Jaunted

I live in Old Orchard Beach, Maine born and raised there.   Yes it has and always will be considered a white trash town, all the same we love it.   It is being gobbled up by condos, townhouses, and sprawling "upscale" vacation complexes.  Most of the problem with this is that the town managers that are "hired"  seem to think that us "townies" would somehow have a better life with all these "improvements".  Never thinking that there is a unique and irreplacable ambiance that goes with these towns.  Old Orchard is considered the party spot of the whole state of Maine.  Nowhere else can a person "people watch on a sunny July day at the beach while being just steps from the carnival type atmosphere.  The night life is much more adult as there is a lot of bars and people letting their hair down, just head "up Maine" and say Old Orchard Beach and the smiles come and the hoots and hollas abound, but thats just part and parcel of the place....it's what us old timers (I'm40) grew up with.  I live, work and play here, I'm raising my son, who is finding out that he too is a townie...unfortunately all this improving that the town manager(s) and council seems to think will make life better for the people here (tax dollas ya know) is in actuality forcing us working class folk to sell our home and leave because we can no longer afford the property taxes and fees levied.  Now the big push is for "over 55" upscale retirement communites, which will sound the absolute death knell for our town, since these people from "away" don't want carnivals, kids running streets and tacky tourists bothering their expensive gated areas.  I guess our town manager (who will remain nameless) is getting his wish, as he said "I want to see Old Orchard Beach draw in a higher income,  better class of residents"  Well no matta...Soon to come (because the better class don't want to live in Old Orchard Beach Year round) SORRY OLD ORCHARD BEACH MAINE CLOSED FOR THE SEASON SEE YOU IN MAY!!!