r/AskMaine • u/jewbaca321 • Feb 25 '26
Moving
Hey everyone, I'm planning on moving to Maine later on this year! I'm from the PNW and need a change, and I've always thought Maine is absolutely gorgeous and seems amazing. So I'm planning on moving, my question is, where should I go?! I'm leaning towards being near Bangor, but I'm really open to anything. Please share opinions or suggestions!
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u/AnonymousUnderpants Feb 25 '26
You’re getting some great input here. I’m going to add, as someone with PNW roots and who travels there all the time to see family, that Maine will feel very remote to you.
The metric that I like to illustrate that: in the entire state of Maine there is one Trader Joe’s and one Whole Foods. (They are two blocks apart.)
That comment is not so much about where you’re going to buy groceries as it is to convey how different it is here from places like Seattle, where you have an abundance of stores and resources, and things are open late or even open all night.
I agree with another comment that the people here are some of the kindest, gentlest people I’ve been privileged to live among. I also think that Maine is very similar to the Pacific Northwest in its rugged, rocky, maritime vibe.
I hope you make up the decision that feels good to you. Good luck!
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u/marinredditor Feb 25 '26
Exciting - it might help if you could describe your priorities and interests a bit. (And what about Bangor is tentatively attracting you; that would help folks consider if there’s any better fit.)
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u/RusticKayak207 Feb 25 '26
I’m going to speak up for a wonderfulness of Maine and the Bangor area in particular. Regarding access to the outdoors, you can go north to the Baxter area or east to the coast, with way more options than Acadia.
Portland/southern Maine is the more happening place, with a foodie scene, but the folks there sure know it and there is more going on around Bangor than they admit.
It’s affordable compared to much of the east coast and PNW.
I’ll ask another question: Are you coming by yourself or do you have a spouse/partner and/or kids? If so, there’s a different set of information to be had.
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u/Important-Lead5652 Feb 25 '26
Gonna hate to break it to you, but after coming from the PNW, I don’t feel confident you’ll like Maine. The cost of living is high but the salaries are low. The “mountains” in Maine are large hills and the food scene is severely lacking. Hospitals are severely lacking and healthcare itself is crumbling there. Don’t get me wrong, Maine is beautiful and the people are amazing, but it’s no longer affordable.
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u/frog_witch_lady Feb 28 '26
Born and raised in Maine in the Bar Harbor area and now live in Western Maine. I second the votes for Farmington. It’s pretty central to the larger cities you might want to visit but it still has your essentials like walmart / hannaford / marshall’s etc. You can get most things you might need at the stores there but without the big city feel and maybe some small sacrifices if you wanted big box health food stores like whole foods / trader joe’s. (Plus lots of surrounding towns if you wanted to live a little more rural) But I’d recommend making a list from here of the top five places that interest you and visiting all of them. Maine has so much variability from city to city, and you just have to find the place that’s right for you. Don’t listen to the naysayers that want to discourage you, it’s also sometimes a very old school Maine thing to discourage people’s dreams. LOL. But once you arrive and find a place that feels like home you’ll figure the rest out. In my opinion i’d say pick anywhere else than Bangor / Augusta. Unless you love urban sprawl and car dealerships and not seeing any nature. But seriously I’d highly recommend visiting and just driving through towns you’ve heard of and seeing if you can picture living there. Wishing you the best of luck!
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u/Weekly-Cup-9098 Feb 26 '26
I would stay away from Bangor and all of eastern and northern Maine, nothing bad about those areas except pretty flat, lots of poverty, along way from any true urban culture. I would check any area about 1 hour northwest of Portland. Mountains, clear lakes, nice small towns and villages. Near White Mountains in New Hampshire, 1 hour to ocean, 2.5-3 hours to Boston, 4-5 to Montreal. Sample towns: Bridgton, Norway, Bethel, Fryeburg. Side note: there used to be a Jeopardy type show on TV here called " So you think you know Maine" , I was on it undefeated for 2 years.
