Holden is a small town with rural charm between Bangor and Ellsworth
Holden sits along the eastern edge of the Penobscot Valley, where rolling hills offer views of the river valley and nearby mountain ranges. Rural landscapes surround U.S. Route 1A, which runs through the town's center and leads about 9 miles west into Bangor. “You can be right in town—Bangor—and drive for 15 minutes, and you’ve got fields, pastures, farms and horses,” says Karen Burns, a Realtor with Century 21 Queen City Real Estate who grew up in Holden. “So, in a very short period of time, you can go right from city nightlife to rural crickets.” The highway also leads 20 miles east to Ellsworth, known as the heart of Downeast Maine. “The biggest asset to Holden is it's probably 20 minutes to Ellsworth, which has all kinds of amenities,” Burns says. With access to city life in either direction, Holden gives residents a quiet place to put down roots without sacrificing convenience.
Rural setting where options include ranch-style and custom-built homes
Quiet roads branch off U.S. Route 1A and feature homes on spacious, tree-lined lots. Holden’s median lot size is over an acre, and it has a mix of New Englander, Cape Cod, ranch-style and Colonial Revival-inspired builds that typically sell for $210,000 to $480,000. “There are also several communities with higher-end homes, and I’m talking half-a-million-dollar homes,” Burns says. The Copeland Hill and South Road areas tend to be the most expensive, with prices ranging from $340,000 to $670,000 for larger Colonial Revival and custom-built properties. Waterfront properties border lakes and ponds, though they rarely come on the market. Homes sell after about one month on the market, nearly twice as fast as the national average. Holden’s overall CAP Index Crime Score is 1 out of 10, significantly lower than the national average of 4.
Access to shops and restaurants on the growing Route 1A corridor
Shopping and dining surrounds the U.S. Route 1A corridor. “Route 1A is really growing up, so there are a lot of specialty shops along there in Holden,” Burns says. Big Jake’s Go Karts includes a mini golf course and Pat’s Pizza. Maine Military Supply is a full-service sporting goods store, and Tractor Supply Co. covers farming essentials. Convenience stores like Freshies stock the basics, while Jones Lobster Co. offers a seafood market known for fresh lobster rolls. The dining scene also features pastries from Black Fly Coffee Co. and ice cream from Holden A Kone. Near the town’s eastern edge is a shopping center with Dunkin’ and a G&M Family Market for groceries. More shops and restaurants are in Brewer and Bangor, with retailers like Walmart, Lowe’s and Hannaford less than 7 miles away. The highway also offers a direct route to Ellsworth, known for its walkable downtown area.
U.S. Route 1A connects Holden to the rest of the Bangor metro area
Holden is heavily car-dependent. U.S. Route 1A is its main thoroughfare, moving traffic east to west across the Bangor metro area and connecting to Interstate 395, which links to Interstate 95 near downtown Bangor. Residents can head into the city to reach Bangor International Airport, St. Joseph Healthcare and Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, all within 15 miles. Augusta is roughly 80 miles southwest. The DeBeck Business Park sits in town off U.S. Route 1A and features a 27-acre solar array, one of several in Holden providing electricity to hundreds of customers.
Students attend RSU 63 before choosing a public or private high school
Regional School Unit 63 is a prekindergarten through eighth-grade district with a B from Niche. Eddington Elementary School serves pre-K through first grade and earns a C-minus, while Holden Elementary School and Holbrook Middle School both score a B-plus. The district covers tuition for older students to attend a public or private school of their choice. Options include Brewer High School, which holds a C-plus and partners with Katahdin Iron Works to offer a six-week Forestry Immersion Program where students gain hands-on logging experience. John Bapst Memorial High School is a popular private school choice and scores an A. Higher education continues in Bangor at Husson University, Eastern Maine Community College and the University of Maine’s Bangor Campus.
Hiking, paddling and snowmobiling within reach of Acadia National Park
Behind Holden Elementary School, the Holden Nature Trails offer about 3 miles of natural paths for residents to explore. The HLT Trails at Hart Farms span nearly 4 miles, and Hart Farm hosts a family-style dinner series throughout the summer. It also has a Community Supported Agriculture program where members pay an advanced fee for produce during the growing season. The HLT Trails connect to the Fields Pond Audubon Center, a nearly 230-acre nature preserve with a public boat launch on Fields Pond. Another boat launch is less than 10 miles away on Brewer Lake. Winters average over four feet of snow, and the Eastern Maine Snowmobilers maintain trails to keep locals active during colder months. The Holbrook Recreation Committee offers youth sports programs, including a skiing and snowboarding club. Outdoor enthusiasts can follow U.S. Route 1A about 35 miles southeast to Acadia National Park, open year-round.
Written By
Sally Stimpson
