What is the Fort Kent? area like? (Bangor, Presque Isle: university, live)

[SailCT]

How remote is this area? What is this area really like?

[maineguy8888]

It's a pretty cool town, kind of like "Cicily Alaska"", if you rembember the old TV show, "Northern Exposure"! Lots of great outdoors stuff (great cross country and downhill skiing right in town, snowmobiling, biking, etc.) It's also the way into or out of the Allagash or Debouillie. It has the university, which does quite a bit of stuff. It's a very bicultural area............There's a little Canadian town (Clare) right across the bridge with a great restuaurant.
It's very hilly around Fort Kent, on each side of the river. Very pretty.
the Can Am sled dog races are a great time......biggest race in the eastern US. The Maine Winter Sports Center brings major international ski and biathlon events.
So it's an interesting area. Not far from the Maine wilderness, and only 20 minutes to Madawaska/Edmunston (which has a combined population of 25 k)
It is pretty remote, if you are only looking south. But if you lived there, you would also look west to Quebec Province (an hour to Riviere du Loup, which has almost 50,000 people, and less than three hours to Quebec City.......200,000.)

[Coaster]

Most folks in Fort Kent look to Canada for a lot of their entertainment and shopping, as maineguy noted. It helps if you speak French, although it's not a requirement. On the American side of the border, the nearest "big city" is Bangor, which is four hours south. I've always loved the civic spirit and community feeling of Fort Kent.

[droobie]

There is some shopping options and whatnot in Presque Isle area too. People do, admittedly, take a trip or two a year down to Bangor from 'the County'.

I tend to take my snowmobile up to P.I. for repairs. The people across the bridge from here can't be trusted to work on my Ski-doo.

That's one great thing about the County... Snowmobiling.. Winter's not here yet DOH!

[atardie]

You guys make it sound like it is the end of the earth. It isn't quite that bad.
All the shopping you need is in PI. People here go to Bangor for a ride, not so much for the reason they need something they can't get. Its a place to go to find a few more places to eat. Allagash and Debouillie can be accessed through Ashland or Portage. Fort Kent is a nice small town, has everything most small towns do, groceries, ect. Good luck

[droobie]

I don't have any ill-will toward Fort Kent any. PI has added stuff as well and continues to become a better hub for that part of the state. You are correct that Fort Kent has some things themselves, especially because UMFK is there and those students need things.

Of course I like the small town thing a fair deal too. Some of my family was from up North.