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Wikipedia

Maine

April 10, 2023

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

Maine (/meɪn/ (listen)) is the easternmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern 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, respectively. The largest state by total area in New England, Maine is the 12th-smallest by area, the 9th-least populous, the 13th-least densely populated, and the most rural[12] of the 50 U.S. states. It is also the northeasternmost among the contiguous United States, the northernmost state east of the Great Lakes, the only state whose name consists of a single syllable, and the only state to border exactly one other U.S. state. Approximately half the area of Maine lies on each side of the 45th parallel north in latitude. The most populous city in Maine is Portland, while its capital is Augusta.

Maine
State
State of Maine
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
Map of the United States with Maine highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodPart of Massachusetts (District of Maine)
Admitted to the UnionMarch 15, 1820 (23rd)
CapitalAugusta
Largest cityPortland
Largest county or equivalentCumberland
Largest metro and urban areasPortland
Government
 • GovernorJanet Mills (D)
 • Senate PresidentTroy Jackson (D)[nb 1]
LegislatureMaine Legislature
 • Upper houseSenate
 • Lower houseHouse of Representatives
JudiciaryMaine Supreme Judicial Court
U.S. senatorsSusan Collins (R)
Angus King (I)
U.S. House delegation1. Chellie Pingree (D)
2. Jared Golden (D) (list)
Area
 • Total35,385 sq mi (91,646 km2)
 • Land30,862 sq mi (80,005 km2)
 • Water4,523 sq mi (11,724 km2)  13.5%
 • Rank39th
Dimensions
 • Length320 mi (515 km)
 • Width205 mi (330 km)
Elevation
600 ft (180 m)
Highest elevation
(Mount Katahdin[2][3][nb 2])
5,270 ft (1,606.4 m)
Lowest elevation
(Atlantic Ocean[3])
0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total1,362,359
 • Rank42nd
 • Density43.8/sq mi (16.9/km2)
  • Rank38th
 • Median household income
$56,277[4]
 • Income rank
35th
Demonym
  • Mainer
Language
 • Official languageNone[nb 3]
 • Spoken language
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation
ME
ISO 3166 codeUS-ME
Traditional abbreviationMe.
Latitude42° 58′ N to 47° 28′ N
Longitude66° 57′ W to 71° 5′ W
Websitewww.maine.gov

Maine has traditionally been known for its jagged, rocky Atlantic Ocean and bayshore coastlines; smoothly contoured mountains; heavily forested interior; picturesque waterways; and its wild lowbush blueberries and seafood cuisine, especially lobster and clams. Coastal and Down East Maine have emerged as important centers for the creative economy,[13] especially in the vicinity of Portland, which is also bringing gentrification.[14]

The territory of Maine has been inhabited by aboriginal populations for thousands of years 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, it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state.

History

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.[15][16]

European contact with what is now called Maine may have started around 1200 CE when Norwegians 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, Norwegians first identified America and attempted to settle areas such as Newfoundland, but failed to establish a permanent settlement. Archeological evidence suggests that Norwegians 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.[17]

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. 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.[18]

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.[19] 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.[20]

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.[21] 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.[22][23]

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.[24][25] 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. Long-standing 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

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 limited the spread of slavery and enabled the admission to statehood of Missouri the following year, keeping a balance between slave and free states.[26][27][28]

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

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

"Maine Coast" redirects here. For for the painting, see Maine Coast (painting).
"Coast of Maine" redirects here. For for the skin spot noted for its jagged edges, see Coast of Maine café-au-lait macule.
 
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 state in New England and the largest, accounting for almost half of the region's entire land area. Maine is the only state to border exactly one other American state (New Hampshire).

Maine is the easternmost state in the United States both in its extreme points and in 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 American 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 U.S. state east of the Mississippi River. It is called the Pine Tree State; over 80% of its total land is forested or unclaimed,[29] 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.[30]

Maine has almost 230 miles (400 km) of ocean coastline (and 3,500 miles (5,600 km) of tidal coastline).[31][32] 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":[33]

 
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.[34] 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:[35]

Lands under the control of the state of Maine include:

Climate

 
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.[36]

The state's record high temperature is 105 °F (41 °C), set in July 1911, at North Bridgton.[37] 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,[38] where summer temperatures are often the warmest and the atmosphere is thus more unstable compared to northern and coastal areas.[39] 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.[36]

Annual precipitation varies from 35.8 in (909 mm) in Presque Isle to 56.7 in (1,441 mm) in Acadia National Park.[40]

Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Maine[41]
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

Demographics

Population

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
179096,540—
1800151,71957.2%
1810228,70550.7%
1820298,33530.4%
1830399,45533.9%
1840501,79325.6%
1850583,16916.2%
1860628,2797.7%
1870626,915−0.2%
1880648,9363.5%
1890661,0861.9%
1900694,4665.0%
1910742,3716.9%
1920768,0143.5%
1930797,4233.8%
1940847,2266.2%
1950913,7747.9%
1960969,2656.1%
1970992,0482.4%
19801,124,66013.4%
19901,227,9289.2%
20001,274,9233.8%
20101,328,3614.2%
20201,362,3592.6%
2022 (est.)1,385,3401.7%
Source: 1910–2020[42]
 
Maine population density map

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.[43] 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.[44] 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.[45] The Greater Portland metropolitan area is the most densely populated with nearly 40% of Maine's population.[46] This area spans three counties and includes many farms and wooded areas; the 2016 population of Portland proper was 66,937.[47]

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.[48] 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.[49]

As of 2020, Maine has the highest population age 65 or older in the United States.[50]

According to the 2010 census, Maine has the highest percentage of non-Hispanic whites 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.[51] Maine also has the second-highest residential senior population.[52]

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 4,411 homeless people in Maine.[53] [54]

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

Maine racial composition of population[55]
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%).[55] 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%).[56]

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.[57][58][59][60][61][62]

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 and Polish, have settled throughout the state since the late 19th and early 20th century immigration waves.

Birth data

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[63] 2014[64] 2015[65] 2016[66] 2017[67] 2018[68] 2019[69] 2020[70] 2021[71]
White: 11,950 (93.5%) 11,842 (93.2%) 11,805 (93.6%) ... ... ... ... ... ...
> Non-hispanic 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%)
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%)
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%)
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%)
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%)
Maine 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%)
  • 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.

Language

Maine does not have an official language,[5] but the most widely spoken language in the state is English. The 2000 census reported 92.25% 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: 5.28% of Maine households are French-speaking, compared with 4.68% in Louisiana, which is the second highest state.[72] Although rarely spoken, Spanish is the third-most-common language in Maine, after English and French.[73]

Religion

Religious self-identification, per Public Religion Research Institute's 2022 American Values Survey[74]

  Protestantism (41%)
  Catholicism (21%)
  Unitarian/Universalist (1%)
  Unaffilated (30%)
  Judaism (5%)
  New Age (1%)
  Other (1%)

According to the Pew Research Center, 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%.

The Roman Catholic Church was the largest religious institution and the Baptists (7% Evangelical and 5% Mainline) are the largest Protestant institution, 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." The 81% of Mainers believe in God, while 3% don't know and 16% do not believe in God. The 34% of Mainers think that Religion is Very Important and 29% said that is Important, while 21% said that religion isn't important.[75]

By the publication of another study in 2020 through the Public Religion Research Institute, approximately 62% of the population were Christian; the religiously unaffiliated slightly increased to 33% from the separate 2014 study by the Pew Research Center.[76]

Economy

See also: Maine locations by per capita income and List of power stations in Maine
 
Bath Iron Works naval shipbuilding

Total employment 2020

Total employer establishments 2020

The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Maine's total gross state product for 2021 was $77.96 billion.[78] Its per capita personal income for 2021 was $58,484, 30th in the nation. As of September 2022, Maine's unemployment rate is 3.3%[79]

 
Lobstering in Portland

Maine's agricultural outputs include poultry, eggs, dairy products, cattle, wild blueberries, apples, maple syrup, and maple sugar. Aroostook County is known for its potato crops. Potatoes make the state $166,672,000 a year .[80] 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. In 2017, the production of Maine's seaweed industry was estimated at $20 million per year. 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 and is expected to continue until 2021.[81] Western Maine aquifers and springs are a major source of bottled water.

