My Crappy Town on a Crappy Day

[runnah]

So is tourism the biggest part of the economy?

Not as large as the anti-development crowd would have you think. Plus there are the eco-tourism and the regular tourists. The regular tourists hug the coast and spend all their money at shops and hotels. The eco-tourists are those that hunt/fish snowmobile etc... these are the ones that venture inland, but they don't bring tons of tourism dollars like the coast tourists do.

But like pgriz mentioned the tourism industry is mostly service based employment. These jobs are effected more greatly by economic shifts, poor weather and poor attendance. What Maine really needs is lots of manufacturing based jobs that pay more than state aid does.

I had no idea it was so bad up there. I'm dying to visit in the warmer months, but if you hadn't told me this, I would have imagined a booming economy due to hunting/outdoorsy type stuff. LL Bean doesn't pull the whole state up by it's boots it sounds like to me...

I could plan your trip for you, hit all the highlights.

if you stay east of I95 you are in good shape.

 

[runnah]

Come vacation in Reading, Pa. sometime!! Its been on every worst list out there.

Aren't you guys the buckle of the rust belt?

 

[jake337]

It's not all that bad, you could be living in Stockton, Ca.

Imagine living in a house like this:

http://102.mlsimages.movoto.com/072/13007272_0.jpg

And still have to worry about drivebys, lol.

 

[Tee]

Nice images, runnah. I love Maine. Both the coastline and interior. I'll be summiting Mt. Katahdin after my six month AT Thru in September 2014 and 50% chance I'll end up residing in Maine afterwards.