The Bangor Region offers a unique combination of a vibrant, growing economy with a great quality of life. It is a close-knit community that still has the amenities of a much bigger city, with an amazing natural setting in the heart of mountains, lakes and the breathtaking Maine coastline.   Don’t just take our word for it, though.  Here are just some of the recognitions that the Bangor Region has received in recent years:

• BusinessWeek named the Bangor Region one of America’s Dazzling Dozen pockets of prosperity for its ability to create jobs even in challenging economic times. (October 2002)

• The London-based Foreign Direct Investment (fDi) magazine ranked Maine’s quality of life as the best in the nation in its “U.S. Cities and States of the Future” issue.  (June 2005)

• Bangor earned the coveted “Five Star” quality of life distinction from Expansion Management Magazine in 2005 and 2006 based on nine categories: affordable housing, good public schools, peace of mind, a balanced standard of living, broad opportunities for adult education, reasonable traffic and commuting, good commercial air access, a high level of education among adults and, from an employer’s perspective, a young, reasonably-priced work force from which to find good employees.

• The 2006 edition of 50 Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family cited the economy, education, low crime, outdoor recreation, arts and entertainment, community life and the environment as reasons why Bangor is a fabulous place to raise your family.

• The national employee wellness organization, Wellness Councils of America, named the Bangor area the nation’s first “well region.”  According to the Wellness Councils of America, Bangor has “planted the flag and set the pace” for employee wellness programs and Bangor’s March 2006 achievement “will be recognized as a national standard.”

• Outdoor Life magazine ranked Bangor as one of its top 200 towns for the outdoorsman.  The magazine looked at the local economy and cultural opportunities, and then sporting opportunities. (March 2008)

• Places Rated Almanac continues to place Bangor in its list of the best 25 small metro areas in its seventh edition published in 2007.  About half of the country’s metro areas are considered small – having fewer than 250,000 people.