Maine - The Pine Tree State

About Maine

Maine, officially the State of Maine, is the northeasternmost U.S. state, known for its rocky coastline, maritime history, and heavily forested interior. With approximately 1.4 million residents spread across 35,380 square miles, Maine is the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi River. Augusta serves as the state capital, while Portland is the largest city, cultural center, and economic hub.

Maine is the only state that borders exactly one other state (New Hampshire), sharing its western border while the north and east border Canada (Quebec and New Brunswick). The state's geography is dominated by dense forests covering 90% of its land area—the highest percentage of any state—earning its nickname "The Pine Tree State." Maine's coastline is renowned for its beauty and complexity, with over 3,000 miles of tidal shoreline (including islands and inlets) despite spanning only about 230 miles as the crow flies. This intricate coast features countless coves, harbors, peninsulas, and approximately 4,600 islands.

Lobster Capital of the World

Maine is synonymous with lobster, producing approximately 80-90% of the nation's lobster supply and exporting its prized crustaceans worldwide. Maine lobstermen harvested over 100 million pounds in peak years, making lobster the state's most valuable commercial fishery. The cold, clean waters of the Gulf of Maine provide ideal habitat for American lobster, and Maine's lobster industry employs thousands of fishermen, processors, and related workers in coastal communities.

Maine lobster fishing is steeped in tradition and regulated by strict conservation measures that have sustained the fishery for generations. Lobstermen must be licensed, and regulations govern trap limits, protection of breeding females (V-notching), and minimum/maximum size limits to ensure young lobsters can mature and large breeding lobsters remain in the population. These conservation practices have made Maine's lobster fishery one of the world's most sustainable, even as other fisheries have collapsed.

Lobster is deeply embedded in Maine culture and economy. Summer visitors flock to lobster shacks along the coast to enjoy fresh lobster rolls, whole steamed lobsters, and lobster dinners with ocean views. Lobster boat races, where working boats compete for speed, are popular summer events. However, the industry faces challenges including warming ocean temperatures, competition for fishing grounds, and the complex issue of whale protection measures that require modifications to fishing gear to prevent entanglement of endangered North Atlantic right whales.

Acadia National Park & Bar Harbor

Acadia National Park, located primarily on Mount Desert Island near Bar Harbor, is one of America's most visited national parks and the only national park in New England. The park encompasses 49,000 acres of granite peaks, rocky coastline, woodlands, and lakes. Cadillac Mountain, at 1,530 feet, is the highest point on the U.S. Atlantic coast and, at certain times of year, the first place in the United States to see the sunrise, attracting crowds of early risers to witness dawn from its summit.

The park's landscape was shaped by glaciers that carved valleys, polished granite cliffs, and left behind Somes Sound, the only natural fjord on the U.S. East Coast. Acadia offers 158 miles of hiking trails, including challenging routes up granite faces and gentle paths around Jordan Pond and along the shore. The 27-mile Park Loop Road provides scenic drives past Thunder Hole, where waves crash into a chasm creating a thunderous boom, Sand Beach, and spectacular ocean vistas.

Bar Harbor, the gateway town to Acadia, evolved from a 19th-century summer colony for wealthy families (Rockefellers, Morgans, Astors) into a vibrant tourist destination. The town combines Victorian architecture, waterfront restaurants serving fresh seafood, shops, and galleries. John D. Rockefeller Jr. donated much of the land that became Acadia and built the park's famous carriage roads—45 miles of stone-dust paths now used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding, featuring beautiful stone bridges designed to blend with the landscape.

Lighthouses & Maritime Heritage

Maine's rocky coastline is dotted with over 60 historic lighthouses, more than any other state, which have guided mariners through treacherous waters for over 200 years. These sentinels range from the iconic Portland Head Light (1791), Maine's oldest lighthouse commissioned by George Washington, to remote offshore lights like Petit Manan and Matinicus Rock. The lighthouses symbolize Maine's maritime heritage and have become beloved landmarks visited by photographers and lighthouse enthusiasts.

