Portland was a shithole 30 years ago. Give it time.

I predict the next 20 years is going to be huge for Bangor.

It’s just one small aspect of many, but if we talk music venues, there are basically none anywhere between “dude in the corner at 100 cap bar/brewery” and “giant 5k people concert”. Portland has the State, as well as a bunch of other great smaller venues (PHOME, One Longfellow, etc). Those kind of places help build culture and vitality, and no one has taken a chance in the greater Bangor area to really make one (Bangor arts exchange has a super spotty schedule and sound is never good and it usually feels feels like cheap wedding reception, and the new Gforce thing theyve tried at the mall is sketchy and temporary).

To be frank, COVID hit Bangor really hard culturally. Before the pandemic it was definitely on the up and up (and I’m not saying it isn’t anymore or won’t be again), but it didn’t quite have the critical mass of entertainment venues, restaurants, etc to ride through the pandemic. Losing a few took a real toll in a way that larger cities like portland could absorb more easily.

Also, Bangor’s been a shopping/service center for the past few decades. As boring as it was, the mall area served a huge swath of Maine and Atlantic Canada and brought a lot of economic activity that has evaporated with the rise of online shopping. Downtown’s resurgence and a lot of great effort and investment from a dedicated group of leaders is making a difference, but those have been stiff headwinds.

The Penobscot River ain’t much to write home about after all the polluting we’ve done

Reasonably priced and scheduled flights from PWM to BGR would be a nice start.

It’s the ebb and flow all cities go through. Look at San Francisco, used to be beautiful in the 80’s…not no more.

It's a 2 hour drive tops up 295/95... I can't see that ever being a profitable or popular commercial flight.

Funny...I liked it 30yrs ago.

So you were in Bangor in Sept 2021?...Pandemic?...people were still locked up/in.

Maine North of Bangor is very sparsely populated, so mostly can draw from communities to the east and south, UMaine being the exception. Portland draws from all directions, and even into NH and Mass.

We’ve started doing day trips to Bangor. Great coffee at wicked brew, good used book stores, and good shopping (rock and art store is my favorite right now, followed by one lupine — the paired yarn store is fantastic with local wools). We often pair it with Waterville to do vinyl record shopping and a meal at opa’s or buen appetito. Would recommend

I guess I kind of forgot when restrictions loosened and tightened again.

You think Bangor is bad, you should see Lewiston.

Shhhh.... Some things are better kept secret.

Besides what others have mentioned, having worked for the Umaine system, it seems like there is crap leadership within the university system as well as crap investment by Maine into the public universities. I think umaine will continue to hold on and get by rather than flourish.

Universities can bring a lot to an area. And, yes, I know New England has a declining rate of young people, but there are plenty of universities that are doing well across the country, and Maine has a high need for trained medical professionals especially with its aging population. There’s actually great opportunity here in that sense. It really feels like the umaine leadership sees that there are fewer young people in Maine and have just decided to give up, which is pretty depressing. So, I’m just not sure that Bangor will benefit from the college in the future unless the leadership changes and some actual vision is adopted.

But I hardly know her.

No knock on Bangor but I'm not sure I would use the term "shoot up" for an a car ride that's usually close to 4 hours from Boston.

I think I'd rather have a train between the two. It'd be about as long as the ride from Portland to Boston.

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The narrative about declining college-age students is only partly true, at least for the next few years. The decline in HS class sizes is being offset by increases in graduation rates. So the total number of HS grads isn't declining too much (yet). This will probably change by 2025 though, both as a national trend and in Maine. I was just doing some casual research on this topic lately, and was surprised it's not as dire as people seem to think.

Not disagreeing about all the missed potential it seems like there is with UMO, or the U Maine system in general.

Downtown Bangor is way better than it was 20 years ago. Multiple buildings that were unoccupied other than ground floor retail have since been renovated to high end apartments.

25 years ago downtown Bangor had multiple massage parlors openly offering “happy endings”. Now there are actually decent restaurants and nice apartments downtown.

I don’t think I’d say it’s on the decline. It’s just that it’s remoteness and smaller population means it’s pretty far behind Portland.

That’s never going to be economically viable. The best you could get would be an 8 seater like Cape Air flys between Trenton and Boston, and I doubt enough people are going to pay $150 one way to fly BGR to PWM to fill one of those.

I think this is the correct answer. It comes down to cash flow. Bangor doesn’t have anywhere near as much to draw from.

