Moving to Bangor (Orono, Brewer, Old Town: wood floors, renting, low crime)

[English_Nurse]

I moved over to America from England in 2005 and married my wife, Sarah. Things I love about America: 50's diners, the vast unspoilt landscape.
Nickel and Dimed it for the first year I was here while my work permit / Permanent Residence was being processed. Recycling cans for cash, hard times. Then finally got my Social Security Number, transferred my English RN license over to America and have been working as a nurse on an oncology department and also for a local hospice ever since. Bought a house here in Oregon, but getting tired of working 6 days a week to pay the mortgage and never seeing the wife or kids.
Thus.... I am moving to Maine on October 1st. Have a few job interviews lined up but have my heart set on Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor on the oncology floor.
Why Maine? Rural, beautiful, snow, a tougher climate makes for people with sturdier values and not so wishy washy. Low crime rate. 95% pine trees. Affordable property (compared to the West coast). Seems a great place to raise a family. Flights back to England over the pond are a LOT cheaper than they are from Oregon, thus I can see my English family and friends and they see me more frequently. Generally, totally in love with Maine. Reminds me of all the fishing villages back in England, like in Cornwall, Somerset, Devon. And the sun rises first in Maine, of all the states in America. Sunrises and snow are inspiring. Maybe time to do some writing as well as spend more time with my wife and children. That's all. Plain and simple.
Anyone with any advice on areas to look for property in a commutable distance from Bangor would be greatly appreciated.
I'm the advance party for my family, kind of like Lewis and Clarke but in reverse... So I'm coming over, hopefully renting a room in a house somewhere in Bangor, then trying to buy a house for my family to come and join me.
Looking at spending in the region of $125,000. Love those old colonial houses. Balconies. Water views. At least an acre, but maybe more. As rural as I can get without being more than 20 minutes drive from Bangor (my wife doesn't drive yet so she doesnt want to feel TOO isolated). Small communities.
Which areas do I want to avoid, if any?
I am thinking good areas to look at are Bucksport, Winterport, Ellsworth, and even Bangor and Brewer, if there is a house with enough acreage that I don't have to be too close to any neighbors. But also would consider a cabin on a lake, but don't know the area to figure where to start looking. I've also been offered a job at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, and that looks very enticing.
Suggestions anyone?
Thanks!

[Family of five]

I don't live in Maine, but have reading the posts for awhile. Questions about Bangor seem to be fairly common, so you could do a search and read the posts that come up. I've read many favorable posts about Bangor - it sounds like a really nice town!

Good luck!

[DavidoftheNorth]

Originally Posted by English_Nurse

Looking at spending in the region of $125,000. Love those old colonial houses. Balconies. Water views. At least an acre, but maybe more. As rural as I can get without being more than 20 minutes drive from Bangor (my wife doesn't drive yet so she doesnt want to feel TOO isolated). Small communities.
Which areas do I want to avoid, if any?
I am thinking good areas to look at are Bucksport, Winterport, Ellsworth, and even Bangor and Brewer, if there is a house with enough acreage that I don't have to be too close to any neighbors. But also would consider a cabin on a lake, but don't know the area to figure where to start looking. I've also been offered a job at Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, and that looks very enticing.
Suggestions anyone?
Thanks!

Greetings, English_Nurse,

I would look up and down the Penobscot River, both sides, for starters. From Orrington, south of Bangor, to Old Town, and north, north of Bangor. Generally speaking, south of Bangor is somewhat yuppified, while north of Bangor is still largely native Mainers. Also, the economic vitality is less north of Bangor than south and southeast toward and including Ellsworth. Take a look at this map:
Google Maps and if you have any more specific questions, I or we will try to answer them. As you say, and we adopted, Cheers!

[msina]

I lived in Milford (north of Bangor) for many years. I love the Bangor area but prefer the smaller towns north. There are many small towns within a twenty minute drive of the city that are nice and affordable. I happen to be a "Maine-Iac", maybe that's the reason I do prefer small towns. There is bus service to Bangor from Orono and Old Town, not sure about other places.

[For Sale or Rent]

Stetson is a nice small town outside of Bangor. Our 1877 colonial has lots of charm, wood floors, built-ins, porches...There is a lake in Stetson. You might also want to try Hermon and Glenburn. I hope you get the job at EMMC!