6 replies to this topic

[twins977]

My family and I are thinking of relocating to Bangor from Auburn, Alabama.  We've been in the South now for about 8 years and that's been 8 years too long.  Had enough - want out.  It looks like a good place to raise children, but I would like to hear from all of you that have experience with the place.  Thanks for any info you can provide.

[Fenmeister]

twins977, on Aug 12 2007, 06:53 PM, said:

My family and I are thinking of relocating to Bangor from Auburn, Alabama.  We've been in the South now for about 8 years and that's been 8 years too long.  Had enough - want out.  It looks like a good place to raise children, but I would like to hear from all of you that have experience with the place.  Thanks for any info you can provide.

I have never lived in Bangor myself, but I have relatives and friends who either lived there at one time, or live there now.  For me, Bangor's pluses are its school system, its wonderful public library, and its safety from crime. Bangor is a very small metropolitan area, so if you're used to Birmingham, Mobile or Montgomery, you may want to head south to Portland, Maine's largest metropolitan area, that's significantly larger. But, in regards to Bangor, there's a good symphony orchestra, the city is in close proximity to the University Of Maine and all the extensive programs it has to offer. If you enjoy the outdoors - hunting, fishing, getting in touch with nature, Bangor is the gateway to the Northern Maine woods, which offers spectacular four-season recreation. To the north, there's potato-growing Aroostook County, which can be snowy in the winter, but absolutely delightful in the summer and fall. Across the street from Bass Park, where the Bangor State Fair is located, will be a Hollywood Slots facility, if gambling is of interest. The building is under construction now. Bangor has an airport, but ever since Air Tran and Jet Blue have begun offering lower cost flights out of Portland, many passengers are by-passing Bangor for Portland's much larger airport. But Portland is a little over 2 hours away, and the drive is very traffic-free. Bangor has hosted a very successful folk festival for the past couple of years, and attracts some quite famous names to the city. Shopping is not all that great. The mall in Bangor is very small, and downtown Bangor suffered a great deal in the 60's when many valuable buildings were knocked down, and very little of substance was built in their place. Although many of the old buildings remaining are attractive, there's not much exciting to me for shopping downtown, either. The Children's Discovery Museum is open in the site of an old department store, and that's definitely a plus for the city. In short, I think that if you choose Bangor, you're not just getting a city. You get the opportunity to enjoy Maine, which has been my home and my family's home for over 50 years. Maine has the ocean, the mountains, the lakes, and for me a quality of life superior to many of the states to which I've traveled. Taxes are high, but they're high in other places as well, and I have found that I get a lot for my money here. If you like a larger city, you can visit Portland, or Boston, which is about 4 hours away. I'm not sure of the reason you'd like to leave the South, but as a frequent visitor to the South, I too would wish to leave.  There's so much more to life than just warm weather. It's my wish that you'll make the drive and see what the great state of Maine has to offer. We certainly would be happy to welcome you and your family. I hope this has helped.  Sincerely, JF

[Cotuit]

Yeah, I think if you're looking at Bangor it should be because you're interested in what the rest of Northern Maine has to offer. Personally I'd probably rather be on the coast somewhere like Belfast, or ideally, way Downeast like Machias. If you're looking for a city vibe, Portland is the way to go, and even there, Maine's great outdoors is right nearby.

[Fenmeister]

Cotuit, on Aug 13 2007, 01:48 PM, said:

Yeah, I think if you're looking at Bangor it should be because you're interested in what the rest of Northern Maine has to offer. Personally I'd probably rather be on the coast somewhere like Belfast, or ideally, way Downeast like Machias. If you're looking for a city vibe, Portland is the way to go, and even there, Maine's great outdoors is right nearby.

