Bangor, ME

Bangor is a Penobscot River city and one of northern Maine's major service centers. Its location on the river helped make it a lumber and shipping hub, and the Penobscot valley's colonial history was long contested between France and Britain. Today Bangor serves a wide region with hospitals, shopping, an airport, and the Air National Guard base. It has a compact downtown, older neighborhoods, and a distinctly Maine role as the gateway toward the woods, lakes, and Down East coast.