Main Street, Orono (Old Town: homes, buying, university)

[VCV]

How bad is traffic on Main Street in Orono? And how rowdy is nightlife, considering that many properties on Main street seem to be rented to university student? We are considering buying on Main street. Two realtors told us that locals would likely not consider buying on Main Street, which is not very comforting to hear ... Thank you!

[Submariner]

Rt.2 in Orono does have traffic, though not nearly as bad as summer traffic on Rt.1 along the coast.

I have a number of friends who live in Orono, two who own homes on 'Main Street'. They seem to like it there.


Orono and Old Town together have 10X more LEOs than the local population could ever justify employing, they are primarily focused on harassing the college students.

I have a friend in Orono who has two college-age children, they grew-up in Orono. So they know all of the local police by name, but they still get harassed for being college-age.

They love to tell a story about going out one night with a picnic basket and a blanket, and a group of them laid down in an open field. Orono PD had them in handcuffs, as the local kids demanded to see any of the local policemen. When a local police officer showed up he removed the handcuffs and released the kids. Anyone in the state who completes a degree in Criminal Justice can get a job in Orono, as they are always hiring. But that brings in Police Officers who are not locals, they are tasked to spend most of their time harassing college students.

Google through the BDN for articles about 'chicken fest' if you want to read some revealing attitudes about how the town handles the college students.

[VCV]

Thank you, Submariner: that's a very interesting perspective!

[YorktownGal]

Originally Posted by Submariner

Google through the BDN for articles about 'chicken fest' if you want to read some revealing attitudes about how the town handles the college students.

What is a chicken fest? I googled it. All I saw was it is cancelled for this year.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by YorktownGal

What is a chicken fest? I googled it. All I saw was it is cancelled for this year.

Each year a group of college students select an abandoned gravel quarry, where they want to host a party. A band arrives, they start a bonfire and have a keg of beer. Word of where it is located spreads quickly and the cops show up in force, to arrest everyone.

About two years ago, the owner of a gravel quarry had a son who was graduating so he wanted to host 'chicken fest' himself. He got a permit and did it all legal-ish. The cops set up a roadblock and stopped anyone from entering the property, and they pulled over everyone driving by for sobriety testing. This happened just a few miles from my farm, I was stopped by them and questioned.

It is always 'canceled'.