The new Maine savings amphitheater is going to be a big draw for Bangor. I’m over in New Hampshire and also lived on the north shore of mass for a long time. I would only ever visit Bangor as a stop over in or out of bar harbor. Then phish started playing the waterfront concert series. So I went up for a couple shows and apart from my favorite band the experience was underwhelming because it was just a park fenced off with a temporary stage built for the summer. Nothing to write home about or make me want to drive up for other major touring bands. When I went up last summer for phish again during the renovations by Maine savings bank, I was blown away. As someone who works in live music production I can speak to what a world class music venue can do for a small city. The shows I saw last summer were a shit show. They really shouldn’t have been doing shows, they weren’t ready. It was only half built and there was no organization what so ever, but what was cool to see is the vision. If that venue ends up looking like and operating like I think it’s going to Bangor is about to have the most sought after booking north of Boston. They were already attracting some big acts but the venue wasn’t worth the drive. Even just seeing the shell of what it’s going to be last summer, unless they royally screw or up, there’s going to be a national marquee music venue in town that will have people traveling from all over the country.

You have clearly never lived in the Western United States.

The new amphitheater is going to be a nice jolt to the economy. The waterfront concert series already brought in big acts, but the quality of the venue can really be a driving force behind how many major acts want to come because they know thier fan bases will travel for an exceptional experience. Coming from the mass seacoast I’d go see my favorite band there whenever they’d play but the experience was shit. It was just a park with a fence around it and a temporary barebones stage for the summer. It’s a 4 hour drive for me and honestly I’d rather take a 4 hour flight to Denver and see them play dicks or red rocks. I went and saw them(phish) again during the new renovations by Maine savings. It was a shit show. They weren’t ready to be hosting concerts, especially sell outs. Everything was half built, no concessions, complete anarchy at the entrances. That being said I’ve worked in the music industry a long time and have even helped installed PA’s a new major venues. Just from seeing the shell of what they’re creating there last summer, I can tell you Bangor is about to have a real marquee outdoor music venue that will entice bands traveling fan bases from around the country. Bangor has always been the “skip” date for those traveling on phish tour. Too far off the path and an uninspiring venue experience. One of the very few venues they do not sell out. When they finish those renovations that narrative is going to change quickly. It was too early too definitively tell what the end result will look like and how it will operate, but from what k saw last summer I think when it’s all complete and running as intended Bangor is going to have the most sought after booking in New England other than Boston.

There are cheap af bus rides as well, and it's really not a bad experience... It's not far at all

In my defense, I was thinking more of business commuter thing to save 2 of those hours .

EDIT : Wow ! I should have refreshed before I posted ! OK, I get it bad idea, lobstah .

Bangor will always suck until the dinosaurs that run the town are gone. I've lived there most of my life, and owned a business there. I moved, reluctantly, because i just couldnt stand it anymore. They (city govt) generally dont like fresh ideas, they are extremely bureaucratic, and prefer bangor stay stuck in the 1970s. Instead of trying to keep umaine grads in the area, we run them out of town. I'd bet my life on bangor not seeing any major improvements, or major influx of younger people (under 40), over the next 25 years. In 2048 it'll be exactly the same.

The traffic near the mall is horrible

It’s all been downhill since Stacy’s Country Jamboree went off the air.

Yes I know that was in Brewer, just give me this because you know it’s true!

Seriously. This place is expensive enough already and I can’t move out of the school district for another 6 years.

I feel like your first few sentences about it being isolated are not as positive as you seem to think. A city that is hard to get to, not near things and doesn't want outsiders is not one that is going to grow.

Wicked brew is definitely a great coffee hangout! Good food too

You would spend more time going through TSA, boarding, waiting for your luggage than you would driving.

I mean, Downtown Bangor is currently in the process of gentrification. I'm happy that businesses are coming back, but instead of building affordable housing, they're focusing on deluxe apartments.

I am from Bangor and I love the little city. Unfortunately for me, I found better work in Southern Maine, so I moved away. It’s a great place, it just needs more and better job opportunities.

Funny, I can remember people making very similar comments 30 years ago and my father laughing at the time because he’d heard it all before. Actually, Bangor has been on the “decline” since about 1880. Since the lumber industry went bust, we have been a commercial center for people who just don’t have that much disposable income. I think things are better, but change is slow and erratic. But, do we want to turn into Portland? Insane housing prices, uncontrolled urban sprawl, a lot of pretentious nonsense and mobs of tourists. There is a lot I love about Portland but they’ve got their problems.

Better than it’s ever been IMO, that’s if you don’t care about have a mall.

Traffic… in bangor?

Interesting point. The loss of the tourists (and shoppers) from New Brunswick then the death of Great Northern meant two of the avenues into Bangor pretty much dried up.

Portland is much more accessible to visitors compared to Bangor, which seems like a never ending ride heading north to reach.

I agree. Don’t get why you’re being downvoted to hell

I miss the old gritty Portland.

And the Canadians loved it!

Is Bangor a nice place to visit for a family friendly vacation or would you recommend another city/area of Maine?

I was in Bangor Oct 2022. It still felt really dim. Not much traffic, no one walking around.

