This article begins a series on the economic issues of Boothbay Harbor and the surrounding region.

Boothbay Harbor is renowned for its friendliness to visitors from around the world — both landlubbers and seafarers. However, the Boating Capital of New England is not free of economic problems particular to New England and other parts of the U.S.

From Greenwich, Connecticut to Madawaska, municipalities are struggling to keep young people and young families from leaving. In turn, this means a struggle for employment, affordable housing, affordable elderly care, and community and business infrastructure.

2016 U.S. Census Bureau statistics show Maine's median age of 44.5 years is the oldest of the 50 states. Maine follows Florida with the highest percentages over 65 – 19.4 and 18.8 percent respectively. Lincoln and Piscataquis counties are tied for the eldest population in Maine – 49.8 years. Finally, the median age in Boothbay Harbor is 56.6 years and rising. To put Boothbay Harbor’s numbers in perspective, the average person is likely thinking about retirement or has the Social Security application on their 10-year plan.

Nationally, Maine is trailed by Vermont and New Hampshire with median ages of 43.1 years and 42.7 years respectively. Connecticut and Rhode Island are sixth at 40.9 years and ninth at 40.2 years. Massachusetts is fifteenth in median age at 39.5 years.

“Maine, along with the rest of northern New England, is facing the challenges brought by an aging demographic ahead of the rest of the country,” said State Economist Amanda Rector.

For the first time nationally, the millenial generation outnumbers baby boomers. However, in Maine, baby boomers still make up the largest generational share of the population, said Rector, and as more leave the workforce, the shortage becomes larger.

According to Maine Senior Guide in a study using U.S. Census Bureau numbers, by 2029, Maine’s senior population will rise almost 50 percent and Maine’s 85 and older population will rise just over 40 percent. Census Bureau American FactFinder projections from 2007 to 2016 for Boothbay Harbor anticipate a 10 percent decrease in population and about a 13 percent increase in the 65 and older population. The same projections show about a 42 percent decrease in residents under 18.

While keeping young people in the region, state and entire Northeast is important, success may mean drawing more from away – young people willing to uproot themselves from extended family elsewhere in the country and the world. For some, the difference between Hartford, Connecticut or Augusta might not make a difference; for others, Lincoln County is worlds away from home. This makes Maine the very end of a population bottleneck.

Rector said Census Bureau estimates showed a slight increase in migration to Maine which was substantiated by record high employment levels and historic lows for unemployment, but this also indicates a need to push for a larger workforce with more jobs. Rector also pointed out, there are some regional differences at play showing where those needs are most desperate.

“… The greater Portland region has been seeing robust population and economic growth, but more rural parts of the state have continued to struggle,” said Rector. “Southern Maine has been seeing the results of the cycle of vibrancy that can occur as workers are encouraged to move to an area because of job opportunities and businesses are encouraged to move to an area because of an available workforce.”

This means as Maine fights to keep young families in the state and to entice families from away, regions north of Cumberland County have to fight even harder. Rector said the state needs policies that support businesses and the workforce with emphasis on the parts of Maine that have been suffering the most.

But how do Boothbay Harbor and its close neighbors turn the tide of a diminishing population of young professionals and young workers as the state works on a broad spectrum of improvements?

Such efforts have been underway with the Joint Economic Development Committee which is working on six areas of improvement in the region — business growth and development, housing, downtown and waterfront, tourism, transportation, and collaboration. All were identified by a large survey assessed by consultants at Camoin Associates who turned over a master plan in February.

The Boothbay Harbor Planning Board has been working on cleaning up ordinance language and expanding the possibility of business in the Downtown Business District by changing the minimum land area per dwelling unit for commercial uses from 10,000 square feet to 2,000 square feet. The board also hopes to tackle the issue of second story housing above the commercial downtown as a remedy, in part, for a lack of housing. The board is in the process of making recommendations for changes on Atlantic Avenue and potential height changes throughout the harbor, and has begun talks about forming a master harbor plan.

“There are many different avenues for encouraging this type of development, but it comes down to making an area competitive,” said Rector.

These are small steps toward the region becoming more competitive. But it bears keeping in mind that competition means both job and workforce availability, tax policies, competitive wages, reasonable energy costs, and housing affordability and availability, said Rector. High quality infrastructure is also important which would include broadband, childcare access, and social and recreational opportunities.

Said Rector, “Regions of the state aren't just competing with each other for workers and businesses, but with the rest of the country and even the rest of the world.”

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