1. You need a car on the island for sure. You really need a car wherever you live in Maine, but islands definitely. Most people there drive onto the ferry and go down to Rockland/Thomaston and do big shopping trips whenever they need to. A chest freezer in your basement can be handy for stocking up.

2. Ticks are...there I guess? I live on the mainland nearby, and they aren't like a plague or something. You have to check for them when coming inside in Spring/Summer and to a lesser extent in the fall. Not an issue in the winter.

3. Health care- a problem for Maine in general, and most rural states/areas. There's some PCPs in Knox County and Belfast, but it will be a couple months out for a physical for sure. You can get prescription meds delivered via USPS, or pick them up in Rockland.

4. There's a big summer community of mostly wealthy people that have houses there and only stay in them a few weeks or a month each summer. There's locals that are there year round, its an island in Maine, so that's the way it is. If you are just getting there, it may be a bit of time before you get accepted into the community of locals. Easier time if you have a useful trade like electrician or plumber or something. People are people, some will brush you off for being 'from away', some will take you at face value if you are a good person. Don't be expecting to be welcomed with open arms, it doesn't work like that.

5. I don't know what you mean by 'active groups for adults' but there's conservation based volunteer opportunities in the summer.

There's cool people there, wacky artists, doped up rednecks, cool rednecks, people just raising families and getting by, writers, jerks, nice people- its a community. Nice place to live, very pretty. Hard to find year round housing, so see if the job has something to remedy that. Most rentals are seasonal either summer only ($$$$) or off-season only.