Northern Maine Towns Benefit From Strong Canadian Dollar!

Over the years, the US-Canadian exchange rate has see-sawed up and down. As a Maine kid, I remember the Canadian dollar being worth a dime less for years. In 2003, the difference hovered around 40% less buying power than the American greenback. On September 20th, 2007 for the first time since 1976, the maple leaf dollar traded one to one with Uncle Sam's currency. Nicknamed the 'loonie' for the lake loon on the Canadian dollar, as of friday, it traded $1.0217 higher. Living in Houlton, Maine when zipping across the border, you either do the exchange of funds on this side before making the trip or just use your credit card to get the maximum discount available. By the time you exchange funds on this side, and bring back what's left over to convert back to american, you feel the evaporation. Now the tables are turned and Canadians in groves are enjoying the strongest dollar in three decades which helps US border towns peddle their products. Being a border town, Houlton, Fort Fairfield, Madawaska, Bridgewater and other Aroostook County towns have always had steady traffic for cheap US milk, turkeys and gasoline. Now, more items will be disappearing from the US shelves in exchange for loonies. Real estate investment here in the states from Canadian buyers will also pick up as their dollar gains in buying power.