Lewiston doesnt seem THAT bad nowadays... ever been to Rumford?

On the wings of a snow white dove ...

I agree, COVID hurt, but it could start climbing up. I see good things. Rock Steady is much appreciated. There is a lot of potential there

Portland does draw from all directions, something Bangor struggles with.

Portland isn't the best port for trade but it is significantly better than Bangor.

Edit: I would absolutely love if Portland got a good size container terminal.

Rumford is depressing.

Try to go down Stillwater on a Saturday afternoon. You’ll be in a line a half mile or more long from Texas Roadhouse all the way back near goodwill if you catch it just right.

I don’t think you’re wrong - maybe my comment was a little vague, but I am really talking about a room with like 200-800capacity.

Sure, we will get Stapleton or Aerosmith to show up at the waterfront, and that will bring in folks from all over for a night, but if you are a band with a 500 person draw, there is absolutely no reason to ever travel north of Portland. That kind of venue could operate year round, with a much fuller schedule, and would give the people who already live in Bangor a reason to go have a nice night out (as opposed to people from hours away spending hundreds of dollars on tickets and parking once or twice a year).

If we’re talking about abstract concepts like vitality and culture, IMO those sort of smaller venues have much more impact than the waterfront ever could.

Obviously if we take the longgggg view, maybe waterfront brings in cash, that cash somehow magically creates a city more likely to support those sorts of smaller venues, who knows. I’m skeptical, as the waterfronts and casino have been doing their thing for years now, and I haven’t seen the slightest change for the average resident.

Here's the truth no one wants to say or look at. Before I get into the nitty gritty I will be the first to say I despise the city of Biddeford and the city of Sanford. However they have both done good jobs of turn dilapidated architecture to their advantage drawing both customer base and businesses to their cities. They did this by not catering to their college communities but their 20-40communities.

Bangor relies on Orono mainly to supply their businesses with income. Hard truth but truth regardless. Their college community is who they hope to market towards. This is everything from the sushi and steal restaurant, to mexicali blues to walmart. A cursory look at the products from local shops tell you this.

They are also struggling with a drug and homeless problem. Their answer to which is to dent the jail and expansion or any proper upgrades in favor of a recovery solution which is undefined unplanned and unlikely to ever happen. The entire city counsel is out of touch and hoping that concerts, gambling, Stephen King, and college students will keep their economy afloat.

They have no hopes of providing any businesses any incentives of growing, adding to the IT infrastructure offerings, or protecting their city from addiction, prostitution, or the like..

This isn't right vs left this is a bunch of out of touch people trying to win reelection seats by giving the college community an image of liberalism all the while claiming to be a conservative city hard on crime and protecting maine values. It's a confusing mess with no real direction.

And you know that a bad first experience at venue or the first experience in a long time will deter people from coming back. It's a shit show overall at either venue. So people don't wanna go back.

And you were selling more than sea shells on melon Street huh?

Holy fucking shit, I've never heard anyone but my parents reference this. They bought a dvd or tape of their "show" awhile ago so I could see it, and it is painfully hilarious.

Building deluxe apartments make other housing cheaper and in about 20 years they'll be regular apartments.

Not sure if this adds to the conversation, but as a skier from NJ that takes road trips to different parts of New England, Portland is a nice stop on the way to NH and Western Maine. Bangor is too far out of the way to reasonably consider stopping there. So that may be a factor for tourism money flowing into the city.

I've said it here before, but the "deluxe" apartments fill a large niche gap in the market in Bangor - high-earners who don't want to own a home in the area.

When I was living in Bangor, my options for rentals at the time were:

• A couple of shitty crackdens on the low number streets for $600-700/m
• New and Old Capehart apartments for $1,100-1,300/m
• A single family home next to Broadway Park for $1,500/m
• A "luxury" downtown apartment that I actually liked (with reserved parking!) for $2,500/m

I ended up picking the expensive place, which was a good thing for everyone in the area who was looking for a place to live at that time who also made less than or had a worse credit score/history than me. My neighbors were all physicians, business owners, or fellow tech people who also opted to live in that building over in other parts of town.

The sad part is, the "quality" of those "luxury" apartments is on par with units in other parts of the country that were going for 1/3 of the price.

Same here but not likely to expand too much beyond what they have now. We’ll what the new cold storage facility has for an effect.

$2500 a month to live in Bangor? 😬

Mellen*

I hope the housing gets cheaper soon then.

Wrong comment

Once they closed Miller’s everyone lost hope.

> there is crap leadership within the university system

Why is crap leaders in school systems such a universal sentiment?

Bangor has been dying for years.

The mall is like a papermill property. Taking several years to even get something in there. The mall can't get the traction it once had despite changes in ownership

It's more of a connection point it seems. People who live up north or in smaller areas visit Bangor. UMO, Husson etc traffic.

