Moving to Hampden - advise needed (Bangor, Lincoln: rental, condo, motel)

[brycar100]

Hello,

My family and I are moving to Maine in 2017 for sure. We currently live 9,000 ft up in Colorado mountains and we love cold and snow. I have a good paying job and can work from home, so that's not an issue. After many hours of research, Hampden seems like a good place to live with good schools for my son. We've been to Maine many times and love it. Our current town is very congested and expensive and we're itchy to move. I'd prefer a house rental with a yard since we have a dog, but our primary goal is to rent an affordable place for a year and then buy a house. With that in mind, we'll probably rent something smaller and cheaper to save for the house.

I have a couple of questions:
1. We see a nice condo rental at Heritage Woods on Mayo Rd. Is anybody familiar with that area. Is it nice, quiet?
2. If we rented it, we would move at the end of January. Or, we can hold off and move at the end of May. I'm worried we won't find another nice rental at that time and maybe should move now that we found something that would work for us. Any thoughts?
3. Would driving a moving truck in January be a bad idea? It probably depends on what the weather is doing at the time.

Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Driving a U-Haul or Penske van should be OK in January. I recommend a central route east that avoids large metro areas. Make sure any firearms are locked securely in a strongbox or safe in the nose of the truck before you get into any highly restrictive states. You will be going through New York. I recommend going from NY into Vermont and taking Route 101 across NH to I-95 in Maine.

Plan your arrival so the property is plowed out for a larger vehicle. Check it out on Google Earth street view if you are not going to come out to look at the residence in advance. If you are confronted with a bad storm, just hole up at a motel close to the Interstate before all the motels are full. If you are traveling with two vehicles, Have good cel phone contact. Family service radios are good for close contact between vehicles as are CB radios. You should have as many options as possible.

In addition, just in case you get into a mess you didn't create, have hearty food, liquids and sleeping bags for everybody in the passenger areas of your vehicles. You sound like a thorough and responsible person. You will do well in Maine.

In addition to good schools, Hampden has an excellent rifle and pistol club with several long rifle ranges.

HAMPDEN RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB – Members Only Shooting Range and Club House

[brycar100]

Thanks, that helps.

One other thing, my wife found another rental near Bangor high school for the same price. Do you think Hampden would be the better choice? I've always had a garage, so I'm paranoid about somebody breaking into my car, I want the safest area possible.

[kellysmith]

If you've lived out in the mountains of Colorado, you will have no problem with a Maine winter. You know when to be on the road and when not to be. A day or two after a storm, the roads are bare here. Either Bangor or Hampden would be fine. Both have good schools. There is an area just west of Bangor High School where there are plenty of "McMansions" Not sure if you are talking about that area. That's up around Judson Blvd. Closer to the high school, it's an older neighborhood and most residences are older, but that whole area is fine. All of Broadway is one big retail area, so not sure you will like that coming from the mountains. I'd lean toward Hampden myself. It puts you closer to the ocean, and I'm guessing you will find that is a draw once you get here. Being closer to the ocean would win the debate in my mind.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Bangor is on the west side of the Penobscot River. It is tidal with a tide that varies from six feet to ten feet depending on the phase of the moon and wind direction. The river freezes and is kept open by Coat Guard icebreakers. The Tackle is the usual icebreaker. If the ice gets heavier a larger breaker comes up. Tankers deliver oil which is the reason the channel is kept open.

I recommend you buy a DeLorme Atlas of Maine. It is hugely informative and an excellent map. It is a large format with a blue cover. Most Maine vehicles have one in the vehicle. Don't bet your life on a GPS. They are handy, but some Maine roads are seasonal which mean that the roads are not plowed in winter.

Maine has over 12,000 miles of snowmobile trail. We have no BLM and you can ride an ATV from Lincoln to the ocean - legally. No other state has that opportunity. You do need to stay on authorized and marked trails. You can't just ride all over somebody's property without permission. I am the caretaker for several property and have written permission to run whatever vehicle I want on those properties and the rights of way to them. In one case I actually have a deeded right of way to the land.