moose, and hard, snowy winters. I love the off-season! Tourists are mostly gone, just the hearty, outdoorsy types come in the winter. I live in a fairly non-touristy area so have had my run-ins with pesky and rarely dangerous wildlife. I LOVE the woods, however.
You forgot to mention the “good Ole boy club” Simple club your in out, locals will let you know. Lived here forever, some places great, some dangerous. Don’t be fooled by the “welcome here” sign, you just may not be. Be careful about buying homes in the woods, charming, not necessarily safe. Word to the wise, mainers like out of state folks about as much as southerners likes us.
I just purchased 320 acers in Lakewood Maine and plan to build my home there and another home for visiting friends and family, I also own an awesome 133 acre compound in woods of Connecticut built the same way. I’m gonna leave these two properties for my two children to enjoy and hopefully they pass it off to their offspring….. There are no tourists in the area of Maine I own.
I’ve been enjoying Maine, periodically, for more than a half century. Yes, as I cross the bridge, from New Hampshire into Maine, I always feel euphoric AND instantly “safe”. Usually I head up the coast, well beyond the touristy Acadia National Park. If I hadn’t worked, in Massachusetts, my whole life, I would have moved there, and if I live long enough, I still may! ✌
Many years ago I visited Boothbay Maine. Beautiful place. It was august…. and my girlfriend decided to get a little crazy, stripped down naked and jumped in the water. You’ve never seen anything go in the water and come out that quick. Scraping herself up on the barnacles or whatever had formed on the dock. Blood was running all over her legs, hands and arms. If that gives you any idea how cold the water was in august. I never forgot that and I’m sure she hasn’t either. Other than that, was a wonderful trip.
LOvely state… for about two weeks a year. Summered in Maine, as a kid. Graduated from Bates College. Lived and worked in Saco area for decades with my wife. Loved summers, dreaded the rest of the year as August rolled in. Nine months of dark, cloudy, and no green. Add the taxes, the car inspections, and other costs of living, we left…. May come for occasional visits and are even considering a summer place, but would not go back on a permanent basis.
I grew up and had to flee Maine due to corruption from every angle. Since then I make much more accurate articles about the reality living in Maine. Maine is the lawbreaker manufacturing state, 450 new laws just last year. Because of the in your face corruption, Maine is a serious pathetic place to live now. Unless you want to live in forced poverty. You are allowed to struggle only and not allowed to have any wealth.. Maine targets men. Maine offers the poor fake healthcare. I could go on and on how despicable this state really is. I will make more articles explaining how despicable Maine really is. I was a victim living in Maine until I dropped everything and fled. Maines real motto. “All men deserve to go to jail for something they have done.” Just ask any Maine prosecutor. I feel bad for those who live there being pilfered from every angle.
If you want to find out what the REAL Maine is you have to get away from the coast and into the small towns west of Route 1. Most visitors just drive up and down Route 1 and have no idea what the rest of the state is like. Visit the small towns and drive the back roads,. You will be amazed at what you find.
I can totally understand what you say about the negatives of living in a tourist resort i live in a Greek island a very famous tourist resort and i am telling you its so annoying especially the last years and before and after covid. Waves of overtourism on daily basis around the clock and the whole season winter including that makes you really think twice whether you want to stay at your birthplace or moving somewhere else! There are positives at te economy but negatives as far as concerns local life of permanent residents.
Maine is probably a nice state to live in but even when my family visited it when I was about 12, I really didn’t think anything about Maine was really that impressive; I thought the natives seemed rather cold and impersonal and everything was so overpriced. Bar harbor just seemed like any other Bayside city outside of maine: mostly like Delaware and North Carolina. Never gets warm In maine. So wear a coat every day even in July. Mostly, maine reminds me of west virginia without the shoreline and Michigan without the mountains and, Personally like Michigan and west virginia more since the people are more sincere, kinder and more down to earth than any maine native I met. Have fun in maine. Been there. Survived that.
Spring and fall are BY FAR the best times of year. I’ve lived in Maine my entire life (minus college). And you aren’t lying about not enjoying the tourists. … We call them outsiders. And it’s not only the traffic. But the disrespect for the nature. We work so hard to protect and take care of. *The only thing we hate more than tourist’s. Are the ones who decide to move here (no offense). Because although you might not have noticed. Since you’re a transplant. The state has changed DRASTICALLY from what it was when I was younger. And many transplants. Have made ginormous houses. And made it unaffordable. For the Mainers who lived here for generations. Forcing them to move. Due to the median home value going up. And the taxes increasing for the more outsider mentality government programs/ideas. … Kinda why there’s a HUGE difference. Between Southern, and Northern Maine (Divided by Augusta). And I’m speaking from both halves of the spectrum. Because my mom’s family were Yarmonites (Yarmouth). And my dad grew up in Brewer (Paper Mill working family). ***That being said though. Now that you’re here. You’re family. … And sometimes you can’t always choose your family lol. 🤷
There’s Maine, then there’s “Maine”… My mom grew up in Perry, it doesn’t get anymore “downeast” then Perry and Eastport. It starts snowing in October and doesn’t melt until late April, that’s when the black flies come out. And even though my grandparents owned ocean front property (part of their 700 acers) forget about taking a dip, the north Atlantic is bone chilling even in August. You are right about crime, at least back in the day (60’s & 70’s when we visited often), in a small town like Perry, not only did everybody know everybody, they are all related so how. Plus everyone was armed and the average home had at least 4 to 5 loaded rifles. Not for the crime, but the wildlife they may decide to visit.