That's it. You'll find more people at the EMMC ED, Walk in care etc, than you would people in a Walmart or the Mall.

I would go somewhere on the water, (Bar Harbor, Camden, Belfast) on the coast or up in the mountains (Sugarloaf, Rangeley, moosehead) I'm not sure where your originally from. I'm from the Bangor area and I don't know why anyone would want to "vacation" here but others may have more insight.

Maybe our efforts to be environmentally conscious will lead to the Port of Portland's expansion. Interstate trucking doesn't come close to domestic shipping when it comes to efficiency.

Back when I was looking to relocate to Maine. Bangor was the top of my list. It seemed like it was the perfect spot. Not too far from the shoreline, and not too far from the wilderness Northern ME has to offer.

Yeah lol. We wanted to live near family for a bit before we moved back out of state. Neither of us are really in love with the area, so we figured getting a nicer apartment might make things more enjoyable for us.

I've lived in Bangor off and on since high school, and that apartment was definitely my favorite place I lived. It was newer, clean, didn't smell like cat piss, had central air, quiet upstairs neighbors, and reserved parking spots for us and guests.

The extra cost was definitely worth not having to deal with the stuff I went through at my previous Bangor rentals lol.

Well that's the econ 101 version. Unfortunately, there are many more factors and most places aren't building enough housing to meet demand.

“he sends his pure

sweet

love.”

🤣 LEGENDARY.

Do you remember how Stacy’s sold ad time to New Brunswick destinations? I used to BEG my parents to take me to Magnetic Hill in Moncton. “Come on, PLEASE? It’s only five hours away!”

Don’t get me started on “Dialing for Dollars with Eddie Driscoll!” My older siblings worshipped him!

SF is absolutely stunning as long as you don't look at it at eye level or below :). The "relocation to SF/Bay Area required" recruiter messages are the easiest ones to turn down.

I had a similar experience a couple years ago. I was renting a very nice, newly built, 600 sq ft apartment in Portland for $1800. Moving up to Bangor I was looking for something similar. Couldn’t find it. A comparable apartment within walking distance to work was $2,500/month and I couldn’t justify paying more for the Bangor apartment than I had been paying in Portland. I ended up in an 1,100 sq ft apartment in Orono for $1,200/month.

As someone who makes much more than the average Bangor salary I would have happily paid more for a place but I couldn’t justify paying that much more for no more space or amenities so I ended up competing with college kids. And who is going to rent to a college kid when the other option is a couple that works works full time and had previously been renting a place 50% more expensive?

It should, but that’s not the way Portland perceives it from my experience. They don’t want more trucks in town and are already looking at emissions from ships due to bunker fuel being dirtier. Maybe with the railhead? Basically, they don’t want the commercial on Commercial Street.

PLEASE, I am begging you, watch this clip. Dick Stacy was some sort of genius!

TV ad for Dick Stacey’s Plaza Motel

Not picking on you, but it's wild to see how we all experience things relatively. I know exactly what you're talking about, and I also used to think that was bad... until I moved out of state. Stillwater and Hogan wouldn't even register on my radar as "traffic" now.

It's a damn shame, that attitude hurts the future of the state economy.

The bunker fuel argument doesn't hold water (🤣) because those ships remove far more emissions from the roadways. Though it sounds like you're the type of person that knows that. 😁

It isn't that bad. There's a food truck scene that is kinda there. The summer concerts rival what Portland sees. There's several festivals.

Really it is a very nice city to live in, or near by.

Bangor’s a great place to get a hotel room and take a nice hot shower after a few days of hiking in Baxter State Park. I recommend it as a central location utilized to make day trips to some of the most beautiful spots in Maine. Get up at dawn’s crack and climb Katahdin, or head to Belfast, or hike Gulf Hagas then keep driving to eat lunch at Abbott Bakery… visit Fort Knox and go up to the Penobscot Narrows Bridge observatory.

Oh, I know all about traffic. I lived in a major metro for several years precovid and during, and was stuck in multi hour jams and commuted through horrendous rush hour traffic daily. Bangor is nothing in the grand scheme, but that doesn’t mean traffic by the mall on the weekend isn’t relatively horrible for the area.

it would take longer to go to the airport, get through security, wait, board, pre-flight checks, land, deplane than it would just be to make the flight. There's a bus for those that don't want to drive.

If you like being bored and disappointed. A commenter already suggested your best bet. The coast or the woods. There is nothing in Bangor you probably can't find at home.

Yeah, that relativity paired with our expectations is just fun to think about. Brains are weird.

No way go to one of the little motels in Millinocket!

People from the county will drive down to Bangor for lunch and drive back home. To say it doesn’t draw from the north isn’t accurate. Bangor just doesn’t have a lot of pull from any direction. However the north relies on it heavily as it is the closest place of convenience for a lot of things.

