Maine

U.S. state

Not to be confused with Main.

This article is about the U.S. state. For other uses, see Maine (disambiguation).

State in the United States

Maine

State

Flag

Seal

Nicknames:

The Pine Tree State
Vacationland[1]

Motto(s):

"Dirigo"
(Latin for "I lead", "I guide", or "I direct")

Anthem: State of Maine

Location of Maine within the United States

Country| United States
Before statehood| Part of Massachusetts (District of Maine)
Admitted to the Union| March 15, 1820; 205 years ago (1820-03-15) (23rd)
Capital| Augusta
Largest city| Portland
Largest county or equivalent| Cumberland
Largest metro and urban areas| Portland
Government

• Governor| Janet Mills (D)
• Senate President| Mattie Daughtry (D)[nb 1]
Legislature| State Legislature
• Upper house| Senate
• Lower house| House of Representatives
Judiciary| Maine Supreme Judicial Court
U.S. senators| Susan Collins (R)
Angus King (I)
U.S. House delegation| 1. Chellie Pingree (D)
2. Jared Golden (D) (list)
Area

• Total

| 35,385[2] sq mi (91,646 km2)
• Land| 30,862 sq mi (80,005 km2)
• Water| 4,523 sq mi (11,724 km2)  13.5%
• Rank| 39th
Dimensions

• Length| 320 mi (515 km)
• Width| 205 mi (330 km)
Elevation

| 600 ft (180 m)
Highest elevation

(Mount Katahdin[3][4][nb 2])

| 5,270 ft (1,606.4 m)
Lowest elevation

(Atlantic Ocean[4])

| 0 ft (0 m)
Population

(2024)

• Total

|  1,405,012[5]
• Rank| 42nd
• Density| 43.8/sq mi (16.9/km2)
• Rank| 38th
• Median household income

| $73,700 (2023)[6]
• Income rank

| 35th
Demonym| Mainer
Language

• Spoken language|

* English: 92.91%
* French: 3.93%[nb 3]
* Other: ≤ 3.16%

Time zone| UTC−05:00 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation|

ISO 3166 code| US-ME
Traditional abbreviation| Me.
Latitude| 42° 58′ N to 47° 28′ N
Longitude| 66° 57′ W to 71° 5′ W (45°N 69°W﻿ / ﻿45°N 69°W﻿ / 45; -69)
Website| maine.gov
State symbols of MaineList of state symbols

Flag of Maine

Seal of Maine

Coat of arms of Maine

Motto| Dirigo
Slogan| The Way Life Should Be
Song|

* "State of Maine"
* "The Dirigo March"
* "The Ballad of the 20th Maine"

Living insignia
Bird| Black-capped chickadee
Butterfly| Pink-edged Sulphur
Cat breed| Maine Coon
Crustacean| Lobster
Fish| Landlocked Atlantic salmon
Flower| White pine cone and tassel
Fruit| Wild blueberry
Insect| Honey bee
Mammal| Moose
Plant| Wintergreen
Tree| White pine
Inanimate insignia
Beverage| Moxie[8]
Food| Blueberry pie
Whoopie pie
Fossil| Pertica quadrifaria
Gemstone| Tourmaline
Rock| Granitic pegmatite[9]
Ship| Bowdoin
Soil| Chesuncook soil
State route marker
State quarter

Released in 2003

Lists of United States state symbols

Maine (/meɪn/ ⓘ MAYN)[10] is a state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and northwest, and shares a maritime border with Nova Scotia. It is the only state to border only one other state. Maine is the largest state in New England by total area, almost as large as the combined area of the remaining five states. Of the 50 U.S. states, it is the 12th-smallest by area, the 9th-least populous, the 13th-least densely populated, and the most rural.[11] Maine's capital is Augusta, and its most populous city is Portland, with a total population of 68,408, as of the 2020 census.

The territory of Maine has been inhabited by Indigenous populations[12] for about 12,000 years,[13] after the glaciers retreated during the last ice age. At the time of European arrival, several Algonquian-speaking nations governed the area and these nations are now known as the Wabanaki Confederacy. The first European settlement in the area was by the French in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, founded by Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. The first English settlement was the short-lived Popham Colony, established by the Plymouth Company in 1607. A number of English settlements were established along the coast of Maine in the 1620s, although the rugged climate and conflict with the local Indigenous people caused many to fail. As Maine entered the 18th century, only a half dozen European settlements had survived. Loyalist and Patriot forces contended for Maine's territory during the American Revolution. During the War of 1812, the largely undefended eastern region of Maine was occupied by British forces with the goal of annexing it to Canada via the Colony of New Ireland, but returned to the United States following failed British offensives on the northern border, mid-Atlantic and south which produced a peace treaty that restored the pre-war boundaries. Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820 when it voted to secede from Massachusetts to become a separate state. On March 15, 1820, under the Missouri Compromise, Maine was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state.

Today, Maine is known for its jagged, rocky Atlantic Ocean and bay-shore coastlines, mountains, heavily forested interior, and its cuisine, particularly wild lowbush blueberries and seafood such as lobster and clams. Coastal and Down East Maine have emerged as important centers for the creative economy,[14] especially in the vicinity of Portland, which has also brought gentrification to the city and its metropolitan area.[15]

## History

[edit]

Main article: History of Maine

Maine State House, designed by Charles Bulfinch, built 1829–1832 Misty Morning, Coast of Maine
Arthur Parton (1842–1914). Between 1865 and 1870, Brooklyn Museum.

The earliest known inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine were Algonquian-speaking Wabanaki peoples, including the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Penobscot, Androscoggin, and Kennebec. During the later King Philip's War, many of these peoples would merge in one form or another to become the Wabanaki Confederacy, aiding the Wampanoag of Massachusetts and the Mahican of New York. Afterwards, many of these people were driven from their natural territories, but most of Maine's tribes continued, unchanged, until the American Revolution. Before this point, however, most of these people were considered separate nations. Many had adapted to living in permanent, Iroquois-inspired settlements, while those along the coast tended to move from summer villages to winter villages on a yearly cycle. They would usually winter inland and head to the coasts by summer.[16][17]

European contact with what is now called Maine may have started around 1000 CE when Vikings are believed to have interacted with the native Penobscot in present-day Hancock County, most likely through trade. If confirmed, this would make Maine the site of the earliest European discovery in the entire US. About 200 years earlier, from the settlements in Iceland and Greenland, the Norse first identified America and attempted to settle areas such as Newfoundland, but failed to establish a permanent settlement. Archeological evidence suggests that Vikings in Greenland returned to North America for several centuries after the initial discovery to trade and collect timber, with the most relevant evidence being the Maine Penny, an 11th-century Norwegian coin found at a Native American dig site in 1954.[18]

The first European confirmed settlement in modern-day Maine was in 1604 on Saint Croix Island, led by French explorer Pierre Dugua, Sieur de Mons. His party included Samuel de Champlain, noted as an explorer. The French named the entire area Acadia, including the portion that later became the state of Maine. (It is possible that they named the region Maine after the French province; however, the origin of the name is uncertain.) The Plymouth Company established the first English settlement in Maine at the Popham Colony in 1607, the same year as the settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. The Popham colonists returned to Britain after 14 months.[19]

The French established two Jesuit missions: one on Penobscot Bay in 1609, and the other on Mount Desert Island in 1613. The same year, Claude de La Tour established Castine. In 1625, Charles de Saint-Étienne de la Tour erected Fort Pentagouet to protect Castine. The coastal areas of eastern Maine first became the Province of Maine in a 1622 land patent. The part of western Maine north of the Kennebec River was more sparsely settled and was known in the 17th century as the Territory of Sagadahock. A second settlement was attempted in 1623 by English explorer and naval Captain Christopher Levett at a place called York, where he had been granted 6,000 acres (24 km2) by King Charles I of England.[20] It also failed.

The 1622 patent of the Province of Maine was split at the Piscataqua River into the Province of New Hampshire to the south and New Somersetshire to the north. A disputed 1630 patent split off the area around present-day Saco as Lygonia. Justifying its actions with a 1652 geographic survey that showed an overlapping patent, the Massachusetts Bay Colony had seized New Somersetshire and Lygonia by force by 1658. The Territory of Sagadahock between the Kennebec River and St. Croix River notionally became Cornwall County, Province of New York under a 1664 grant from Charles II of England to his brother James, at the time the Duke of York. Some of this land was claimed by New France as part of Acadia. All of the English settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Province of New York became part of the Dominion of New England in 1686. All of present-day Maine was unified as York County, Massachusetts under a 1691 royal patent for the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Central Maine was formerly inhabited by the Androscoggin tribe of the Abenaki nation, also known as Arosaguntacook. They were driven out of the area in 1690 during King William's War. They were relocated to St. Francis, Canada, which was destroyed by Rogers' Rangers in 1759, and is now Odanak. The other Abenaki tribes suffered several severe defeats, particularly during Dummer's War, with the capture of Norridgewock in 1724 and the defeat of the Pequawket in 1725, which significantly reduced their numbers. They finally withdrew to Canada, where they were settled at Bécancour and Sillery, and later at St. Francis, along with other refugee tribes from the south.[21]

Maine was much fought over by the French, English, and allied natives during the 17th and 18th centuries. These natives conducted raids against settlers and each other, taking captives for ransom or, in some cases, kidnapped for adoption by Native American tribes. A notable example was the early 1692 Abenaki raid on York, where about 100 English settlers were killed and another estimated 80 taken hostage.[22] The Abenaki took captives taken during raids of Massachusetts in Queen Anne's War of the early 1700s to Kahnewake, a Catholic Mohawk village near Montreal, where some were adopted and others ransomed.[23][24]

After the British defeated the French in Acadia in the 1740s, the territory from the Penobscot River east fell under the nominal authority of the Province of Nova Scotia, and together with present-day New Brunswick formed the Nova Scotia county of Sunbury, with its court of general sessions at Campobello. American and British forces contended for Maine's territory during the American Revolution and the War of 1812, with the British occupying eastern Maine in both conflicts via the Colony of New Ireland.[25][26] The territory of Maine was confirmed as part of Massachusetts when the United States was formed following the Treaty of Paris ending the revolution, although the final border with British North America was not established until the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842.

Maine was physically separate from the rest of Massachusetts. Longstanding disagreements over land speculation and settlements led to Maine residents and their allies in Massachusetts proper forcing an 1807 vote in the Massachusetts Assembly on permitting Maine to secede; the vote failed. Secessionist sentiment in Maine was stoked during the War of 1812 when Massachusetts pro-British merchants opposed the war and refused to defend Maine from British invaders. In 1819, Massachusetts agreed to permit secession, sanctioned by voters of the rapidly growing region the following year.

