I thought moving abroad was exactly what I needed. I ended up finding something even better in a small US city.

<ul>
<li>My husband and I thought Sweden would bring us our dream life, but logistics made it hard to stay.</li>
<li>We ended up settling down in a small <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/things-that-surprised-a-new-yorker-about-visiting-portland-maine-2024-9">city in Maine</a>, and surprisingly, we love it even more here.</li>
<li>The most special part of our new home is the tight-knit, extremely supportive community.</li>
</ul>
<p>We spent New Year's Eve wearing paper crowns at a cozy New England restaurant that felt like a living room. The owner stopped by our corner booth while he worked the room; our friends, who run their own bakery, slipped away to say hi to some regulars.</p>
<p>My husband leaned over and said, "I love this."</p>
<p>The year before, we had been wall-to-wall at a roller-rink club in Brooklyn. Although we had a good time, sitting in that small-town restaurant — watching fireworks over the river — felt like exactly where we were meant to be.</p>
<p>There was no line, cover fee, or wild countdown. The night that often disappoints simply didn't.</p>
<p>This wasn't where we thought we'd be on the last night of 2025. In June, we'd <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-to-sweden-lifestyle-work-culture-changes-2025-9">moved from New York to Sweden</a>, but just four months later, we found ourselves leaving for Maine.</p>
<h2>We thought Sweden would be our new home, but circumstances made it temporary</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-to-sweden-from-the-us-culture-shock-2023-9">Moving to Sweden</a> in June, I was following a simple idea: When things feel scary in America, the best course of action is to leave.</p>
<p>For a while, it worked. Life felt gentler.</p>
<p>We fell into a mellow rhythm, going to the beach, visiting the many well-maintained conservation areas — including some that go directly through cow pastures — and eating affordable, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reference/how-to-eat-healthy-on-a-budget">healthy food</a> from the grocery store.</p>
<p>Although Sweden delivered in real ways, staying required logistical planning and more time than we had. Leaving didn't feel like failure, but choosing something more permanent.</p>
<p>Back in the US, we weren't looking for another <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/least-favorite-us-cities-according-to-frequent-traveler">major metropolitan area</a>, but a real community. That search led us to a small Maine city just south of Portland, where some of our friends were already living.</p>
<p>With a population of under 23,000, it sounded like a great fit. Friends helped us secure an apartment before we even arrived.</p>
<h2>The community here immediately felt unlike anywhere else</h2>
<p>We had a rich community in New York, but our friends were more spread out around the city. As soon as we got to Maine, though, we realized we could walk almost anywhere: from our apartment to a friend's place, the pharmacy, a grocery store, and the river.</p>
<p>As a result, our city really feels like home. Now, our friends' bakery isn't just a place to get delicious treats and coffee; it's where we run into — or make — friends in line, and chat about how their winter is going.</p>
<p>We've also seen the way Mainers support each other firsthand. When our moms came to visit, we took them for a coastal drive in our brand-new Volvo and slid straight into a ditch.</p>
<p>We were inches from doing damage and bracing for a tow when a woman and her kids came outside and jumped in to help push us back onto the road.</p>
<p>Within minutes, we were free. They waved while we drove off as if it were the most normal thing in the world.</p>
<p>Our community shows up for people in larger-scale ways, too. When a major fire hit the Old Port this winter, destroying boats and fishing equipment, the owner of a local seafood restaurant started selling T-shirts, with proceeds going to the fishermen affected.</p>
<p>More recently, amid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)'s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ice-has-ended-increased-enforcement-in-maine-susan-collins-2026-1">enhanced presence in Maine</a>, residents responded immediately. Businesses put up "No ICE" posters, a hotline was established to provide help and resources, and crowds gathered downtown to protest the occupation.</p>
<p>It reaffirmed what I already knew about Maine: When people here think their neighbors are at risk, they take action.</p>
<h2>Maine is exactly what we needed</h2>
<p>One night, before grabbing cocktails, a group of our friends went to a live storytelling event in a small church.</p>
<p>I was surrounded by new and familiar faces: A former theater kid in his 30s told a story about the state spelling bee. An 80-year-old talked about soapbox racing in Camden.</p>
<p>My own creative work is taking shape here, too. I'm querying a novel, having found a steadier practice and supportive writing scene.</p>
<p>I'm glad I had the opportunity to live abroad, but I'm even happier that I landed in a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/surprising-best-cities-to-visit-traveler-visited-50-states-2025-12">small US city</a> where people live year-round and expect to see each other for decades.</p>
<p>Sitting in that booth on New Year's Eve, I understood why people here claim this place, and why I'm excited to do the same.</p>