Bars and clubs are commercial spaces. That’s all they need to survive, right?

It’s a state university with a budget bigger than we can imagine, yet it’s facilities are poor and run down, of course it’s got poor leadership.

> They did this by not catering to their college communities but their 20-40communities.

Bangor is doing this exact thing, though. Bars, pubs, restaurants, social activities, etc are all mostly available in town or nearby. I'm square in the middle of the age range you mention, and nearly everything in Bangor falls within my rough interests. I'd go so far as to say that Bangor could be doing a better job by prioritizing things for kids, parents, and older folks to do.

• Year-round family-friendly indoor entertainment. Where I live now, we have indoor playgrounds for kids of all ages that also have bars. They're apparently great for meeting other parents, arranging playdates (without having to clean up your house for company), hosting birthday parties, etc.
• A barbershop/cigar lounge/social club/billiards hall combo for folks who are into that kind of thing.
• A real wine bar. Bangor Wine & Cheese is a good stop-gap (especially for oils.. my god, I miss that place), but a dedicated drinking space would get many women's perpetual patronage.

> This is everything from the sushi and steal restaurant, to mexicali blues to walmart. A cursory look at the products from local shops tell you this.

Did you mean Smoke and Steel? They cater to people who like meat, beer, and throwing axes... and they're priced in such a way that it pretty much cuts out college students. I used to live right next to Mexicali Blues, and the only people I'd ever see in there aside from tourists were new-age hippy girls and older women. Walmart caters to everyone (which is why two of them can exist so close together).

Honestly, the only stores I can think of that primarily serve college students are the vape stores and maybe dispensaries... and even then, there's a healthy mix of folks who enjoy both of those things.

Genuinely curious here: What would you like to see as far as new businesses go in Bangor? A great skates revival? Another bowling alley or movie theater that can't turn a profit? Another microbrewery that sells skunky IPA with a Maine-based pun for the name?

I wasn’t trying to say Bangor should become a Portland clone. Just that there are some similarities, but it’s much further up 95, so it would weed out most of the pretentious people from the big city.

Bangor? I never met 'er!

Between dat crystal, da heron, and da yayo it’s bad. I mean superbad n not in a funny way. Sad really.

Can’t bear to ever since La Casa was torn down. 😪🍈🤗🍈😪

Accurate!

You ran a business and moved in a town that doesn’t like “fresh ideas” yet has a thriving casino, big concert venue, and multiple craft breweries. I’m sure Bangor was the problem.

Hate to break it to you, but the casino is not thriving. It has an extremely low occupancy rate and is one of Penn Nationals worst performing casinos.

Yay for concerts - personally Im happy to go home and visit family and maybe catch a good concert. Bangor concerts were started by a woman-beating drug dealer, but like a true American I'll go ahead and look right past that.

Breweries don't make a town fresh. Chalky IPAs from bangor maine America aren't boosting the population. Every small city has multiple breweries - making an ipa is about as hard as tying your shoes or putting on pants. Or breathing. Easy money, especially in a shit town with nothing to do other than talking about the POTENTIAL OF BANGOR like it's 1830.

Bangor sucks out loud.

[deleted]

You say it had multiple, so I assume there is only one now…

Folks, this is Bangor, Bangor Maine. Having lived in central Maine with a gazillion other young back-to-the-landers, in the 70's and 80's we all knew there was absolutely no reason to ever go to Bangor. Just spend the extra 20 minutes and go on t the coast.

lol. Good point.

The cryptozoology museum is moving from Portland to Bangor, surely that will bring the masses

Not sure, but I’d guess if they do exist they won’t be so open about it now! They operated in a legal grey area because Maine prostitution laws were narrowly written and only covered PIV sex for a while.

Downtown Bangor was on the decline from the 70s when strip malls started opening until the late 90s when some of the seedier establishments were closed.

I have been to the West numerous times but the last time I checked Bangor is located on the East Coast. A 4 hour ride from Boston and you can be in Manhattan, Vermont or New Hampshire. Unlike out West you have many interesting options.

I went to a conference as a rep for a congresswoman years ago. Here’s what I remember: the trajectory for trains heading west - avoiding hills - makes a big difference in shipping. Halifax NS, Norfolk VA, and NYC-NJ are the three best natural east coast sites for depth and have the best paths west. NYC is the absolute best but the real estate on shore is too expensive plus labor… so Norfolk and Halifax were battling it out. This was about accommodating a new wave of huge ships… and Portland wasn’t close. There also were surprisingly few permanent jobs given the vast amount of activity. This information is 25 years old… but at the time that was the consensus.

