Looking to move outside Bangor with kids (Brewer, Old Town: motorhome, neighborhoods)

[PAGall]

Hi everyone,

My family is likely relocating to Maine from LI, NY for my husbands job in the next 2 years. He works in medicine and Bangor seems to be where the jobs are for his niche. I have spent quite a bit of time in Maine, I have family that lives in the Winthrop area.

Looking for some more opinions on towns to look into outside of Bangor that have a good school district and reasonable housing. Not really sure what our budget will be, I have to look into the cost of living and property taxes as I imagine that's pretty different compared to Long Island. We would love to live on a lake & we're not really interested in new construction type neighborhoods.

Thanks for any feedback!

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by PAGall

Hi everyone,

My family is likely relocating to Maine from LI, NY for my husbands job in the next 2 years. He works in medicine and Bangor seems to be where the jobs are for his niche. I have spent quite a bit of time in Maine, I have family that lives in the Winthrop area.

Looking for some more opinions on towns to look into outside of Bangor that have a good school district and reasonable housing. Not really sure what our budget will be, I have to look into the cost of living and property taxes as I imagine that's pretty different compared to Long Island. We would love to live on a lake & we're not really interested in new construction type neighborhoods.

Thanks for any feedback!

I live about 25 minutes North of Bangor, which is still in the Southern half of Maine though few seem to realize that fact.

I occasionally post links to houses on the market for under $50k. Low priced homes do exist.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/main...angor-49k.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/main...a-1-480-a.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/main...-essex-st.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/main...a-1-078-a.html


As you get out of Bangor, in many of the surrounding towns the property taxes are significantly lower than they are in Bangor.

Maine has a lot of fresh water rivers, lakes and ponds. I have a quarter-mile of river frontage on my land, along the Penobscot River.

Look at 'Hermon Pond' n Hermon.
'Pleasant Lake' in Stetson.
'Pushaw Lake' is in multiple towns [Old Town, Hudson, Glenburn
'Chemo Pond' in Clifton,
'Davis Pond' in East Eddington,
'Holbrook Pond' in Holden.
'Brewer Lake' in Orrington.

[OutdoorLover]

Hampden is a suburb just to the south of Bangor that is known for having a top school system, but home cost is about average for Maine - worth looking at.

[ducksbywater]

Originally Posted by Submariner

I live about 25 minutes North of Bangor, which is still in the Southern half of Maine though few seem to realize that fact.

I occasionally post links to houses on the market for under $50k. Low priced homes do exist.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/main...angor-49k.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/main...a-1-480-a.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/main...-essex-st.html

https://www.city-data.com/forum/main...a-1-078-a.html


As you get out of Bangor, in many of the surrounding towns the property taxes are significantly lower than they are in Bangor.

Maine has a lot of fresh water rivers, lakes and ponds. I have a quarter-mile of river frontage on my land, along the Penobscot River.

Look at 'Hermon Pond' n Hermon.
'Pleasant Lake' in Stetson.
'Pushaw Lake' is in multiple towns [Old Town, Hudson, Glenburn
'Chemo Pond' in Clifton,
'Davis Pond' in East Eddington,
'Holbrook Pond' in Holden.
'Brewer Lake' in Orrington.

can you homesteading there? Seems like most towns prohibit homesteading on waterfront property.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by ducksbywater

can you homesteading there?

How do you define 'homesteading'?

I bought bare land. I parked a motorhome on that land and I hired an electrician to install one power pole with an electric meter and power panel. I hired a well driller to put in a well. I hire a soil scientist to tell me where I could put a septic system and he gave me the design to use. I hire a 'site work' crew and a foundation contractor to put in a concrete foundation. Then I built a house.

Years later I put in solar power.

... Seems like most towns prohibit homesteading on waterfront property.

Maine has 986 towns.

The majority of them [554] are Unorganised Townships [UTs].

UTs have no regulations of their own, the state bureaucrats have a committee called LUPC that controls zoning and permits.

You may be thinking of 'Shoreland Protection' law which has its specifics which you can workaround. Not all bodies of water count within its guidance.

[ducksbywater]

Originally Posted by Submariner

How do you define 'homesteading'?

I bought bare land. I parked a motorhome on that land and I hired an electrician to install one power pole with an electric meter and power panel. I hired a well driller to put in a well. I hire a soil scientist to tell me where I could put a septic system and he gave me the design to use. I hire a 'site work' crew and a foundation contractor to put in a concrete foundation. Then I built a house.

Years later I put in solar power.







Maine has 986 towns.

The majority of them [554] are Unorganised Townships [UTs].

UTs have no regulations of their own, the state bureaucrats have a committee called LUPC that controls zoning and permits.

You may be thinking of 'Shoreland Protection' law which has its specifics which you can workaround. Not all bodies of water count within its guidance.

You seem know Maine a lot. Thanks for the infomation.

[Maine Writer]

Originally Posted by ducksbywater

can you homesteading there? Seems like most towns prohibit homesteading on waterfront property.

You can homestead but you have to own or have permission to use the property. It's not like the old days when people chose a parcel of land and were given the title.