Live and let live...
This is a very big part of Maine culture. These are a few things about "outtastatahs" and folks from "away" that drive Mainers crazy.
If you're wondering why Mainers are sometimes called cold, standoffish or unfriendly, (I haven't found that to be the case) many times it's because so many people come to Maine for "The way life should be" and try to turn it into the way life was where they came from. A family will come here and complain about the taxes and in the next breath complain about the lack of sidewalks and trash pick-up.....
The junk car phenomenom...
Mainers, as a rule feel, that if someone owns a piece of property, it is theirs to do with as they see fit. If the guy next door to you decides to go into the auto parts business 6 months after you move in and it "brings down your property value", in the words of my Yankee Mom, "Life isn't fair, get used to it."
If you really care that much, there are now neighborhoods that have "protective restrictions and covenants"...although a real Mainer would rather lose a non-dominant hand than live in one.
Maine is (still) for the most part, an agricultural state...
If you choose to build your McMansion next to the guy that's been raising pigs/cows/horses/chickens/goats for 3 generations, please don't bitch about the smell in the middle of July.
Hunting and guns...
This is DEEPLY ingrained in Maine and northern New England culture. It is part of the way of life. If you don't like the fact that Mainers hunt and have guns, then PLEASE, for the love of God, DON"T MOVE HERE!
I hate to sound harsh and nasty, but if you come to a new state, you really should respect it's culture.
Page 3 will include some great Maine stories and why Maine IS the way life should be.