### Statehood and Missouri Compromise

[edit]

Formal secession from Massachusetts and admission of Maine as the 23rd state occurred on March 15, 1820, as part of the Missouri Compromise, which geographically restricted the spread of slavery and enabled the admission to statehood of Missouri the following year, keeping a balance between slave and free states.[27][28][29]

Maine's original state capital was Portland, Maine's largest city, until it was moved to the more central Augusta in 1832. The principal office of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court remains in Portland.

The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment, under the command of Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, prevented the Union Army from being flanked at Little Round Top by the Confederate Army during the Battle of Gettysburg.

Four U.S. Navy ships have been named USS Maine, most famously the armored cruiser USS Maine (ACR-1), whose sinking by an explosion on February 15, 1898, precipitated the Spanish–American War.

## Geography

[edit]

"Maine Coast" redirects here. For the painting, see Maine Coast (painting).

"Coast of Maine" redirects here. For the skin spot noted for its jagged edges, see Coast of Maine café-au-lait macule.

Further information: List of counties in Maine, List of Maine rivers, List of lakes in Maine, Geology of Maine, and Geology of New England

A map of Maine showing its famed jagged coast

To the south and east is the Gulf of Maine, and to the west is the state of New Hampshire. The Canadian province of New Brunswick is to the north and northeast, and the province of Quebec is to the northwest. Maine is the northernmost and largest state in New England, accounting for almost half of the region's entire land area. Maine is the only state to border exactly one other American state. Approximately half the area of Maine lies on each side of the 45th parallel north in latitude.

Maine is the easternmost state in the contiguous United States both in its extreme points and its geographic center. The town of Lubec is the easternmost organized settlement in the United States. Its Quoddy Head Lighthouse is also the closest place in the United States to Africa and Europe. Estcourt Station is Maine's northernmost point, as well as the northernmost point in New England. (For more information see extreme points of the United States)

Maine's Moosehead Lake is the largest lake wholly in New England, since Lake Champlain is located between Vermont, New York, and Quebec. A number of other Maine lakes, such as South Twin Lake, are described by Thoreau in The Maine Woods (1864). Mount Katahdin is the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, which extends southerly to Springer Mountain, Georgia, and the southern terminus of the new International Appalachian Trail which, when complete, will run to Belle Isle, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Machias Seal Island and North Rock, off the state's Downeast coast, are claimed by both Canada and the Maine town of Cutler, and are within one of four areas between the two countries whose sovereignty is still in dispute, but it is the only one of the disputed areas containing land. Also in this easternmost area in the Bay of Fundy is the Old Sow, the largest tidal whirlpool in the Western Hemisphere.

Maine is the least densely populated state east of the Mississippi River. It is called the Pine Tree State due to its largest distribution and presence of pine, including Pinus strobus and Pinus resinosa. Over 80% of its total area is forested or unclaimed,[30] the most forest cover of any U.S. state. In the wooded areas of the interior lies much uninhabited land, some of which does not have formal political organization into local units (a rarity in New England). The Northwest Aroostook unorganized territory in the northern part of the state, for example, has an area of 2,668 square miles (6,910 km2) and a population of 10, or one person for every 267 square miles (690 km2).

Maine is in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome. The land near the southern and central Atlantic coast is covered by the mixed oaks of the Northeastern coastal forests. The remainder of the state, including the North Woods, is covered by the New England–Acadian forests.[31]

Maine has almost 230 miles (400 km) of ocean coastline (and 3,500 miles (5,600 km) of tidal coastline).[32][33] West Quoddy Head in Lubec is the easternmost point of land in the 48 contiguous states. Along the famous rock-bound coast of Maine are lighthouses, beaches, fishing villages, and thousands of offshore islands, including the Isles of Shoals which straddle the New Hampshire border. There are jagged rocks and cliffs and many bays and inlets. Inland are lakes, rivers, forests, and mountains. This visual contrast of forested slopes sweeping down to the sea has been summed up by American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay of Rockland and Camden, in "Renascence":[34]

The Maine coast and Portland Head Light Rocky shoreline in Acadia National Park

> All I could see from where I stood
>  Was three long mountains and a wood;
>  I turned and looked the other way,
>  And saw three islands in a bay.

— Edna St. Vincent Millay, Renascence

Geologists describe this type of landscape as a "drowned coast", where a rising sea level has invaded former land features, creating bays out of valleys and islands out of mountain tops.[35] A rise in land elevation due to the melting of heavy glacier ice caused a slight rebounding effect of underlying rock; this land rise, however, was not enough to eliminate all the effect of the rising sea level and its invasion of former land features.

Much of Maine's geomorphology was created by extended glacial activity at the end of the last ice age. Prominent glacial features include Somes Sound and Bubble Rock, both part of Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. Carved by glaciers, Somes Sound reaches depths of 175 feet (50 m). The extreme depth and steep drop-off allow large ships to navigate almost the entire length of the sound. These features also have made it attractive for boat builders, such as the prestigious Hinckley Yachts.

Bubble Rock, a glacial erratic, is a large boulder perched on the edge of Bubble Mountain in Acadia National Park. By analyzing the type of granite, geologists discovered that glaciers carried Bubble Rock to its present location from near Lucerne, 30 miles (48 km) away. The Iapetus Suture runs through the north and west of the state, being underlain by the ancient Laurentian terrane, and the south and east underlain by the Avalonian terrane.

Acadia National Park is the only national park in New England. Areas under the protection and management of the National Park Service include:[36]

* Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor
* Appalachian National Scenic Trail
* Maine Acadian Culture in St. John Valley
* Roosevelt Campobello International Park on Campobello Island in New Brunswick, Canada, operated by both the U.S. and Canada, just across the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Bridge from Lubec
* Saint Croix Island International Historic Site at Calais
* Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument

Lands under the control of the state of Maine include:

* Maine State Parks
* Maine Wildlife Management Areas (WMA)

### Climate

[edit]

See also: Climate change in Maine

Autumn in the Hundred-Mile Wilderness Köppen climate types of Maine, using 1991–2020 climate normals Winter in Bangor

Maine has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb), with warm and sometimes humid summers, and long, cold and very snowy winters. Winters are especially severe in the northern and western parts of Maine, while coastal areas are moderated slightly by the Atlantic Ocean, resulting in marginally milder winters and cooler summers than inland regions. Daytime highs are generally in the 75–85 °F (24–29 °C) range throughout the state in July, with overnight lows in the high 50s °F (around 15 °C). January temperatures range from highs near 30 °F (−1 °C) on the southern coast to overnight lows averaging below 0 °F (−18 °C) in the far north.[37]

The state's record high temperature is 105 °F (41 °C), set in July 1911, at North Bridgton.[38] Precipitation in Maine is evenly distributed year-round, but with a slight summer maximum in northern/northwestern Maine and a slight late-fall or early-winter maximum along the coast due to "nor'easters" or intense cold-season rain and snowstorms. In coastal Maine, the late spring and summer months are usually driest—a rarity across the Eastern United States. Maine has fewer days of thunderstorms than any other state east of the Rockies, with most of the state averaging fewer than twenty days of thunderstorms a year. Tornadoes are rare in Maine, with the state averaging two per year, although this number is increasing. Most severe thunderstorms and tornadoes occur in the southwestern interior portion of the state,[39] where summer temperatures are often the warmest and the atmosphere is thus more unstable compared to northern and coastal areas.[40] Maine rarely sees the direct landfall of tropical cyclones, as they tend to recurve out to sea or are rapidly weakening by the time they reach the cooler waters of Maine.

In January 2009, a new record low temperature for the state was set at Big Black River of −50 °F (−46 °C), tying the New England record.[37]

Annual precipitation varies from 35.8 in (909 mm) in Presque Isle to 56.7 in (1,441 mm) in Acadia National Park.[41]

Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Maine[42] Location  | July (°F)  | July (°C)  | January (°F)  | January (°C)

|
|
|
|

Portland | 78/59 | 26/15 | 31/13 | −0/−10
Lewiston | 81/61 | 27/16 | 29/11 | −2/−12
Bangor | 79/57 | 26/14 | 27/6 | −2/−14
Augusta | 79/60 | 26/15 | 27/11 | −2/−11
Presque Isle | 77/55 | 25/13 | 20/1 | −6/−17

### Flora and fauna

[edit]

Main article: Fauna of Maine

Maine exhibits a diverse range of flora and fauna across its varied landscapes, including forests, coastline, and wetlands. Forested areas consist primarily of coniferous and deciduous trees, such as balsam fir, sugar maple, and its state tree, the Eastern white pine.[43] Coastal regions are characterized by hardy sea milkwort, sea-blight, bayberry, and the invasive rugosa rose.[44]

Maine's terrestrial fauna comprises mammals such as moose, black bears, and white-tailed deer, along with smaller species like red squirrels, snowshoe hares, and raccoons. Maine has the largest populations of moose and black bears in the contiguous United States.[45] Avian diversity is evident with migratory birds like piping plovers, American oystercatcher, and northern harrier, as well as resident species like black-capped chickadees, blue jays, and barred owls. Wetlands provide habitat for amphibians such as spotted salamanders, wood frogs, and toads. Freshwater habitats support fish species like brook trout, landlocked salmon, and multiple gamefish, while marine life in offshore waters includes Atlantic puffins, harbor seals, minke whales, and lobster. Maine's abundance of lobster makes the state the largest producer of lobster in the United States.[46][47]

## Demographics

[edit]

### Population

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1790| 96,540| | —
1800| 151,719| | 57.2%
1810| 228,705| | 50.7%
1820| 298,335| | 30.4%
1830| 399,455| | 33.9%
1840| 501,793| | 25.6%
1850| 583,169| | 16.2%
1860| 628,279| | 7.7%
1870| 626,915| | −0.2%
1880| 648,936| | 3.5%
1890| 661,086| | 1.9%
1900| 694,466| | 5.0%
1910| 742,371| | 6.9%
1920| 768,014| | 3.5%
1930| 797,423| | 3.8%
1940| 847,226| | 6.2%
1950| 913,774| | 7.9%
1960| 969,265| | 6.1%
1970| 992,048| | 2.4%
1980| 1,124,660| | 13.4%
1990| 1,227,928| | 9.2%
2000| 1,274,923| | 3.8%
2010| 1,328,361| | 4.2%
2020| 1,362,359| | 2.6%
2024 (est.)| 1,405,012| | 3.1%
Source: 1910–2020[48]
Maine population density map Ethnic origins in Maine

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that the population of Maine was 1,344,212 on July 1, 2019, a 1.19% increase since the 2010 United States census.[49] At the 2020 census, 1,362,359 people lived in the state. The state's population density is 41.3 people per square mile, making it the least densely populated state east of the Mississippi River. As of 2010, Maine was also the most rural state in the Union, with only 38.7% of the state's population living within urban areas.[50] As explained in detail under "Geography", there are large tracts of uninhabited land in some remote parts of the interior of the state, particularly in the North Maine Woods.

