seeking more activity and improving safety
Parks are very important to any city and Bangor is no different. Good parks can be a huge factor in attracting residents and dictating where they plant their roots.
The numerous parks in Bangor can offer a visual appeal with their beauty or get the community more involved and active. They can give the youth a place to have fun and give a biker trails to ride. Maybe you're a nature nut. Maybe you're looking for opportunities outside of the gym to get fit.
Whatever the reason, parks will play a key role in Bangor's future as a livable, sustainable city.
The numerous parks in Bangor can offer a visual appeal with their beauty or get the community more involved and active. They can give the youth a place to have fun and give a biker trails to ride. Maybe you're a nature nut. Maybe you're looking for opportunities outside of the gym to get fit.
Whatever the reason, parks will play a key role in Bangor's future as a livable, sustainable city.
Bangor City Councilor Pauline Civiello talks about the importance of Bangor’s parks
View Parks of Bangor in a larger map
This interactive map displays over 20 of Bangor’s parks detailed with their location, size, proximity to schools and amenities. There’s also a crime statistic (“noise complaints in area) that are based off of information provided by the Bangor Police Department from Jan. 1, 2013 - Dec. 31, 2013. It is important to note that the statistics denote noise complaints "in the area" of the park and not necessarily in the parks themselves. Because of the way the data is broken down, there is some overlap that occurs between parks. For example, the Norumbega Parkway and Davenport Park may "share" particular noise complaints because of their proximity to each other.
Lt. Paul Edwards of the BPD had high praise for the city’s neighborhood watch program for Second Street Park. He explained that the only crime filled park that came to mind was Second Street Park, but quickly explained that “... it’s been put to a halt thanks to [a] neighborhood watch. They have really done an amazing job to correct it.”
Edwards also went into detail on what he wanted to see for the city of Bangor by 2020. “I’d like to see more active participation by kids in the parks - having increased staff so kids are more active in the summer rather than wrapped around their iPads.” |
Ms. Civiello on what needs to be improved in Bangor's parks.
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Bangor parks, how they stack up against other New England cities
With a population of 32,817, Bangor is a little bit smaller than some other New England cities such as Burlington, VT, Concord, NH, Lewiston, ME and Watertown, MA. Many of the comparable cities have larger populations but have less parks.
According to their websites, Burlington has 18 total parks, while Concord has 20. Lewiston has 14 and Watertown has 15. On the map we’ve provided, there are 26 parks in Bangor, a low estimate given that a few are considered "unofficial" and therefore cannot be included in the map. That being said, Bangor has significantly more parks than some other New England cities that are bigger in size. The future of these parks are tied to the future of the city. Utilizing and preserving them should be a top priority for Bangor's ongoing sustainability efforts. |