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.[82]

 
Maine blueberries. The U.S.'s only commercial producers of wild blueberries are located in Maine.[83]

Maine is the number one U.S. producer of low-bush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium). Preliminary data from the USDA for 2012 also indicate Maine was the largest blueberry producer of the major blueberry producing states, with 91,100,000 lbs.[84] This data includes both low (wild), and high-bush (cultivated) blueberries: Vaccinium corymbosum. The largest toothpick manufacturing plant in the United States used to be located in Strong, Maine. The Strong Wood Products plant produced 20 million toothpicks a day. It closed in May 2003.

Tourism and outdoor recreation play a major and increasingly important role in Maine's economy. 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. Concomitantly with the tourist and recreation-oriented economy, Maine has developed a burgeoning creative economy, most notably centered in the Greater Portland vicinity.[13]

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,[85] which places it 45th of U.S. water ports.[86] 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, and L.L.Bean in Freeport. 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.

Further information on manganese from Maine's: Maple Mountain mine

Taxation

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.[87] Before July 2013 Maine had four brackets: 2, 4.5, 7, and 8.5 percent.[88] 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.[89] 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.

Shipbuilding

Further information: Bath Iron Works and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Maine has a long-standing tradition of being home to many shipbuilding companies. 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.

Transport

Airports

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.[90]

Highways

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

 
Map of Electric Railway Lines in Maine c 1907
See also: List of Maine railroads

Passenger

 
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.[91]

Freight

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 & Maine and Maine Central railroads; St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad; Maine Eastern Railroad; Central Maine and Quebec Railway; and New Brunswick Southern Railway.

Shipping

Cargo

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.[92] 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.[93]

Law and government

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 responsible for the execution of the laws created by the Legislature and 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.

The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting state laws. The highest court of the state 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.[94]

Counties

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)

Politics

State and local politics

See also: As Maine goes, so goes the nation; Maine Democratic Party; Maine Green Independent Party; Libertarian Party of Maine; Maine Republican Party; and Political party strength in Maine
Gubernatorial election results[95]
Year Democratic Republican
1954 54.5% 135,673 45.5% 113,298
1956 59.2% 180,254 40.8% 124,395
1958 52.0% 145,673 48.0% 134,572
1962 49.9% 146,121 50.1% 146,604
1966 53.1% 172,036 46.9% 151,802
1970 50.1% 163,138 49.9% 162,248
1974 36.8% 132,219 23.5% 84,176
1978 47.8% 176,493 34.4% 126,862
1982 61.9% 281,066 38.1% 172,949
1986 30.2% 128,744 39.9% 170,312
1990 44.1% 230,038 46.7% 243,766
1994 33.8% 172,951 23.1% 117,990
1998 12.0% 50,506 18.9% 79,716
2002 47.2% 238,179 41.5% 209,496
2006 38.1% 209,927 30.2% 166,425
2010 18.8% 109,387 37.6% 218,065
2014 43.4% 265,125 48.2% 294,533
2018 50.9% 320,962 43.2% 272,311
United States presidential election results for Maine[96]
Year Republican / Whig Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 360,770 44.03% 435,072 53.09% 23,619 2.88%
2016 335,593 44.87% 357,735 47.83% 54,599 7.30%
2012 292,276 40.98% 401,306 56.27% 19,598 2.75%
2008 295,273 40.38% 421,923 57.71% 13,967 1.91%
2004 330,201 44.58% 396,842 53.57% 13,709 1.85%
2000 286,616 43.97% 319,951 49.09% 45,250 6.94%
1996 186,378 30.76% 312,788 51.62% 106,731 17.62%
1992 206,504 30.39% 263,420 38.77% 209,575 30.84%
1988 307,131 55.34% 243,569 43.88% 4,335 0.78%
1984 336,500 60.83% 214,515 38.78% 2,129 0.38%
1980 238,522 45.61% 220,974 42.25% 63,515 12.14%
1976 236,320 48.91% 232,279 48.07% 14,609 3.02%
1972 256,458 61.46% 160,584 38.48% 229 0.05%
1968 169,254 43.07% 217,312 55.30% 6,370 1.62%
1964 118,701 31.14% 262,264 68.80% 256 0.07%
1960 240,608 57.05% 181,159 42.95% 6 0.00%
1956 249,238 70.87% 102,468 29.13% 0 0.00%
1952 232,353 66.05% 118,806 33.77% 627 0.18%
1948 150,234 56.74% 111,916 42.27% 2,639 1.00%
1944 155,434 52.44% 140,631 47.45% 335 0.11%
1940 163,951 51.10% 156,478 48.77% 411 0.13%
1936 168,823 55.49% 126,333 41.52% 9,084 2.99%
1932 166,631 55.83% 128,907 43.19% 2,906 0.97%
1928 179,923 68.63% 81,179 30.96% 1,069 0.41%
1924 138,440 72.03% 41,964 21.83% 11,788 6.13%
1920 136,355 68.92% 58,961 29.80% 2,524 1.28%
1916 69,508 50.99% 64,033 46.97% 2,773 2.03%
1912 26,545 20.48% 51,113 39.43% 51,982 40.10%
1908 66,987 63.00% 35,403 33.29% 3,946 3.71%
1904 65,432 67.44% 27,642 28.49% 3,949 4.07%
1900 65,412 61.89% 36,822 34.84% 3,459 3.27%
1896 80,403 67.90% 34,587 29.21% 3,429 2.90%
1892 62,936 54.05% 48,049 41.26% 5,466 4.69%
1888 73,730 57.49% 50,472 39.35% 4,051 3.16%
1884 72,217 55.34% 52,153 39.97% 6,121 4.69%
1880 74,052 51.46% 65,211 45.32% 4,640 3.22%
1876 66,300 56.64% 49,917 42.65% 828 0.71%
1872 61,426 67.86% 29,097 32.14% 0 0.00%
1868 70,502 62.41% 42,460 37.59% 0 0.00%
1864 67,805 59.07% 46,992 40.93% 0 0.00%
1860 62,811 62.24% 29,693 29.42% 8,414 8.34%
1856 67,279 61.34% 39,140 35.68% 3,270 2.98%
1852 32,543 39.60% 41,609 50.63% 8,030 9.77%
1848 35,273 40.25% 40,195 45.87% 12,157 13.87%
1844 34,378 40.48% 45,719 53.83% 4,836 5.69%
1840 46,612 50.23% 46,190 49.77% 0 0.00%
1836 14,803 38.21% 22,825 58.92% 1,112 2.87%

In state general elections, Maine voters tend to accept independent and third-party candidates more frequently than most states. Maine has had two independent governors: James B. Longley (1975–1979) and Angus King (1995–2003), who currently serves in the US Senate. Maine state politicians, Democrats and Republicans alike, are noted for having more moderate views than many in the national wings of their respective parties.

Maine is an alcoholic beverage control state.