The mean population center of Maine is located in Kennebec County, just east of Augusta.[51] The Greater Portland metropolitan area is the most densely populated with nearly 40% of Maine's population.[52] This area spans three counties and includes many farms and wooded areas; the 2016 population of Portland proper was 66,937.[53]

Maine has experienced a very slow rate of population growth since the 1990 census; its rate of growth (0.57%) since the 2010 census ranks 45th of the 50 states.[54] In 2021 and 2022, however, Maine had the highest proportion of arriving residents to departing residents of any state in the country, with 1.8 arrivals for every departure.[55] The modest population growth in the state has been concentrated in the southern coastal counties; with more diverse populations slowly moving into these areas of the state. However, the northern, more rural areas of the state have experienced a slight decline in population from 2010 to 2016.[56]

As of 2020, Maine has the highest population age 65 or older in the United States.[57]

According to the 2010 census, Maine has the highest percentage of non-Hispanic White of any state, at 94.4% of the total population. In 2011, 89.0% of all births in the state were to non-Hispanic White parents.[58] Maine also has the second-highest residential senior population.[59]

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 4,411 homeless people in Maine.[60][61]

The table below shows the racial composition of Maine's population as of 2016.

Maine racial composition of population[62] Race | Population (2016 est.) | Percentage

|
|

Total population | 1,329,923 | 100%
White | 1,260,476 | 94.8%
Black or African American | 16,303 | 1.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native | 8,013 | 0.6%
Asian | 14,643 | 1.1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 211 | 0.0%
Some other race | 3,151 | 0.2%
Two or more races | 27,126 | 2.0%

According to the 2016 American Community Survey, 1.5% of Maine's population were of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race): Mexican (0.4%), Puerto Rican (0.4%), Cuban (0.1%), and other Hispanic or Latino origin (0.6%).[62] The six largest ancestry groups were: English (20.7%), Irish (17.3%), French (15.7%), German (8.1%), American (7.8%) and French Canadian (7.7%).[63]

People citing that they are American are of overwhelmingly English descent, but have ancestry that has been in the region for so long (often since the 17th century) that they choose to identify simply as Americans.[64][65][66][67][68][69][excessive citations]

Maine has the highest percentage of French Americans of any state. Most of them are of Canadian origin, but in some cases have been living there since prior to the American Revolutionary War. There are particularly high concentrations in the northern part of Maine in Aroostook County, which is part of a cultural region known as Acadia that goes over the border into New Brunswick. Along with the Acadian population in the north, many French-Canadians came from Quebec as immigrants between 1840 and 1930.

The upper Saint John River valley area was once part of the so-called Republic of Madawaska, before the frontier was decided in the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. Over a quarter of the population of Lewiston, Waterville, and Biddeford are Franco-American. Most of the residents of the Mid Coast and Down East sections are chiefly of British heritage. Smaller numbers of various other groups, including Irish, Italian, Swedish[70] and Polish, have settled throughout the state since the late 19th and early 20th century immigration waves.

Today there are four federally recognized tribes in Maine, including the Mi'kmaq Nation. In 2020, 7,885 identified as being Native American alone, and 25,617 did in combination with one or more other races.[71]

#### Birth data

[edit]

Note: Births in table do not sum to 100% because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race.

Live births by single race/ethnicity of mother  Race | 2013[72] | 2014[73] | 2015[74] | 2016[75] | 2017[76] | 2018[77] | 2019[78] | 2020[79] | 2021[80] | 2022[81] | 2023[82]

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

> White | 11,774 (92.1%)  | 11,654 (91.8%)  | 11,563 (91.7%)  | 11,484 (90.4%)  | 10,958 (89.1%)  | 11,022 (89.5%)  | 10,401 (88.3%)  | 10,231 (88.7%)  | 10,619 (88.4%)  | 10,640 (88.0%)  | 10,015 (86.1%)
Black | 455 (3.6%)  | 450 (3.5%)  | 473 (3.7%)  | 411 (3.2%)  | 545 (4.4%)  | 546 (4.4%)  | 541 (4.6%)  | 514 (4.5%)  | 551 (4.6%)  | 679 (5.6%)  | 790 (6.8%)
Asian | 253 (2.0%)  | 248 (1.9%)  | 186 (1.5%)  | 192 (1.5%)  | 219 (1.8%)  | 202 (1.6%)  | 217 (1.8%)  | 195 (1.7%)  | 197 (1.6%)  | 163 (1.3%)  | 199 (1.7%)
American Indian | 118 (0.9%)  | 158 (1.2%)  | 143 (1.1%)  | 97 (0.7%)  | 88 (0.7%)  | 99 (0.8%)  | 96 (0.8%)  | 85 (0.7%)  | 71 (0.6%)  | 76 (0.7%)  | 70 (0.6%)
Hispanic (of any race)  | 172 (1.3%)  | 200 (1.6%)  | 251 (2.0%)  | 238 (1.9%)  | 229 (1.9%)  | 224 (1.8%)  | 257 (2.2%)  | 258 (2.2%)  | 305 (2.5%)  | 338 (2.8%)  | 334 (2.9%)
Total | 12,776 (100%)  | 12,698 (100%)  | 12,607 (100%)  | 12,705 (100%)  | 12,298 (100%)  | 12,311 (100%)  | 11,779 (100%)  | 11,539 (100%)  | 12,006 (100%)  | 12,093 (100%)  | 11,627 (100%)

* Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

In 2018, the top countries of origin for Maine's immigrants were Canada, the Philippines, Germany, India and Korea.[83]

### Language

[edit]

Maine does not have an official language,[84] but the most widely spoken language in the state is English. The 2010 census reported 92.91% of Maine residents aged five and older spoke only English at home. French-speakers are the state's chief linguistic minority; census figures show that Maine has the highest percentage of people speaking French at home of any state: 3.93% of Maine households are French-speaking, compared with 3.45% (including Cajun and Creole) in Louisiana, which is the second highest state.[7] Spanish is the third-most-common language in Maine, after English and French.[85]

### Religion

[edit]

Religious self-identification, per Public Religion Research Institute's 2022 American Values Survey[86]

1. Protestantism (41.0%)
2. Catholicism (21.0%)
3. Unitarian/Universalist (1.00%)
4. Unaffiliated (30.0%)
5. Judaism (5.00%)
6. New Age (1.00%)
7. Other (1.00%)

According to the Pew Research Center in 2014, the religious affiliations of Maine were: Protestant 37% (in particular: Evangelical Protestant 14%, Mainline Protestant 21%, Historical Black Protestant 2%), Atheism or Agnosticism 6%, Nothing in Particular 26%, Roman Catholic Church 21%, other Christians 5%, non-Christian religions including Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism and Baháʼí 7%, and Pagans and Unitarians 5%.

In 2014, the Roman Catholic Church was the largest religious denomination and the Baptists (7% Evangelical and 5% Mainline) were the state's largest Protestant denomination, followed by the Methodists (6%) and the Congregationalists (5%). The atheists and the agnostics are only 6% of the state, but 26% of Mainers said that they "Believe in God but they are Unaffiliated." Eighty-one percent of Mainers believed in God, while 3% did not know and 16% did not believe in God. Thirty-four percent of Mainers thought that religion was "very important" and 29% said that it was "important", while 21% said that religion was not important.[87]

According to a survey through the Public Religion Research Institute in 2020, approximately 62% of the population were Christian; the religiously unaffiliated slightly increased to 33% from the separate 2014 study by the Pew Research Center.[88] In a 2022 study by the Public Religion Research Institute, 63% of the population were Christian, and 30% were religiously unaffiliated. Among the non-Christian population in 2022, 1% were Unitarian Universalist, 5% Jewish, and 1% New Ager.

According to the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020, with Christianity as the dominant faith, the largest denominations by number of adherents were Catholicism (219,233 members), non-denominational Protestantism (45,364), and United Methodists (19,686).[89] According to the same study, there were an estimated 16,894 Muslims in the state.

## Economy

[edit]

See also: Maine locations by per capita income and List of power stations in Maine

Bath Iron Works naval shipbuilding

Total employment (May 2024):

* 674,900[90]

Total employer establishments (2021):

* 42,519[91]

Maine's total gross state product was $91.1 billion in 2023.[92] The state's per capita personal income for 2023 was $63,117, ranking 30th in the nation, and its median gross income was $69,543.[93][94] As of December 2024[update], Maine's unemployment rate is 3.2%.[95] As of January 2025[update], Maine's minimum wage is $14.65.[96]

Lobstering in Portland

Commercial fishing, once a mainstay of the state's economy, maintains a presence, particularly lobstering and groundfishing. While lobster is the main seafood focus for Maine, the harvest of both oysters and seaweed are on the rise. In 2015, 14% of the Northeast's total oyster supply came from Maine. The shrimp industry of Maine is on a government-mandated hold. With an ever-decreasing Northern shrimp population, Maine fishermen are no longer allowed to catch and sell shrimp. The hold began in 2014, but a pilot program allowing limited shrimp fishing began in 2025.[97][98] Western Maine aquifers and springs are a source of bottled water for companies like Poland Spring.

Maine's industrial outputs consist chiefly of paper, lumber and wood products, electronic equipment, leather products, food products, textiles, and bio-technology. Naval shipbuilding and construction remain key as well, with Bath Iron Works in Bath and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.

Brunswick Landing, formerly Naval Air Station Brunswick, is also in Maine. Formerly a large support base for the U.S. Navy, the BRAC campaign initiated the Naval Air Station's closing, despite a government-funded effort to upgrade its facilities. The former base has since been changed into a civilian business park, as well as a new satellite campus for Southern Maine Community College.[99]

Wild low-bush blueberries are only produced commercially in Maine.[100]

Historically, Maine ports played a key role in national transportation. Beginning around 1880, Portland's rail link and ice-free port made it Canada's principal winter port, until the aggressive development of Halifax, Nova Scotia in the mid-20th century. In 2013, 12,039,600 short tons passed into and out of Portland by sea,[101] which places it 45th of U.S. water ports.[102] Portland International Jetport has been expanded, providing the state with increased air traffic from carriers such as JetBlue and Southwest Airlines.

Maine has very few large companies that maintain headquarters in the state, and that number has fallen due to consolidations and mergers, particularly in the pulp and paper industry. Some of the larger companies that do maintain headquarters in Maine include Covetrus in Portland; Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland; IDEXX Laboratories in Westbrook; Hannaford Bros. Co. in Scarborough; L.L.Bean in Freeport; and Puritan Medical Products in Guilford. Maine is also the home of the Jackson Laboratory, the world's largest non-profit mammalian genetic research facility and the world's largest supplier of genetically purebred mice.

