Which is better Bangor or Portland? (live, forest)

[GoBangor]

I know you might not want to take my opinion as i have been leaning towards Bangor in most of my posts but listen to this.

Bangor is called gateway to the real Maine such as Acadia and the North Maine Woods. There are not many traffic jams or super touristy places like "Bob's Lumberjack Grill" or "real Maine stone". Bangor has nice convenient stores in downtown which make it a great place to just take a walk and relax.

The term for people by the way in Bangor is "Bangorian." Portland people are called "Portlanders" Which name do you like better?

Bangor schools are excellent and with the largest high school in Maine many opporitunities are had. If you move to Maine for culture and big city life I'd choose Portland, but if you came to Maine to relax or retire I'd choose Bangor.

My last point: Bangor is the 3rd safest metropolitan area in the U.S.

[GoBangor]

Bangor has good Indian food!!

[GoBangor]

Originally Posted by lovemaine

Why? Are there are bunch of wild Bangorites (is that right?) racing around downtown?

It's "Bangorian"

[starwalker]

Originally Posted by Maineah

What kind of telescope do you have?

Are you also an amateur astronomer?? I do not have a 'scope at present, beyond the keepsake heirloom terrestrial Bushnell with which my favorite aunt introduced me to astronomy in the summer before 5th grade... a LONG time ago, in the boonies of northern Nebraska. When I was in high school, I bought a 4" lens and designed and built a 'scope (my dad helped with the mount, scrounging parts from surplus stores (it had an old surveyor's tripod for a base) and when necessary cutting the necessary gears by hand, and welding it all together. )

In my senior year, I did the optical design and he built me an adapter that used the telescope lenses and mounted them to my Pentax, so that I used to telescope focus knob and could do astro-photography. The mount did have a motor drive that we built as well. It was a fun project and a challenge for both of us; he learned to think in metric, to the eternal frustration of his shop and drafting classes! LOL (this was in the era when "metication" was a subject of debate in educational circles)

I gave the scope to him long ago and in his many moves it disappeared and I have not replaced it. I still enjoy looking at the night sky by eye, though, watching the season turn, the planets pass on their rounds and the moon make her monthly cycles.

It is my opinion that when the night is dark (no moon) the land should be dark as well and when I have lived beyond the yard lights, etc. I have found I can see in the dark, by the light of the stars, anywhere except the deepest woods. When my eyes are used to it, even a 3/4 moon is more than enough to read the newspaper or a map.

I wouldn't mind having a Schmidt Cassegrain at some time in the future... but a house and garden have to come first!

[island mermaid]

Hi everyone!

I'm posting from Portland Maine right this minute! I love this town! Not much has changed within the last 6 mos since I've been here but it's so nice to be back!

[msina]

I'm so glad you made it home safe and sound! Enjoy yourself.

[elston]

Welcome back Mermaid!

In his poem, "The Death of the Hired Hand" Robert Frost gave two definitions of home. The first and more cynical was, "Home is the place that when you have to go there....they have to take you in." Warren's wife, Mary, countered, "I would rather you had said, Home is the place that you somehow don't have to deserve."

I guess I feel that Maine is the place that none of us "have to deserve"....it just is and Maine is so glad that you're back Ft Lauderdale Mermaid.

Come back often and stay awhile, ya hear!

[Zymer]

Originally Posted by elston

I have noticed that the rules about giving a right of way to a turning car here in Maine is not a practiced courtesy; in fact oncoming cars seem to speed up to prevent you from making a turn before they get to the intersection.

As far as I know, turning traffic DOES NOT have the right of way, vehicles turning across the path of oncoming traffic are required to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic...ummmm, yep, I just checked the Maine driver manual

http://maine.gov/sos/bmv/licenses/MaineExamManual.pdf

and this is indeed the case.

I know of no state in which turning traffic is not required to yield the right of way to oncoming traffic.

[rigyrl68]

Wow! My hubby and I and 2 girls are moving here next year. I grew up in RI, but have vacationed in Maine since i was an infant! It is a beautiful state. My brother says that once you get there this is absolutely no reason to ever leave. You have found "it." We are going back and forth between outside of Portland and Bangor also. My hubby owns his own business (we live in Kansas) He will have to stay and fly into Maine 2x a month to begin with. That is a factor is deciding where we live too. He likes peace and quiet and honestly just want to sit back and relax. One of daughter's attends public school, she's 8 and the other is 4 and will be home-schooled. I appreciate all the input on the board and definitely welcome more.

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by rigyrl68

Wow! My hubby and I and 2 girls are moving here next year. I grew up in RI, but have vacationed in Maine since i was an infant! It is a beautiful state. My brother says that once you get there this is absolutely no reason to ever leave. You have found "it." We are going back and forth between outside of Portland and Bangor also. My hubby owns his own business (we live in Kansas) He will have to stay and fly into Maine 2x a month to begin with. That is a factor is deciding where we live too. He likes peace and quiet and honestly just want to sit back and relax. One of daughter's attends public school, she's 8 and the other is 4 and will be home-schooled. I appreciate all the input on the board and definitely welcome more.

You should start this as a new thread with your particulars in the post. Most of the regulars who are the ones you really want answering your questions will dismiss the resurrection of an old thread like this one.