On May 6, 2009, Maine became the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage; however, the law was repealed by voters on November 3, 2009. On November 6, 2012, Maine, along with Maryland and Washington, became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage at the ballot box.[97]

Party registration as of October 2022[98]
Party Total voters Percentage
Democratic 339,103 37.48%
Republican 272,003 30.06%
Unenrolled 257,565 28.47%
Green 35,061 3.88%
Libertarian 942 0.10%
Total 904,674 100.00%
 
Party registration by Maine county (October 2022)
  Democrat >= 30%
  Democrat >= 40%
  Republican >= 30%
  Republican >= 40%
  Unenrolled >= 30%

Federal politics

In the 1930s, Maine was one of very few states which retained Republican sentiments. In the 1936 presidential election, Franklin D. Roosevelt received the electoral votes of every state other than Maine and Vermont; these were the only two states in the nation that never voted for Roosevelt in any of his presidential campaigns, though Maine was closely fought in 1940 and 1944. In the 1960s, Maine began to lean toward the Democrats, especially in presidential elections. In 1968, Hubert Humphrey became just the second Democrat in half a century to carry Maine, perhaps because of the presence of his running mate, Maine Senator Edmund Muskie, although the state voted Republican in every presidential election in the 1970s and 1980s.

 
Treemap of the popular vote by county, 2016 presidential election

Since 1969, two of Maine's four electoral votes have been awarded based on the winner of the statewide election; the other two go to the highest vote-getter in each of the state's two congressional districts. Every other state except Nebraska gives all its electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state at large, without regard to performance within districts. Maine split its electoral vote for the first time in 2016, with Donald Trump's strong showing in the more rural central and northern Maine allowing him to capture one of the state's four votes in the Electoral College.[99]

Ross Perot achieved a great deal of success in Maine in the presidential elections of 1992 and 1996. In 1992, as an independent candidate, Perot came in second to Democrat Bill Clinton, despite the long-time presence of the Bush family summer home in Kennebunkport. In 1996, as the nominee of the Reform Party, Perot did better in Maine than in any other state.

Maine has voted for Democratic Bill Clinton twice, Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004, and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. In 2016, Republican Donald Trump won one of Maine's electoral votes with Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton winning the other three. Although Democrats have mostly carried the state in presidential elections in recent years, Republicans have largely maintained their control of the state's U.S. Senate seats, with Edmund Muskie, William Hathaway and George J. Mitchell being the only Maine Democrats serving in the U.S. Senate in the past fifty years.

In the 2010 midterm elections, Republicans made major gains in Maine. They captured the governor's office as well as majorities in both chambers of the state legislature for the first time since the early 1970s. However, in the 2012 elections Democrats managed to recapture both houses of Maine Legislature.

Maine's U.S. senators are Republican Susan Collins and Independent Angus King. The governor is Democrat Janet Mills. The state's two members of the United States House of Representatives are Democrats Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden.

Maine is the first state to have introduced ranked-choice voting in federal elections.[100]

Municipalities

Organized municipalities

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 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.[101]

  • The largest municipality in Maine, by population, is the city of Portland (pop. 66,318).
  • The smallest city by population is Eastport (pop. 1,331).
  • The largest town by population is Brunswick (pop. 20,278).
  • 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. 50 at the 2010 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

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.[102]

Most populous cities and towns

 
 
Largest cities or towns in Maine
2020 U.S. Census populations[103]
Rank Name County Pop.
 
Portland
 
Lewiston 		1 Portland Cumberland 68,408  
Bangor
 
South Portland
2 Lewiston Androscoggin 37,121
3 Bangor Penobscot 31,753
4 South Portland Cumberland 26,498
5 Biddeford York 22,552
6 Sanford York 21,982
7 Westbrook Cumberland 20,400
8 Augusta Kennebec 18,899
9 Brunswick Cumberland 17,033
10 Waterville Kennebec 15,828

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:

Education

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.[105] 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.[106]

 
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.[107] 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.[108] 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.[109][110][111]

Maine's per-student public expenditure for elementary and secondary schools was 21st in the nation in 2012, at $12,344.[112]

The collegiate system of Maine also includes numerous baccalaureate colleges such as: the Maine Maritime Academy (MMA), College of the Atlantic, Unity College, 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."[113] 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).[114]

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[115] and Sanford Regional Technical Center[116] that teach trades such as welding, construction and vehicle repair to students.

Culture

Agriculture

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.[117]

The state is a major producer of potatoes.[118] Until World War II, Maine was the number one potato producer in the nation. In 2022, Maine ranked ninth in producing the most potatoes in the nation. That same year, Maine potato growers shipped 21 million potatoes (equal to more than 530 truckloads) to processors in Washington state and as seed potatoes for Idaho farmers, after northwestern potato crops suffered from the hot, dry 2021 season.[119]

Maine is the number one U.S. producer of low-bush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium). Preliminary data from the USDA for 2012 also indicate Maine was the largest blueberry producer of the major blueberry producing states, with 91,100,000 lbs.[84] This data includes both low (wild), and high-bush (cultivated) blueberries: Vaccinium corymbosum.

In 2020, medicinal cannabis became the state's most valuable agricultural crop with a sales value of $266 million, surpassing the value of blueberries and potatoes according to Maine Revenue Services.[120] Recreational cannabis sales totaled $158.9 million in 2022.[121]

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.[122][123] The revival of grain farming and milling in Maine has led to the creation of other businesses, including bakeries and malthouses.[124] In 2020, the first Maine farmers grew hemp for its grain crop.[125]

Dairy products and chicken's eggs are other major industries. Maine has a smaller number of commodity farms and confined animal feeding operations. Apples, maple syrup and sweet corn are other major agricultural crops.[118]

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.[126]

Maine is home to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and had 535 certified organic farms in 2019.[127]

Food

Since the 1980s, the state has gotten a reputation for its local food and restaurant meals. Portland was named Bon Appetit magazine's Restaurant City of the Year in 2018.[128] Biddeford was selected by Food & Wine in 2022 as one of America's next great food cities.[129] In 2018, HealthIQ.com named Maine the 3rd most vegan state.[130] Maine food shares many ingredients with Wabanaki cuisine, including corn, beans, squash, wild blueberries, maple syrup, fish, and seafood.[131] 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. Both styles use similar seasonings (molasses, mustard, onions). The difference is that Maine baked beans use thicker skinned, native bean varieties such like Marafax, soldier, and yellow-eye beans, and Boston baked beans use thinner skinned, small, white beans such as navy beans.[132]

Sports teams

 
College hockey being played at the Cross Insurance Center

Professional

Non-professional

NCAA

State symbols

Main article: List of Maine state symbols
 
Two moose in the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge. The moose is Maine's state mammal.

Adapted from the Maine facts site.[133]

Terminology

Maine vernacular and terminology is unique in comparison to the rest of the country.[137] There are unique terms like "from away", "Upta camp" and "Ayuh" that are popular in the state.[138]

People from Maine

Main article: List of people from Maine

Citizens of Maine are often known as "Mainer"s,[139] though the term is often reserved for those whose roots in Maine go back at least three generations.[140] 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,[141] and is used for a variety of organizations and for events such as the YMCA Mainiac Sprint Triathlon & Duathlon.[142]

See also

References

Notes

  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 does not have an official language.[5] Both English and French are considered the de facto languages of the state.[6][7][8] French in particular is legally protected and recognized as Maine's minority language.[9][10] Maine (along with Louisiana) is considered a part of the Francophone world and makes up the largest French-speaking population in the United States.[9]

