Moving to Maine (Bangor) vs Oregon (Salem) (Portland, Newport: for sale, low crime)

[Saltwater]

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum and this is my first post.

I live currently in VA and although I love it here I will probably have to relocate some time from now to find a new job.

It is actually pretty complicated but the short story is that I am pondering moving to either Oregon or Maine. I have never been to either state.. But my gut feeling is telling me that I would love both states due to proximity to the ocean, amazing coast line, greenery, four seasons, neat cities (Portland, ME, Portland, OR) and generally friendly laid back people.

Me and my wife are in our early 30s and I could have potentially good paying job in either state. We are of Polish background, do not have kids (yet), and are big fans of eco friendly living, organic food, cooking at home with local fresh produce, spending time outdoors with our dog, hiking, good reads, simple things that make life worth living.

The job in Maine would be in Bangor, and I was wondering about this town. Looking at the pictures there is some really nice downtown with beautifull New England architecture similar to the one we see here in VA. It is close to both Acadia and Baxter. Has some ok shopping, airport.
Looking at the other pics though, most of the Bangor looks really run down, kind of stuck in the past. My other option (Salem, OR) looks so clean and modern, much more appealing to the young people looking for a place to settle.

I guess my big concern is that although Maine has unbelivable natural beauty the Bangor proper looks run down with the old crumbling houses, pot holled streets, dirty yards and beat up pick up trucks. I might be totally wrong but that was my impression after "traveling" with my google earth street view

I do not want to offend everyone, and I would love to read some comments from Bangor residents. I will eventually fly to Bangor later this year to check it out myself so I can formulate my own opinion.

Anyway thank you guys for your comments.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by Saltwater

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum and this is my first post.

I live currently in VA and although I love it here I will probably have to relocate some time from now to find a new job.

It is actually pretty complicated but the short story is that I am pondering moving to either Oregon or Maine. I have never been to either state.. But my gut feeling is telling me that I would love both states due to proximity to the ocean, amazing coast line, greenery, four seasons, neat cities (Portland, ME, Portland, OR) and generally friendly laid back people.

Me and my wife are in our early 30s and I could have potentially good paying job in either state. We are of Polish background, do not have kids (yet), and are big fans of eco friendly living, organic food, cooking at home with local fresh produce, spending time outdoors with our dog, hiking, good reads, simple things that make life worth living.

The job in Maine would be in Bangor, and I was wondering about this town. Looking at the pictures there is some really nice downtown with beautifull New England architecture similar to the one we see here in VA. It is close to both Acadia and Baxter. Has some ok shopping, airport.
Looking at the other pics though, most of the Bangor looks really run down, kind of stuck in the past. My other option (Salem, OR) looks so clean and modern, much more appealing to the young people looking for a place to settle.

I guess my big concern is that although Maine has unbelivable natural beauty the Bangor proper looks run down with the old crumbling houses, pot holled streets, dirty yards and beat up pick up trucks. I might be totally wrong but that was my impression after "traveling" with my google earth street view

I do not want to offend everyone, and I would love to read some comments from Bangor residents. I will eventually fly to Bangor later this year to check it out myself so I can formulate my own opinion.

Anyway thank you guys for your comments.

Doesn't sound like Bangor would be a good fit for you.

[retiredtinbender]

Have to agree AustinB.

I wouldn't say that "most" of Bangor is rundown. It's like any other city in America; some parts are in rough shape but quite a lot of it is good. Yeah, there are quite a few potholes just like everywhere else. I've been around the country stationed near different large cities and, I don't know about Salem, but Bangor is quite the nice, pretty town, low crime (comparatively) and they look out for each other. I lived their for a while and enjoyed it.

And just as a matter of point here, you will NOT find a 2 story mall in Maine. Some anchor stores with a second floor but no 2 story or larger mall.

[mainebrokerman]

Bangor is 34 square miles- there are some very nice areas of bangor- what you've seen is a very small part of bangor- it's good to come take a look for yourself

here's an All things bangor link


City of Bangor | Visiting Bangor, City History

[Submariner]

Welcome to this forum.