That's really awesome insight. All of it accurate and lines up with my experience out here. I currently work in NYC on a tugboat and from all my history classes and shipping classes they all said that if Halifax had been focused on before NYC then it would have been what NYC is today.

I however, have much lower ambitions for a Portland container terminal. I wouldn't even aim for competing for ultra large carriers. I'd be happy to just take some trucks off the road and focus on domestic trade or even take some smaller ships coming from Halifax.

No how about jobs that actually pay worth a damn? How about some tech companies here that drove innovation and solutions for other business and government incentives to move here. Great bars, cigar lounges, and restaurants that's certainly not going to pay the bills. You have a couple of indoor areas for families, and none of them were good. Urban air is ok but super packed most of the time. Or how about affordable housing. Living

When I say they're catering to to college kids that's what I mean is low paying jobs that have little to no chance of providing for a family. Outdoor parks now filled with homeless even the Riverwalk. I'm not saying there's not opportunity for it to be good. It's just mismanaged. Yoga studios, used book stores and coffee shops are ok but no ones paying a 1000-2700 a month rent for a 2br on salaries from any one of those places.

Bangor also suffering from a dramatic shortage of things like optometrists dentists and enough basic services to provide. Yes you can Google them and say but look there's all these places that do that. However, most of then don't have enough doctors to keep up or just none at all.

I'm not sure the answer but attempting a gentrification without a solid infrastructure to bring in new jobs or provide affordable housing to people isn't cutting it. So they'll rely on their rural people who don't have anything in their towns and their college kids during the winter and hope enough tourists and snowbirds want to come back in the summer

Yeah that second sentence is weird, it's set up like it should be contrasting a negative with a positive, but then they're just both negatives, haha.

I got exactly what you were trying to say. It could be more vibrant of a city for Mainers, while being far enough away to keep out major tourism and gentrification.

So long as UMO isn’t targeted for significant disinvestment (like a chain of events that ends in USM Gorham as the state’s flagship), I give Bangor a shot at a thriving future. They just have to properly utilize their proximity and aim to retain graduates in a way that they haven’t since…the 1950s? A shrinking pool of low-budget, long-distance shoppers isn’t even close to a recipe for maintaining the status quo if the university withers.

While not a perfect comparison, I’d point to Macomb, Illinois, as a cautionary tale that’s currently unfolding. It has a smaller regional population base than Bangor, but it’s almost as isolated. It’s at the center of the Quad Cities, Peoria, and Springfield, each about 90 minutes away, and there’s only one slightly larger town in over three hours to its west. The state’s decision to shrink WIU’s budget was the equivalent of stating that they shouldn’t even be a blip on the map, and has already cost the area a third of its non-student population in the span of about six years. Needless to say, they’re still in free fall, with no end in sight, particularly if the free fall triggers a further reduction in WIU’s budget, which would likely be focused on their graduate schools, which have remained relatively unscathed so far.

I was in Bangor last week...it didn't seem so different than what OP described.

Good used books stores? Anything other than Pro Libris?

Bangor’s infrastructure is overextended. As economies shift and population declines, there’s an over abundance of infrastructure. Also not to mention, urban renewal hit Bangor hard with destruction of its first city hall for the Haymarket parking garage and Union Station being a strip mall, among other things.

The city has a good chance to get it together. I think when passenger rail service returns we’ll see a downtown-centric approach to revamping the city’s and regions economy.

Ugh, I went to a show there when they were just opening up last year.. the restroom line was so long (waited close to an hour) that we just left next time either of us needed to pee. Hopefully things will be better this summer, but definitely hesitant to go back.

Doesn’t seem to be much in the way of marketing Bangor to those that don’t already live there—tourists, southern Maine residents etc. There’s an underlying Down East vibe of not wanting to be found or inundated with outsiders IMO

Movie theater with the experience of the Alamo Draft House might do okay. Especially as it could also double as a small band/music venue.

Bull Moose comes to mind although not strictly books

Best I can do is a worse version of portland.

The videos coming out of the public school bathrooms are all over the public fight reddits. Bangors future is dark.

The current state of UMO and all of the umaine schools is stagnant to declining. So, I just don’t see how it’s surrounding town can possibly benefit unless there is actual intentional growth of the university. In fact, we moved here from out of state and I have a high school aged kid. He has no interest in the Maine schools. Very few of his friends have interest in the maine schools. They lack resources compared to other state universities, that’s the problem. Why would they go there? Especially if they are mid to high achievers that will get scholarships to other state schools with more resources and thriving towns with more people their age?

Given the aging population here, Umaine and Maine should be investing in a medical school. You want people to stay in Bangor and fulfill the workforce needs? Get a good medical program going. It’s already an R1, but doing very little to build on that status. Heck, I had a friend who was told not to apply to their physics grad program by a physics professor that works there because of how bad the resources are, and they really want to stay in Maine for grad school.