1928 ad promoting vacations in Maine

### Tourism

[edit]

Tourism and outdoor recreation play a major and increasingly important role in Maine's economy. In 2023, 15,267,000 visitors spent more than $9 billion in Maine.[103] Summer visitors and tourism began before the Civil War. After the Civil War, the number of visitors increased significantly.[104] This was when a growing urban middle class wanted to leave cities in the summer to seek Maine's coast, lakes, woods, and mountains. Maine's fresh air, pure water, and local food were additional attractions.[105] In the late 19th century, artist colonies developed in Oqunquit and on Monhegan.[106] Acadia National Park became part of the national park system in 1929.[107] The park is one of the most popular national parks in the United States. It attracts more than 4 million visitors each year. In 2024, visitors spent $475 million in the Bar Harbor area where the park is located.[108] The flagship L.L. Bean store in Freeport attracts more than 3 million visitors each year.[109]

Many notable persons have drawn attention to Maine's natural attractions. As early as 1878, Theodore Roosevelt visited Maine. Roosevelt explored what is now designated the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument with legendary Maine guide William Wingate Sewall and stayed at the William Sewall House.[110] American businessman William Henry Vanderbilt first vacationed with his family in Bar Harbor in the early 1880s.[111] In 1910, businessman John D. Rockefeller Jr. purchased a summer home in Seal Harbor and later spent $3.5 million developing the Carriage Roads of what is now Acadia National Park.[112] In 1997, TV personality and businesswomen Martha Stewart purchased Skylands in Seal Harbor, featuring the estate regularly in national media outlets.[113]

The state is a popular destination for sport hunting (particularly deer, moose, and bear), sport fishing, snowmobiling, skiing, boating, camping and hiking, among other activities.

### Creative economy & the arts

[edit]

Maine has developed a burgeoning creative economy, most notably centered in the Greater Portland vicinity.[14] In 2022, Portland's nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $86 million in economic activity, according to a survey by Americans for the Arts.[114] The foundation of Maine's creative economy is its long tradition of fine arts. It also includes craftsmen, historic sites, museums, and cultural attractions.[115]

### Agriculture

[edit]

Maine's agricultural outputs include potatoes, poultry, eggs, dairy products, cattle, wild blueberries, apples, maple syrup, maple sugar, and seaweed. Aroostook County is known for its potato crops. Potatoes make the state $166,672,000 a year.[116] Maine is the top U.S. producer of low-bush blueberries. Preliminary data from the USDA for 2012 also indicate Maine was the largest blueberry producer of the major blueberry producing states, with a total production of 91,100,000 lbs. This data includes both low (wild) and high-bush (cultivated) blueberries.[117] In 2017, the production of Maine's seaweed industry was estimated at $20 million per year. In 2022, Maine seaweed farmers harvested over 1 million pounds of seaweed, which was predicted to rise to 4.1 million pounds by 2025. Sixty percent of American seaweed comes from Maine.[118] Maine is home to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and had 535 certified organic farms in 2019.[119]

### Shipbuilding

[edit]

Maine has a long-standing tradition of being home to many shipbuilding companies, such as Bath Iron Works and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Maine was home to many shipyards that produced wooden sailing ships. The main function of these ships was to transport either cargos or passengers overseas. One of these yards was located in Pennellville Historic District in what is now Brunswick, Maine. This yard, owned by the Pennell family, was typical of the many family-owned shipbuilding companies of the time period. Other such examples of shipbuilding families were the Skolfields and the Morses. During the 18th and 19th centuries, wooden shipbuilding of this sort made up a sizable portion of the economy.

### Taxation

[edit]

Further information: State tax levels in the United States

Maine has an income tax structure containing two brackets, 6.5 and 7.95 percent of personal income.[120] Before July 2013, Maine had four brackets: 2, 4.5, 7, and 8.5 percent.[121] Maine's general sales tax rate is 5.5 percent. The state also levies charges of nine percent on lodging and prepared food and ten percent on short-term auto rentals.[122] Commercial sellers of blueberries, a Maine staple, must keep records of their transactions and pay the state 1.5 cents per pound ($1.50 per 100 pounds) of the fruit sold each season. All real and tangible personal property located in the state of Maine is taxable unless specifically exempted by statute. The administration of property taxes is handled by the local assessor in incorporated cities and towns, while property taxes in the unorganized territories are handled by the State Tax Assessor.

## Transportation

[edit]

See also: Public transportation in Maine

### Airports

[edit]

Portland International Jetport

Maine receives passenger jet service at its two largest airports, the Portland International Jetport in Portland, and the Bangor International Airport in Bangor. Both are served daily by many major airlines to destinations such as New York, Atlanta, and Orlando. Essential Air Service also subsidizes service to a number of smaller airports in Maine, bringing small turboprop aircraft to regional airports such as the Augusta State Airport, Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport, Knox County Regional Airport, and the Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle. These airports are served by regional providers such as Cape Air with Cessna 402s, and CommutAir with Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft.

Many smaller airports are scattered throughout Maine, serving only general aviation traffic. The Eastport Municipal Airport, for example, is a city-owned public-use airport with 1,200 general aviation aircraft operations each year from single-engine and ultralight aircraft.[123]

### Highways

[edit]

The Penobscot Narrows Bridge, carrying U.S. Route 1 and Maine State Route 3 over the Penobscot River

Interstate 95 (I-95) travels through Maine, as well as its easterly branch I-295 and spurs I-195, I-395 and the unsigned I-495 (the Falmouth Spur). In addition, U.S. Route 1 (US 1) starts in Fort Kent and travels to Florida. The eastern terminus of the eastern section of US 2 starts in Houlton, near the New Brunswick, Canada border to Rouses Point, New York, at US 11. US 2A connects Old Town and Orono, primarily serving the University of Maine campus. US 201 and US 202 flow through the state. US 2, Maine State Route 6 (SR 6), and SR 9 are often used by truckers and other motorists of the Maritime Provinces en route to other destinations in the United States or as a short cut to Central Canada.

### Rail

[edit]

Map of Electric Railway Lines in Maine c 1907

See also: List of Maine railroads

#### Passenger

[edit]

A southbound Downeaster passenger train at Ocean Park, Maine, as viewed from the cab of a northbound train

The Downeaster passenger train, operated by Amtrak, provides passenger service between Brunswick and Boston's North Station, with stops in Freeport, Portland, Old Orchard Beach, Saco, and Wells. The Downeaster makes five daily trips.[124]

#### Freight

[edit]

Freight service throughout the state is provided by a handful of regional and shortline carriers: Pan Am Railways (formerly known as Guilford Rail System), which operates the former Boston and Maine and Maine Central railroads; St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad; Maine Eastern Railroad; Central Maine and Quebec Railway; and New Brunswick Southern Railway.

### Shipping

[edit]

#### Cargo

[edit]

The International Marine Terminal in Portland provides shipping container transport. In 2021 an estimated 36,700 shipping containers moved through the terminal. In 2017, a total of 17,515 shipping containers were transported. The Icelandic shipping company Eimskip opened its United States headquarters in Portland in 2013. Its ships stop in Portland once a week in a route that includes Atlantic Canada and Iceland with connections to northern Europe and Asia.[125] In 2015, the terminal moved 10,500 containers. The Maine Port Authority in 2016 began a $15.5 million expansion and improvement of the terminal. The Maine Port Authority leased the International Marine Terminal from the city of Portland in 2009.[126]

## Law and government

[edit]

See also: List of Governors of Maine, List of United States Senators from Maine, List of Maine State Senators, and Electoral reform in Maine

The Maine Constitution structures Maine's state government, composed of three co-equal branches—the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The state of Maine also has three Constitutional Officers (the Secretary of State, the State Treasurer, and the State Attorney General) and one Statutory Officer (the State Auditor).

The legislative branch is the Maine Legislature, a bicameral body composed of the Maine House of Representatives, with 151 members, and the Maine Senate, with 35 members. The Legislature is charged with introducing and passing laws.

The executive branch is headed by the Governor of Maine (currently Janet Mills). The Governor is elected every four years; no individual may serve more than two consecutive terms in this office. The current attorney general of Maine is Aaron Frey. As with other state legislatures, the Maine Legislature can by a two-thirds majority vote from both the House and Senate override a gubernatorial veto. Maine is one of seven states that do not have a lieutenant governor.

Maine.gov logo

The highest court in the state's judicial branch is the Maine Supreme Judicial Court. The lower courts are the District Court, Superior Court and Probate Court. All judges except for probate judges serve full-time, are nominated by the Governor, and confirmed by the Legislature for terms of seven years. Probate judges serve part-time and are elected by the voters of each county for four-year terms.

In a 2020 study, Maine was ranked as the 14th easiest state for citizens to vote in.[127] In 2012, Maine became one of the first U.S. states to establish marriage rights for same-sex couples.[128]

### Politics

[edit]

Main article: Politics of Maine

Maine politics are dynamic in nature, with parties loosely hung together, governors often winning by pluralities rather than majorities, and significant turnover both in members and parties in legislative districts. In his 2010 article "Maine's Paradoxical Politics", Kenneth Palmer suggests that "Maine's political leaders find themselves as centrists, primarily because they want to find practical solutions to difficult problems."[129]

The results of the elections are often varied. Maine is seen as a blue-leaning swing state, with unusually high support for independent candidates. The Republican Party has won Maine in 11 out of the past 20 presidential elections, and the governorship has been won by Democrats and independents three times each, and Republicans four times, since 1974.[130]

Maine uses ranked choice voting in primary elections for state and federal offices, as well as in general elections for federal offices. Ranked choice voting was adopted by voters in a 2016 referendum.[131]

### Counties

[edit]

See also: List of counties in Maine

Maine is divided into political jurisdictions designated as counties. Since 1860 there have been 16 counties in the state, ranging in size from 370 to 6,829 square miles (958 to 17,700 km2).

