Historians are dubious of Maine's roots, but many assume it stems from a seafaring allusion to the “mainland”. 1)
New Hampshire is the only state in the United States that borders Maine.2)
Machias Seal Island is located off the northwest coast of Maine. Because the island is claimed by both the United States and Canada, everyone born on the island is eligible for dual citizenship.3)
Maine has its own state dirt, known as the “Chesuncook soil series”.4)
The Penobscots (“place where the rock opens out”), Passamaquoddys (“pollock-spearing place”), Mi'kmaqs (“my kin-friends”), and Maliseets (“talks imperfectly”) are the four primary Native American groups in Maine. They are known collectively as Wabanakis.5)
The Mi'Kmaqs, who resided in northeastern Maine, are thought to have invented hockey using a ball and a stick.6)
Maine lawmakers designated all of the state's mountains the Longfellow Mountains in 1959, after the famed Maine-born poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.7)
Some historians think Leif Eriksson was the first European to enter Maine, maybe about 1100 AD.8)
The earliest European known visit was Italian adventurer Giovanni da Verrazzano, who claimed the region for France in 1524.9)
Maine's population increased from 12,000 to 56,000 between 1740 and 1784.10)
Maine is the biggest of the six New England states, with 35,380 square miles. (91,634 sq km). It is, nevertheless, the least populous state east of the Mississippi.11)
Maine is the contiguous United States' easternmost state.12)
The average July temperature in Maine is only 67 degrees Fahrenheit.13)
Over 3,000 offshore islands dot Maine's coast, ranging from modest granite ledges to Mount Desert Island, which is home to Acadia National Park.14)
Maine is one of the nation's top maple syrup producers, tapping approximately 545,000 gallons (2 million liters) of syrup each year. This would fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.15)
Maine has more forest acreage than any other state in the US. Forests occupy about 90% of its total area, earning it the moniker “Pine Tree State”.16)
Maine was a part of Massachusetts before it became the 23rd state in 1820.17)
Maine is the only state with a name that is only one syllable long.18)
Eastport, Maine, is the first city in the United States to be illuminated by the early morning light.19)
Famous Maine residents include L.L.Bean inventor Leon Leonwood Bean, novelist Stephen King, Milton Bradley, Dorothea Dix, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.20)
Sir William Phips, born in Maine in 1650, was the first British knight to be born in America. After discovering a lost treasure in the Bahamas, King James II of England knighted him.21)
The Maine Coon is the state cat of Maine.22)
This huge, fluffy cat is frequently mistaken for a bobcat and is perhaps America's oldest cat breed.23)
The moose is Maine's official state animal, and several places in the state are named for the biggest member of the deer family.24)
Traveling “down east” in Maine really implies traveling up into the state. 25)
When sailors departed Boston for Maine in the early days, they would sail east and “downwind”, referring to the direction the wind was blowing. (North).26)
Maine does not have any major league professional sports teams.27)
Norway pines, which were once thought to be the ideal trees for ship masts, were not named after the European nation. They were named after Norway, Maine.28)
Augusta, Maine's capital, is named for the daughter of Revolutionary War hero Henry Dearborn.29)
Maine's coastline is 367 miles long, but it is dotted with numerous bays, inlets, and river estuaries.30)
The chickadee is Maine's state bird. Because the small bird enjoys singing, Native Americans refer to it as the “bird of the happy heart”.31)
Maine is the nation's leading manufacturer of toothpicks.32)
York, Maine, is the oldest English-chartered city in the United States, and it is named for the Duke of York, a great soldier. He is also the subject of the children's song “The Grand Old Duke of York”.33)
Maine is home to its own desert. It grew from overfarming in the region and covers 40 acres.34)
In 1912, Leon Leonwood Bean, a Maine outdoorsman, started the footwear firm L.L.Bean. L.L.Bean's Freeport, Maine, shop is now open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.35)
Burt Schavitz established the well-known “Burt's Bees” firm in Maine in 1984.36)
Maine, known as the “birthplace of prohibition”, was the first state in the United States to outlaw the sale and manufacturing of alcoholic beverages in 1851.37)
Maine lobster fishermen catch about 123 million pounds of lobster every year, making the state the greatest lobster producer in the US.38)
Stephen King is a native Mainer, and several of his stories, notably Pet Sematary, It, and Salem's Lot, are set in Maine.39)
Maine became known as an anti-slavery state. Unsurprisingly, Harriet Beecher Stowe authored Uncle Tom's Cabin in Maine, which aided in stoking anti-slavery fervor in the run-up to the Civil War.40)
The town of Machias had heard of the fight of Lexington and Concord. When the British arrived to acquire wood for barracks to invade Boston, they were rebuffed, and the news was not warmly received. When the British ship HMS Margaretta was about to leave the harbor, some villagers armed with makeshift weapons and pitchforks sailed out to confront them. The Americans boarded the ship and murdered the captain.41)
Maine features one of the country's most extensive river systems. The St. John River is Maine's longest river. It spans 418 miles, passing through Maine, New Brunswick, and Quebec. It crosses the border between the United States and Canada at various locations during its route.42)
Moosehead Lake, which is almost 75,000 acres in size, is the largest lake in Maine.43)
Staples Pond is the smallest lake, at only 56 acres.44)
Maine is full with inns and lighthouses where spirits from the past may still be found. Some are pleasant, while others are distressed. If you appreciate the sensation of having your hair stand up on the back of your neck, Maine is the place to be.45)