Quality of Place in Rural Maine: The Way Life Should Be

This paper examines quality of place across Maine counties, with a focus on differences between rural and urban areas and comparisons to all US counties. A wide range of factors are considered, including climate (e.g., January temperature), natural features (e.g., percentage of area covered by water), the location of arts and recreation businesses (e.g., museums, skiing facilities, and marinas), services (e.g., healthcare and childcare), housing costs, local economic opportunities (e.g., job growth) and population density. Results show that several Maine counties rate high nationally for natural features, arts and recreation, healthcare and childcare services, and low population densities. However, people and places face significant tradeoffs when considering these different aspects of an area’s quality of place. The study finds that attempts to enhance a region’s quality of place need to recognize that individual preferences vary widely and actions that benefit one group may not align with the interests of others.