Maine counties  County name  | County seat  | Year founded  | Population
2020 Census | Percent of total  | Area (sq. mi.)  | Percent of total

|
|
|
|
|
|

Androscoggin | Auburn | 1854 | 111,139 | 8.16% | 497 | 1.44%
Aroostook | Houlton | 1839 | 67,105 | 4.93% | 6,829 | 19.76%
Cumberland | Portland | 1760 | 303,069 | 22.25% | 1,217 | 3.52%
Franklin | Farmington | 1838 | 29,456 | 2.16% | 1,744 | 5.05%
Hancock | Ellsworth | 1789 | 55,478 | 4.07% | 1,522 | 4.40%
Kennebec | Augusta | 1799 | 123,642 | 9.08% | 951 | 2.75%
Knox | Rockland | 1860 | 40,607 | 2.98% | 1,142 | 3.30%
Lincoln | Wiscasset | 1760 | 35,237 | 2.59% | 700 | 2.03%
Oxford | Paris | 1805 | 57,777 | 4.24% | 2,175 | 6.29%
Penobscot | Bangor | 1816 | 152,199 | 11.17% | 3,556 | 10.29%
Piscataquis | Dover-Foxcroft | 1838 | 16,800 | 1.23% | 4,377 | 12.67%
Sagadahoc | Bath | 1854 | 36,699 | 2.69% | 370 | 1.07%
Somerset | Skowhegan | 1809 | 50,477 | 3.71% | 4,095 | 11.85%
Waldo | Belfast | 1827 | 39,607 | 2.91% | 853 | 2.47%
Washington | Machias | 1790 | 31,095 | 2.28% | 3,255 | 9.42%
York | Alfred | 1636 | 211,972 | 15.56% | 1,271 | 3.68%
Total counties: 16 |  |  | Total 2020 population: 1,362,359 |  | Total state area: 34,554 square miles (89,494 km2)

### Law enforcement

[edit]

This section is an excerpt from Maine State Police.[edit]

The Maine State Police (MSP) is the state police agency for Maine, which has jurisdiction across the state and was created in 1921.[132]

## Municipalities

[edit]

### Organized municipalities

[edit]

Main article: List of municipalities in Maine

An organized municipality has a form of elected local government which administers and provides local services, keeps records, collects licensing fees, and can pass locally binding ordinances, among other responsibilities of self-government. The governmental format of most organized towns and plantations is the town meeting, while the format of most cities is the council-manager form. As of 2022[update] the organized municipalities of Maine consist of 23 cities, 430 towns, and 30 plantations. Collectively these 483 organized municipalities cover less than half of the state's territory. Maine also has three[contradictory] Reservations: Indian Island, Indian Township Reservation, and Pleasant Point Indian Reservation.[133]

* The largest municipality in Maine, by population, is the city of Portland (pop. 68,408).
* The smallest city by population is Eastport (pop. 1,288).
* The largest town by population is Brunswick (pop. 21,756).
* The smallest town by population is Frye Island, a resort town which reported zero year-round population in the 2000 Census; one plantation, Glenwood Plantation, also reported a permanent population of zero.
* In the 2000 census, the smallest town aside from Frye Island was Centerville with a population of 26, but since that census, Centerville voted to disincorporate and therefore is no longer a town. The next smallest town with a population listed in that census is Beddington (pop. 60 at the 2020 census).
* The largest municipality by land area is the town of Allagash, at 128 square miles (332 km2).
* The smallest municipality by land area is Monhegan Island, at 0.86 square miles (2.2 km2). The smallest municipality by area that is not an island is Randolph, at 2.23 square miles (6 km2).

### Unorganized territory

[edit]

Main article: List of unorganized territories in Maine

Unorganized territory (UT) has no local government. Administration, services, licensing, and ordinances are handled by the state government as well as by respective county governments who have townships within each county's bounds. The unorganized territory of Maine consists of more than 400 townships (in Maine, towns are incorporated, townships are unincorporated), plus many coastal islands that do not lie within any municipal bounds. The UT land area is slightly over half the entire area of the State of Maine. Year-round residents in the UT number approximately 9,000 (about 1.3% of the state's total population), with many more people staying there only seasonally. Only four of Maine's sixteen counties (Androscoggin, Cumberland, Waldo and York) are entirely incorporated, although a few others are nearly so, and most of the unincorporated area is in the vast and sparsely populated Great North Woods of Maine.[134]

### Most populous cities and towns

[edit]

Largest cities or towns in Maine

2020 U.S. Census populations[135]

Rank  | Name | County | Pop.
1 | Portland | Cumberland | 68,408
2 | Lewiston | Androscoggin | 37,121
3 | Bangor | Penobscot | 31,753
4 | South Portland | Cumberland | 26,498
5 | Auburn | Androscoggin | 24,061
6 | Biddeford | York | 22,552
7 | Scarborough | Cumberland | 22,135
8 | Sanford | York | 21,982
9 | Brunswick | Cumberland | 21,756
10 | Westbrook | Cumberland | 20,400

Throughout Maine, many municipalities, although each separate governmental entities, nevertheless form portions of a much larger population base. There are many such population clusters throughout Maine, but some examples from the municipalities appearing in the above listing are:

* Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Westbrook, Scarborough, and Falmouth
* Lewiston and Auburn
* Bangor, Orono, Brewer, Old Town, and Hampden
* Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach
* Brunswick and Topsham
* Waterville, Winslow, Fairfield, and Oakland
* Presque Isle and Caribou[136]

## Education

[edit]

Further information: List of colleges and universities in Maine, Education in Maine, List of high schools in Maine, and List of school districts in Maine

The University of Maine is the state's only research university.

There are thirty institutions of higher learning in Maine.[137] These institutions include the University of Maine, which is the oldest, largest and only research university in the state. UMaine was founded in 1865 and is the state's only land grant and sea grant college. The University of Maine is located in the town of Orono and is the flagship of Maine. There are also branch campuses in Augusta, Farmington, Fort Kent, Machias, and Presque Isle.[138]

Colby, Bates, and Bowdoin (pictured) Colleges form the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium

Bowdoin College is a liberal arts college founded in 1794 in Brunswick, making it the oldest institution of higher learning in the state. Colby College in Waterville was founded in 1813 making it the second oldest college in Maine.[139] Bates College in Lewiston was founded in 1855 making it the third oldest institution in the state and the oldest coeducational college in New England.[140] The three colleges collectively form the Colby-Bates-Bowdoin Consortium and are ranked among the best colleges in the United States; often placing in the top 10% of all liberal arts colleges.[141][142][143]

Maine's per-student public expenditure for elementary and secondary schools was 21st in the nation in 2012, at $12,344.[144]

The collegiate system of Maine also includes numerous baccalaureate colleges such as: the Maine Maritime Academy (MMA), College of the Atlantic, Unity Environmental University, and Thomas College. There is only one medical school in the state, (University of New England's College of Osteopathic Medicine) and only one law school (The University of Maine School of Law). There is one art school in the state, Maine College of Art, along with a private graduate school, Institute for Doctoral Studies in the Visual Arts, which offers a Doctor of Philosophy to visual artists.

The Maine Community College System, founded in 1985 also serves "to provide associate degree, diploma and certificate programs directed at the educational, career and technical needs of the State's citizens and the workforce needs of the State's employers."[145] This system includes Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), York County Community College (YCCC), Central Maine Community College (CMCC), Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC), Kennebec Valley Community College (KVCC), Northern Maine Community College (NMCC), and Washington County Community College (WCCC).[146]

Private schools in Maine are funded independently of the state and its furthered domains. Private schools are less common than public schools. A large number of private elementary schools with under 20 students exist, but most private high schools in Maine can be described as "semi-private".

Maine also has Vocational Schools, such as the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology[147] and Sanford Regional Technical Center[148] that teach trades such as welding, construction and vehicle repair to students.

## Culture

[edit]

### Agriculture

[edit]

Farms and farming constitute a large part of Maine's history, heritage, and culture. Family farms, homesteads, and backyard gardens are common features of the Maine landscape.[149]

Historically, Maine was a center of agriculture before it achieved statehood. Prior to colonization, Wabanaki nations farmed large crops of corn and other produce in southern Maine.[150] Maine was a center of grain production in the 1800s, until grain production moved westward. However, in the early 2000s the local food movement spurred renewed interested in locally grown grains. In 2007, the Kneading Conference was founded. In, 2012, the Skowhegan grist mill Maine Grains opened.[151][152] The revival of grain farming and milling in Maine has led to the creation of other businesses, including bakeries and malthouses.[153]

Maine has many vegetable farms and other small, diversified farms. In the 1960s and 1970s, the book "Living the Good Life" by Helen Nearing and Scott Nearing caused many young people to move to Maine and engage in small-scale farming and homesteading. These back-to-the-land migrants increased the population of some counties.[154]

### Festivals

[edit]

Maine has multiple fairs and festivals that are held annually, which include La Kermesse, a celebration of the state's French and French Canadian heritage, the Fryeburg Fair, the Cumberland Fair, the Union Fair, the Common Ground Country Fair, a number of Old Home Days festivals, and a number of Portland Food Festivals.[155][156][157]

### Food

[edit]

Along with the growth of the local food movement over the last several decades, Maine has received national recognition for its food and restaurant scene. Portland was named Bon Appetit magazine's Restaurant City of the Year in 2018.[158] In 2018, HealthIQ.com named Maine the 3rd most vegan-friendly state.[159] Biddeford was selected by Food & Wine in 2022 as one of America's next great food cities.[160]

Maine food shares many ingredients with Wabanaki cuisine, including corn, beans, squash, wild blueberries, maple syrup, fish, and seafood.[161] By 1902, the Maine Italian sandwich had been invented in Portland. Sandwich shops across Maine serve the sandwiches.[162] Baked beans are a common dish in Maine, served at community suppers where the beans are sometimes cooked underground in a bean hole. In New England, Maine baked beans are one of two well-known regional styles of baked beans, the other being Boston baked beans. Maine baked beans use thicker skinned, native bean varieties such like Marafax, soldier, and yellow-eye beans.[163] From 1913 until 2021, baked beans were canned on the Portland waterfront at the B&M Baked Beans factory.

