Maine

1 Location and Size

2 Topography

3 Climate

4 Plants and Animals

5 Environmental Protection

6 Population

7 Ethnic Groups

8 Languages

9 Religions

10 Transportation

11 History

12 State Government

13 Political Parties

14 Local Government

15 Judicial System

16 Migration

17 Economy

18 Income

19 Industry

20 Labor

21 Agriculture

22 Domesticated Animals

23 Fishing

24 Forestry

25 Mining

26 Energy and Power

27 Commerce

28 Public Finance

29 Taxation

30 Health

31 Housing

32 Education

33 Arts

34 Libraries and Museums

35 Communications

36 Press

37 Tourism, Travel & Recreation

38 Sports

39 Famous Mainers

40 Bibliography

State of Maine

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Derived either from the French for a historical district of France, or from the early use of “main” to distinguish coast from islands.

NICKNAME : The Pine Tree State.

CAPITAL: Augusta.

ENTERED UNION: 15 March 1820 (23rd).

OFFICIAL SEAL: Same as the coat of arms.

FLAG: The coat of arms is on a blue field, with a yellow fringed border surrounding three sides.

COAT OF ARMS: A farmer and sailor support a shield on which are depicted a pine tree, a moose, and water. Under the shield is the name of the state; above it are the state motto and the North Star. MOTTO: Dirigo (“I direct” or “I lead”).

SONG: “State of Maine Song.”

FLOWER: White pine cone, tassel; wintergreen (herb).

TREE: White pine.

ANIMAL: Moose.

BIRD: Chickadee.

FISH: Landlocked salmon.

CRUSTACEAN: Blue crab.

INSECT: Honeybee.

MINERAL: Tourmaline.

LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year’s Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Washington’s Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Patriots’ Day, 3rd Monday in April; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November and day following; Christmas Day, 25 December.

TIME: 7 AM EST = noon GMT.

1 Location and Size

Situated in the extreme northeastern corner of the United States, Maine is the nation’s most easterly state, the largest in New England, and 39th in size among the 50 states. The total area of Maine is 33,265 square miles (86,156 square kilometers), including 30,995 square miles (80,277 square kilometers) of land and 2,270 square miles (5,879 square kilometers) of inland water. Maine extends 207 miles (333 kilometers) east-west and 322 miles (518 kilometers) north-south. Hundreds of islands dot Maine’s coast. The largest is Mt. Desert Island. Others include Deer Isle, Vinalhaven, and Isle au Haut. Maine’s total boundary length is 883 miles (1,421 kilometers).

2 Topography

Maine is divided into four main regions: coastal lowlands, the piedmont, mountains, and uplands. Maine’s mountain region, the Longfellow range, is at the northeastern end of the Appalachian Mountain system. This zone contains nine peaks over 4,000 feet (1,200 meters), including Mt. Katahdin, which at 5,267 feet (1,606 meters) is the highest point in the state. The summit of Katahdin marks the northern terminus of the 2,000-mile (3,200-kilometer) Appalachian Trail. Maine’s uplands form a high, relatively flat plateau. The eastern part of this zone is the Aroostook potato-farming region and the western part is heavily forested.

Of Maine’s more than 2,200 lakes and ponds, the largest are Moosehead Lake, 117 square miles (303 square kilometers), and Sebago Lake, 13 miles (21 kilometers) by 10 miles (16 kilometers). Of the more than 5,000 rivers and streams, the Penobscot, Androscoggin, Kennebec, and Saco rivers are the most important. The longest river in Maine is the St. John, but it runs for most of its length in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.

3 Climate

Maine has three climatic regions: the northern interior zone, comprising roughly the northern half of the state between Quebec and New Brunswick; the southern interior zone; and the coastal zone. The northern zone is both drier and cooler in all four seasons than either of the other zones, while the coastal zone is more moderate

Maine Population Profile

Population by Age Group

in temperature year-round than the other two. Annual mean temperatures range from about 40°f (5°c) in the northern zone to 44°f (7°c) in the southern interior and 46°f (8°c) in the coastal zone. Record temperatures for the state are -48°f (-44°c) registered at Van Buren on 19 January 1925, and 105°f (41°c), registered at North Bridgton on 10 July 1911. The mean annual precipitation ranges from 40.2 inches (102 centimeters) in the north to 41.5 inches (105 centimeters) in the southern interior and 45.7 in (116 cm) on the coast. Average annual snowfall is 78 inches (198 centimeters).