We moved to Maine 43 years ago from CT. I told my wife that in 20 to 25 years Maine will have the same problems as CT. It took 40 years of stupidity but we’re CT now. Plus, we’ll be getting 75k new Mainers over the next 10 years, so I guess our new motto for Maine will be, Maine, the way it is now, shut up, sit down and pay your taxes:)
Ahhh, Maine, Vacationland! I used to go to Maine every summer as a kid, I understand. Maine is great, and moreso than New Hampshire, it does tend to shut down more in winter. I learned that when our cruise ship decided to cut Bermuda a day short and go to Bar Harbor. Not a bad idea, but it was April, and it was cold in the upper 40’s and nearly everything was closed. I have a house in Lowell, MA, and a log cabin in the White Mountains of NH. NH has a lot of the aspects of Maine, but it doesn’t suffer the same seasonal effects. Fall is still pretty busy, especially weekends, and snow sports keep those shops and stores open through winter and even Spring. The only time that’s really quiet is from mud season until Memorial Day. For me, I don’t get that “Ahhh” feeling until I get past Concord and into the foothills. But the mountains is where I belong. And while it’s true, I sometimes miss all the action and people of the city, if you can move to a community in the mountains with it’s own rec center, restaurants and/or bars (extra points if they have their own ski lodge), it’s really a win win.
There are so many people that decide they want to build their house 20 miles out in the woods, move in, and then are mystified when it takes a local volunteer ambulance more than 5 minutes (think closer to an hour) to arrive when they need help. This is just reality out here – you want to be in the middle of nowhere, that’s what you get. The middle of nowhere. And then instead of realizing this might not be for them, they demand changes.
Tourist areas are funny that way, you’ve moved to where everyone wants to vacation and while yes it gets busy, I find it brings a vibrancy to a normally sleepy town. You can tell when the tourists start arriving in my area because many of them have full sets of teeth and would score above a 6 . And in the area I’m in the town has some larger big box retail in the outer area and it would never have that type of year round retail if it wasn’t for the cottagers and visitors that support those retailers during the busy season. With out those stores nearby its easily an hour drive each way to the next Home Depot or Lowes.
In 2001, I moved from Orlando FL to Northeast Harbor, Maine, not knowing anything about where I just moved. My girlfriend’s father grew up on MDI, so that’s how I ended up there. When I first got there, it was wonderful. I mentioned to someone, that not having to dodge tourists was great. Well, I was in formed that in about 2 months from that moment, I wouldn’t be able to move because the amount of tourists that come in for the summer. I quickly found out you can work 100 hours a week in the summer, but there wouldn’t be a job in sight after October. I ended up living there for 6 years. Sadly, the gf and I split up, and I ended moving back to Orlando. There’s not a day that goes by, when I don’t think of that place.
Thank you! I am thinking to move to Maine from Israel. And you know I really loved all I read about the calmness in Maine, friendly people, and the closeness to nature. My dead, who lived in Vegas and passed away a year ago, really loved vacations in Maine. So I am thinking to come and see the city a bit
I’ve lived in Maine since 1993. When I was a kid and a teenager, life was great. I always looked forward to going to the beach in the summer and swimming in the water. When it comes to living in Maine as an adult, winters become dark and depressing. In more recent years, I’ve grown very tired of having to wait half of the year for the weather to warm up so I can get outside and enjoy myself. What I DON’T like about the warmer months is the bugs. You get black flies swarming in your face and mosquitos eager to make a meal out of you. It’s also tough to make a living because jobs aren’t abundant in Maine. I live in Bangor and when it comes to jobs in the city, you take what you can get. That’s why I’ve been working at McDonald’s for the last 9 years. At least I’m making $19 an hour for a fast food job.
It’s a wonderful state with amazing people. But….while summers are absolutely heaven, the last three months of winter (February, March and April and sometimes May!!!) (and “the few months of spring” he mentions….no just no…that is a fable….there is maybe a month of spring and it often feels like less…) are absolute torture. It’s unfortunately a big drawback.
I know exactly what you mean about living in a tourist hot spot. I try my hardest not to go near North Conway except during mud and stick seasons. Don’t get me going on the trail heads in Franconia Notch. Having grown up “north of the notches” in NH, once I hit Lincoln, I live in Concord, now, a sense of calm washes over me.
I live in the upper peninsula of MI. We have always had tourists but since coved it has gone crazy. We get so many rude RVers who think without their money we would starve to death. I know what you mean about how nice it is when they are gone but it doesn’t last long before the snowmobilers show up for the winter and it starts up again. Sad thing is it seems like every year a local gets killed by a tourist driver like an idiot, for pet sake they are on vacation slow down. I miss our little town.
Yeah what they don’t tell you about living in FL is this: 1) do NOT live on property < 14 feet above MSL 2) Do NOT live on property that has trees within felling distance of your residence 3) Do not live on property that has a roof pitch > 5 4) Do not live in a frame residence 5) Do not live in a residence with an overhang > 18″ 6) Do not live in a residence whose garage door does not meet Dade county standards. We can say other things about many states. I wouldn’t live in mountaneous areas (mus slides) I would not live in a state that experiences earthquakes (only SD & FL do not). Do not live in a state with a state income tax. Tell you what I could write a book!