### Sports teams

[edit]

College hockey being played at the Cross Insurance Arena

#### Professional

[edit]

* Maine Celtics, basketball, NBA G League
* Portland Sea Dogs, minor league baseball, Eastern League
* Maine Mariners, ice hockey, ECHL
* Portland Hearts of Pine, soccer, USL League One

#### Non-professional

[edit]

* Portland Phoenix FC, soccer, Premier Developmental League
* Maine Roller Derby, roller derby, Women's Flat Track Derby Association

##### NCAA

[edit]

* Maine Black Bears[164]
* Husson Eagles[165]
* Maine Maritime Mariners
* Bates Bobcats
* Colby Mules
* Bowdoin Polar Bears
* New England Nor'easters

##### USCAA

[edit]

* York County Community College[166]
* University of Maine at Augusta[167]

### Terminology

[edit]

Maine maintains some vernacular and terminology that is unique in comparison to the rest of the country.[168] Some of these include:

* "Ayuh" - An affirmative response, like "Yes".[169]
* "Can't get there from here" - Place requires complicated instructions to reach.[170][171]
* "Down cellah" - In the basement.[172]
* "Downeast" - The coastline of Washington and Hancock counties, including Bar Harbor.[172]
* "From away" - A non-native person of Maine.[169]
* "Hard tellin' not knowin'" - Don't know.[172]
* "Puckerbrush" - Dense vegetation likely to scratch your legs.[172]
* "Upta camp" - Going to a more out-of-the-way, rustic place.[169] Popularized by Bob Marley after his special of the same name.[173][174]

## People from Maine

[edit]

Main article: List of people from Maine

Citizens of Maine are often known as Mainers.[175] The term Downeaster may be applied to residents of the northeast coast of the state. The term Mainiac is considered by some to be derogatory, but is embraced with pride by others,[176] and is used for a variety of organizations and for events such as the YMCA Mainiac Sprint Triathlon & Duathlon.[177]

## See also

[edit]

* Index of Maine-related articles
* Outline of Maine
* Maine portal

## References

[edit]

### Notes

[edit]

1. ^ In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor, the president of the State Senate is first in line for succession.
2. ^ Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988
3. ^ Maine is the U.S. state with the highest percentage of French-speaking population.[7]

### Citations

[edit]

1. ^ "Maine for Vacation". USA Today. Retrieved August 5, 2013. "There's a reason it's called "Vacationland" ..."
2. ^ "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates". Census.gov.
3. ^ "Katahdin 2". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
4. ^ a b "Elevations and Distances in the United States". United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
5. ^ "United States Census Quick Facts Maine". Retrieved January 9, 2025.
6. ^ "Household Income in States and Metropolitan Areas: 2023" (PDF). Retrieved January 12, 2025.
7. ^ a b "Data Center Results". Modern Language Association. Archived from the original on November 3, 2023. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
8. ^ "Title 1, §224: State soft drink". legislature.maine.gov.
9. ^ "LD 269, SP 128, Text and Status, 131st Legislature, First Regular Session".
10. ^ "Maine". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
11. ^ Wickenheiser, Matt (March 26, 2012). "Census: Maine most rural state in 2010 as urban centers grow nationwide". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
12. ^ "Indigenous Peoples of North America". www.gale.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
13. ^ "Wabanaki Nations". National Park Service. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
14. ^ a b "Maine's Creative Economy". Maine Arts Commission. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
15. ^ Currie, Ron (January 16, 2017). "Welcome to Portlyn". Down East Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
16. ^ "Native Americans or Indians in the Eastern United States in 1600". CelebrateBoston.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2013.
17. ^ "Abenaki". tolatsga.org. Archived from the original on April 11, 2010.
18. ^ "Science: Bye, Columbus". Time. December 11, 1978. Archived from the original on September 25, 2015.
19. ^ MPBN, "Rolling Back the Frontier" Archived July 4, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Story of Maine; accessed January 3, 2011
20. ^ Massachusetts Historical Society (1884). Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society. The Society. pp. 339–.
21. ^ Bruce G. Trigger (ed.): Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 15. Northeast. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington D.C. 1978 ISBN 0-16-004575-4
22. ^ "York commemorates Candlemas Raid Archived December 2, 2018, at the Wayback Machine". The Portsmouth Herald. February 1, 2001.
23. ^ John Demos, The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994, pp. 186 and 224
24. ^ Darren Bonaparte, "The History of Akwesasne" Archived October 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Wampum Chronicles, accessed February 1, 2010
25. ^ "New Ireland: How Maine almost became part of Canada at the end of the War of 1812". National Post. September 3, 2014.
26. ^ Woodard, Colin. The Lobster Coast Archived February 19, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. New York. Viking/Penguin, ISBN 0-670-03324-3, 2004, pp. 139–140, 150–151
27. ^ Woodard, Colin. "Parallel 44: Origins of the Mass Effect", The Working Waterfront, August 31, 2010. [1] Archived May 23, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
28. ^ Woodard, Colin. The Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators and the Forgotten Frontier (2004) Penguin Books. ISBN 0-670-03324-3
29. ^ "Maine History (Statehood)". www.maine.gov. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
30. ^ Nowak, David J.; Greenfield, Eric J. (July 2012). "Tree and impervious cover in the United States" (PDF). Landscape and Urban Planning. 107 (1): 21–30\. Bibcode:2012LUrbP.107...21N. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2012.04.005. ISSN 0169-2046. S2CID 9352755. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
31. ^ Olson; D. M; E. Dinerstein; et al. (2001). "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth". BioScience. 51 (11): 933–938\. doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0933:TEOTWA]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 0006-3568.
32. ^ "Maine.gov: Facts About Maine". State of Maine. Archived from the original on November 14, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2010.
33. ^ "Length of the U.S. Coastline by State". fen.com. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
34. ^ St. Vincent Millay, Edna. "Renascence by Edna St. Vincent Millay | Poetry Foundation". Poetry Foundation. Edna St. Vincent Millay. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
35. ^ "Answers—The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers.com. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
36. ^ "Maine". National Park Service. Archived from the original on July 3, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2008.
37. ^ a b Lent, Robert (February 10, 2009). "New All Time Low Temperature Recorded in Maine". U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
38. ^ "Each state's high temperature record". USA Today. August 2006. Retrieved February 11, 2009.
39. ^ [2] Archived October 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on October 24, 2006.
40. ^ "Summary of July 1st Tornadoes in Maine" (PDF).
41. ^ "NOAA's 1981–2010 Climate Normals". National Climatic Data Center.
42. ^ "Maine climate averages". Weatherbase. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
43. ^ "Index of Species: Forest Trees of Maine: Handbooks & Guides: Publications: Division of Forestry: Maine ACF". www.maine.gov. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
44. ^ "Coastal Beach" (PDF). Maine.gov. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
45. ^ "Mammals: Species Information: Wildlife: Fish & Wildlife: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife". www.maine.gov. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
46. ^ "Species Information | Department of Marine Resources". www.maine.gov. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
47. ^ "Lobster | Maine Secretary of State Kids' Page". www.maine.gov. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
48. ^ "Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020)". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
49. ^ "QuickFacts Maine; UNITED STATES". 2018 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 11, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
50. ^ "Urban Percentage of the Population for States, Historical | Iowa Community Indicators Program". Icip.iastate.edu. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
51. ^ "Population and Population Centers by State: 2010 (US Census Bureau)". Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
52. ^ "census.gov" (PDF). Retrieved August 3, 2013.
53. ^ "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Portland city, Maine". Census.gov. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
54. ^ "Mass. Benchmarks" (PDF). Massbenchmarks.org. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
55. ^ Silver, Nate. "SBSQ #6: People are fleeing California and New York. Will that make other states bluer?". www.natesilver.net. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
56. ^ "Interactive: Population change in Maine towns, 2010-2016". Portland Press Herald. May 26, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
57. ^ "Which States Have the Oldest Populations". PRB. December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
58. ^ "Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot". The Plain Dealer. June 3, 2012.
59. ^ "Important Statistics On The Senior Population". SrCareCenter.com. May 22, 2019. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
60. ^ "2007-2022 PIT Counts by State".
61. ^ "The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress" (PDF).
62. ^ a b "2016 American Community Survey—Demographic and Housing Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
63. ^ "2016 American Community Survey—Selected Social Characteristics". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
64. ^ Dominic Pulera (October 20, 2004). Sharing the Dream: White Males in Multicultural America. A&C Black. pp. 57–. ISBN 978-0-8264-1643-8.
65. ^ Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, "The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns", Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44–6.
66. ^ Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, "Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites", Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82–86.
67. ^ Mary C. Waters, Ethnic Options: Choosing Identities in America (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990), p. 36.
68. ^ French Canadian Emigration to the United States 1840–1930. Claude Bélanger, Department of History, Marianopolis College.[when?]
69. ^ French-Canadian Americans by Marianne Fedunkiw.[when?]
70. ^ Kanes, Candace. "Bringing in the Swedes". Maine History Online. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
71. ^ "Race and Ethnicity in the United States: 2010 Census and 2020 Census". U.S. Census Bureau. August 12, 2021.
72. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; Hamilton, Brady E.; Osterman, Michelle J.K.; Curtin, Sally C.; Mathews, T.J. (January 15, 2015). "Births: Final Data for 2013" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 64 (1). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1–65\. PMID 25603115.
73. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; Hamilton, Brady E.; Osterman, Michelle J.K.; Curtin, Sally C.; Mathews, T.J. (December 23, 2015). "Births: Final Data for 2014" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 64 (12). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1–64\. PMID 26727629.
74. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; Hamilton, Brady E.; Osterman, Michelle J.K.; Driscoll, Anne K.; Mathews, T.J. (January 5, 2017). "Births: Final Data for 2015" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 66 (1). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1. PMID 28135188.
75. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; Hamilton, Brady E.; Osterman, Michelle J.K.; Driscoll, Anne K.; Drake, Patrick (January 31, 2018). "Births: Final Data for 2016" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 67 (1). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1–55\. PMID 29775434.
76. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; Hamilton, Brady E.; Osterman, Michelle J.K.; Driscoll, Anne K.; Drake, Patrick (November 7, 2018). "Births: Final Data for 2017" (PDF). National Vital Statistics Reports. 67 (8). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 1–50\. PMID 30707672. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
77. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2018" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
78. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2019" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
79. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2020" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
80. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2021" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 3, 2022.
81. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2022" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 5, 2024.
82. ^ "Births: Final Data for 2023" (PDF). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
83. ^ "Immigrants in Maine" (PDF).
84. ^ "Maine—World Travel Guide". World Travel Guide. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
85. ^ "Languages—Maine". City-data.com.
86. ^ Staff (February 24, 2023). "PRRI – American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition in Maine". Public Religion Research Institute. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
87. ^ "Religions in Maine".
88. ^ "PRRI – American Values Atlas". ava.prri.org. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
89. ^ "2020 Congregational Membership". www.thearda.com. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
90. ^ "Maine Economy at a Glance". Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
91. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
92. ^ "GDP by State". GDP by State | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Bureau of Economic Analysis. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
93. ^ Account, Economic (March 29, 2024). "Personal Income by State". U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
94. ^ "S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months". Explore Census Data. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
95. ^ "Unemployment & Labor Force". www.maine.gov. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
96. ^ "MDOL: New Minimum Wage Increases". www.maine.gov. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
97. ^ "7 Maine fishermen will soon go shrimping for first time in a decade". Press Herald. January 22, 2025. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
98. ^ Losneck, Caroline (April 2019). "NORTHEAST: Oyster, seaweed industries continue rise in Maine; Northern shrimp shutdown extends 3 years; scup and squid try to find strong markets". National Fisherman.
99. ^ "Brunswick Landing—Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority". Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
100. ^ "Maine's blueberry crop faces climate change peril". ABC News. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
101. ^ "Part1_Ports_tonsbycommCY2013.htm". Navigationdatacenter.us.
102. ^ "Table 1-57: Tonnage of Top 50 U.S. Water Ports, Ranked by Total Tons(a)—Bureau of Transportation Statistics". Rita.dot.gov. Archived from the original on February 11, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
103. ^ "2023 MAINE OFFICE OF TOURISM HIGHLIGHTS" (PDF). Maine Office of Tourism. 2023. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
104. ^ "Summer Folk: The Postcard View". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
105. ^ "Poland Spring: Summering in Fashion". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
106. ^ Kelleher, Katy (August 18, 2020). "Maine has inspired artists for 200 years". National Geographic. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
107. ^ "Founding Acadia - Acadia National Park (U.S. National Park Service)". National Park Service. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
108. ^ "Will Trump's planned price hike for Acadia's foreign visitors hurt Maine tourism?". Press Herald. July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
109. ^ Danziger, Pamela N. "L.L. Bean Continues To Expand Its National Footprint, Totaling 60 Stores This Year". Forbes. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
110. ^ "Roosevelts in Maine | Maine: An Encyclopedia". Maine An Encyclopedia. November 13, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
111. ^ Emerson, Brad (February 24, 2011). "VANDERBILTS UNDER THE PINES". New York Social Diary. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
112. ^ "John D. Rockefeller & the Carriage Roads". Visit Maine. August 23, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
113. ^ Bilhuber, Jeffrey (July 1, 2015). "Martha Stewart's Maine Estate Is Testament to Tradition and Natural Beauty". Architectural Digest. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
114. ^ "Creative Portland - Economic Impact Studies". www.creativeportland.com. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
115. ^ "Gov. Baldacci addresses Maine's 'Creative Economy'". Bates College. April 17, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
116. ^ "Maine Economic Contribution and Impact Research". University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
117. ^ "Data". usda.mannlib.cornell.edu.
118. ^ "Most Americans haven't tried seaweed, Maine study shows". Press Herald. April 29, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
119. ^ Staff (April 30, 2019). "Report: Maine's organic farms encompass less acreage, but yield higher sales". Maine Biz. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
120. ^ "Tax forms" (PDF). maine.gov.
121. ^ "Tax forms" (PDF). maine.gov.
122. ^ "Title 36, §1811: Sales tax". legislature.maine.gov.
123. ^ "KEPM—Eastport, Maine—Eastport Municipal Airport". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
124. ^ "Downeaster Schedule" (PDF). Amtrak Downeaster. May 20, 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
125. ^ Writer, Peter McGuireStaff (November 13, 2021). "With other cargo ports in chaos, Portland's is sailing toward a record-breaking year". Press Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
126. ^ Writer, PENELOPE OVERTONStaff (July 6, 2016). "Port of Portland approved for federal grant that will double freight capacity". Press Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
127. ^ J. Pomante II, Michael; Li, Quan (December 15, 2020). "Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020". Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy. 19 (4): 503–509\. doi:10.1089/elj.2020.0666. S2CID 225139517.
128. ^ Sharp, David (December 29, 2012). "Gay marriage law goes into effect in Maine". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved April 13, 2013.
129. ^ Palmer, Kenneth. "Maine's Paradoxical Politics". Maine Policy Review 19.1 (2010): 26–34.
130. ^ "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
131. ^ "Bureau of Corporations, Elections & Commissions". www.maine.gov. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
132. ^ "Maine State Police History". Maine.gov. State of Maine Department of Public Safety. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
133. ^ "Maine.gov: Local". maine.gov. Archived from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
134. ^ "Unorganized Territory". maine.gov. Retrieved September 11, 2015.
135. ^ "QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
136. ^ "Fact Finder US Census Maine Portland". Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2006.
137. ^ "Carnegie Classifications | Basic Classification". carnegieclassifications.iu.edu. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
138. ^ "About UMaine". Umaine.edu. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
139. ^ "About". colby.edu. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
140. ^ "Bates College". Forbes. Retrieved June 16, 2016. "[Bates College] was the first coeducational college in New England."
141. ^ "National Liberal Arts College Rankings | Top Liberal Arts Colleges | US News Best Colleges". colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
142. ^ "College Guide Rankings 2015—Liberal Arts Colleges". Washington Monthly. May 26, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
143. ^ "America's Top Colleges". Forbes. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
144. ^ Bidwell, Allie. "How States Are Spending Money in Education". U.S. News & World Report—News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
145. ^ "Title 20-A, §12703: Mission and goals". Maine Legislature. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
146. ^ "Our Colleges". Maine Community College System. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
147. ^ "Biddeford Regional Center of Technology". www.biddefordschools.me. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
148. ^ "Sanford Regional Technical Center". www.sanford.org. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
149. ^ "Farming in Maine". Maine History Online. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
150. ^ Woodard, Colin (February 16, 2020). "Colony, Chapter I: Dawnland". Press Herald. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
151. ^ Brozek, Kathy O. (November 19, 2014). "An artisan grain industry takes root in Maine". the Guardian. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
152. ^ Wu, Tim (July 24, 2020). "Opinion | That Flour You Bought Could Be the Future of the U.S. Economy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
153. ^ "A Grainshed Rises in the Northeast". Modern Farmer. February 28, 2021. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
154. ^ Curtis, Abigail (April 1, 2014). "The Good Life: The movement that changed Maine". Bangor Daily News. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
155. ^ "'Old Home Days' and other festivities kick off in Levant". newscentermaine.com. September 9, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
156. ^ "Fryeburg Fair". www.fryeburgfair.org. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
157. ^ "La Kermesse". www.lakermessefestival.com. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
158. ^ Knowlton, Andrew. "Portland, Maine, Is the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year". Bon Appétit. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
159. ^ Gavin, Ryan (March 29, 2018). "How Vegan Are Mainers? Find Out Where We Rank Nationally [MAP]". Q97.9. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
160. ^ "Biddeford's rising food scene gets national attention". newscentermaine.com. April 18, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
161. ^ Schipani, Sam (January 4, 2020). "The 7 foods that made Maine". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved September 11, 2022.
162. ^ "Video: How to Make an Authentic Maine Italian Sandwich". Maine Public. July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
163. ^ Nash, Elias (July 11, 2022). "The Subtle Difference Between Maine And Boston Baked Beans". TastingTable.com. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
164. ^ "UMaine Official Athletics Website". University of Maine Athletics. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
165. ^ "Husson University - Official Athletics Website". Husson University. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
166. ^ Allen, Anna (June 7, 2021). "York County to Offer Intercollegiate Athletics". York County Hawks.
167. ^ Mahoney, Larry (June 18, 2011). "UMFK, UMPI, UMM leave NAIA for new association". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
168. ^ Voornas, Lori (December 29, 2020). "If You Are From Away, Here's the Maine Slang You Need to Know". Q97.9. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
169. ^ a b c "Your Guide to Maine Lingo | Best of | The Maine Magazine". The Maine Mag. September 6, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
170. ^ "'You Can't Get There From Here' Meaning". UsingEnglish.com. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
171. ^ December 2009, Andy Woodruff on 22. "You can't get there from here | Andy Woodruff". Retrieved June 23, 2025.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
172. ^ a b c d "Your Guide to Maine Lingo | Best of | The Maine Magazine". The Maine Mag. September 6, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
173. ^ "A Maine Notable: Maine State Library - Bob Marley". www.maine.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
174. ^ Karen, Kiley (August 5, 2016). "MWC Daily: Let's Go 'Upta Camp' with Comedian Bob Marley". 97.5 WOKQ. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
175. ^ "Dictionary.com—definition of "Mainer"". Dictionary.com. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
176. ^ Louise Dickinson Rich. State o'Maine. Harper & Row, 1964, p ix
177. ^ "Mainiac Tri". Archived from the original on August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.

