thesleazye OP t1_itqz6re wrote on October 25, 2022 at 5:39 PM

Reply to comment by Alexhite in UMaine Presque Isle by thesleazye

So interesting - I know a minuscule amount about Maine. Given the ages of the states, I thought Maine was like CT in its population. Ignorant Texan, here.

yeahigotnothing t1_itr1uwm wrote on October 25, 2022 at 5:56 PM

Ehhh, I graduated from UMPI and live in PI. It's easily the most "urban" city in Aroostook County, though that's not saying a lot. It's population bounces around the 9k mark, is less conservative than other areas of The County, has decent, though sparse, amenities, and is all-round not bad. Is the degree the same caliber as UMO? Not really, but that may not be what you care about. I moved her from FL and am overall satisfied with the area, though I have zero interest in outdoor recreation, which is really the only entertainment available.

That being said, Bangor is only 2 hours away, Portland 4, Boston 6 (or so), and if you enjoy exploring and idyllic surroundings, you can't go far wrong. I've known some that have decided that they can't live without a diverse range of restaurants and entertainment, but there's a reason that so many people move back here after leaving in their youth. Honestly, I'd recommend checking it out.

thesleazye OP t1_itr98fz wrote on October 25, 2022 at 6:43 PM

Thank you!

sintixerr t1_itrc83v wrote on October 25, 2022 at 7:02 PM

If it hasn't been said elsewhere, Presque Isle also has a very, very, very small airport but it does have one and does commercial flights daily out to JFK (I think? Or DC), which should get you where you need to go if you need to travel from a connections perspective.

Aside: I left city life (Charlotte, DC, Seattle, elsewhere) for northern Maine (I'm an hour from presque isle) and love it. Presque Isle has all the commercial establishments you might want, but is probably missing the social scene - I've heard it's stayed subdued from pandemic. There is at least a weekly karaoke night??

turnleftnoright t1_ityd7be wrote on October 27, 2022 at 5:20 AM

Flights are to Newark…and I can’t say that they are consistently on time.

JooePasta t1_itryye4 wrote on October 25, 2022 at 9:27 PM

It's a great English speaking area to stage your exploration of Canada. Quebec city is closer than Boston if you've got your passport! Plus all of New Brunswick is basically at your doorstep. I grew up in Fort Kent and Loved going to Canada almost every weekend. People are fun and friendly over the border and up around there!

bigtencopy t1_itr1ueh wrote on October 25, 2022 at 5:56 PM

Northern Maine/ P.I is not as bad as people say. It has a decent night life when college students are in town, has enough amenities for most regular people. Also, it has an airport you can fly direct to, No 3 hour ride from Bangor needed. If you like hunting,fishing, hiking or exploring deeply wooded areas then you would enjoy it.

RatherNerdy t1_itrr3dg wrote on October 25, 2022 at 8:36 PM

It's not about population, but geography. Maine is a big state and there's a lot of distance from the bottom to the top (5 hours driving). Presque Isle and all of northern Maine is remote and you will likely experience some level of culture shock. There's no way around that, but depending on who you are, it could be an interesting experience.