Portland Head Light, located in Cape Elizabeth near Portland, is one of America's most photographed lighthouses. Its picturesque setting on a rocky promontory, backed by woods and overlooking crashing surf, represents the quintessential Maine lighthouse. Many lighthouses now house museums telling stories of lighthouse keepers who braved isolation and harsh conditions to maintain lights that saved countless ships. Some, like Pemaquid Point and Marshall Point (famous from the movie Forrest Gump), remain active aids to navigation while welcoming visitors.

Maine's maritime heritage extends beyond lighthouses to shipbuilding, fishing, and seafaring traditions. Bath Iron Works, founded in 1884, continues building U.S. Navy destroyers, maintaining a shipbuilding tradition dating to colonial times when Maine forests provided timber for masts and hulls. Coastal communities like Boothbay Harbor, Camden, and Rockland preserve maritime culture through boat-building schools, wooden boat festivals, and museums like the Maine Maritime Museum. The Maine Windjammer Association operates a fleet of traditional sailing vessels offering multi-day cruises along the coast, connecting visitors with working schooner heritage.

The Great North Woods & Allagash

Northern Maine contains some of the largest remaining wilderness in the eastern United States. The North Woods region encompasses millions of acres of commercial forestland, conservation areas, and wilderness, providing habitat for moose, black bears, lynx, and other wildlife. This vast forest has shaped Maine's economy for centuries through logging, paper production, and forest products industries that remain significant economic drivers, though employment has declined from peak levels.

The Allagash Wilderness Waterway, designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1970, offers one of America's premier wilderness paddling experiences. This 92-mile corridor of lakes, rivers, and streams flows through pristine forest in northern Maine, far from roads and development. Canoeists and kayakers journey through this wilderness encountering moose, eagles, and loons, camping on designated sites, and experiencing the same landscape that Native Americans and early explorers knew. The waterway exemplifies conservation balancing recreation with ecosystem protection.

Mount Katahdin, Maine's highest peak at 5,269 feet, rises dramatically from surrounding lowlands in Baxter State Park. The mountain, whose name means "greatest mountain" in Penobscot language, is revered by Native Americans and holds spiritual significance. Katahdin marks the northern terminus of the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail, and reaching its summit is an emotional milestone for through-hikers who've walked from Georgia. The mountain offers challenging hiking with exposed ridges, knife-edge trails, and alpine environments rare in the East. Baxter State Park, donated by Governor Percival Baxter who bought the land with personal funds, preserves this wilderness "forever wild."

L.L.Bean, Stephen King & Maine Culture

L.L.Bean, founded in Freeport, Maine in 1912 by Leon Leonwood Bean, became an iconic American outdoor retailer known for quality products, customer service, and Maine heritage. Bean's original product, the Maine Hunting Shoe (Bean Boot), combined leather uppers with rubber bottoms for hunting in wet conditions and remains a bestseller over a century later. The Freeport flagship store, which famously operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, attracts millions of visitors annually, transforming the town into a major shopping destination with outlet stores clustering around L.L.Bean.

Stephen King, perhaps America's most famous horror writer, has lived in Maine his entire life and set many of his stories in fictional Maine towns. Born in Portland and residing in Bangor, King's works including "The Shining," "It," "Pet Sematary," "Carrie," and "The Stand" have made him one of the best-selling authors of all time. King's presence in Maine is celebrated—his Victorian mansion in Bangor features a wrought-iron fence with spiders and bats, befitting his genre. His deep connection to Maine and frequent use of the state as a setting have made him a cultural icon synonymous with his home state.

Maine culture blends Yankee traditions with strong connections to the sea and land. "Ayuh," the Maine affirmative, clam bakes, bean suppers, county fairs, and craft fairs reflect small-town New England life. Maine is one of the most rural states, with a culture valuing independence, self-reliance, and connection to nature. Outdoor recreation—hunting, fishing, boating, skiing, hiking—is central to life. The state's creative community thrives, with artists, writers, and craftspeople drawn to Maine's natural beauty, slower pace, and strong sense of place.

Major Cities

Counties

Maine has 16 counties. Major counties include:

Interesting Facts

Neighboring States & Borders

Maine is the only U.S. state that borders exactly one other state. To the north and east, Maine shares extensive borders with Canadian provinces Quebec and New Brunswick.