Cities near Bangor. (Portland, Augusta, Orono: rent, home, university)

[Bungalow Bill]

About a year ago my wife and I had a job opportunity in Augusta. We're from Texas so we wanted to visit Maine as much as we could to make sure we wanted to take that leap. Needless to say we fell in love with it.

We explored the area and decided we wanted to move to either Wiscasset or Damariscotta. Shortly after making that decision the job moved from Augusta to Bangor.

Since we haven't explored the Bangor area very much, what are some cities that might have the same kind of charm as Wiscasset or Damariscotta? We've lived on a lake for many, many years so we would like to be near a lake or as close to the coast without having to drive forever.


Thanks!

(1st post, woohoo!)

[Maineah]

Welcome to the forum. Congratulations on your first post too! Glad you liked Maine. I can't answer your question as I don't know much about the Bangor area. I'm sure someone from up that way will chime in shortly.

[forest beekeeper]

I live just North of Bangor.

um, 'cities' near Bangor? We do not really have a lot of cities in Maine. Bangor is a city, I guess Brewer is kind of a city, it sits across the river from Bangor. All towns around Bangor are smaller than Bangor.

Maine is lots of lakes and ponds. It is kind of hard to spit without hitting water. Thousands of miles of coastline, dozens of rivers and lots of lakes and ponds.

Bangor is right on the Penobscot river. My land has 1/4 mile of Penobscot river frontage too.

Since your job is in Bangor, I think that you should focus on a 20 minute radius around Bangor.

Since your into boating and fishing, is salt-water access important to you? Just down stream of Bangor is WinterHarbor, and as the river gets wider you get tidal action. Any water-front property along there should get you a pier and easy access to run out into salt water whenever you wanted.

Come on up and see the area.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

That would be Winterport. Winter Harbor is way down east.

[Acadianlion]

Originally Posted by Bungalow Bill

About a year ago my wife and I had a job opportunity in Augusta. We're from Texas so we wanted to visit Maine as much as we could to make sure we wanted to take that leap. Needless to say we fell in love with it.

We explored the area and decided we wanted to move to either Wiscasset or Damariscotta. Shortly after making that decision the job moved from Augusta to Bangor.

Since we haven't explored the Bangor area very much, what are some cities that might have the same kind of charm as Wiscasset or Damariscotta? We've lived on a lake for many, many years so we would like to be near a lake or as close to the coast without having to drive forever.


Thanks!

(1st post, woohoo!)

If driving from Damariscotta or Wiscasset to Augusta wasn't a turnoff for you, then Ellsworth is your nearest choice for commuting to Bangor.

However you need to look at a map and do a little figuring, because almost NO town or city aside from Portland will be "on the coast". Certainly any town or small city anywhere within commuting range of Bangor will be some distance up a river from "the coast". In the case of Ellsworth, it lies on the Union River which empties into the Union Bay which extends about ten miles until you are actually ON the coast.

Bangor is at the a long way up the Penobscot River, too.

I think the town that is nearest to Wiscasset and Damariscotta that is within any sort of commuting distance of Bangor is Belfast. Ellsworth would be a distant second because of its sprawling "big box" development and its insistence on disemboweling its roads with terrible traffic flows and stupid street designs. I live four miles from the center of Ellsworth, and it is NOT a treat to go through the city.

One final caveat is that commuting from any of the towns and cities within any sort of "commuting range" of Bangor needs to be very, very carefully considered because seven or eight months of the year the commuting drive can be very tricky. Leaving Ellsworth for Bangor the route is directly up Route 1A, which is a major two lane roadway. Right now MDOT is in a major widening of the road as it leaves Ellsworth, and before very many more years it will be a very wide two to four lane highway directly from Ellsworth, the 30 miles to Bangor.

That sounds good, except that the travel route rises over hills before you get to Holden and Brewer and many many times after October and before May you will leave Ellsworth in the rain and by the time you reach Dedham and Lucern on that nice big wide road, the rain will have turned to freezing rain and perhaps snow, making that last ten miles very, very tricky. The thirty miles can seem like ninety a few times a year, and the potential for the commute to be a "white knuckle" affair is always present in the winter. Make no mistake: the changeover from rain to ice is instantaneous and without warning either from the road or from the weatherman on TV. Coming from Texas this will be a very important consideration for you for the first year or two. If the commute is early in the morning, or involves driving home in the late afternoon, it will probably be dark going in both directions during the worst of winter.

There are many other towns that are potential for commuting. But they all include certain limitations as to terrain and the potential for difficult travel during the winter.

Now, is the winter "manageable". Of course! But it is nothing to trivialize or underestimate. We have "open" winters, too, with little snow and ice throughout this particular area. But don't let one or two, or even three or four winters fool you: Maine is still at a very northern latitude and very highly influenced by the Gulf of Maine, and that combination means that a "real" winter can smack you when you are unplanned, and unexpecting.

Without doubt you must come here and look around before leaping. Worst case, come here, rent in Bangor for a year and then look around before deciding where to land permanently. Just remember that a twenty mile commute in Texas will likely be more like 60 miles here during the winter, and there will be some days that that commute may take an hour and a half or more. NOT ALL the time, but you need to think about it, look at the roads and drive them before deciding to tangle with them every day year round.

C'mon up and explore! Fall is wonderful in eastern Maine!

[Coaster]

Almost any of the towns north and south of Bangor offer waterfront on the Penobscot River. Winterport and Frankfort offer possibilities. Orono is a nice little town, with the University of Maine campus there providing a lot of cultural amenities. Depending on your willingness to commute, Bucksport and Verona Island are undiscovered gems at the mouth of the Penobscot River with great access to Penobscot Bay, plus there are some lakes and ponds within all of those towns that offer a waterfront alternative.

[forest beekeeper]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

That would be Winterport. Winter Harbor is way down east.

Ooops I stand corrected.

Thank you NMLM.

[reloop]

Welcome.

Well, I was going to provide a link to the City of Bangor, but my antivirus just dinged it, so I'll say this:

As far as cities, Bangor is pretty much it, but the Penobscot River divides the sister city of Brewer as well.

Most everyone has given you great advice. We do have small outlying communities with lakes, and we're not too far from the coast at all.

[IRV007]

You might want to take a look at Old Town also.

[Bungalow Bill]

Thanks for the replies!

We are actually making a trip to Maine next Wednesday so I'll be sure to explore the area and some of the towns you've mentioned.