Where to live? (Bangor, Orono, Old Town: 2015, rent, mortgage)

[6000ft]

We will be moving to the Bangor area this summer. I will be working in Bangor and my husband will work from home. We have a 2 year old. We are hoping to make this a permanent move and get my toddler through high school in Maine. It looks like there are a few great options in terms of schools - Hampden, Bangor and Orono seem to all have good schools. Any thoughts on school quality vs. tax rate? The taxes seem quite high (from someone who has always paid taxes in areas with low tax rates). I am willing to pay for quality schools and services, but there must be some kind of sweet spot? Someone mentioned Winterport and said their taxes are lower and the kids go to Hampden schools. Is that right? Someone else mentioned Veazie (sp?) and said that there you get school choice. I'm wondering if that is likely to last another 15 years or so...hard to predict I know.
The other thing is that my husband will be banging on metal and making a bit of noise while working. So in town really isn't an option and we'd like some land. So we're leaning toward Hampden, though we've seen a few 3-5 acre places in Bangor that we thought might work. It's hard for me to determine what our budget is because taxes impact the mortgage so much. I am not afraid to drive in the snow but would prefer not to have a commute over 25 minutes. I guess a complicating factor is that I might teach a class in Orono and have to be there a few times a week. However that's not a done deal yet and I'm really not sure how it works. Anyway I appreciate your time and would love to hear some local opinions!

[Submariner]

I recommend that you rent a place in the area,

Then after you are settled in, you can leisurely explore the area to find the specific home that you want long-term.

[Maineac]

Hermon, just outside Bangor. Property taxes are about half what they are in surrounding towns (for now). Great community.

[FindOutMore23]

According to "ESTIMATED FULL VALUE TAX RATES" (a PDF document on the Maine state web site), Bangor had a property tax mill rate of 21.93 in 2015 compared to an 11.69 mill rate in Hermon. Of course, people can play games with assessed values and still get the tax money they want, but based solely on assessed mill rate, Hermon taxes are much lower than Bangor tax rates.

[6000ft]

Thanks for the replies! While we probably should rent, I bet we won't. Maybe if we can't find something that we could make work for a few years we'd rent. Hermon does seem like a great option for a lot of reasons! We will add that to our list. I have seen houses in Bangor that seem comparable in value, with vastly different tax rates. Maybe that is due to the type of games you mention.

[Maine Writer]

Someone else mentioned Veazie (sp?) and said that there you get school choice. I'm wondering if that is likely to last another 15 years or so...hard to predict I know.

I grew up mostly in Veazie, went to elementary there and graduated Orono HS. The town is too small to ever have its own high school. I can't say it will never change but school choice is likely to always be the way. John Bapst is another high school to consider, and one I'd choose for my kids.

I agree with Maniac's suggestion of Hermon. A cousin went to school there from kindergarten through high school and received a wonderful education. She was well-prepared for college. It's a nice town.

[Zymer]

Take a look at Carmel, too. Acreage is available and property tax is relatively low. Carmel has it's own Elementary school (and Middle?) but High Schoolers go to Hermon. Carmel is only 20-30 min from Bangor depending on what part of town you are in.

There are other towns within the same distance range that will have the acres and lower tax rates than Bangor. There are plenty of options.

[TheCoolMoose]

Bangor area in general is grimey. Just go to the local BMV for a few hours to get an idea. Id recommend Hermon as well, it looks like money is there, and successful people. Don't go north to old town or the outskirts, bad area.

[Submariner]

If your criteria is how people look, ie if they look like they are wealthy, you may want to seek somewhere else.

Maine's rivers are littered with old woolen mills, that have been shuttered for decades.

Maine once had a thriving sardine industry. Only abandoned buildings and a museum remain of that economy.

Maine is over 92% forested and the wood mills have nearly all shutdown.

Nationwide farming is dying. There are fewer farms in existence each year. Maine has more farms each year. Farms and Farmer's Markets are the only thing that I am aware of that is growing in Maine. But these are not 5,000 acre corporate farms with Millions of dollars worth of farm equipment. These are largely small-scale sustainable subsistence farms, whose year-end earnings are well below Minimum-Wage.

It is not an economically prosperous state. Young adults leave Maine seeking high paying jobs, middle-aged and retired people migrate to Maine for the lifestyle. These are the facts.

Maine is the oldest state with the highest percentage of retirees. People with pensions can do okay here. If you still need to earn a living, in Maine you best be focused on a career field that caters to the elderly.

[Brodels]

Originally Posted by TheCoolMoose

Bangor area in general is grimey. Just go to the local BMV for a few hours to get an idea. Id recommend Hermon as well, it looks like money is there, and successful people. Don't go north to old town or the outskirts, bad area.

This is bad advice. Hermon is a fine choice, but there are also some nice places to live in Old Town. It’s “bad” only in the sense that it is less prosperous than some other communities. And as for the outskirts of Old Town? Please share exactly what communities you are referring to. Milford would likely qualify as an outskirts, and there are some nice places to live there, and Bradley has some nice subdivisions that are family friendly and fairly prosperous. What outskirt towns do you recommend people avoid? I’m genuinely interested, because I haven’t found any bad areas in the outskirt communities, or, except for some rundown buildings, in Old Town.