I've been to Maine 4 or 5 times within the last year and a half but never been that far east of Bangor. I bet I drove 220 miles or so north of Bangor to get to Fort Kent. Once you get past the 95 and 11 junction, you know you are a little spec in the middle of a wildneress. God forbid you break down at night because there is so little traffic and most places have no cellular service. You'd have to sleep in your car like Joel Fleischman did on Northern Exposure. Hopefully, the great chef and pathological liar, Adam would not find you!
I bet there are strip malls etc. on the way to Calais. It's really not all that far from Bangor and I am sure the population is significant along 9. Maybe not.
In Presque Isle, there is a nice little shopping area with a Wal-Mart and some other decent shopping available. But that's the exception, at least from what I have seen. Once you get west of 11, I bet you won't find much of anything at all except trees.
It's just a beatiful place to live your life and like a local to told me, "to live life as it was intended".