Cost of living and employment in Bangor Maine (Orono, Brewer: apartments, rentals)

[PugLoverof4]

Are there any opportunities for a Graphic Designer? My partner and I are considering moving to the Bangor area and she is a Graphic Designer. She is definitely open to doing freelance work, but of course would need to be able make a decent living doing that.

What is rent for a 3 bedroom home going for in Bangor. I'm trying to find out the rent so we can figure out what would she need to bring in per month to live in Bangor.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks again!!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Rentals will be less expensive out near the ends of the bus runs. Bangor has an extensive bus system. They are odd looking busses with the wheels closer to the middle of the bus rather than out at the ends like you see on long distance busses. They maneuver well in the city.

There are 421 jobs posted here:
http://jobs.bangordailynews.com/

[PugLoverof4]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

Rentals will be less expensive out near the ends of the bus runs. Bangor has an extensive bus system. They are odd looking busses with the wheels closer to the middle of the bus rather than out at the ends like you see on long distance busses. They maneuver well in the city.

There are 421 jobs posted here:
Maine Jobs at Bangor Daily News

Can you give me an idea of what rentals run in that area? And is it safe at the end of the bus runs?

Thank you again for the help!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

According to the FBI, Maine is the safest state. Bangor has a reputation as being a safe city, but there are a couple of neighborhoods with rowdy people. The new police chief is working on that. I am not able to define those neighborhoods.

The "bath salts" publicity provided some entertainment in the news media some months ago, but the drug subculture has moved away from that new drug. A lady called 911 to report a fight in the street. The police asked for a description. The lady said that all three of those in the fight were naked. There was snow on the ground. It was cold out. The police arrived and two of the fight participants had gone inside to fight. The third one was still in the street - fighting with himself! He was losing the fight!

One user decided to set his car on fire while he was driving down the road! People on bath salts think these are good ideas. Such experiences convinced even the drug subculture to change their choice of substance use.

[PugLoverof4]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

According to the FBI, Maine is the safest state. Bangor has a reputation as being a safe city, but there are a couple of neighborhoods with rowdy people. The new police chief is working on that. I am not able to define those neighborhoods.

The "bath salts" publicity provided some entertainment in the news media some months ago, but the drug subculture has moved away from that new drug. A lady called 911 to report a fight in the street. The police asked for a description. The lady said that all three of those in the fight were naked. There was snow on the ground. It was cold out. The police arrived and two of the fight participants had gone inside to fight. The third one was still in the street - fighting with himself! He was losing the fight!

One user decided to set his car on fire while he was driving down the road! People on bath salts think these are good ideas. Such experiences convinced even the drug subculture to change their choice of substance use.

Wow I can imagine ppl might want to rethink the use of this drug after those things happened. So what would you say would be a reasonable rent in a decent neighborhood? We were living in a 4 bedroom 2 & 1/2 bath and paying almost $1500/month with no bills paid. That is something we just can't do. Before my back issues, I was making very good money in Nursing, but that is a thing of the past so we have to safe every little thing and we aren't ever able to enjoy life.
I looked on the website you gave me and no graphic design jobs posted anywhere on that site. And that's our main concern is having a job for my partner.

Thanks for all the great insight!!

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by PugLoverof4

Wow I can imagine ppl might want to rethink the use of this drug after those things happened. So what would you say would be a reasonable rent in a decent neighborhood? We were living in a 4 bedroom 2 & 1/2 bath and paying almost $1500/month with no bills paid. That is something we just can't do. Before my back issues, I was making very good money in Nursing, but that is a thing of the past so we have to safe every little thing and we aren't ever able to enjoy life.
I looked on the website you gave me and no graphic design jobs posted anywhere on that site. And that's our main concern is having a job for my partner.

Thanks for all the great insight!!

I found this site just to give you an idea of what rents are going for. I don't have personal experience with the company, but I'm sure if someone has on here then they'll likely chime in.

JGQ Property Management Company | Bangor, Maine's Best and Most Respected Property Management Team

Now, having given you that, I hope I don't start a "flameout" when I give you my personal opinion of areas not to rent within. Obviously, people differ with experiences, and no offense is intended when I give nothing more than my opinion (for what it's worth).

I would avoid 1st, 2nd, and 3rd street areas, lower Ohio St. (toward downtown) Pine, lower Essex, (I did rent a place on the corner of Essex and Cumberland once in the early 90s when it did not have as much of a 'reputation' as it seems to now - I did have a couple of "incidents" with a couple of yahoos - petty, but a PITA nonetheless...lower Center (again, toward downtown - between the hospital and Broadway is better) Cumberland, Curve, Market and areas surrounding. Main St. around Shaw's Supermarket has had its issues as well (I say that because there is a property on the link on Walter St. which is near the area).

Husson Ave. (around Husson College) has many nice rental units - I'm not sure how much they run, but I did notice apartments on the link on Husson. That area is convenient to a strip mall with a grocery, TJMaxx and a bevy of surrounding restaurants.

As far as graphic design jobs, I haven't seen many. Most people seem to work out of their homes - not necessarily for a company proper. There is a place called Sephone that a lot of area businesses use. I'm not sure if they're hiring, but here's the link.

Web design, Web development, Mobile Apps, Search Marketing, Social Media Strategy, Content Management

Good luck!

[cebdark]

Also, you may want to consider other communities the bus connects with. Here's the link. There are route maps within.

Orono is a nice town, but it is also a college town, so many rentals are geared toward college students. Naturally, with that demographic comes the possibility of living in a party house, but if that's your cup of tea, then it's right up your alley. Old Town is beside it.

The official website for the City of Bangor, Maine

[PugLoverof4]

Thank you for all of the resources. I didn't realize that Bangor would be as expensive as it is. I think we actually are looking at much farther north now after speaking to many more people. As for jobs, I believe my other half will be doing some freelance from home with some of her contacts she's made here in Austin and hopefully get some more in Maine. Our budget isn't dependent on that, thank goodness. And of course I am disabled so I am free to go wherever. I would much rather go to a job, however than to deal with this dang pain every day. But I am trying to look at the bright side of it.
Thank you again for the resources. Even though it looks like we aren't going to Bangor, you never know when plans can change!

[Submariner]

When we first came to Maine in 2005, we rented a 2bdrm apartment in Bradley for $600.

Then for a while we were shopping apartment buildings [triplexes to five-plexes] for my SIL to buy. We looked at 30 or 40 properties right before the economy crashed. Rents were mostly between $500 to $700, in the Bangor - Brewer - Veazie - Old Town - Orono areas.

[PugLoverof4]

Originally Posted by Submariner

When we first came to Maine in 2005, we rented a 2bdrm apartment in Bradley for $600.

Then for a while we were shopping apartment buildings [triplexes to five-plexes] for my SIL to buy. We looked at 30 or 40 properties right before the economy crashed. Rents were mostly between $500 to $700, in the Bangor - Brewer - Veazie - Old Town - Orono areas.

I must have been reading some of those rents wrong then, because it looked like some of them were going for around $2500 for a 2br. Submariner, you have been helping me with my other post about moving from Austin to Allagash. We have decided to take a scenic trip through Maine and decide from there. It may be Millinocket, Allagash, or something we haven't even discussed yet.
Quick question though....is Millinocket/Allagash cheaper or about the same as Bangor? We may rent until we find something, but ultimately we want to purchase a home, preferably on a body of water.
Thanks again!