Houlton or Calais (Bangor, Presque Isle, Ellsworth: how much, houses, buy)

[mtnpatriot]

Howdy everyone! Got a question for those knowledgeable with the areas in the title: Houlton and Calais.

I might have a job offer near these two areas. I've done some looking into them myself; as much as can be done from thousands of miles away through the internet anyway. I would be happy in eiter as I love the country and don't mind a 30 minute "commute" into town if need be. That said, my wife will be finishing her BSN in December and needs to have a place to work; preferably a hospital. I looked at both of the hospitals in these two towns, and neither have openings for RN's.

Now I've also looked at Presque Isle as well. I was thinking about the possibility of commuting from just south of Presque Isle to Houlton if I get the job there, and my wife could drive 15-20 minutes to Presque Isle for work. Unfortunately, I didn't see any RN openings in Presque Isle either. Additionally, how bad of a drive would that be in the winter?

So I guess the question is, where would my wife have the best bet of finding a RN job in one of the hospitals? I didn't think it would be difficult to find a RN slot for a bi-lingual nurse...

[retiredtinbender]

Either place is going to be a major change from El Paso for you. Up north the second language would be French assuming you're speaking of Spanish. We have quite a few nursing homes/assisted living places around Calais. Might try there while waiting for a nursing job at a hospital. aged living is a growing industry in Maine. Good luck to you and welcome to the Maine board.

[mtnpatriot]

Originally Posted by retiredtinbender

Either place is going to be a major change from El Paso for you. Up north the second language would be French assuming you're speaking of Spanish. We have quite a few nursing homes/assisted living places around Calais. Might try there while waiting for a nursing job at a hospital. aged living is a growing industry in Maine. Good luck to you and welcome to the Maine board.

Outstanding! A major change is what we are looking for as we are both tired of the city; just need to find a place which has the greatest need for a RN.

[Maineac]

I believe you can still buy nice stuff cheap(er) up around Houlton, Monticello, etc. I'm guessing Border Patrol. The nursing thing will require getting in the resumes to the various medical facilities, nursing homes, etc. and keeping on top of them. People leave. People retire. RN's tend to be in demand. I suppose you could live in Beddington and one go east and one go west to Bangor in the morning. Or maybe even Ellsworth. Depends on how much commute you can stomach. If you are CBP and get stationed in Vanceboro, just the drive in from Rt. 1 is too long. I just drove Route 9 to kill some trout and I must say, it's improved dramatically since my younger days. Just watch out for the killer bees (yellow Irving 18 wheelers).

[corgis]

Originally Posted by Maineac

I believe you can still buy nice stuff cheap(er) up around Houlton, Monticello, etc. I'm guessing Border Patrol. The nursing thing will require getting in the resumes to the various medical facilities, nursing homes, etc. and keeping on top of them. People leave. People retire. RN's tend to be in demand. I suppose you could live in Beddington and one go east and one go west to Bangor in the morning. Or maybe even Ellsworth. Depends on how much commute you can stomach. If you are CBP and get stationed in Vanceboro, just the drive in from Rt. 1 is too long. I just drove Route 9 to kill some trout and I must say, it's improved dramatically since my younger days. Just watch out for the killer bees (yellow Irving 18 wheelers).

I agree about the yellow 18 wheelers - I think we counted 14 one time barreling down Rt. 9 as fast as they could go - gets scary sometimes.

[maineguy8888]

I love Houlton. It's a great town. The hospital there hires on a fairly regular basis, I think (they were offering some great incentives for nurses last year).
The road between Houlton and Presque Isle is good, and plowed very well in winter. It's about fifty minutes between the two, unless it's snowing.
Good luck!

[diablogun]

Originally Posted by mtnpatriot

Howdy everyone! Got a question for those knowledgeable with the areas in the title: Houlton and Calais.

I might have a job offer near these two areas. I've done some looking into them myself; as much as can be done from thousands of miles away through the internet anyway. I would be happy in eiter as I love the country and don't mind a 30 minute "commute" into town if need be. That said, my wife will be finishing her BSN in December and needs to have a place to work; preferably a hospital. I looked at both of the hospitals in these two towns, and neither have openings for RN's.

Now I've also looked at Presque Isle as well. I was thinking about the possibility of commuting from just south of Presque Isle to Houlton if I get the job there, and my wife could drive 15-20 minutes to Presque Isle for work. Unfortunately, I didn't see any RN openings in Presque Isle either. Additionally, how bad of a drive would that be in the winter?

So I guess the question is, where would my wife have the best bet of finding a RN job in one of the hospitals? I didn't think it would be difficult to find a RN slot for a bi-lingual nurse...

I assume you work for CBP? If so, there was a member on here whose spouse relocated from Texas a while back with CBP, and she liked it. If you are a CBPO, PM me and I will let you know what I know about the state's varying locations in relation to our work.

[mtnpatriot]

Thanks for all the answers! It looks like Houlton is looking better than Calais. I still don't have an offer, but Houlton is looking better and better. I called and spoke with the Houlton Medical Center recruiter today; unfortunately, there are more nurses than openings right now. Hopefully things will change sooner rather than later.

[maineguy8888]

I don't know if you like big, old houses............but there are many amazing places in Houlton that can be bought pretty cheap (Houlton once had one of the highest concentrations of millionaires in the country, per capita....)