Best town +/- 45 Minute drive from Bangor (Waterville, Old Town: how much, house)

[LostinTaxachusetts]

We are still researching Maine and are planning to go up in a couple of weeks. We are staying in the Great Pond area which actually looks like a pretty cool place to us. Any thoughts on places to scope out +/- 45 minute drive to Bangor? We are looking to be in the country. We do have children but we homeschool so we are not obsessed with school district performance. I know there are plenty of homeschoolers in the Bangor area and other places so we will be able to meet friends for our children and ourselves. We want a small farm type home for a big garden, a few animals and places to walk nearby. Politically we are more in tune with the southern states, conservative on social issues, taxes too but you can't have everything! We really are New Englanders though and can't picture ourselves anywhere else. However, we are not looking to create a Massachusetts up in Maine or live in the "Northern Mass" areas of Maine! What appeals to us about Maine is the beauty of the state and the "old Yankee" attitudes. People are friendly but not in your face and they expect the same from you. I don't know how else to describe it. Maybe someone else can so a better job. I know not EVERYONE is like that, the world has changed everywhere , but we are looking to increase our chances! Thanks for all comments and suggestions.

[Acadianlion]

45 minutes from Bangor covers quite a lot of territory. If you go east you are on the coast, if you go west you are way up in the wilderness. 45minutes up the Interestate in either direction will make you a neighbor of Forestbeekeeper, another lister or in the other direction on the Interestate you can be in Waterville.

It isn't clear from your post how "wilderness" you want to be or can tolerate.
Bangor is the last major settlement for quite some distance, so you will have a lot of choices. It will all come down to how much money you are willing to spend on your living arrangements, and how self-contained you plan to be.

One thing is for sure: 45 minutes from Bangor won't get you into Northern Massachusetts anywhere in Maine.

[LostinTaxachusetts]

Good points! I know it is very vague, we are pretty open minded. I think that given our first choice we may want to be more coastal just because we are used to being able to get the the ocean from where we are now and like that option. We are looking to spend about $150K and it can need work as we would like something older and are pretty handy people. We want ot be somewhat self-contained but not off the grid. These are great questions, it is helpful in organizing our thoughts on this.

[flycessna]

Though Maine has one of the highest tax burdons in the country and almosts always votes to the left I still find rural maine to be a place where people want to be left alone to work and raise their family. And I have never felt like people here push their veiws down your throat. I am more libratarian and even when I come across people with different view points there is always some common ground and respect. I think Ma is more of a politically vocal place.

[deerislesmile]

Have you looked into Blue Hill? Trenton? Both are on the coast, and roughly 45 minutes away from Bangor.

[Submariner]

Winterport is really nice.

Bucksport is nice too.

Elsworth is nice.

Searsport is okay.

I am 20 minutes North of Bangor, and on the Penobscot river. No ocean but having our kayaks tied up right behind the house in the water is neat

You could probably find a home going expensive, most are cheaper. A friend of mine just bought a 4,000 sq ft house on French Island in Old Town for a bit less. He has river frontage and a small pier.

I would really consider the Hampden - Winterport - Bucksport area. Or Elsworth!

I like up here in the un-organized townships, the taxes are crazy low. You have never heard of such low taxes as Maine, this is great.

But we do have a lot of moose, beaver, turkey, deer, and bear.

[Acadianlion]

I actually think that Ellsworth might work well. I suspect that underneath it all you will find the outlying areas of Ellsworth, which include Trenton, Lamoine and Hancock to be just what you are thinking about. Your target price for housing may be a bit low, but the area you describe is just right.

[Coaster]

Check out Stockton Springs, especially the Sandy Point neighborhood off Route 1 (lower left corner, Map 23, DeLorme), Prospect, and Frankfort (AWAY from Route 1). I also second the suggestions for Bucksport (vastly underappreciated IMO) and the Ellsworth area, although I think Ellsworth itself might be outside your price range.

[Submariner]

45 minutes?

What about Lincoln.

[Mark S.]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I am 20 minutes North of Bangor, and on the Penobscot river. No ocean but having our kayaks tied up right behind the house in the water is neat

Being on the river like that, do you ever have a problem with flooding? I've heard that during the rare hurricane, the storm surge can sometimes cause the Penobscot to flood. That ever happen as far north as Bangor and points northward?