Maybe it was better pre COVID though.

Pro Libris was the one I was thinking about. Good prices for old books

Bangor was the short adventure for my family of five growing up in the 80s and 90s in The County. The Mall! Borders! Strawberrys! Knapps for some reason! It was the 'fancy' trip my family could afford in gasoline to get away from the country up north.

I remember in the 2010s Bangor was on the up and up....Perhaps Covid killed the momentum?

Watch out, I made a similar point in a housing cost discussion a few weeks ago and got accused of supporting "trickle down housing" lmao.

Under-investment in public universities is rampant in New England thanks to the Ivies, NESCAC, and other quality private institutions. However, Maine has the short end of that stick, with three small schools totaling ~6k, 85% from out of state. Hopefully that will prompt an administration to prioritize enhancing UMO and USM sooner than later.

Having lived in both towns, Id rather ride a bike in Bangor than Portland any day.

Oh fuck, you weren't kidding

My point was that most people who live/have lived out west don’t view 4 hours as too long a drive to get anywhere.

If you wanna find the culture in Bangor, you have to follow the students from UM (Orono) they usually set the tone of events near Bangor . As a chef with a well reputed restaurant (I don’t live in Bangor, but I visit quite often) I got to say the food is not bad up there either. And Acadia national park is so very close !

Knapps !!! that brings back some memories

I feel that the isolation as you describe in the second sentence is an issue rather than a benefit. While Bangor has most things for life, that’s not how people especially young people live. People like variations around, rather than a small collection of all within a single area. Think about UNH. You find nature if you go north, and you have Boston if you go south for about an hour. Rural areas are around, so is the ocean:. That’s what people like.

There it is!

Yes, people actually believe building more quality housing units is bad for working class Mainers.

It's open in Bangor now! Planning to visit soon!

I've been here visiting for the last two months while my fiancé is doing a travel nursing contract at eastern Maine medical and I have to say I love it! Originally from PA, and I would love to come back to the area in the summer time.

Acadia is so nice only an hour and change away, Portland two hours... it's been great. The breweries are awesome, the people are so nice, and the hiking and trails around here are beautiful.

So, from a first time visitor, I have to say, it's been great!

Ooh nice, I’ll have to stop by

It has one. Eimskip

Mostly because anyone with real talent in administration takes the job as a resume builder for a real job in public education I. The Midwest.

You state the reason in your own words.

It's isolated from the coast and from southern tourism/vacationers.

Maine is a dead state. People come for the coast and for vacations. Portland is vibrant BECAUSE of it's proximity to things. You can live in Cumberland county and not be far from Boston from Portsmouth shoot from NYC.

Maine has harsh weather and is far from most things. Without tourism without a draw is doesn't have much.

Some will come for the beauty of the inland and more northern parts but let's be honest most want to be closer to the beach and city amenities

I moved to Old Town about a year and a half ago and have also wondered why Bangor is so dead; I love the running and biking and winter sport scenes here and proximity to Acadia and Baxter but it’s kind of a weird place to be if you’re post-college but under 40, seems like there should be more going on with the universities nearby. That said, my idea of going out is hitting the bagel place on the weekend so it’s not like I require much in the way of nightlife, more music venues would be cool though

This is news to me. You've pointed me in the right direction.

Hopefully we can continue to increase maritime trade in such a historic port. We see little ships like the one in that article come into NYC all the time.

Sure it has a lot less traffic. Make it as popular as Portland and you'll hate it just as much.

Problem is that government cannot just bring good paying jobs to an area. Businesses locate those jobs in the places they do for reasons. And increasingly the reasons important to them tell them to locate to places like Boston.

Plenty of cities have went and sought out businesses and attempted to bring then to their city. In fact big cities like Portland Boston Charlotte Philly ect have done just that. Bangor needs to get out of the old mindset and start moving into the mindset of how are we going to start helping to provide for our residents. Seasonal rentals and jobs aren't cutting it

Is there a plan for passenger rail service to return to Bangor?

It really comes down to what you value and what your current life priorities are. Obviously that changes over time as people grow up and start and family.

Bangor is pretty great if you value things like a place where your kids can ride their bike around the neighborhood. We have some great parks. We have an amazing library!!! There's an amazing kids museum downtown! There's lots of green spaces and trail networks and even a neat little walk way through downtown called Kenduskeag River Heritage Trail. The Brown Woods Network and Bangor City Forrest. And more adventurous mountains are not too far away. We have great schools with great sports programs and other afterschool programs. We have the Opera house that has some amazing theater productions and Cross insurance center that holds a lot of family friendly events. The summer is always filled with fun festivals and art walks and live music.

Obviously things could always get better... Bangor definitely needs more affordable housing!!!

Look for the good!

