Don't be afraid! Orono is a pleasant town, but the University of Maine in Orono is where horror writer Stephen King got his start. If you're a fan of his books then this town, or its people, might seem hauntingly familiar to you.
Orono is a city located in Penobscot County, Maine with a population of 10,362 at the 2010 census
Don't be afraid! Orono is a pleasant town, but the University of Maine in Orono is where horror writer Stephen King got his start. If you're a fan of his books then this town, or its people, might seem hauntingly familiar to you.
Orono is a city located in Penobscot County, Maine with a population of 10,362 at the 2010 census. It was named to honor Chief Joseph Orono of the local Penobscot Nation. You probably already know, but Orono is home to the University of Maine, which plays a very active and important role in the life of this very northern city.
Moving to Orono
You have to be okay with winter if you move to Maine, so let's just assume you are and not fret too much about the weather. Besides, cold winters are great for skiing, snowmobiling and ice-skating anyway. Maybe you'll even try something new like snowshoeing, which is pretty popular in Maine. You will love summertime, too, as Orono is never too hot and the nights are always more than pleasant.
The big trick with moving in or out of Orono is timing it around the university schedule. If you start looking for your ideal apartment for rent in late August, you will likely be looking for another few months. It's best to start your apartment search in March or April when landlords are staring down a possible summer of no rental income. This is the time to try your hand at a little down-east dickering, as they call it. You can throw out your offer and see if it sticks. Any respectable Mainer will come back with something, or they will just tell you you're full of it. Don't worry, as long as everyone wins, Mainers are happy.
The key to finding an apartment for rent in Orono, one that makes you happy, is to take some time with your search. Provided that you are searching in the late spring, allow at least a month to find your desired area and the style of living you want. Whether it's a studio apartment or a one-bedroom apartment over the shops downtown, or maybe even a larger three-bedroom house to share, there is so much going on in town, you'll need time to find your sweet spot.
Neighborhoods of Orono
The city has a total area of about 19 square miles. Orono is divided into north and south sections by the Stillwater River, and into east and west sections by Interstate 95. While we could go through the city as a quadrant, in truth nearly all the apartment style living is found around the city center and the university. The west of Orono quickly gets you out into the Maine forest with most of the rental opportunities being of the single-family home variety. Here are the more relevant sections for your apartment rental search.
North of the Stillwater River: North of the river and between Main Street (which becomes Park Street) and Interstate 95 there is a nice triangle of residential streets that abuts right up to the university. Here you can definitely walk to the shops and restaurants around it, such as Orono House of Pizza and the Thai Kitchen. Being a student-populated area does have its upsides -- apartment complexes really cater to this area.
South of the Stillwater River: This area, immediately south of the river, is where the main action is. Pun intended! There are options for apartment rentals, many in remodeled homes and small apartment buildings. Here you can walk to restaurants such as Verve for Mexican food and the Bear Brew Pub for a cold one.
Living in Orono
If you've never lived in Maine you might think that you are heading to a quiet, forested area with nothing to do. You couldn't be more mistaken! Orono has one of the most vibrant and walkable downtown areas that you will ever have the pleasure of living in. Of course, having the university in the downtown area has only added to the sense of fun going on.
First, there are the restaurants. With so many people coming in and out of town, they need places to go out to eat and spend some time together. There is so much to choose from. If you want a Maine institution, head over to Pat's Pizza. This great American success story boasts that it is, "second home to generations of University of Maine students." There really are too many restaurants to mention them all, but Woodman's and The Family Dog receive consistently strong reviews.
The Fay Hyland Botanical Plantation abuts the Stillwater River and is a great place to enjoy some stunning scenery. The school also hosts nationally known music and theater productions at the Collins Center for the Arts. You can also catch a "Live at the Met" show here. The Hudson Museum is free and open to the public, but unfortunately it is closed on Sunday.
Living in Orono, you are right between the Maine woods and the ocean. There are abundant recreation opportunities in Orono and the Orono Land Trust has protected quite a bit of land from development for all to enjoy. You can walk along the Stillwater River Trail and put your kayak or canoe in the water from several spots along the trail. There are over 1,000 acres of trails, forests and conservation areas that are set aside for biking, hiking, skiing and snowshoeing and you can even do some geocaching.
Here's the other thing that we haven't even mentioned yet. Interstate 95 runs right through town, so it's fast and easy to get to other places, like the Bangor International Airport. Bangor is a quick 15-minute trip down the highway and provides a nice larger city atmosphere should you need it. And, the Maine coast is only about an hour away. Quintessential Maine towns like Bar Harbor, with its gorgeous rocky coast and Acadia National Park, are within easy reach. Even in winter, the Maine coast is a site to see.
There are just too many nice things to say and good reasons to be excited about moving to Orono. Whatever your reason for coming to Orono, spending a little time on your apartment search will yield you great results.
