Seniors Drop In On Bangor

Bangor, your gateway to more of Maine, is another one of those nice size towns (33,000) where the locals are pleased that it remains the third largest city in the state. Forbes notes that Bangor is “One of the Best Places to Retire” in the country. There are fantastic higher learning facilities nearby, which offer plenty of classes for seniors.

Bangor is a community that offers residents and senior visitors alike the best of both worlds: a friendly city that’s filled with excitement, opportunity and activity, and a gateway to the natural beauty of this great region. Bangor’s quality of life has earned Bangor a place at the top of many national “best places” lists.

 Residents and senior visitors enjoy the arts, shopping, outdoor recreation, sightseeing, and dining in Bangor. It is located along the shores of the Penobscot River, close to the geographic center of the state and just 50 miles from Bar Harbor. Bangor is perhaps most well known as the setting for many of Stephen King’s stories, a reputation that has led to the nickname Transylmainia and his home is there.

Seniors Discover Historical City

Incorporated in 1791, Bangor is named for an Irish hymn entitled “Bangor,” said to be a favorite of pastor Seth Noble who traveled to Boston with the initial intention of naming the town Sunbury. Until recently, it was generally believed that the earliest record of European exploration was found in the journals of French explorer Samuel de Champlain.

Fishing and fur trading drew early settlers to the coast of Maine. In the 19th century, Bangor prospered as a lumber port, and began to call itself “the lumber capital of the world”. Most of the local sawmills (as many as 300 to 400) were actually upriver in neighboring towns. Sailors and loggers gave the city a widespread reputation for roughness; their stomping grounds were known as the “Devil’s Half Acre”.

 Bangor claims to be both the birthplace of the lumber industry, and of Paul Bunyan. A titan of a statue (31 feet tall) in the city reminds Bangorians of their connection to this mythic character.

Today, Bangor remains the commercial and social center of Northern, Central, and Eastern Maine. It has become the region’s largest center of retail and service businesses, and a center for government, education, and employment.

Bangor has a mostly 19th-century cityscape, and sections of the city are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A fire in 1911 destroyed much of the downtown, but the rebuilt area is a national historic landmark.

If you are looking to get up-close and personal with the great outdoors, senior walkers will find a multitude of walking and hiking trails, both in and out of the city. Fall foliage is a big draw around Bangor. It looks like a great place to stop when you’re in the area. jeb