The following is a review of the town of Rumford that I found while browsing through local real estate listings online. It was on a national real estate Web site with listings all over the country and thousands of hits per day.

“Rumford, Maine, is and has been a seriously economically depressed area for more 30 years. The single major employer, except for town government and schools, has been one paper mill, which is all but shuttered. With the steady shutdown of machines, removal of equipment and layoffs, the community has also lost the bulk of its ancillary positions and enterprises in trucking and timber harvesting. Most mill management, prior to elimination of on-site management, did not live within the town but commuted from Bethel, Lewiston/Auburn and other more culturally and educationally-developed communities. The population is currently comprised of one-third retirees, one-third disabled or unemployed and one-third low-income working poor. … There is a glut of residential and commercial property for sale on the market, as has been the case for more than 20 years. As of Oct. 1, the local property tax rate will rise to 24 mils due to a recent devaluation of the town.”

Is it any wonder the town can’t attract businesses or new residents here? Either
somebody here hates the town or the site keeps very close track of
every place that is has listings for. Either way, it doesn’t make the town
look very good.

Ed McCaffrey, Rumford