## External links

[edit]

Maine at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Definitions from Wiktionary
* Media from Commons
* News from Wikinews
* Quotations from Wikiquote
* Texts from Wikisource
* Textbooks from Wikibooks
* Resources from Wikiversity
* Travel information from Wikivoyage

### State government

[edit]

* Maine government
* Maine Office of Tourism Search for tourism-related businesses
* Visit Maine (agriculture) Maine fairs, festivals, etc.—Agricultural Dept.

### U.S. government

[edit]

* Maine State Guide, from the Library of Congress
* U.S. EIA Energy Profile for Maine—economic, environmental and energy data
* U.S. Geological Survey Real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Maine
* U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Maine State Facts—agricultural
* U.S. Census Bureau Quick facts on Maine
* Portland Magazine Editorial on Maine news, events, and people

### Information

[edit]

* Maine Historical Society
* Old USGS maps of Maine.
* 1860 Map of Maine by Mitchell.
* 1876 Panoramic Birdseye View of Portland by Warner at LOC.,
* Geographic data related to Maine at OpenStreetMap

Preceded by

Alabama

|  List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union
Admitted on March 15, 1820 (23rd)  | Succeeded by

Missouri

|
|

* v
* t
* e

State of Maine

Augusta (capital)

Topics|

* Index
* Geography
* Government
* Congressional districts
* Governors
* History
* Images
* Islands
* People
* Symbols
* Tourist attractions
* Transportation

Society|

* Abortion
* Cannabis
* Climate change
* Culture
* Demographics
* Economy
* Education
* Gun laws
* LGBT rights
* Politics
* Party strength

Regions|

* Casco Bay
* Downeast
* Highlands
* Kennebec Valley
* Midcoast
* North Woods
* Southern Coast
* Western Lakes and Mountains

Metropolitan areas|

* Augusta-Waterville
* Bangor
* Lewiston-Auburn
* Portland-South Portland

Counties|

* Androscoggin
* Aroostook
* Cumberland
* Franklin
* Hancock
* Kennebec
* Knox
* Lincoln
* Oxford
* Penobscot
* Piscataquis
* Sagadahoc
* Somerset
* Waldo
* Washington
* York

Maine portal

* v
* t
* e

New England

Topics|

* Autumn
* Climate
* Cuisine
* Culture
* Demographics
* Economy
* Elections
* Flag
* Geography
* Geology
* Government
* History
* Prehistory
* New England Colonies
* Dominion of New England
* New England Confederation
* Literature
* Place names of Native-American origin
* Politics
* Sports

States|

* Connecticut
* Maine
* Massachusetts
* New Hampshire
* Rhode Island
* Vermont

Major cities|

* Bridgeport
* Brockton
* Burlington
* Cambridge
* Danbury
* Fall River
* Lowell
* Manchester
* New Bedford
* New Haven
* Norwalk
* Portland
* Quincy
* Somerville
* Springfield
* Stamford
* Waterbury
* Worcester

State capitals|

* Augusta
* Boston
* Concord
* Hartford
* Montpelier
* Providence

Transportation|

| Passenger rail|

* MBTA (MA, RI)
* CapeFLYER (MA)
* Northeast Corridor (CT, MA, RI)
* Acela (CT, MA, RI)
* Downeaster (ME, NH, MA)
* Vermonter (CT, MA, NH, VT)
* Shore Line East (CT)
* Metro-North (CT)
* Hartford Line (CT, MA)
* New Haven Line (CT)
* Valley Flyer (CT, MA)
* Amtrak Hartford Line (CT, MA)

|

Major Interstates|

* I-84 (CT, MA)
* I-89 (NH, VT)
* I-90 (Mass Pike) (MA)
* I-91 (CT, MA, VT)
* I-93 (MA, NH, VT)
* I-95 (CT, RI, MA, NH, ME)
* defunct: New England road marking system

