Visiting Augusta/Bangor to consider relocation - where to stay/do? (Portland: renting, motel)

[Tiana-Arylle]

Hi all!

First, thanks for an incredibly active and helpful forum community. You guys are fantastic.

My husband and I will be visiting Maine in mid-October for our 10th anniversary. We're looking for our "forever home" and after evaluating all the US states we narrowed it down to our current location (midstate Illinois) and Maine.

My husband's always wanted to live in Maine - we love the independent atmosphere, the varied geography, the lots of snow (yes, we love our snow), the trees, seafood, small but active towns, history, and (from what we can tell) the live-and-let-live mentality. We are friendly, nice people but we also like our space sometimes, yknow?

Anyway. We won't move to Maine unless we can find jobs (information technology) - a common theme around here - so we're thinking about settling around Augusta since it's equidistant between Portland and Bangor. That way if I get a job at one end of the geographical spectrum and lose it, only to get a replacement job at the other end of the spectrum, we don't have to move. Unfortunately I think I might be falling a little in love with Bangor already, which kinda kills the Portland balance We're pretty sure we don't want to live in Portland - we prefer the smaller towns.

We have a short trip planned for mid-October - Friday-Tuesday, flying into Bangor. We'd like to get the "flavor" of the Bangor-Portland corridor to see if it's a good fit for settling down. My husband prefers living more inland, so I thought we'd avoid the coastal beauties (for now) and spend a night or two in Bangor, then a few nights in Augusta, or perhaps sneak a night in Portland in. We're renting a car and I'm hoping to get lost several times during the trip

I know that Maine is beautiful, and we're coming at a crazy tourist time, but we don't want to really explore too much of the "touristy" stuff this trip. If we move to Maine, we'll have a lifetime for that We want to get a feel for the area, the various towns along the primary commuter corridors, and what people are like - and if they'd like us! Yipes!

So, with that in mind, could I pick your lovely minds for:
* Where would you suggest staying to get the "what it's like to live here" feel?
** (For example, I read that the Colony Motel in Brewer is a fantastic local place - any similar local places in Augusta? Or is really just the Quality Inn for a semi-reasonably priced stay?)
* What neighborhoods would you suggest checking out (in any city) - for good or bad reasons?
* Obviously we won't get to experience snow, but what's a "bad thing" about Maine we should try to judge while we're here? Augusta traffic on a Monday morning? Portland traffic?
* Is there somewhere else in Maine we should be looking, or is the Bangor-Portland line the primary area for computery jobs? (My husband does hardware, I do training/communications).

THANK YOU for all your help. This is truly the best, and most active, place I've found on the interwebs!

[bangorme]

Well, if you want a job in the information technology sector, Portland is, by far, your best option. Augusta mainly offers state government jobs, and since the state is in pretty bad financial shape, those aren't as common as they once were. Not to say that there aren't jobs in the rest of Maine, but they are few and far between. My son-in-law is in that profession, and just moved over 2,000 miles away to find a better position, so I can't be optimistic about your chances. But, as long as you have employment as a requirement before moving to Maine, I wish you two the best of luck!

Oh, and I'd plan to live closer to Portland than Augusta. Lot's of possibilities: Brunswick, Richmond and many others. The immediate Portland area is quite pricy.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Half of Maine's population lives within 50 miles of Portland and half of that is the ocean!

Bangor is growing and has a 10 foot tide. Most people don't think of Bangor as being a tidal city, but you can boat the Penobscot River to the ocean and Bangor has more rural properties closer in than Portland. If you are most comfortable in the actual city take a look at the Ohio Street area west of I-95 for reasonable prices and a nice neighborhood.

[mainebrokerman]

search online for what jobs are posted,,whether its portland, lewistan/auburn, bangor, ellsworth, augusta...


any of these and many more towns,,may be hiring,,

register on mainecarreeercenter- for free,,they match up ads with applicants,,,also- business owners can list jobs for free on this site


good luck,,

there are nice smaller towns around any of these larger towns

[Zymer]

I'm a former IT guy...now I work in a warehouse. IT jobs aren't easy to come by here in the Bangor/Brewer area. Not long after I got started in the warehouse, we had more than 30 IT guys with Master's degrees apply for a single data entry job that paid $8/hr...and that's not counting lesser/no degree applicants. Unless you've got something really special up your sleeve, or you get really lucky, don't count on an IT job here.

Maybe things are different now, that was 5 years ago and I haven't been looking too hard because it turns out that I've worked myself into a good position and I like what I'm doing. The pay isn't that great but I have a lot of fun.

[mainebrokerman]

heres just one job search for i t jobs

IT Director Jobs, Employment in Maine | Indeed.com

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by mainebrokerman

heres just one job search for i t jobs

IT Director Jobs, Employment in Maine | Indeed.com

Unfortunately your search criteria hit the word "it."

[Tiana-Arylle]

Thanks very much for all the replies! Very helpful

[tatans]

If you choose Augusta you will love it, they are renewing the whole downtown (sort of to it's original state) lots to do , nice people, I would move there in a minute if I could get into the country, we are --come-from-aways, and visit when we can.

[Newdaawn]

We have lived in Maine for decades after coming here from MA. Augusta is about my "least" favorite place. Check out Bangor for sure. In the past 10 years so much has been added here of interest. We have the newly completed Arena - The Cross Center - which will bring in lots of big events and shows year round. There is a 10 year old "Children's Museum in the downtown, dozens of restaurants that are not chains, although we have those too. The University of Maine Musem is right downtown. We are right on the waterfront of the Penobscot River if boating is of interest. Also the University of Maine flagship campus is only 8 miles away in Orono. The University of Maine Augusta has a local campus here as well. One of my very favorite places to spend a couple of hours is the Bangor Public Library - It is gorgeous and has a fantastic collection. Husson University with degrees available in many areas, including nursing and business, and Eastern Maine Medical Center here too.
A new twist in the past 3 seasons are the Concerts - name performers from all over - On The River. Tonight, for example, Miranda Lambert will be here. Last season included Bob Dylan. It's hard to comare that with Augusta.

As for jobs in your field you might check out what is available at the University of Maine or Husson College. Not all good jobs are in the private sector.