Lewiston too.
They begged for them to come. They wanted to replace the local Franco-Americans who had built the town and were now leaving for actual jobs elsewhere.There were ads on radio in Atlanta [ among other places] dangling benefits in front of them.
Lewiston became overrun with Somalis while its sister city, Auburn right across the river did not.
If it were not for gov. subsidies, Lewiston would blow away. IMHO. Like that Twilight Zone episode, Its A Good Life, everybody claims it is just fine...yep...mighty fine.
[Wife is from there so she has an interest in what goes on there]
Adder, I was mistaken in my geography….my bad.
My premise still stands. Plop folks who are from Africa, where it gets Africa hot, and put them in a very cold place. And while they’re at it, start to take over.
https://sites.tufts.edu/journeysproject/somali-refugees-in-maine/
To quote Professor Catherine Besteman of the nearby Colby College, “Lisbon Street [the main street in Lewiston] had a lot of empty storefronts, and now it’s full of Somali cafes, translation agencies, [and] a mosque.”
https://www.npr.org/2021/12/21/1065337316/south-portland-mayor-somali-american
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/somali-americans-break-barriers-maine-legislature
Stick a fork in Maine… https://wgme.com/news/local/lewistons-somali-community-says-maine-should-welcome-asylum-seekers