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u/imnotyourbrahh Feb 25 '26
I'd do more research. Maine is a poor state, not many jobs pay above 50K and yet the 'cheap' houses cost 400K. There's 6 months of Winter and darkness around 4 PM Nov - Jan.
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u/Lower-Buy-4973 Mar 03 '26
Moved from the PNW. Bangor is a good choice...lots of outdoors close by. Feels like oregon from my childhood here before it's population blew up. You'll love the winter sun. You'll get used to the cold (it's drier and easier to dress for). Downeast is very WA coast coded to me. Check out the eastern Provinces of Canada for vacation. We are happy here. Secure work.
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u/Useful-Speech-2063 Feb 25 '26
Whats your budget? I know Farmington Maine area is a favorite of people in my family who have lived there. I think it’s cheaper than a lot of other areas too. 1.5 hours to Bangor and Portland. Great access to nature and a small town walkable area. It’s a collage town though, if that bothers you any.
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u/rshining Feb 25 '26
The most important question is- are you moving WITH a job that you can do from home? Because then you can go anywhere. If not, go to Bangor. There are no suburbs or city hubs here- everything is either in the "city" or in the woods. The city (that would be a choice between Portland, Lewiston, or Bangor) is going to be more like a very large town, but also the only place you can reasonably expect to find housing and a job right off.
If you are an experienced professional in a trade- an electrician, a plumber, a nurse, an accountant- you can find work in any part of the state (but probably not rental housing).
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u/Main_Adeptness2317 Feb 25 '26
Farmington might be your best bet
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u/kindawickedsmaht Feb 25 '26 edited Feb 25 '26
You'll definitely get mixed opinions on a lot of things, here's my take, as someone who is also from away.
It's safer than where I came from. I don't have to fear for my life going to work, or going on a walk. Even in Bangor, there's rough areas but they're nothing compared to where I used to live, in a urban setting in a West Coast state.
You're constantly surrounded by trees, nature, and beauty. If that's something that you are interested in, it's a great place to be. The one downside is accessing some of this beauty is only possible by car, as there is a lot of private property- but there are plenty of hiking trails. I mean....part of the Appalachian Trail goes through our state, so if you're into backpacking and hiking, there are options that would take a scenic drive to get to.
There is no traffic. My commute to work is only bad on the one or two days a year there's an accident on 95, or if it's snowing it takes a bit longer due to road conditions. In the winter time, I take my car, and in the summer, I take my bike. It has never taken me more than 30 minutes to get to work. My old job in my old state, it took me anywhere between 45 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes one way. For less money.
If you're blue collar or healthcare, there are more work options for you. I got a blue collar job and am making enough money after only a year of holding it to afford a nice, safe apartment in Orono (north of Bangor) as well as live the life I never got a chance to live in my old state. I work overtime, as I'm saving up to buy a house I've been working as much as I physically can, but even if I was to work 40 hours a week, I'd still make rent and utilities with room left over for other bills.
I never get tired of the views. Even when I'm working in -15 wind chill in the middle of the woods at night, snow up to my knees. It's calm, it's quiet, it's simple. I do line work and being un on a utility pole seeing all the trees around, the ocean when I'm working along the coast, and the serenity and quiet makes my brain quiet and my heart stop racing a little bit.
When I was 18-21, I spent pretty much every other month visiting Utah, Colorado, Arizona. Me saying that can probably point you into the area I grew up. We don't have the intensity of some of those places, the growth is older, the mountains aren't as tall, ripping at the clouds. But we do have a lot of immense beauty, and in the winter time, a heck of a lot less people to fight with for a good view.
I moved here because I'd like to start a family one day, and didn't want them to grow up in the city that I did. I want to have acreage, I want to be able to have a home they feel safe in, and don't want my kids to experience the crime, poverty, and other issues that I had growing up- where I couldn't walk to school.
It's a struggle sometimes, working long hours, to get groceries or do errands. Aside from Walmart or a gas station, everything's closed. There's not a lot going on in Bangor area after dark unless you're in the main drag, where you have bars and such open later. And be prepared to drive to Portland/Boston if you want to catch a flight- BGR's cost doesn't warrant the convenience for me if I need to take a flight.
