Food for Thought: Maine's Year Round Island Communities

Vinalhaven by Martha Baum

Isolation is interesting. At its best it inspires hardiness, and neighborliness, and a strong sense of ownership for ourselves and our fates. And its worst, it leads to a social breakdown with festering loneliness and the sense that the world is passing by without our involvement. 

We're constantly hearing that Millenials are obsessed with city living and urban centers, but I think that really disregards the reach that homesteading and tiny home movements have had on people from all walks of life in the past 10 years. There's an equally strong drive to slow down after the modern rat race of childhood and adolescence. 

Why do we assume that we have to hit middle age or later before we can take a step back and find balance between work, play and family? I'm not saying that we need to go all hardcore Golden Pond here, but all of these themes have led me to think that rural living certainly has it's temptations. 




I've had island living on the mind for a few months now. As a New Englander, the Maine coast has always been a favorite. I love the way the Mainer spirit embraces year round island life, and the idea that we can build strong, self-sustaining communities by investing in our rural populations. 

As a non-profit employee for all of my working life thus far, I love scoping out other non-profits working in fields that interest me and seeing what drives their mission and what their actual measurable impacts are. 

The Island Institute of Maine has been blowing my mind since I first found them. I cannot believe the way that they are able to affect so many facets of their demographic, from advocating to fisherman's rights, supporting climate change research to advocating for internet access for the local school housing that teach island populations. 

A little bio lifted from their website: 

The Island Institute works to sustain Maine’s island and remote coastal communities. Our core program areas—including economic development, education, community energy, marine resources, and media—are driven by the requests of community members themselves. Our commitment to the islands of Maine includes sharing what works among these diverse communities and beyond.

Compliments of: The Island Institute

Interested in a few media snapshots of island life?

Boston Globe: Isle Au Haut Grant: One Maine island is actively seeking hearty new residents

Post Office and Cliff Island: The role of the US Postal Service in island life 

Downeast: Maine Island's and the Internet: Speaking of the internet's role in letting me move out there... 

Are you the homesteading type? Is living on a island taking it one step too far, or do you think you'd be able to make a life for yourself?  The only hurdle now is developing a remote skill set to enable my little family to work from any location. Perhaps it's time I took up coding like Karlie Kloss recommends...