Citations

  1. ^ "Maine for Vacation". USA Today. Retrieved August 5, 2013. There's a reason it's called "Vacationland" ...
  2. ^ "Katahdin 2". NGS Data Sheet. National Geodetic Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved October 20, 2011.
  3. ^ a b . United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  4. ^ "Median Annual Household Income". The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. September 22, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Maine—World Travel Guide". World Travel Guide. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  6. ^ Cobarrubias, Juan (1983). Progress in Language Planning: International Perspectives. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9789027933584.
  7. ^ "Legal Status | CODOFIL—Louisiana DCRT". Crt.state.la.us. March 6, 2015. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  8. ^ "French Language—Acadian Culture in Maine". acim.umfk.maine.edu. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "Languages in Maine (State)—Statistical Atlas". statisticalatlas.com. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  10. ^ . Maine.gov. Archived from the original on April 22, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  11. ^ "Title 1, §224: State soft drink". legislature.maine.gov.
  12. ^ Wickenheiser, Matt (March 26, 2012). "Census: Maine most rural state in 2010 as urban centers grow nationwide". Bangor Daily News. from the original on April 23, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Maine's Creative Economy". Maine Arts Commission. from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  14. ^ Currie, Ron (January 16, 2017). "Welcome to Portlyn". Down East Magazine. from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
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External links

State government

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

U.S. government

  • Maine State Guide, from the Library of Congress
  • 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
  • Quick facts on Maine
  • Portland Magazine Editorial on Maine news, events, and people

Information

  • Maine at Curlie
  • Maine Historical Society
  • 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 List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union
Admitted on March 15, 1820 (23rd) 		Succeeded by

