House lots with narrow frontages like that are pretty common in these parts. I'm not sure specifically why the tony part of Bangor is laid out like that, but here in Millinocket it's because the original street plan was designed with the idea that the people who lived on the lots would be walking to the mill for work. As such, even though it's a small town and you would think there would be all the space in the world, the houses in the old part of town are quite close together and have much more back yard than front. Garages out back of the house instead of beside it are not uncommon around here, because in a lot of cases, it was the only place to put them when people started getting their own cars in the 1920s and wanted somewhere to keep them.

--G.
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