14 Places Every Stephen King Fan Must Stop While in Bangor, Maine

Every Stephen King fan knows that Bangor, Maine, is an inspiration for the fictional town of Derry, which provides the backdrop for several of King's novels and short stories.

Thousands of King fans visit Bangor every year, and it seems all of them go to his house on West Broadway. (Yes, that's on the list.) However, the city features many landmarks that appear in some shape or form in one or more of King's stories, or the movies from which they were adapted.

From the possessed Paul Bunyan statue on Main Street to the picturesque Mount Hope Cemetery on the city's eastern edge, there are plenty of places for King fans to get a look at what inspired one of the world's most prolific and popular writers.

Derry, Maine's Famous Storm Drain

Bangor International Airport served as a battleground for a group of waylaid passengers and the time-munching Langoliers. Plus, visitors to the Queen City (or King City?) can even visit the storm drain that inspired one of the creepiest scenes in any King novel -- "We all float down here."

Some of the places listed below might not have influenced King, the writer, per se, but- like the Bangor Waterworks building and the main house at Avalon Village in Hampden- they were used for the film adaptations of King's stories.

Derry has been mentioned in several King stories besides It.  In Bag of Bones (1998), protagonist Mike Noonan resides in Derry -- and readers might recognize the description of the intersection and small strip mall at which Noonan's wife (spoiler alert) meets her end early in the novel.

Where Exactly is Derry, Maine?

The exact location of Derry varies from story to story, and it's mentioned in King novels, including IT, Pet Sematary, 11/22/63, Dolores Claiborne, and Gerald's Game, as well as the short story "Secret Window, Secret Garden."

In many stories, Derry is actually mentioned alongside Bangor, suggesting -- at least in this instance -- they are separate places in the King multiverse. Indeed, at the beginning of Dolores Claiborne, a map of Maine is shown, depicting Derry just west of Bangor — roughly where Stetson is located.

However, this is fiction (at its finest), and there's no reason to doubt King's assertions that Bangor is indeed the inspiration for Derry.

Beyond Bangor

King's fictional, Maine-based universe extends well beyond Bangor, but this story won't deal with all of those. (Maybe we'll explore Castle Rock and Jerusalem's Lot in another installment.)

However, it will mention a few on the city's outskirts. For instance, did you know that the Kings once rented a home in Orrington where real events inspired the troubling -- and almost unpublished -- novel, Pet Sematary? Readers might know the town better as Ludlow, and it's only about 15 minutes from Bangor.

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The descriptions below really don't do justice to the city's influence on the writer—and vice versa. There are tours of the city—including SK Tours—that focus on King's works and feature many more local landmarks.

And have you checked out the recent book from Sharon Kitchens, "Stephen King's Maine: A History & Guide?" Pick it up. There's a lot of good information there.

Now, take a look below at the locations in and around Bangor that influenced King's most popular stories.