Coordinates: 45°N 69°W / 45°N 69°W / 45; -69

April 10, 2023
maine, this, article, about, state, other, uses, disambiguation, listen, easternmost, state, england, region, northeastern, united, states, borders, hampshire, west, gulf, southeast, canadian, provinces, brunswick, quebec, northeast, northwest, respectively, l. This article is about the U S state For other uses see Maine disambiguation Maine m eɪ n listen is the easternmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern 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 respectively The largest state by total area in New England Maine is the 12th smallest by area the 9th least populous the 13th least densely populated and the most rural 12 of the 50 U S states It is also the northeasternmost among the contiguous United States the northernmost state east of the Great Lakes the only state whose name consists of a single syllable and the only state to border exactly one other U S state Approximately half the area of Maine lies on each side of the 45th parallel north in latitude The most populous city in Maine is Portland while its capital is Augusta MaineStateState of MaineFlagSealNicknames The Pine Tree StateVacationland 1 Motto s Dirigo Latin for I lead I guide or I direct Anthem State of Maine source source Map of the United States with Maine highlightedCountryUnited StatesBefore statehoodPart of Massachusetts District of Maine Admitted to the UnionMarch 15 1820 23rd CapitalAugustaLargest cityPortlandLargest county or equivalentCumberlandLargest metro and urban areasPortlandGovernment GovernorJanet Mills D Senate PresidentTroy Jackson D nb 1 LegislatureMaine Legislature Upper houseSenate Lower houseHouse of RepresentativesJudiciaryMaine Supreme Judicial CourtU S senatorsSusan Collins R Angus King I U S House delegation1 Chellie Pingree D 2 Jared Golden D list Area Total35 385 sq mi 91 646 km2 Land30 862 sq mi 80 005 km2 Water4 523 sq mi 11 724 km2 13 5 Rank39thDimensions Length320 mi 515 km Width205 mi 330 km Elevation600 ft 180 m Highest elevation Mount Katahdin 2 3 nb 2 5 270 ft 1 606 4 m Lowest elevation Atlantic Ocean 3 0 ft 0 m Population 2020 Total1 362 359 Rank42nd Density43 8 sq mi 16 9 km2 Rank38th Median household income 56 277 4 Income rank35thDemonymMainerLanguage Official languageNone nb 3 Spoken languageEnglish 92 French 5 Other 3 Time zoneUTC 05 00 Eastern Summer DST UTC 04 00 EDT USPS abbreviationMEISO 3166 codeUS METraditional abbreviationMe Latitude42 58 N to 47 28 NLongitude66 57 W to 71 5 WWebsitewww wbr maine wbr govState symbols of MaineList of state symbolsFlag of MaineSeal of MaineMottoDirigoSloganThe Way Life Should BeSongState of MaineThe Dirigo MarchThe Ballad of the 20th MaineLiving insigniaBirdBlack capped chickadeeCat breedMaine CoonCrustaceanLobsterFishLandlocked Atlantic salmonFlowerWhite pine cone and tasselFruitWild blueberryInsectHoney beeMammalMoosePlantWintergreenTreeWhite pineInanimate insigniaBeverageMoxie 11 FoodBlueberry pieWhoopie pieFossilPertica quadrifariaGemstoneTourmalineShipBowdoinSoilChesuncook soilState route markerState quarterReleased in 2003Lists of United States state symbolsMaine has traditionally been known for its jagged rocky Atlantic Ocean and bayshore coastlines smoothly contoured mountains heavily forested interior picturesque waterways and its wild lowbush blueberries and seafood cuisine especially lobster and clams Coastal and Down East Maine have emerged as important centers for the creative economy 13 especially in the vicinity of Portland which is also bringing gentrification 14 The territory of Maine has been inhabited by aboriginal populations for thousands of years 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 it was admitted to the Union as the 23rd state Contents 1 History 1 1 Statehood and Missouri Compromise 2 Geography 2 1 Climate 3 Demographics 3 1 Population 3 1 1 Birth data 3 2 Language 3 3 Religion 4 Economy 4 1 Taxation 4 2 Shipbuilding 5 Transport 5 1 Airports 5 2 Highways 5 3 Rail 5 3 1 Passenger 5 3 2 Freight 5 4 Shipping 5 4 1 Cargo 6 Law and government 6 1 Counties 6 2 Politics 6 2 1 State and local politics 6 2 2 Federal politics 7 Municipalities 7 1 Organized municipalities 7 2 Unorganized territory 7 3 Most populous cities and towns 8 Education 9 Culture 9 1 Agriculture 9 2 Food 9 3 Sports teams 9 3 1 Professional 9 3 2 Non professional 9 3 3 NCAA 9 4 State symbols 9 5 Terminology 10 People from Maine 11 See also 12 References 12 1 Notes 12 2 Citations 13 External links 13 1 State government 13 2 U S government 13 3 InformationHistory EditMain article History of Maine Maine State House designed by Charles Bulfinch built 1829 1832 Misty Morning Coast of MaineArthur 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 15 16 European contact with what is now called Maine may have started around 1200 CE when Norwegians 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 Norwegians first identified America and attempted to settle areas such as Newfoundland but failed to establish a permanent settlement Archeological evidence suggests that Norwegians 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 17 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 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 18 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 Etienne 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 19 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 Becancour and Sillery and later at St Francis along with other refugee tribes from the south 20 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 21 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 22 23 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 24 25 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 Long standing 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 limited the spread of slavery and enabled the admission to statehood of Missouri the following year keeping a balance between slave and free states 26 27 28 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 EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Maine news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2018 Learn how and when to remove this template message Further information List of counties in Maine List of Maine rivers List of lakes in Maine Geology of Maine and Geology of New England Maine Coast redirects here For for the painting see Maine Coast painting Coast of Maine redirects here For for the skin spot noted for its jagged edges see Coast of Maine cafe au lait macule 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 state in New England and the largest accounting for almost half of the region s entire land area Maine is the only state to border exactly one other American state New Hampshire Maine is the easternmost state in the United States both in its extreme points and in 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 American 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 U S state east of the Mississippi River It is called the Pine Tree State over 80 of its total land is forested or unclaimed 29 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 30 Maine has almost 230 miles 400 km of ocean coastline and 3 500 miles 5 600 km of tidal coastline 31 32 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 33 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 34 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 35 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 MonumentLands under the control of the state of Maine include Maine State Parks Maine Wildlife Management Areas WMA Climate Edit Autumn in the Hundred Mile Wilderness Koppen climate types of Maine using 1991 2020 climate normals Winter in Bangor Maine has a humid continental climate Koppen 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 36 The state s record high temperature is 105 F 41 C set in July 1911 at North Bridgton 37 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 38 where summer temperatures are often the warmest and the atmosphere is thus more unstable compared to northern and coastal areas 39 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 36 Annual precipitation varies from 35 8 in 909 mm in Presque Isle to 56 7 in 1 441 mm in Acadia National Park 40 Average daily maximum and minimum temperatures for selected cities in Maine 41 Location July F July C January F January C Portland 78 59 26 15 31 13 0 10Lewiston 81 61 27 16 29 11 2 12Bangor 79 57 26 14 27 6 2 14Augusta 79 60 26 15 27 11 2 11Presque Isle 77 55 25 13 20 1 6 17Demographics EditPopulation Edit Historical population CensusPop Note 179096 540 1800151 71957 2 1810228 70550 7 1820298 33530 4 1830399 45533 9 1840501 79325 6 1850583 16916 2 1860628 2797 7 1870626 915 0 2 1880648 9363 5 1890661 0861 9 1900694 4665 0 1910742 3716 9 1920768 0143 5 1930797 4233 8 1940847 2266 2 1950913 7747 9 1960969 2656 1 1970992 0482 4 19801 124 66013 4 19901 227 9289 2 20001 274 9233 8 20101 328 3614 2 20201 362 3592 6 2022 est 1 385 3401 7 Source 1910 2020 42 Maine population density map 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 43 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 44 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 45 The Greater Portland metropolitan area is the most densely populated with nearly 40 of Maine s population 46 This area spans three counties and includes many farms and wooded areas the 2016 population of Portland proper was 66 937 47 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 48 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 49 As of 2020 Maine has the highest population age 65 or older in the United States 50 According to the 2010 census Maine has the highest percentage of non Hispanic whites 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 51 Maine also has the second highest residential senior population 52 According to HUD s 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report there were an estimated 4 411 homeless people in Maine 53 54 The table below shows the racial composition of Maine s population as of 2016 Maine racial composition of population 55 Race Population 2016 est PercentageTotal 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 55 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 56 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 57 58 59 60 61 62 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 and Polish have settled throughout the state since the late 19th and early 20th century immigration waves 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 63 2014 64 2015 65 2016 66 2017 67 2018 68 2019 69 2020 70 2021 71 White 11 950 93 5 11 842 93 2 11 805 93 6 gt Non hispanic 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 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 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 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 