I used to live in Virginia Beach VA and later we lived in Newport News Va.

I certainly wish you luck in finding a good fit for yourselves.

[chaosX5]

We took a visit to Maine last October and stayed in the Bangor area for a few days. We all fell in love with the city and the surrounding area. It had all the shopping I would ever need (and more) but I'm not a "mall person". I thought the downtown area was quite charming and didn't notice any other areas that were really run down, but maybe old houses and beat up ole' pickup trucks don't bother me........... ya know, if you let enough grass grow around the truck no one can see it!

[OutDoorNut]

Originally Posted by Saltwater

Hello everyone, I am new to the forum and this is my first post.

I live currently in VA and although I love it here I will probably have to relocate some time from now to find a new job.

It is actually pretty complicated but the short story is that I am pondering moving to either Oregon or Maine. I have never been to either state.. But my gut feeling is telling me that I would love both states due to proximity to the ocean, amazing coast line, greenery, four seasons, neat cities (Portland, ME, Portland, OR) and generally friendly laid back people.

Me and my wife are in our early 30s and I could have potentially good paying job in either state. We are of Polish background, do not have kids (yet), and are big fans of eco friendly living, organic food, cooking at home with local fresh produce, spending time outdoors with our dog, hiking, good reads, simple things that make life worth living.

The job in Maine would be in Bangor, and I was wondering about this town. Looking at the pictures there is some really nice downtown with beautifull New England architecture similar to the one we see here in VA. It is close to both Acadia and Baxter. Has some ok shopping, airport.
Looking at the other pics though, most of the Bangor looks really run down, kind of stuck in the past. My other option (Salem, OR) looks so clean and modern, much more appealing to the young people looking for a place to settle.

I guess my big concern is that although Maine has unbelivable natural beauty the Bangor proper looks run down with the old crumbling houses, pot holled streets, dirty yards and beat up pick up trucks. I might be totally wrong but that was my impression after "traveling" with my google earth street view

I do not want to offend everyone, and I would love to read some comments from Bangor residents. I will eventually fly to Bangor later this year to check it out myself so I can formulate my own opinion.

Anyway thank you guys for your comments.

Have you compared the income tax brackets, sales taxes, vehicle taxes (Maine charges sales tax against book value of your car every year, not just when you first buy it!), etc?

[Saltwater]

Thank you guys for your responses.

I am not really that concerned about malls, taxes and 2 story shopping.

I suspect that the Maine climate can be pretty rough on the surface roads, houses and infrastructure in general so maybe that is part of my initial "internet" impression.

But even when you look at homes to buy or rent, most of them look old in a bad unkept way.
I guess in states like Virginia/NC or even Oregon with combination of mild climate, decent economy, better infrastructure (roads, houses, availiability of services) life is just easier overall.

I am not sure if I am good fit for the northern Maine. I still think that Bangor area is worth checking out. I guess all the inconveniences are the price to pay for living amoung goregous natural beauty of the state.

[Evan_Lanctot]

The only rundown areas in Bangor are nearest to downtown(old housing, potholes, etc). Otherwise, it is a beautiful, wonderful place. The only problem might be a job. If you can I would choose Bangor over Salem.

[chaosX5]

Originally Posted by Saltwater

Thank you guys for your responses.

I am not really that concerned about malls, taxes and 2 story shopping.

I suspect that the Maine climate can be pretty rough on the surface roads, houses and infrastructure in general so maybe that is part of my initial "internet" impression.

But even when you look at homes to buy or rent, most of them look old in a bad unkept way.
I guess in states like Virginia/NC or even Oregon with combination of mild climate, decent economy, better infrastructure (roads, houses, availiability of services) life is just easier overall.

I am not sure if I am good fit for the northern Maine. I still think that Bangor area is worth checking out. I guess all the inconveniences are the price to pay for living amoung goregous natural beauty of the state.

Wow your kidding? I have seen some beautiful homes for sale in Maine! I have looked in the Bangor area, anything 30 minutes or less from town and seen some very nice homes, some not so nice but they were less expensive. Granted I've just seen them online, but that's where your looking too.......Oh well, good luck in your search.