Airports|

* Bradley (CT)
* Burlington (VT)
* T. F. Green (RI)
* Manchester–Boston (NH)
* Logan (MA)
* New Haven (CT)
* Portland (ME)
* Worcester (MA)

* New England portal
* Category
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Northeastern United States

Topics|

* Culture
* Geography
* Government
* History

States|

* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New York
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* Vermont

Federal districts|

* District of Columbia

Major cities|

* Allentown
* Alexandria
* Arlington
* Baltimore
* Boston
* Bridgeport
* Brockton
* Buffalo
* Burlington
* Cambridge
* Elizabeth
* Erie
* Hartford
* Jersey City
* Lowell
* Manchester
* New Haven
* New York City
* Newark
* Paterson
* Philadelphia
* Pittsburgh
* Portland
* Providence
* Quincy
* Reading
* Rochester
* Scranton
* Springfield
* Stamford
* Syracuse
* Washington, D.C.
* Waterbury
* Wilmington
* Worcester

State capitals|

* Albany
* Annapolis
* Augusta
* Boston
* Concord
* Dover
* Hartford
* Harrisburg
* Montpelier
* Providence
* Trenton

See also|

* Northeast megalopolis

* v
* t
* e

Political divisions of the United States

List of states and territories

States|

* Alabama
* Alaska
* Arizona
* Arkansas
* California
* Colorado
* Connecticut
* Delaware
* Florida
* Georgia
* Hawaii
* Idaho
* Illinois
* Indiana
* Iowa
* Kansas
* Kentucky
* Louisiana
* Maine
* Maryland
* Massachusetts
* Michigan
* Minnesota
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Montana
* Nebraska
* Nevada
* New Hampshire
* New Jersey
* New Mexico
* New York
* North Carolina
* North Dakota
* Ohio
* Oklahoma
* Oregon
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* South Carolina
* South Dakota
* Tennessee
* Texas
* Utah
* Vermont
* Virginia
* Washington
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin
* Wyoming

Federal district|

Washington, D.C.

Territories|

* American Samoa
* Guam
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Puerto Rico
* U.S. Virgin Islands

Outlying islands|

* Baker Island
* Howland Island
* Jarvis Island
* Johnston Atoll
* Kingman Reef
* Midway Atoll
* Navassa Island
* Palmyra Atoll
* Wake Island

Indian country|

* Federally recognized tribe
* Indian reservation
* List of federally recognized tribes by state
* List of Indian reservations

International concessions|

* Guantanamo Bay
* Pituffik

* v
* t
* e

United States

History|

| By period|

* 1776–1789
* 1789–1815
* 1815–1849
* 1849–1865
* 1865–1917
* 1917–1945
* 1945–1964
* 1964–1980
* 1980–1991
* 1991–2016
* 2016–present

|

By event|

* Pre-colonial era
* Colonial era
* Stamp Act Congress
* Thirteen Colonies
* Continental Congress
* Continental Association
* United Colonies
* military history
* Founding Fathers
* Halifax Resolves
* Lee Resolution
* Declaration of Independence
* American Revolution
* War
* Treaty of Paris
* Articles of Confederation
* Perpetual Union
* Confederation period
* American frontier
* Constitution
* drafting and ratification
* Bill of Rights
* Federalist Era
* War of 1812
* Territorial evolution
* Mexican–American War
* Civil War
* Reconstruction era
* Indian Wars
* Native genocide
* Gilded Age
* Progressive Era
* Women's suffrage
* Civil rights movement
* 1865–1896
* 1896–1954
* 1954–1968
* Spanish–American War
* Imperialism
* World War I
* Roaring Twenties
* Great Depression
* World War II
* home front
* American Century
* Cold War
* Korean War
* Space Race
* Feminist Movement
* LGBTQ Movement
* Vietnam War
* Post-Cold War (1991–2016)
* September 11 attacks
* War on Terror
* War in Afghanistan
* Iraq War
* Great Recession
* COVID-19 pandemic

By topic|

* Outline of U.S. history
* Demographic
* Discoveries
* Economic
* Inventions
* Military
* Postal
* Technological and industrial

Geography|

* Territory
* Contiguous United States
* counties
* federal district
* federal enclaves
* Indian reservations
* insular zones
* minor outlying islands
* populated places
* states
* Earthquakes
* Extreme points
* Islands
* Mountains
* peaks
* ranges
* Appalachian
* Rocky
* Sierra Nevada
* National Park Service
* National Parks
* Regions
* East Coast
* West Coast
* Great Plains
* Gulf
* Mid-Atlantic
* Midwestern
* New England
* Pacific
* Central
* Eastern
* Northern
* Northeastern
* Northwestern
* Southern
* Southeastern
* Southwestern
* Western
* Longest rivers
* Arkansas
* Colorado
* Columbia
* Mississippi
* Missouri
* Red (South)
* Rio Grande
* Yukon
* Time
* Water supply and sanitation
* World Heritage Sites

Politics|

| Federal|

| Executive|

* President of the United States
* powers
* Executive Office
* Vice President
* Cabinet
* Executive departments
* Independent agencies
* Intelligence Community
* Director of National Intelligence
* Central Intelligence Agency
* National Security Agency
* National Reconnaissance Office
* Law enforcement
* ATF
* CBP
* Diplomatic Security
* DEA
* FBI
* ICE
* Marshals
* Secret Service
* TSA
* Inspector generals
* Civil service
* Public policy

|

Legislative|

* House of Representatives
* current members
* Speaker
* Senate
* current members
* President pro tempore
* President
* Capitol Police
* Library of Congress
* Congressional Budget Office
* Government Accountability Office
* Government Publishing Office

Judicial|

* Supreme Court
* Chief Justice
* Associate Justices
* list
* Courts of appeals
* list of judges
* District courts/Territorial courts
* list of courts
* list of judges
* Other tribunals
* U.S. attorney

Law|

* Bill of Rights
* civil liberties
* Code of Federal Regulations
* Constitution
* federalism
* preemption
* separation of powers
* civil rights
* United States Code

Uniformed|

* Armed Forces
* Army
* Marine Corps
* Navy
* Air Force
* Space Force
* Coast Guard
* National Guard
* NOAA Corps
* Public Health Service Corps

State,
Federal District,
and Territorial|

| Executive|

* Governor
* list
* Lieutenant governor
* list
* Secretary of state
* Attorney general
* Treasurer
* Auditor/Comptroller
* Agriculture commissioner
* Insurance commissioner
* Public utilities commission
* State police
* list

|

Legislative|

* List of legislatures
* List of legislators

Judicial|

* Supreme courts
* Chief justices
* District attorney
* list

Law|

* State constitutions
* Statutory codes
* Uniform act
* Comparison of governments

Tribal|

* Tribal sovereignty
* Native American recognition in the United States
* Federally recognized tribes
* Federally recognized Alaska Native tribes
* State-recognized tribes
* Indian reservation
* list
* Hawaiian home land

Local|

| County|

* List of counties and county equivalents
* County executive
* Sheriff
* Clerk

|

Cities|

* Consolidated city-county
* Independent city
* Coterminous municipality
* Charter
* Mayor–council government
* Council–manager government
* City commission government
* Mayor
* City manager
* City council

Minor divisions|

* Township
* Town meeting

Special district|

* School district
* list

* Corruption
* Democratic backsliding
* Elections
* Electoral College
* Red states and blue states
* Foreign relations
* foreign policy
* Imperial presidency
* Ideologies
* Anti-Americanism
* exceptionalism
* nationalism
* Parties
* Democratic
* Republican
* Third parties
* Scandals

Economy|

* By sector
* Agriculture
* Banking
* Communications
* Companies
* Energy
* Insurance
* Manufacturing
* Mining
* Science and technology
* Tourism
* Trade
* by state
* Currency
* Exports
* Federal budget
* Greenhouse gas emissions by the United States
* Federal Reserve System
* Financial position
* Labor unions
* Public debt
* Social welfare programs
* Taxation
* Unemployment
* Wall Street

Transport|

* Aviation
* Driving
* Public transportation
* Rail transportation
* Transportation policy
* Transportation safety
* Trucking industry

Society|

| Culture|

* Americana
* Architecture
* Cinema
* Crime
* Cuisine
* Dance
* Demographics
* Economic issues
* affluence
* eviction
* homeownership
* household income
* income inequality
* middle class
* personal income
* poverty
* standard of living
* wealth
* working class
* Education
* attainment
* literacy
* Family
* Fashion
* Flag
* list
* Folklore
* Holidays
* Federal holidays
* Homelessness
* Housing
* Human rights
* Languages
* American English
* Indigenous languages
* ASL
* Literature
* Media
* journalism
* internet
* newspapers
* radio
* television
* Music
* Names
* National anthem
* National symbols
* Columbia
* Mount Rushmore
* Statue of Liberty
* Uncle Sam
* People
* Philosophy
* Political ideologies
* Race
* Religion
* Sexuality
* Social class
* Society
* Sports
* history
* Theater
* Transportation
* Video games
* Visual art

|

Social class|

* Affluence
* American Dream
* Educational attainment
* Homelessness
* Homeownership
* Household income
* Income inequality
* Middle class
* Personal income
* Poverty
* Standard of living

Health|

* Aging
* Healthcare
* Abortion
* Birth control
* Prenatal care
* Hospice care
* Immigrant health care
* Rationing
* Health care finance
* Health insurance costs
* Health care prices
* Prescription drug prices
* Disability
* Health insurance
* Food safety
* Physician shortage
* Poverty and health
* Race and health
* Obesity
* Medical deserts
* Women's reproductive health
* Life expectancy

Issues|

* Capital punishment
* Crime
* incarceration
* Criticism of government
* Discrimination
* affirmative action
* antisemitism
* intersex rights
* Islamophobia
* LGBTQ rights
* racism
* Native American
* African American
* Energy policy
* Environmental issues
* Environmental movement
* Climate change
* Gun politics
* Mass shootings
* Hunger
* Smoking
* Human rights
* Immigration
* illegal
* National security
* Terrorism
* Opioid epidemic
* Separation of church and state
* Xenophobia

* Outline
* Index

Category

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Croatia
* Israel
* Catalonia

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz area

Academics|

* CiNii

Other|

* IdRef
* NARA
* Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine
* Yale LUX

*[Pop.]: Population
*[%±]: Percent change
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template