Halifax would not have beat our New York in the long run. Halifax is one of the great natural harbors of the world. But New York has an overwhelming advantage. The Erie Canal. Because there is only a couple of places in the Appalachians that has good access to the Ohio Valley. And that gave New York a more than 50 year head start on any port that required railroads to get to the interior.

If half of the patrons of Applebee’s would spend money Downtown you’d see a big boom. People visit Bangor for the struggling mall and chain stores, then complain about how Bangor is dead and leave.

The outdoor community is huge, Bangor Arts Exchange is cool, Bangor Greendrinks is fun, a ton of cool locally owned businesses. Bangor is great.

One complaint though... The city needs better food offerings.

That's a good point!

I agree, mostly but the Advanced Manufacturing program and the Materials lab are truly incredible.

😂😂😂 Nah, but I got drunk at either Angie’s or the Sail Loft and got kicked out for playing too much Patsy Cline on the jukebox.

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Two glaring inadequacies are housing and we'll paying jobs. Those restaurants and venues don't pay enough to live in Bangor with the current rental market. Let alone buy anything. And aside from Bangor savings, northern light, UMO, and the insurance companies there aren't many good jobs to be had. What Bangor could really use is another large employer's headquarters and to have that near vacant mall and other empty properties turned into affordable housing. But instead we have a culture that opposes big business moving in and some chode from New York building luxury apartments nobody can afford.

Nothing keeps out tourism and gentrification if a place is remotely desirable to be anymore.

Bangor is a long term investment. As climate change and housing price increases continue, Bangor will become very desirable. COVID caused a short term depression that we have mostly figured out how to weather both now and for the next time so I anticipate Bangor will be back to its previous luster in a year or two and 10-15 years down the road it will be well worth the effort.

Off the radar (so to speak) when it comes to potential foreign nuclear targets. The whole state actually, however the state has been subjected to an inordinate volume of refugee placements that are problematic for border states when you factor the national security issue of mass amounts of unvetted foreign born residents.

The last time I was in Bangor was in 2016. My wife and I drove from Portland to a Waterfront concert. It was "meh" enough that we've had little interest in returning. I recall the "security" process/policy being pretty draconian for an outdoor venue. To be honest, I'm a little surprised they are still finding people to fill it up. I would much rather go to Boston or Gilford, NH for a concert.

FYI Buen moved to a new location on West River Road. Haven't been yet but heard good things.

I've been up for a few concerts lately, it's still a great little city. It's been invaded by tweakers though, it's really too bad.

Don't worry it's getting gentrified one step at a time

Bangor is isolated. With sparsely populated areas on all sides, people in that area do rely on Bangor for basic needs but these are poor rural towns. People who don't like the bustle of Portland like to use Bangor as a second option. It's much cheaper to live up that way BUT it comes at the cost of lack of resources: southern Maine has the best Healthcare* and more options available for just about anything. Bangor does not have the same amount of money coming into it with rural towns on all sides and it also does not have the attractiveness of the ocean at its doorstep.

*I worked at MMC for about 5 years and briefly worked at an orthopedic office in Ptown. There were people who drove from as far as Caribou and Presque Isle to see Portland area specialists because nothing closer could help them.

The most important change this state needs to make in my opinion is to stop settling for good enough or business as usual. People need to embrace change and rise to the challenge and try to make things better. It starts with small things like having your store be open during hours that people with full time jobs can utilize.

Or Aroostook County.

I miss that library. It's way better than Portland's.

The economic decline of upstate NY along the Erie Canal testifies as to the boom & bust nature of everything.

I moved away from Bangor around 15 years ago, I’m really glad to hear Pro Libris is still around!

RIP Lippincott’s, you were my fave

Much of that is the fact that they don't have the staffing. How do you stay open if there is no one to work it?

If you run it yourself are you going to work 12+ hours a day? Not be home for dinner with your family?

To be honest they need more of a focus on deluxe and luxury apartments, townhomes, and condos. People that tend to live in deluxe and luxury are much more likely to support local food, local stores, and farmers markets. Most of Bangor’s housing supply already is affordable housing, public housing, and private/public low income housing.

Most of Bangor’s existence post-lumber was creating affordable housing, creating assisted living, creating section 8, supporting the homeless and the very low income. Most of the buildings outside of the 95 corridor is dedicated to those concepts (penquis is huge, a lot of trailer parks, a lot of public housing). If the city keeps building support for section 8 housing, and at-risk individuals, the city will only reflect those people and will lose any attraction to visit or grow.

More luxury and higher end builds need to be done in the city, because it will keep the small businesses floating. The current population shops at Walmart, Applebees, etc, and does not support local businesses to focus on surviving.

Sure. Everything is subject to change. But the direction of change now is really in the direction of large cities with a lot of services and higher education. All of rural America is feeling it.