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 Maine 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 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 Language Edit Maine does not have an official language 5 but the most widely spoken language in the state is English The 2000 census reported 92 25 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 5 28 of Maine households are French speaking compared with 4 68 in Louisiana which is the second highest state 72 Although rarely spoken Spanish is the third most common language in Maine after English and French 73 Religion Edit Religious self identification per Public Religion Research Institute s 2022 American Values Survey 74 Protestantism 41 Catholicism 21 Unitarian Universalist 1 Unaffilated 30 Judaism 5 New Age 1 Other 1 According to the Pew Research Center 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 Bahaʼi 7 and Pagans and Unitarians 5 The Roman Catholic Church was the largest religious institution and the Baptists 7 Evangelical and 5 Mainline are the largest Protestant institution 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 The 81 of Mainers believe in God while 3 don t know and 16 do not believe in God The 34 of Mainers think that Religion is Very Important and 29 said that is Important while 21 said that religion isn t important 75 By the publication of another study in 2020 through the Public Religion Research Institute approximately 62 of the population were Christian the religiously unaffiliated slightly increased to 33 from the separate 2014 study by the Pew Research Center 76 Economy EditSee also Maine locations by per capita income and List of power stations in Maine Bath Iron Works naval shipbuilding Total employment 2020 520 969 77 Total employer establishments 2020 41 646 77 The Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that Maine s total gross state product for 2021 was 77 96 billion 78 Its per capita personal income for 2021 was 58 484 30th in the nation As of September 2022 update Maine s unemployment rate is 3 3 79 Lobstering in Portland Maine s agricultural outputs include poultry eggs dairy products cattle wild blueberries apples maple syrup and maple sugar Aroostook County is known for its potato crops Potatoes make the state 166 672 000 a year 80 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 In 2017 the production of Maine s seaweed industry was estimated at 20 million per year 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 and is expected to continue until 2021 81 Western Maine aquifers and springs are a major source of bottled water 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 82 Maine blueberries The U S s only commercial producers of wild blueberries are located in Maine 83 Maine is the number one U S producer of low bush blueberries Vaccinium angustifolium Preliminary data from the USDA for 2012 also indicate Maine was the largest blueberry producer of the major blueberry producing states with 91 100 000 lbs 84 This data includes both low wild and high bush cultivated blueberries Vaccinium corymbosum The largest toothpick manufacturing plant in the United States used to be located in Strong Maine The Strong Wood Products plant produced 20 million toothpicks a day It closed in May 2003 Tourism and outdoor recreation play a major and increasingly important role in Maine s economy 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 Concomitantly with the tourist and recreation oriented economy Maine has developed a burgeoning creative economy most notably centered in the Greater Portland vicinity 13 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 85 which places it 45th of U S water ports 86 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 and L L Bean in Freeport 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 Further information on manganese from Maine s Maple Mountain mine 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 87 Before July 2013 Maine had four brackets 2 4 5 7 and 8 5 percent 88 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 89 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 Shipbuilding Edit Further information Bath Iron Works and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Maine has a long standing tradition of being home to many shipbuilding companies 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 Transport EditAirports 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 90 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 91 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 amp 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 92 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 93 Law and government EditSee 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 responsible for the execution of the laws created by the Legislature and 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 The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting state laws The highest court of the state 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 94 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 Population2020 Census Percent of total Area sq mi Percent of totalAndroscoggin 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 Politics Edit State and local politics Edit It has been suggested that this section be split out into another article titled Politics of Maine Discuss September 2020 See also As Maine goes so goes the nation Maine Democratic Party Maine Green Independent Party Libertarian Party of Maine Maine Republican Party and Political party strength in Maine Gubernatorial election results 95 Year Democratic Republican1954 54 5 135 673 45 5 113 2981956 59 2 180 254 40 8 124 3951958 52 0 145 673 48 0 134 5721962 49 9 146 121 50 1 146 6041966 53 1 172 036 46 9 151 8021970 50 1 163 138 49 9 162 2481974 36 8 132 219 23 5 84 1761978 47 8 176 493 34 4 126 8621982 61 9 281 066 38 1 172 9491986 30 2 128 744 39 9 170 3121990 44 1 230 038 46 7 243 7661994 33 8 172 951 23 1 117 9901998 12 0 50 506 18 9 79 7162002 47 2 238 179 41 5 209 4962006 38 1 209 927 30 2 166 4252010 18 8 109 387 37 6 218 0652014 43 4 265 125 48 2 294 5332018 50 9 320 962 43 2 272 311United States presidential election results for Maine 96 Year Republican Whig Democratic Third partyNo No No 2020 360 770 44 03 435 072 53 09 23 619 2 88 2016 335 593 44 87 357 735 47 83 54 599 7 30 2012 292 276 40 98 401 306 56 27 19 598 2 75 2008 295 273 40 38 421 923 57 71 13 967 1 91 2004 330 201 44 58 396 842 53 57 13 709 1 85 2000 286 616 43 97 319 951 49 09 45 250 6 94 1996 186 378 30 76 312 788 51 62 106 731 17 62 1992 206 504 30 39 263 420 38 77 209 575 30 84 1988 307 131 55 34 243 569 43 88 4 335 0 78 1984 336 500 60 83 214 515 38 78 2 129 0 38 1980 238 522 45 61 220 974 42 25 63 515 12 14 1976 236 320 48 91 232 279 48 07 14 609 3 02 1972 256 458 61 46 160 584 38 48 229 0 05 1968 169 254 43 07 217 312 55 30 6 370 1 62 1964 118 701 31 14 262 264 68 80 256 0 07 1960 240 608 57 05 181 159 42 95 6 0 00 1956 249 238 70 87 102 468 29 13 0 0 00 1952 232 353 66 05 118 806 33 77 627 0 18 1948 150 234 56 74 111 916 42 27 2 639 1 00 1944 155 434 52 44 140 631 47 45 335 0 11 1940 163 951 51 10 156 478 48 77 411 0 13 1936 168 823 55 49 126 333 41 52 9 084 2 99 1932 166 631 55 83 128 907 43 19 2 906 0 97 1928 179 923 68 63 81 179 30 96 1 069 0 41 1924 138 440 72 03 41 964 21 83 11 788 6 13 1920 136 355 68 92 58 961 29 80 2 524 1 28 1916 69 508 50 99 64 033 46 97 2 773 2 03 1912 26 545 20 48 51 113 39 43 51 982 40 10 1908 66 987 63 00 35 403 33 29 3 946 3 71 1904 65 432 67 44 27 642 28 49 3 949 4 07 1900 65 412 61 89 36 822 34 84 3 459 3 27 1896 80 403 67 90 34 587 29 21 3 429 2 90 1892 62 936 54 05 48 049 41 26 5 466 4 69 1888 73 730 57 49 50 472 39 35 4 051 3 16 1884 72 217 55 34 52 153 39 97 6 121 4 69 1880 74 052 51 46 65 211 45 32 4 640 3 22 1876 66 300 56 64 49 917 42 65 828 0 71 1872 61 426 67 86 29 097 32 14 0 0 00 1868 70 502 62 41 42 460 37 59 0 0 00 1864 67 805 59 07 46 992 40 93 0 0 00 1860 62 811 62 24 29 693 29 42 8 414 8 34 1856 67 279 61 34 39 140 35 68 3 270 2 98 1852 32 543 39 60 41 609 50 63 8 030 9 77 1848 35 273 40 25 40 195 45 87 12 157 13 87 1844 34 378 40 48 45 719 53 83 4 836 5 69 1840 46 612 50 23 46 190 49 77 0 0 00 1836 14 803 38 21 22 825 58 92 1 112 2 87 In state general elections Maine voters tend to accept independent and third party candidates more frequently than most states Maine has had two independent governors James B Longley 1975 1979 and Angus King 1995 2003 who currently serves in the US Senate Maine state politicians Democrats and Republicans alike are noted for having more moderate views than many in the national wings of their respective parties Maine is an alcoholic beverage control state On May 6 2009 Maine became the fifth state to legalize same sex marriage however the law was repealed by voters on November 3 2009 On November 6 2012 Maine along with Maryland and Washington became the first state to legalize same sex marriage at the ballot box 97 Party registration as of October 2022 98 Party Total voters PercentageDemocratic 339 103 37 48 Republican 272 003 30 06 Unenrolled 257 565 28 47 Green 35 061 3 88 Libertarian 942 0 10 Total 904 674 100 00 Party registration by Maine county October 2022 Democrat gt 30 Democrat gt 40 Republican gt 30 Republican gt 40 Unenrolled gt 30 Federal politics Edit In the 1930s Maine was one of very few states which retained Republican sentiments In the 1936 presidential election Franklin D Roosevelt received the electoral votes of every state other than Maine and Vermont these were the only two states in the nation that never voted for Roosevelt in any of his presidential campaigns though Maine was closely fought in 1940 and 1944 In the 1960s Maine began to lean toward the Democrats especially in presidential elections In 1968 Hubert Humphrey became just the second Democrat in half a century to carry Maine perhaps because of the presence of his running mate Maine Senator Edmund Muskie although the state voted Republican in every presidential election in the 1970s and 1980s Treemap of the popular vote by county 2016 presidential election Since 1969 two of Maine s four electoral votes have been awarded based on the winner of the statewide election the other two go to the highest vote getter in each of the state s two congressional districts Every other state except Nebraska gives all its electoral votes to the candidate who wins the popular vote in the state at large without regard to performance within districts Maine split its electoral vote for the first time in 2016 with Donald Trump s strong showing in the more rural central and northern Maine allowing him to capture one of the state s four votes in the Electoral College 99 Ross Perot achieved a great deal of success in Maine in the presidential elections of 1992 and 1996 In 1992 as an independent candidate Perot came in second to