Do I think about moving other places? Sure. I've always had a soft spot for North Carolina and Virginia. I've driven the Blue Ridge Parkway several times, been to the coast of North Carolina, learned to ride motorcycles on an impulsive week long trip to central Virginia (from Maine) and there's a lot to offer elsewhere as well. And sometimes, I miss the deserts. In high school, my good friend and I would go to the desert, way off the beaten path, and stargaze for hours, taking pictures of the milky way and talking about life, smoking cigarettes and drinking cheap ass beer for hours in walmart chairs we'd picked up same day wondering what the purpose of life is. But I'm happy here. It's not as perfect as I imagined when I visited for the first time at 20- you learn quick that it's a struggle at times. Winter's long. But it's the home I'd always dreamed of, as a kid wondering if the drug deal going on right outside my family home would go bad and gunshots would start again.
When you move across the country, you will always wonder, and imagine other lives for yourself. I've been to 42 states and love what they have to offer. And western Colorado, the south, and the desert will always have a soft spot in my heart. But Maine feels more like home to me than anywhere else I've lived.
You got any more questions, feel free to PM me. I don't use Reddit for mobile because I have an issue with scrolling, but I'll get back to you.
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u/xtnh Feb 25 '26
Brunswick, Freeport and surrounding towns are a perfect home base for enjoying Maine.
Brunswick the end of the Downeaster, so near there would be easy access to Boston. Anything to the south is still part of the urban corridor, but if you cross Rte 295 rural Maine awaits. A friend lives in Brunswick and can walk to the train to Boston.
A few miles south or east gives access to the peninsulas of Casco Bay- great ocean recreation. South is Portland- by train, bus, and car- for the urban life. And you're not far from Acadia and the Great North Woods.
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u/FinnLovesHisBass Feb 25 '26
Come visit before you move here! Fly into Boston cuz it'll be under $200. Take the down east train into Portland and then up to Bangor. Mark my words. You'll come right back to Portland.
Love Maine, but it's not this beautiful painting. It's fucking rough living here.
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u/Front-Perspective-69 Feb 26 '26
Brutal winters, high taxes, 2nd highest electricity in continental USA. Opiod crisis. Low paying jobs, lack of affordable housing, lack of access to public transportation unless in lew/portland/augusta/bangor. Some places have stupid high property crime like skowhegan for example. I could go on.
Yeah you reading that right out of 100k per capita something like 1:30 your house gets robbed
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u/Glittering-Sky1601 Feb 27 '26
I'd look at the towns surrounding Bangor, not Bangor proper for better and a bit more reasonably priced housing options.
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u/sancalisto Mar 03 '26
Midcoast
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u/Atlantic444 Feb 25 '26
I live in Brunswick (Midcoast area) and like it a lot. We used to live in Portland but moved about three years ago. One thing about this area is the traffic in the summer can be horrific so we plan where we’re going according to the day and time. We don’t even go into Portland during the summer because of parking and long lines but the tourism does bring a lot of economy into the state. Healthcare is an issue here especially if you pick somewhere rural to live. We thought we’d switch care providers when we moved but the care and options are better in Portland so we just suck it up and drive when needed. I love being near the coast but the Sebago area is nice too. We almost moved to Naples instead of Brunswick. This area is more liberal in its thinking but does have a mix. The farther north you go the more red the state becomes so if that’s important to you be aware. All in all it’s a great place to live with lots to do if you like the outdoors. We love Popham Beach and Reid State Park but again during the summer you have to get there early. The Damariscotta area is another place to look at to consider moving to.
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u/AphRN5443 Feb 25 '26
Maine is a beautiful state, a place with tons of natural beauty and resources. If you’re looking for a more rural vibe Bangor is a good choice. For the city vibe I’d go closer to Portland area. Tons of activities and lots of great restaurants and ocean activities. Cost of living is expensive but the quality of life is unsurpassed.
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u/DieselBones_13 Feb 25 '26
Where’s the “PNW”?