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Maine’s population is slowly growing in the 21st century at a rate of about two-tenths of one percent each year. This rate places Maine 42nd out of 50 states in its rate of population growth however, beneath what appears to be a sluggish growth rate, Maine is experiencing significant gross in-migration and gross out-migration. As much as ten percent of the population turns over every decade. Why is this happening?

Without net positive in-migration, Maine would be losing population every year because our deaths in Maine exceed our births. Maine experiences a ten percent population turnover per decade which is a significant number of people.  For one thing, it means that there are a lot of people “from away” (PFA’s) who are new Mainers however, the rate of turnover in the 21st century is less than half of what was experienced in 19th century Maine. In that century, large numbers of Maine-born young people left the state, some, especially men, for opportunities in agriculture and logging in rural America while others, especially women, left for the jobs in urban, industrializing America. During the same 19th century and into the early 20th century, large numbers of foreign-born migrants came to Maine, especially from the British Isles, northern Europe and Canada. 

In this series we will first examine the people who left Maine, when and why did they go, and then, we will look at the people who moved to Maine - again when did they do this and why. Using the records from Ancestry.com, the decennial US census, the publications of the Office of the Maine State Economist, and the Maine Historical Society along with records of the Maine State Archives, Jim will present us with a picture of life in Maine and why people lived here. In this four-session presentation we will also examine some of the letters, diaries, newspapers stories, and even some blog posts of Mainers past and present who have left the state, or alternately, have moved to the state.

Instructor: Jim Oberly has taught history courses for Sunrise Senior College, Midcoast Senior College, OLLI-Minnesota and for OLLI Manhattan Marymount. Jim holds an undergraduate degree from Columbia University and a doctorate in history from the University of Rochester and was on the faculty of the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for 36 years. His interest in human migration history stems from past visiting appointments at the University of Michigan’s Inter-University for Political and Social Research, and at the Minnesota Population Center, based at the University of Minnesota. He combines teaching for Sunrise Senior College with continued scholarly work.

Class Information: This is a hybrid class - held in-person in UM@M’s room SCI 102 and via Zoom with the instructor on Zoom from his home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Classes are scheduled for Tuesdays, November 4th, 18th, December 2nd & 9th from 10:00 to 11:00 AM (no classes November 11th or 25th).

All facilities at the University of Maine at Machias (UM@M) are fully handicap compliant.  The facilities used by Sunrise Senior College (SSC) at the college have ramps, elevators and handicap accessible bathrooms.  Our offsite functions and activities have various limitations and restrictions and may not be fully handicap accessible.  SSC will endeavor to identify limitations at these to you in advance.

                                                  IMPORTANT:  See Below

“Sunrise Senior College does not endorse any appeal or representation made by a presenter, non-profit organization or business during an SSC presentation.  SSC members attending the presentations may wish to pursue additional involvement with the organization or presenter based on the material that was presented and in doing so, they are acting on their own and not as part of SSC.”

This class is available to all current Maine Senior College (MSCN) Members. The general public not wishing to join Sunrise Senior College at this time may attend this class for a $20.00 fee.

Important: If at this time you are not a current member of Sunrise Senior College (SSC) but are planning to join as a member today, make sure you answer that “Your SSC membership is current” when checking out so that we can properly bill you for this class.

Sunrise Senior College (SSC) is a membership-based organization. Our SSC members receive special benefits as current members when they register for this course. Any member of another MSCN college is also able to enjoy this course, but may incur some additional charges. If you are a member of the general public, you can take this course but will have to pay additional fees associated with being a non-member. For any attendee that is not a current member of Sunrise Senior College, any materials required for the course are your responsibility. When checking out, please carefully read and answer the questions asked associated with this specific course so that you are charged appropriately for this class. Failure to do this may result in your being cancelled from the course. We hope you enjoy this offering.