Bangor? (Orono, Brewer, Newport: sex offenders, crime rate, loans)

[taiinuk12]

if life could be that simple.

Originally Posted by retrovintage

Change

[Maineah]

Originally Posted by retrovintage

Change

You left out Hope!

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by Maineah

You left out Hope!

Hope is Hip!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by lovemaine

Hope is Hip!

Hope has hips?

[lovemaine]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

Hope has hips?

"Hope is Hip" is a bumper sticker Hope residence like to put on their cars...

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by lovemaine

"Hope is Hip" is a bumper sticker Hope residence like to put on their cars...

Cool !

Thanks

[deerislesmile]

Originally Posted by retrovintage

What can you tell me about Bangor and the surrounding areas? Economy? Real estate prices? Looking to relocate and gathering info. Thanks in advance!

I think the most important thing to get straight about Bangor is how to pronounce it!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by deerislesmile

I think the most important thing to get straight about Bangor is how to pronounce it!

Good point!

When I moved here I was corrected a few times about my pronunciation of 'Bangor".

I had been stationed on a sub homeported at Subase Bangor and owned a home nearby; so I was accustomed to pronouncing "Bangor" in one manner. Which is entirely different form how Mainers pronounce "Bangor".

Mainers prefer bang-GOR, and not bang-er, and not bang-her.

Since we still have friends at Subase Bangor; I now use both pronunciations depending on who I am speaking with.

[Newdaawn]

You may feel that the area is "depressed" but not so much that they decided to hire Orono's City manager for a salary of about $116K with a $400 per month car allowance and $5000 to move from Orono to Bangor, a distance of 8 miles. They also have a $70million new arena in the pipe line. So I wonder what it's like to live in a non-depressed area?

[brien51]

I have been going to visit my in laws in Hudson and Bradford for the last 30 years. Haven't seen much change down there in Penobscott county, ayup...These two towns are about 15 -25 miles out of Bangor, just northeast of Newport. It's full of woods, trailers, home made "villas", and assorted ranch homes. Mostly, the folks are poor to lower middle class, with a smattering of true middle class people who may be fortunate enough to work for the state or in the paper mills. There are many self employed with logging and construction being the main self employed trade. Everyone is a shade mechanic and some even get a license and sell used cars along side the roads.

The people may be financially challanged but this doesn't mean they are ignorant. They know how to get by in life better than some city feller. They fix their own cars, which makes for a multi car "dooryahd" with tons of tools, firewood, and other mechanical debris cast aside since it broke down and wasn't fixed...yet.. Most people do for themsleves and neighbors help neighbors, if they like you. Most everyone heats with firewood in the woods. So, you have to know how to drop a tree without killing yourself, or geting it hung up in another tree crown, and also how to cut split and get it all to your woodstove or boiler. Or you can simply buy it by the cord from a local who will dump it in your yard. You better know dried firewood from green firewood by sight or you will be in trouble if you buy firewood to heat your home.

Mainers are a very suspicious lot and they will give you a chance to prove your worth to them in their culture but if you are a city boy with no trade experience and don't have a ton of tools to fix things with, then you won't garner much respect from the local boys. You will need a garage with an air compressor and air tools. You should be able to fix minor and somewhat serious repairs to just about anything. It is a bonus if you know how to weld and have the tools to do it. You will make instant friends.

Maine doesn't have a "subdivision" type culture and if you are coming from that type of setting and expect to find it in Maine, it's rare, and you may find it with Brewer or Bangor, but Mainers normally build homes on 2 acre to 20 acre lots depending upon the location since many people like their privacy from prying eyes.

Bangor is boring, cold most of the year, and anything but multi cultural. It's more like a vanilla milkeshake. If you are looking for cultural goodies like good plays, museums, arts, and other cultural aspects of civilization, forget it.

It is sportman's paradise. There is fishing, both warm water and ice fishing, there is snowmobiling, and snow skiing. There are numerous lakes that are very clean and very cold, even in June. There is hunting but the best of it is north of Bangor in Aroostock Co. If it were me, I would get a pilots license and fly up into the wilderness to hunt and fish so I could get to places others couldn't and be assured of a bear, deer, moose, or great trout.

If you plan to merely reside in a suburb around Bangor,within 5-10 miles, be repared for small town bs and all of the crap that goes with it. First you will be made fun of because you come from somewhere else besides Maine so you will always be an "out-a-stater" or a "flatlander" These are derogatory terms used to make the "natives" feel superior to those from "away", even though the original natives are the Penobscott Indians. But pay no attention to the real natives...That said you will likely find that attitude more out in the "country" than within 10 miles of Bangor.

Get a vehicle that will withstand the punishment of the Main roads. The temperature extremes heave the roads so bad they ruin a car's suspension in two years. So, you would be advised to come with a SUV on a truck frame. Four wheel drive is a must for Mud season and winter driving. Forget gourment dining if you do it. The closest you will get to any decent restaurants will be by word of mouth, most of which are "family style" where there is no separate bar room from the dining room. Ambience, forget it.

If you like good pizza, ixnay. Learn to make it yourself. Every other small shack in Miane makes pizza whose dough is thicker than the snowstorms of February. There are very few Italians anywhere in Miane so as for authentic good Italian food, it just isn't there. What is there is red sauce, spaggetti, lasanga,meatballs,and sausage. Don't even think of Veal Saltimboca or Veal Oscar, you will get a look like you are from Mars. "Salt teen what???" . Forget Linguine in clear clam sauce and a good French Seafood stew (Boullibaise) is non existent unless you make it yourself.

This part of Maine is fully conducive to close family living. There are a ton of Baptists in Bangor so if you are religious, and a Baptist, you are in like Flynn. If you are a Catholic, there are French Canadian catholic churches. The schools will do a ok job and if kids apply themselves, they can make U of Maine in Orono.

I have made many friends over the years in and around Bangor, but I have to tell you, if it wasn't for family being there, I would not have returned as often as I have over three decades.


I am not making any judgements here, just telling you what I have seen over 30 years in that area.