SperlingViews - Auburn, Maine

I've lived in Maine 28 years. Maine is a beautiful state and Lewiston/Auburn (twin cites) are a nice area. Everything here. 4 seasons, clean air, best water in the world. From L/A area, every type of lifestyle is accessible within an hour of travel. There is the ocean, small theme parks, mountains, lakes/rivers. I love Maine. The Maine State government has destroyed our lives, literally. Unfriendly business climate that the gov. provides means less gainful employment. There are plenty of jobs that pay low wages, and that is why for 28 years, Maine has not increased in population. (This is not new, Maine has been democrat all this time). Most educated/industrious young people move away, and the young people who stay do so for family ties. Vote out the liberal/democrat commies and this is the best place to live in the world. Example: Many Somalians have come here by way of government hand outs. This increased all of our rents/home prices, strained our systems and raised our taxes even more. Many life long Mainers are being forced to sell their homes because in their golden years, taxes have put their blood, sweat and tears in the pockets of someone who didn't earn it. A very nice vehicle in town, driven by a welfare Somalian, has a license plate that says UPAY4IT.[read more...]

Auburn is the residential-half of the twin cities of Lewiston-Auburn (L-A). Whereas Lewiston grew up around shoe, linen and other factories, Auburn claimed the suburbs and, until a couple decades ago, supported several dairy farms but few businesses. The arts community around L-A is growing, as is the diversity of race, class, and gender within both towns. "Good fences make good neighbors" is still the maxim here, though, as Robert Frost wrote; the tradition of East Coast stoacism and independence is strong here. The French-Canadienne culture remains vital to the cities' roots, while new settlers from Somalia and elsewhere bring fresh ideas to the area. Clean air, the powerful Androscoggin River flowing between the two "towns," and plenty of parks, lakes, mountains and nearby recreational areas makes Auburn a fine place to raise a family and enjoy the outdoors. Crime, especially drug related, is a problem here, and the population tends to be older, since many young people leave Maine for opportunties out of state. However, with a community college in Auburn, and a University branch and Bates College across the river in Lewiston, we have several venues to further one's education close by. Portland, Maine's cultural center on the coast, is only a 30 minute drive "south," and Boston is just a couple hours' drive away.[read more...]