Democrat Bill Clinton despite the long time presence of the Bush family summer home in Kennebunkport In 1996 as the nominee of the Reform Party Perot did better in Maine than in any other state Maine has voted for Democratic Bill Clinton twice Al Gore in 2000 John Kerry in 2004 and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 In 2016 Republican Donald Trump won one of Maine s electoral votes with Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton winning the other three Although Democrats have mostly carried the state in presidential elections in recent years Republicans have largely maintained their control of the state s U S Senate seats with Edmund Muskie William Hathaway and George J Mitchell being the only Maine Democrats serving in the U S Senate in the past fifty years In the 2010 midterm elections Republicans made major gains in Maine They captured the governor s office as well as majorities in both chambers of the state legislature for the first time since the early 1970s However in the 2012 elections Democrats managed to recapture both houses of Maine Legislature Maine s U S senators are Republican Susan Collins and Independent Angus King The governor is Democrat Janet Mills The state s two members of the United States House of Representatives are Democrats Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden Maine is the first state to have introduced ranked choice voting in federal elections 100 Municipalities EditOrganized 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 101 The largest municipality in Maine by population is the city of Portland pop 66 318 The smallest city by population is Eastport pop 1 331 The largest town by population is Brunswick pop 20 278 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 50 at the 2010 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 102 Most populous cities and towns Edit Largest cities or towns in Maine 2020 U S Census populations 103 Rank Name County Pop Portland Lewiston 1 Portland Cumberland 68 408 Bangor South Portland2 Lewiston Androscoggin 37 1213 Bangor Penobscot 31 7534 South Portland Cumberland 26 4985 Biddeford York 22 5526 Sanford York 21 9827 Westbrook Cumberland 20 4008 Augusta Kennebec 18 8999 Brunswick Cumberland 17 03310 Waterville Kennebec 15 828 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 104 Education EditFurther 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 105 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 106 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 107 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 108 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 109 110 111 Maine s per student public expenditure for elementary and secondary schools was 21st in the nation in 2012 at 12 344 112 The collegiate system of Maine also includes numerous baccalaureate colleges such as the Maine Maritime Academy MMA College of the Atlantic Unity College 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 113 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 114 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 115 and Sanford Regional Technical Center 116 that teach trades such as welding construction and vehicle repair to students Culture EditAgriculture Edit 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 117 The state is a major producer of potatoes 118 Until World War II Maine was the number one potato producer in the nation In 2022 Maine ranked ninth in producing the most potatoes in the nation That same year Maine potato growers shipped 21 million potatoes equal to more than 530 truckloads to processors in Washington state and as seed potatoes for Idaho farmers after northwestern potato crops suffered from the hot dry 2021 season 119 Maine is the number one U S producer of low bush blueberries Vaccinium angustifolium Preliminary data from the USDA for 2012 also indicate Maine was the largest blueberry producer of the major blueberry producing states with 91 100 000 lbs 84 This data includes both low wild and high bush cultivated blueberries Vaccinium corymbosum In 2020 medicinal cannabis became the state s most valuable agricultural crop with a sales value of 266 million surpassing the value of blueberries and potatoes according to Maine Revenue Services 120 Recreational cannabis sales totaled 158 9 million in 2022 121 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 122 123 The revival of grain farming and milling in Maine has led to the creation of other businesses including bakeries and malthouses 124 In 2020 the first Maine farmers grew hemp for its grain crop 125 Dairy products and chicken s eggs are other major industries Maine has a smaller number of commodity farms and confined animal feeding operations Apples maple syrup and sweet corn are other major agricultural crops 118 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 126 Maine is home to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and had 535 certified organic farms in 2019 127 Food Edit Since the 1980s the state has gotten a reputation for its local food and restaurant meals Portland was named Bon Appetit magazine s Restaurant City of the Year in 2018 128 Biddeford was selected by Food amp Wine in 2022 as one of America s next great food cities 129 In 2018 HealthIQ com named Maine the 3rd most vegan state 130 Maine food shares many ingredients with Wabanaki cuisine including corn beans squash wild blueberries maple syrup fish and seafood 131 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 Both styles use similar seasonings molasses mustard onions The difference is that Maine baked beans use thicker skinned native bean varieties such like Marafax soldier and yellow eye beans and Boston baked beans use thinner skinned small white beans such as navy beans 132 Sports teams Edit College hockey being played at the Cross Insurance Center Professional Edit Maine Celtics basketball NBA G League Portland Sea Dogs minor league baseball Double A Northeast Maine Mariners ice hockey ECHLNon professional Edit Portland Phoenix FC soccer Premier Developmental League Maine Roller Derby roller derby Women s Flat Track Derby AssociationNCAA Edit Maine Black BearsState symbols Edit Main article List of Maine state symbols Two moose in the Aroostook National Wildlife Refuge The moose is Maine s state mammal Adapted from the Maine facts site 133 State berry Wild blueberry 134 State bird Black capped chickadee State cat Maine Coon State dessert Blueberry pie made with wild Maine blueberries State fish Land locked salmon State flower White Pinecone and Tassel State fossil Pertica quadrifaria State gemstone Tourmaline State herb Wintergreen 135 State insect European honey bee State mammal Moose State Crustacean Lobster State soft drink Moxie State soil Chesuncook soil series State song State of Maine Song State treat Whoopie pie 136 State tree Eastern White Pine State vessel Arctic exploration schooner Bowdoin State motto Dirigo I lead Terminology Edit Maine vernacular and terminology is unique in comparison to the rest of the country 137 There are unique terms like from away Upta camp and Ayuh that are popular in the state 138 People from Maine EditMain article List of people from Maine Citizens of Maine are often known as Mainer s 139 though the term is often reserved for those whose roots in Maine go back at least three generations 140 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 141 and is used for a variety of organizations and for events such as the YMCA Mainiac Sprint Triathlon amp Duathlon 142 See also EditIndex of Maine related articles Outline of Maine Maine portal New England portal United States portalReferences EditNotes Edit In the event of a vacancy in the office of governor the president of the State Senate is first in line for succession Elevation adjusted to North American Vertical Datum of 1988 Maine does not have an official language 5 Both English and French are considered the de facto languages of the state 6 7 8 French in particular is legally protected and recognized as Maine s minority language 9 10 Maine along with Louisiana is considered a part of the Francophone world and makes up the largest French speaking population in the United States 9 Citations Edit Maine for Vacation USA Today Retrieved August 5 2013 There s a reason it s called Vacationland Katahdin 2 NGS Data Sheet National Geodetic Survey National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration United States Department of Commerce Retrieved October 20 2011 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 Median Annual Household Income The Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation September 22 2017 Retrieved December 9 2016 a b Maine World Travel Guide World Travel Guide Retrieved July 20 2018 Cobarrubias Juan 1983 Progress in Language Planning International Perspectives Walter de Gruyter ISBN 9789027933584 Legal Status CODOFIL Louisiana DCRT Crt state la us March 6 2015 Retrieved July 20 2018 French Language Acadian Culture in Maine acim umfk maine edu Retrieved July 20 2018 a b Languages in Maine State Statistical Atlas statisticalatlas com Retrieved July 20 2018 Maine DHHS Multicultural Resources Interpreting Services amp Referral Agencies Maine gov Archived from the original on April 22 2018 Retrieved July 20 2018 Title 1 224 State soft drink legislature maine gov 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 a b Maine s Creative Economy Maine Arts Commission Archived from the original on October 5 2021 Retrieved October 5 2021 Currie Ron January 16 2017 Welcome to Portlyn Down East Magazine Archived from the original on October 6 2021 Retrieved October 6 2021 Native Americans or Indians in the Eastern United States in 1600 CelebrateBoston com Archived from the original on March 3 2013 Abenaki tolatsga org Archived from the original on April 11 2010 Science Bye Columbus Time December 11 1978 Archived from the original on September 25 2015 MPBN Rolling Back the Frontier Archived July 4 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Story of Maine accessed January 3 2011 Massachusetts Historical Society 1884 Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society The Society pp 339 Bruce G Trigger ed Handbook of North American Indians Vol 15 Northeast Smithsonian Institution Press Washington D C 1978 ISBN 0 16 004575 4 York commemorates Candlemas Raid Archived December 2 2018 at the Wayback Machine The Portsmouth Herald February 1 2001 John Demos The Unredeemed Captive A Family Story from Early America New York Alfred A Knopf 1994 pp 186 and 224 Darren Bonaparte The History of Akwesasne Archived October 8 2011 at the Wayback Machine The Wampum Chronicles accessed February 1 2010 New Ireland How Maine almost became part of Canada at the end of the War of 1812 National Post September 3 2014 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 Woodard Colin Parallel 