  I was the first person who wrote back to you. I'm a teacher of 34 years in the Portland Public Schools. My family is originally from northern Maine (Caribou) which is about 170 miles north of Bangor. I've spent many years in Maine, and have experienced the way of life in many different parts of the state. Maine is certainly a state of contrasts. The southern coast, which includes the 2 counties of York and Cumberland, make up for half the state's population. Portland, the state's largest city, is in Cumberland County. This area sees the most job growth, and the highest incomes. Bangor is 130 miles north of Portland, and at one time its river location made it a large lumbering port; one of the largest in the nation. Bangor also had Dow Air Force Base, which was at one time a major employer. But the lumbering days are gone, and the base closed in the 1960's. Since then, Bangor has had a struggle to regain its past glories. But Bangor has never lost is its quality of life. There's no palm trees, no Disney World, no glamour, but what it DOES have are great schools, warm, friendly people who'll treat you like you've lived here forever, and a low crime rate. Bangor also has a star living there - author Stephen King. He and his wife have contributed a great deal to the city's cultural life, including donations to  the library - one of the finest on the East Coast. From what I've heard, Stephen King wouldn't consider living anywhere else. He loves Bangor!  Bangor is an inland city, but north of the Portland area, there aren't any cities on the Maine coast with significant population. Rockland and Belfast have both experienced revivals in their downtowns and have added new jobs, but neither of them have more than 8,000 population. On the Downeast Coast, the largest place is Ellsworth (close to Bangor) with about 5,000 people. So for an employment standpoint, if you're looking to go north of the Portland Metro area, Bangor, with about 31,000 in the city, would be a good choice.

[BigUglyCat]

Cotuit, on Aug 13 2007, 03:48 PM, said:

Personally I'd probably rather be on the coast somewhere like Belfast...

Now there's a person after my own heart!  Actually, Belfast is a pretty nice little place to live.  We're just about an hour from both Augusta and Bangor, close to Waterville and Rockland.  This you'd want to know because those are the places you have to drive to shop.  Belfast has an historic downtown, which means small stores with small selections.  The hot-button issue here continues to be whether to let "big-box" stores into the city.  Lowes has an option on some land, but they are being told to get lost.  Wal-Mart is interested in building a supercenter, but the arguing goes on and on.

I wound up here in Belfast almost by accident in 2002.  I've settled in, and I like it, but, yeah, 40-60 minutes to real shopping.

Edited by BigUglyCat, 22 August 2007 - 07:32 PM.

[DPCMikeT]

I went to school at Orono, winters are harsh in bangor, not much to do, if like peace and quiet, bangor is the place, Acadia is less than 1 hour away, everything in bangor is a drive, very little opportunity for jobs, just service jobs.  Umaine offers good hockey...

[Scout26]

twins977, on Aug 12 2007, 06:53 PM, said:

My family and I are thinking of relocating to Bangor from Auburn, Alabama.

Wow. I wish I'd seen this earlier. I've actually lived in both places!

Bangor is incredibly safe. In recent national statistics it was ranked the fourth safest metropolitan area in the US.  Which translates into a very nice quality of life when you aren't always thinking of crime--looking over your shoulder at the ATM, worrying about someone jumping you as you walk to your car in the parking lot at the mall or grocery store.

The biggest plus is  the location, just an hour or so to some of the most incredible scenery you could hope for--Acadia National Park, Camden, Moosehead Lake, Baxter State Park. Small airport very easy to negotiate, a major medical center,  a major state university nearby with all a university community has to offer (except SEC football!)

The minuses--it's a relatively small (and boring) town. Not very trendy or hip, not much cool retail or fun stuff to do. It's really very remote, almost to the very edge of the US. Often I found myself driving to Portland to shop because the retail options in Bangor are very limited.  The retail options have explanded lately with more chain stores moving in, but after living there about ten years I moved to the Portland area which is pricer but I like it so much more.  (P.S. There is a Whole Foods in Portland.)

The winters are very long/summers very short. The cost of living will be much higher than in Alabama. Real estate will be much more expensive. Gas (for your car) is higher, and heating fuel is costly. Check NewEnglandMoves.com if you want to see real estate prices.  

Northern New England typically ranks very highly in KidsCount surveys, meaning it's a great place to raise your kids.  Maine ranks very high in high school graduation rates, but ironically much lower in the percentage of kids that go on to college.

Edited by Scout26, 09 December 2007 - 03:59 PM.