5 Lies About Bangor, Maine that People Think are Totally True

Bangor is a sweet little city.

Having grown up in the Bangor area and with family still living there, I may not be an authority, but I know a thing or two about a thing or two. More often than not over the years, I feel like I've answered all kinds of weird questions about good old Bangtown. What's weird is that you'd think only being a scant two hours away from Southern Maine, we wouldn't seem so alien to the rest of the state.

Bangor is almost like the middle child. Portland is the big brother or sister, and the County is kind of like the youngest child. Here's Bangor right in the middle, just trying to carve out its way. So let's take a look at some of the things people think about Bangor and the area in general, that people somehow actually believe.

Everyone thinks you're automatically a Stephen King fan.

This has to be at the top of the list. I swear, because Maine's most famous author is from Bangor, we're either his biggest fans or at the very least, we must be experts on all his books, his houses, his comings and goings. But really, he has probably as many fans as he has anywhere else. Oh, and no... We don't remotely freak out if we see him in public.

Most folks from out of state think we're all snow angels.

This point always killed me when I was out on tour. You're in a state a couple thousand miles away, and if they've ever even heard of Bangor at all, they assume we're some sort of nomadic people that survive on snow and lobsters. I swear, we really do hate winters as much as the next folks. Which brings me to another solid point...

Bangor isn't really part of 'Northern Maine'. Not even close.

Sure, compared to Portland, Bangor is "north". But in reality, if you look at a map, Bangor is central/eastern. Houlton, which I kinda consider to be the bottom portion of Northern Maine, is two hours north of Bangor, and then you can still go a few hours beyond that. So calling Bangor "Northern Maine" is a bit off. Maybe a lot.

Believe it or not, we don't specifically hate Southern Maine.

We get this accusation a lot. And the fact of the matter is, they're two wildly different towns. Portland has more money, more to do in some ways, and a lot more people. But Bangor has a lot of those same things, but with a bit more of a small town vibe. More people up here no each other. But folks recognize that Portland usually has the things that scratch whatever itch you may have that you can't find locally.

We are not all experts in the history of Paul Bunyan.

This one only occurs if you happen to be in the vicinity of the statue if someone from away is snapping photos and such. They'll walk right up and ask if you're a local and if you confess you are, they'll pummel you with questions. More often than not, you'll find yourself scrambling for answers and suggesting they try Google.

There's probably a ton more that could be added to the list, for sure. On the other hand, many of these things would apply to the whole state. But if you want it the other way, here's a bunch of things about Maine that sound made up, but are actually true. Check it out...