44 Origins of the Mass Effect The Working Waterfront August 31 2010 1 Archived May 23 2011 at the Wayback Machine Woodard Colin The Lobster Coast Rebels Rusticators and the Forgotten Frontier 2004 Penguin Books ISBN 0 670 03324 3 Maine History Statehood www maine gov Archived from the original on May 4 2008 Retrieved April 13 2008 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 doi 10 1016 j landurbplan 2012 04 005 S2CID 9352755 Archived from the original PDF on March 12 2014 Retrieved March 12 2014 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 Maine gov Facts About Maine State of Maine Archived from the original on November 14 2010 Retrieved September 17 2010 Length of the U S Coastline by State fen com Retrieved September 11 2015 St Vincent Millay Edna Renascence by Edna St Vincent Millay Poetry Foundation Poetry Foundation Edna St Vincent Millay Retrieved October 26 2022 Answers The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life s Questions Answers com Retrieved September 11 2015 Maine National Park Service Archived from the original on July 3 2008 Retrieved July 16 2008 a b Lent Robert February 10 2009 New All Time Low Temperature Recorded in Maine U S Geological Survey Retrieved November 6 2011 Each state s high temperature record USA Today August 2006 Retrieved February 11 2009 2 Archived October 16 2011 at the Wayback Machine NOAA National Climatic Data Center Retrieved on October 24 2006 Summary of July 1st Tornadoes in Maine PDF NOAA s 1981 2010 Climate Normals National Climatic Data Center Maine climate averages Weatherbase Retrieved November 9 2015 Historical Population Change Data 1910 2020 Census gov United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on April 29 2021 Retrieved May 1 2021 QuickFacts Maine UNITED STATES 2018 Population Estimates United States Census Bureau Population Division March 11 2019 Retrieved March 11 2019 Urban Percentage of the Population for States Historical Iowa Community Indicators Program Icip iastate edu Retrieved April 17 2021 Population and Population Centers by State 2010 US Census Bureau Archived from the original on April 29 2011 Retrieved April 9 2011 census gov PDF Retrieved August 3 2013 U S Census Bureau QuickFacts Portland city Maine Census gov Retrieved January 15 2018 Mass Benchmarks PDF Massbenchmarks org Retrieved April 17 2021 Interactive Population change in Maine towns 2010 2016 Portland Press Herald May 26 2017 Retrieved January 15 2018 Which States Have the Oldest Populations PRB December 21 2021 Retrieved December 10 2022 Americans under age 1 now mostly minorities but not in Ohio Statistical Snapshot The Plain Dealer June 3 2012 Important Statistics On The Senior Population SrCareCenter com May 22 2019 Archived from the original on January 28 2020 Retrieved January 28 2020 2007 2022 PIT Counts by State The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report AHAR to Congress PDF 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 2016 American Community Survey Selected Social Characteristics United States Census Bureau Archived from the original on February 13 2020 Retrieved November 21 2018 Dominic Pulera October 20 2004 Sharing the Dream White Males in Multicultural America A amp C Black pp 57 ISBN 978 0 8264 1643 8 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 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 Mary C Waters Ethnic Options Choosing Identities in America Berkeley University of California Press 1990 p 36 French Canadian Emigration to the United States 1840 1930 Claude Belanger Department of History Marianopolis College when French Canadian Americans by Marianne Fedunkiw when Births Final Data for 2013 PDF cdc gov Statistics PDF cdc gov Statistics PDF cdc gov National Vital Statistics Reports PDF cdc gov January 31 2018 Retrieved July 11 2018 Births Final Data for 2017 PDF cdc gov November 7 2018 Retrieved July 5 2021 Data PDF Cdc gov Retrieved December 2 2019 Data PDF Cdc gov Retrieved March 29 2021 Data PDF www cdc gov Retrieved February 20 2022 Data PDF www cdc gov Retrieved February 3 2022 MLA Language Map Data Center Modern Language Association Archived from the original on October 16 2015 Retrieved January 14 2007 Languages Maine City data com Staff February 24 2023 PRRI American Values Atlas Religious Tradition in Maine Public Religion Research Institute Retrieved April 3 2023 Religions in Maine PRRI American Values Atlas ava prri org Retrieved September 17 2022 a b Quickfacts Maine United States Census Bureau Retrieved November 3 2022 Gross Domestic Product All Industry Total in Maine MENGSP St Louis Federal Reserve Retrieved November 3 2022 Unemployment Rate in Maine MEUR fred stlouisfed org Retrieved November 3 2022 Maine Economic Contribution and Impact Research University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture Retrieved March 27 2023 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 Brunswick Landing Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority Retrieved September 11 2015 Maine s blueberry crop faces climate change peril ABC News Retrieved June 7 2021 a b Data usda mannlib cornell edu Part1 Ports tonsbycommCY2013 htm Navigationdatacenter us 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 Tax forms PDF maine gov Tax forms PDF maine gov Title 36 1811 Sales tax legislature maine gov KEPM Eastport Maine Eastport Municipal Airport Great Circle Mapper Retrieved August 9 2009 Downeaster Schedule PDF Amtrak Downeaster May 20 2019 Retrieved May 10 2019 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 Writer PENELOPE OVERTONStaff July 6 2016 Port of Portland approved for federal grant that will double freight capacity Press Herald Retrieved July 6 2022 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 Leip David General Election Results Maine United States Election Atlas Retrieved November 18 2016 Leip David Presidential General Election Results Comparison Maine US Election Atlas Retrieved January 3 2023 Maine Passes Gay Marriage in Historic Question 1 Vote The Huffington Post November 7 2012 Voter Registration Data Election Data and Online Forms Maine Secretary of State Retrieved March 3 2023 Trump takes 1 of Maine s 4 electoral votes in a first for the state November 8 2016 Seely Katharine Q December 3 2016 Maine Adopts Ranked Choice Voting What Is It and How Will It Work The New York Times Retrieved April 9 2017 Maine gov Local maine gov Retrieved September 11 2015 Unorganized Territory maine gov Retrieved September 11 2015 QuickFacts United States Census Bureau Retrieved April 9 2023 Fact Finder US Census Maine Portland Archived from the original on February 12 2020 Retrieved November 4 2006 Carnegie Classifications Basic Classification carnegieclassifications iu edu Retrieved August 12 2016 About UMaine Umaine edu Retrieved July 18 2016 About Retrieved August 19 2016 Bates College Forbes Retrieved June 16 2016 Bates College was the first coeducational college in New England 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 College Guide Rankings 2015 Liberal Arts Colleges Washington Monthly May 26 2016 Retrieved August 12 2016 America s Top Colleges Forbes Retrieved August 12 2016 Bidwell Allie How States Are Spending Money in Education U S News amp World Report News Archived from the original on May 5 2015 Retrieved May 5 2015 Title 20 A 12703 Mission and goals Maine Legislature Retrieved October 26 2022 Our Colleges Maine Community College System Retrieved October 26 2022 Biddeford Regional Center of Technology www biddefordschools me Retrieved February 4 2023 Sanford Regional Technical Center www sanford org Retrieved February 4 2023 Woodard Colin February 16 2020 Colony Chapter I Dawnland Press Herald Retrieved March 5 2020 a b Bertone Rachel July 2 2017 Top 10 Maine Ag Products Infographic Farm Flavor Retrieved March 5 2020 Sharp David April 2 2022 Westward Ho Maine potatoes travel far after Western drought Portland Press Herald Retrieved April 5 2022 Writer Penelope OvertonStaff December 8 2020 Marijuana has grown to become Maine s most valuable crop Press Herald Retrieved March 15 2023 Herald Hannah LaClairePress January 9 2023 Maine s adult use cannabis sales nearly doubled in 2022 Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel Retrieved March 15 2023 Brozek Kathy O November 19 2014 An artisan grain industry takes root in Maine the Guardian Retrieved April 6 2022 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 A Grainshed Rises in the Northeast Modern Farmer February 28 2021 Retrieved April 6 2022 Kamila Avery Yale August 30 2020 Vegan Kitchen Two Maine farmers are growing hemp for its seed Press Herald Retrieved April 6 2022 Curtis Abigail April 1 2014 The Good Life The movement that changed Maine Bangor Daily News Retrieved April 20 2020 By Staff April 30 2019 Report Maine s organic farms encompass less acreage but yield higher sales Maine Biz Retrieved March 5 2020 Knowlton Andrew Portland Maine Is the 2018 Restaurant City of the Year Bon Appetit Archived from the original on September 20 2018 Retrieved March 5 2020 Biddeford s rising food scene gets national attention newscentermaine com April 18 2022 Retrieved October 16 2022 Gavin Ryan How Vegan Are Mainers Find Out Where We Rank Nationally MAP Q97 9 Retrieved March 5 2020 Schipani Sam January 4 2020 The 7 foods that made Maine Bangor Daily News Retrieved September 11 2022 Nash Elias July 11 2022 The Subtle Difference Between Maine And Boston Baked Beans TastingTable com Retrieved September 16 2022 Facts About Maine Maine gov Retrieved September 20 2015 Maine State Berry Wild Blueberry Statesymbolsusa org Retrieved March 15 2012 Maine State Symbols and Emblems maine gov Archived from the original on May 10 2009 Retrieved August 13 2012 Whoopie pie to become Maine state treat The Boston Globe Archived from the original on October 25 2011 Voornas Lori If You Are From Away Here s the Maine Slang You Need to Know Q97 9 Retrieved October 16 2022 Your Guide to Maine Lingo Best of The Maine Magazine The Maine Mag September 6 2017 Retrieved October 16 2022 Dictionary com definition of Mainer Dictionary com Retrieved July 21 2010 Maine A Spiritual Frontier Opens for Business April 3 2014 Retrieved July 20 2014 Louise Dickinson Rich State o Maine Harper amp Row 1964 p ix Mainiac Tri Archived from the original on August 14 2014 Retrieved August 13 2014 External links EditMaine 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 peopleInformation Edit Maine at Curlie 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 OpenStreetMapPreceded byAlabama List of U S states by date of admission to the UnionAdmitted on March 15 1820 23rd Succeeded byMissouri Coordinates 45 N 69 W 45 N 69 W 45 69 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Maine amp oldid 1149024868, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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