Bangor, Orono, Oldtown Area Recreation (Portland, Old Town: rental, house, neighborhoods)

[quelly]

Hello again This forum is great. Many of the questions I have others have had too - that is so refreshing. I was just reading girlandpup's questions regarding Portland. Portland sounds wonderful.

I would like to ask the same of Bangor, Orono, Oldtown: Which area is most dog friendly? What would be good neighborhoods for us to visit when we are up there this month interviewing? Where would we be likely to find a rental home (house preferably) rather affordably and quickly. I assmume I would be on my own in Maine for a month or so, them the DH and dogs would follow. During that month I would be searching for rental AND getting used to my new job.

I am really interested in which area to live considering bike trails, XC skiing, walking or hiking right from my front door. I prefer not to have to drive to get out and walk somewhere

Now that a Maine move may actually happen I am getting great big butterflies and cannot sleep!!!! I am weighing things in my head that I don't even know yet. I also will be leaving some great friends, it feels I have grown roots here. But a move to Maine provides some opportunities to us that we do not have here. And taking from out trip to Maine in September, this forum, and locals here "from Maine" - we will grow new roots and make new friends

Thanks for listening guys/gals!

[Maine Writer]

When we lived in Old Town we used the university's trails a lot. You can drive out to College Ave Extension and use the roads through the Demerrit (http://www.forest-resources.umaine.edu/property.htm#Dwight%20B.%20Demeritt%20Forest - broken link) forest for skiing, walking, running, etc. Dogs are welcome. My husband is a forester with a degree from the university. When we lived there he worked for UMO in the forests. We spent a lot of time there. The land is on Marsh Island where hunting is not allowed so it's fairly safe from that concern during hunting season in the woods.

Good luck! I hope you're able to get here soon!

[quelly]

Great! I wondered if the University forests were for recreation as well as research!!! How fun. How affordable is Orono or Oldtown for renting? I look so forward to seeing Orono, Oldtown, and Bangor. I just hope we have enough daylight to see/walk the towns. We will be there for a good part of 2 days.

[Submariner]

It really just depends on where exactly you settle. Some areas of Bangor, Orono, Old Town [Oh my goodness you picked a big area], has thick forest within ten paces of your back door.

Bangor / Orono maintain their own 'city forest' with a bog boardwalk and jogging / biking trails.

Old Town / Orono has a system of bike trails between them and the university. I have never used them, but friends of my son's [they attend Old Town HS together] use those bike trails to commute between OT and their jobs on the University cafeterias.

Also don't forget the river. I am a vendor with the Orono Farmer's Market. During the summers we set-up in the University Steam-plant parking lot, which is on the river. Some of our customers canoe to and from the Farmer's Market. So if you live on the river, you may be able to do some portion of your shopping via kayak. Of course it is mostly frozen now, so just use a snow mobile like everyone else does [or X-country ski up and down the river].

Lets see recreation, hmm, other wise it is kind of boring up here.

There is fishing, do you fish?

There is hunting, do you hunt [yet]?

We have a lot of moose, beaver, eagle, hawk, deer, bear and wild turkey.

Neighbors of mine take a bear from my back property each year [with my permission as they also take out any coyote they see].

We keep two kayaks tied up right behind our house all summer long, we have water real close to the back of our house.

Otherwise there is not much to do here, Old Town has a bowling alley, if you like to bowl. They have gotten some national attention recently from some of their bowlers.

[quelly]

My recreation is walking, biking, XC skiing, snowshoeing, hiking - no hunting. I try to walk every day here, which may be a challenge there. When there is snow, I ski in my yard (about 5 times a year). Snow is fun since you can see in the dark (for after work exercise).

Thank you for the info on the forest trails. I looked at the University and municipal owned forests and thought I saw trails Yeah!!!

We will most likely look to rent in a town/city to be able to walk to amenities

[Maine Writer]

ummm...quelly...ask Forest why the bowling alley got attention.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by Maine Writer

ummm...quelly...ask Forest why the bowling alley got attention.

Don't be doing that, I don't live IN Old Town, I live up in God's Country in Argyle.

Anyone who wants to know about bowling in Old Town can google for it.

[Maine Writer]

ohhh ok then, my mistake. I thought you might share some of your pics with us.

[quelly]

OMG!!!!! Old Town Bowling! OMG! I really need to do more research before this move!

[Maine Writer]

Googled didn't you? It's probably the wildest thing that goes on in Old Town and it's closed to the general public. It's easy to avoid by just not going naked bowling.