The people of Bangor,
pop. 33,800, hold the secret to the quality of life that's sought after
in today's world--a life with an appropriate balance between professional
and personal fulfillment. More than 90,000 people live in Bangor and the
20 surrounding communities. Affordable housing, excellent secondary and
post-secondary schools, outstanding recreational access, one of the lowest
crime rates in the entire country; all combine to make Bangor a great
place to live and work.
For the newcomer and the visitor alike, Bangor welcomes you. From the
most elegant restaurant in the River City to a local church group's baked
bean supper, from the prominent Bangor Symphony, the oldest community
orchestra in the country, to a downtown nightclub, you will experience
the hospitality and friendliness of a true community when you come here.
Visitors to Bangor find an active downtown area, conducive to leisurely
shopping and dining, strolling through historic neighborhoods, relaxing
on a park bench next to a waterfall, or enjoying a pub style meal and
drink while watching the Penobscot River meander to the Sea.
Just north of the central business district, the Bangor Mall is the centerpiece
of a growing and thriving retail complex that has become a shopping mecca
encompassing over 1.5 million square feet for a region that covers central,
eastern and northern Maine. Travelers entering the gateway city through
Bangor International Airport arrive from every state, Canada, and many
other countries to enjoy the many advantages and opportunities found here.
For nearly 400 years Bangor has been the destination and home of explorers,
trail blazers and makers of fortune. Beginning with the journey up the
Penobscot River in 1604 of Samuel de Champlain in search of the legendary
land of Norumbega, the fabled city of gold of Milton's Paradise Lost,
to modern day explorations by entrepreneurs and visionaries in business
and technology at the University of Maine, Bangor has grown into the commercial
and cultural hub of central, eastern, and northern Maine.
First settled over 200 years ago as a frontier outpost, in 1820 the vast
richness of Maine's timberlands opened the region and attracted investors
and entrepreneurs to this bustling town. In 1846 writer Henry David Thoreau
visited Maine's northern woods and was so impressed by Bangor's vitality
that he wrote about it:
"There stands the city of Bangor, 50 miles up the Penobscot at the
head of navigation, the principal lumber depot on this continent, like
a star on the edge of night, still hewing at the forests of which it is
built."
By 1870 Bangor was the lumber capital of the world with a billion feet
of lumber shipped from its docks to points all across the country and
the world.
Ask people what they think of when they think of Maine and they mention
the Maine work ethic and the high quality it stands for. That work ethic
is alive and well in Bangor where the people are pro-business and pro-growth.
They have pride in the vigorous past of their ancestors, and pride in
the healthy, prosperous future they are building for their children.
Today, the excitement the city was founded on still thrives in innovative
businesses that have achieved regional, national and international success.
The city has become the economic, educational, recreational, distribution
and medical center for the eastern and northern Maine region. The city
also serves as northern New England's economic link to the Canadian Maritimes
and Eastern Quebec. As a communication center, Bangor has four local television
stations, 10 radio stations and is the home of the fourth largest daily
newspaper in New England.
Bangor is a hub for economic growth and activity. Many regional and national
companies site their operations in the Bangor area. Services, trades,
manufacturing, and government are the four largest categories of employment
in the metropolitan Bangor region. Bangor is a major financial center
with two "super-regional" banks, two state-wide commercial banks, and
three regional banks having offices in the city.
The Bangor area's commercial and industrial sectors are also serviced
by several statewide and national accounting firms, law firms, insurance
companies and security and investment firms. Bangor is also a hub for
government services, with many local, State and Federal offices located
within the city.
The quality of life attracts many professionals and businesses to the
Bangor area. Bangor's high livability quotient has been recognized in
such national publications as Rand McNally's Places Rated Almanac, as
well as Money and Psychology Today magazines. A wide variety of cultural,
recreational, educational, and healthy living opportunities are available
within the surrounding region.
Theater, music and dance of all types fill the calendar throughout the
year in Bangor. The Bangor civic Center and 7,000 seat Auditorium provide
comprehensive conference and meeting facilities and serves as host to
sporting events, concerts, exhibitions and trade shows. The Maine Center
for the Arts on the campus of the University of Maine in Orono is a short
drive north of the city limits. Nationally known performers from pop to
classical appear throughout the year at the Center.
The Hudson Museum, housed in the same building, features as excellent
collection of pre-Hispanic, Mexican and Central American artifacts, as
well as touring exhibits. Other museums in the region house a wide variety
of collections from the seafaring era of whales and sea captains to vehicles
that have traveled Maine's roads and rails.
Those looking for outdoor adventure will discover that Bangor is the heart
of a four-season recreational region. The rugged Maine coast of Acadia
National Park/Bar Harbor with its magnificent shoreline and hiking trails
provide a popular destination. Autumn at Acadia or in the mountains west
and north of Bangor draws thousands of visitors with color and brilliance.
World renowned Mt. Katahdin and Baxter State Park lie just north of Bangor,
providing true wilderness for the visitor and rigorous exercise for the
hiker and camper. Moosehead Lake, the largest lake in New England, and
the famed Atlantic Salmon Pool on the Penobscot River attract anglers
from all over the world. During the winter Sugarloaf USA and Sunday River,
two popular Maine ski resorts, attract large numbers of downhill and cross-country
skiers from as far away as Europe.
Bangor offers the many advantages of a city built on the imagination and
skill of men and women willing to take chances. We continue to offer the
many advantages of a city supporting its people and its businesses as
we move forward together into the 21st Century.
If you would like to learn more about Bangor and the State of Maine, please
click here to be transported to our Links page. If you are interested
in developing, siting, or expanding a business in Bangor, please visit
our section on Economic Development at Bangor International Airport.
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