Why One Maine County is the New Hot Spot for New Mainers

The pandemic has had some surprising effects on Maine.

This state has had many things change since Covid, like most places. But Maine has had some surprising side effects. Restaurants and other retail/service oriented businesses have suffered disproportionately due to lack of staffing. And more than anything, Maine has had an insane housing boom.

Since 2020, people have been moving here in droves. While Maine's natural beauty was likely the most attractive feature, our reasonably priced property compared to big cities, had people snatching up houses and land left and right. Nowadays, property prices in Maine have skyrocketed.

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Where are people moving to the fastest?

It's not hard to imagine, during the early days of the shutdown, why people were showing up in large numbers. If you're paying $4000 a month for a tiny little apartment in New York City, buying a house in some of Maine's most gorgeous country for half of what it may cost in the city, is hard to beat.

Since 2020, York County has had the most people relocate there. There've been well over 6,000 new residents added. One might've assumed that Cumberland County would've been the fastest, but it's no secret how little available housing there is in the Greater Portland area. Although, Cumberland was #2. Penobscot County was third, according to News Center Maine.

Believe it or not, this is really good for Maine.

Sure, there are plenty of jaded Mainers who constantly complain about people moving here "from away". But with our aging population, we've been in a bit of a decline for years. All these folks moving here will help add some numbers to our bottom line. That's just good for Maine's future.

Yes, the housing market is insane. No question. With any luck, it'll settle itself out in the coming years. But it hasn't slowed new people from coming here much. They're all learning what we've known for years, which is just how awesome Maine is. I suppose, if anything, we should be flattered. But that'll probably take a minute...