Maine VS Montana

I live in New England so I have been to Maine many times and have lots of family in Montana so I have been to both.

They are both beautiful, I think Maine has a little more diversity especially if you live in areas around Portland. The mountains are smaller, but they have the ocean which is something that Montana does not have. I love the sea side towns. Portland has a lot of artsy type shops. Many areas of Maine have many French Canadians and speak both English and French.

Montana has no speed limits on the highways during the day. It is more remote than Maine, less people. Billings is the largest city. Montana has both plains (the eastern part of the state) and huge mountains. They have some of the most beautiful parks - Yellowstone and Glacier. They also have some incredible beautiful lakes. Montana is a very large state (third or fourth largest) so depending on where you live, the lifestyle and scenery can be significantly different and it can be a long distance to different areas.

It is difficult to tell you more than that without knowing what you are looking for. In general, I feel Montana has more natural beauty, but that Maine may offer more diversity and ease if you want to get around more.

I spent a year in Montana back in the '70's so my memories are dated.

The people are wonderful--salt-of-the-earth, neighborly, and mostly free of sham and pretense.

The scenery is wonderful. They call themselves the "Big Sky State" and out on the prairie you really appreciate the presence of the sky.

When they ask, "Where's your family from?" they mean "Where back east are your folks?" Long family trees aren't an indigneous notion. Recent eastern imports provoke a certain amount of defensiveness.

Remember earlier this month, Montana voted for Bush. Also most Montana aesthetes think Fredrick Remmington is the greatest figure in Western Art (and "Western Art" probably doesn't start at the Mississippi).

I've never been to Maine, but I have friends there who are are more sophisticated than many Montana people.

If you settle in the praire be prepared to grease yourself up twice a day. The Great Plains side of the state is dry-dry-dry and you'll weather like leather in the perpetual sunshine.

It's true what Linkat said: If nothing else, the states are different because one is in the northeast and the other in the west. That, in and of itself, makes a big difference!

I haven't traveled too extensively in Montana, but Missoula is a cool college town. Some decent restaurants, at least one pub, and some nice shops. I liked it there!

Thank you all. This is helping.

I personally think Maine would be more of a home for me... it seems prettier, and I love the ocean and seaside towns. But the moisture there may not work for me. I'm very allergic to mold.

I'm comparing the Helena area of Montana, and the Togus/Augusta area of Maine.

Musical break (just couldn't help it)


MONTANA

Frank Zappa

I might be movin' to Montana soon
Just to raise me up a crop of
Dental Floss

Raisin' it up
Waxen it down
In a little white box
I can sell uptown

By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss,
But I'd be raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss

Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss

Well I just might grow me some bees
But I'd leave the sweet stuff
For somebody else...but then, on the other hand I'd

Keep the wax
N' melt it down
Pluck some Floss
N' swish it aroun'

I'd have me a crop
An' it'd be on top (that's why I'M movin' to Montana)

Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a Dental Floss tycoon (yes I am)
Movin' to Montana soon
Gonna be a mennil-toss flykune

I'm pluckin' the ol'
Dennil Floss
That's growin' on the prairie
Pluckin' the floss!
I plucked all day an' all nite an' all
Afternoon...

I'm ridin' a small tiny hoss
(His name is MIGHTY LITTLE)
He's a good hoss
Even though
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
He's a bit dinky to strap a big saddle or
Blanket on anyway
Any way

I'm pluckin' the ol'
Dennil Floss
Even if you think it is a little silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks
I don't care if you think it's silly, folks

I'm gonna find me a horse
Just about this big
An' ride him all along the border line

With a
Pair of heavy-duty
Zircon-encrusted tweezers in my hand
Every other wrangler would say
I was mighty grand

By myself I wouldn't
Have no boss
But I'd be raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss

Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss
Raisin' my lonely
Dental Floss

Well I might
Ride along the border
With my tweezers gleamin'
In the moon-lighty night

And then I'd
Get a cuppa cawfee
N' give my foot a push...
Just me 'n the pymgy pony
Over the Dennil Floss Bush

N' then I might just
Jumb back on
An' ride
Like a cowboy
Into the dawn to Montana

Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)
Movin' to Montana soon
(Yippy-Ty-O-Ty-Ay)

There really isn't any area of Maine that is dry. Once you move away from the ocean you get into thousands of lakes and rivers. I have some very mild alleries with molds but the biggest problem I had while living up there was the pollen. The nice part was that the summers are fairly short (more so the farther north you go) so the mold/pollen season is short too. Even with that it was a great place to live and one I'd like to return to at some point.

I can't speak to Montana since I've only passed through.

I've never been to Montana, but of the places I've been to in the states, I'd have to say that the coastal areas of Maine are my favorite, particularly Bar Harbor. When I was living in Mass, I would vacation in Maine and I couldn't get enough of it. The quaint little towns are so beautiful and the people are very easy going.

Good luck to you :-D

now that's just wrong