4 Plants and Animals

The trees in Maine’s forests are largely softwoods, such as red and white spruces, eastern hemlock, and white and red pine. Important hardwoods include beech, white oak, and black willow. Maine is home to most of the flowers and shrubs common to the north temperate zone, including an important commercial resource, the low-bush blueberry. Maine has 17 rare orchid species. Two species, the small whorled pogonia and the eastern prairie fringed orchid, were classified as threatened plant species as of April 2006. The furbish lousewart was classified as endangered that year.

About 30,000 white-tailed deer are killed by hunters in Maine each year, but the herd does not appear to diminish. Moose hunting was banned in Maine in 1935. Other common forest animals include the bobcat, beaver, mink, red fox, and snowshoe hare. Seals and porpoises are found in

Maine Population by Race

Census 2000 was the first national census in which the instructions to respondents said, “Mark one or more races.” This table shows the number of people who are of one, two, or three or more races. For those claiming two races, the number of people belonging to the various categories is listed. The U.S. government conducts a census of the population every ten years.

coastal waters, along with practically every variety of North Atlantic fish and shellfish, including the famous Maine lobster. Coastal waterfowl include the osprey, great and double-crested cormorants, and herring and great black-backed gulls. Matinicus Rock, an island near Penobscot Bay, is the only known North American nesting site of the common puffin, or sea parrot.

In 2006, a total of 11 Maine animal species were classified as threatened or endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, including the bald eagle, piping plover, Atlantic Gulf of Maine salmon, two species of whale, and the leather-back sea turtle.

5 Environmental Protection

The Department of Environmental Protection is the primary state agency for environmental concerns. The Land Use Regulation Commission extends the principles of town planning and zoning to unorganized townships, “plantations,” and numerous coastal islands that have no local government and might otherwise be subject to ecologically unsound development. In 2003, Maine had 59 hazardous waste sites listed in the Environmental Protection Agency’s database, 12 of which were on the National Priorities List as of 2006.

6 Population

In 2005, Maine ranked 40th in population in the United States with an estimated total of 1,321,574 residents. The population is projected to grow to 1.41 million by 2025. The population density for 2004 was 42.7 persons per square mile (16.48 persons per square kilometer). More than half the population lives on less than one-seventh of the land within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of the Atlantic coast, and almost half the state is virtually uninhabited. In 2004, the median age was 40.7 years, the highest median in the country. In 2005, of all Maine residents, 14% were age 65 or older, while 22% were 18 or younger. The largest cities are Portland, Bangor, and Lewsiton-Auburn, all of which have populations under 100,000.

7 Ethnic Groups

Maine’s population is primarily Yankee, both in its English and Scotch-Irish origins and in its retention of many of the values and folkways of rural New England. As of the 2000 census, a total of 274,423 claimed English ancestry, followed by 192,901 claiming Irish ancestry, 181,663 claiming French ancestry and 110,344 who claimed Canadian or French-Canadian ancestry. The population of Hispanics and Latinos was 9,360. In 2006, Hispanics and Latinos accounted for 0.9% of the population. The Native American population included 7,098 residents. In 2006, Native Americans accounted for 0.5% of the state’s population. The leading tribes were the Penobscot, the Aristook Band of Micmac, the Passamaquoddy, and the Houlton Band of Maliseets. Maine in 2000 had 6,760 black American residents and 9,111 Asians, including 2,034 Chinese, 1,159 Filipinos, and 1,021 Asian Indians. Pacific Islanders numbered 382. There were 36,691 foreign-born residents in the state.

8 Languages

Maine English is celebrated as typical Yankee speech. The final /r/ is often absent form a word. A vowel sound between /ah/ and the /a/ is used in words such as car and garden. Maple syrup comes from rock or sugar maple trees in a sap or sugar orchard. Cottage cheese is called curd cheese and pancakes are fritters. Native Algonkian place-names abound, including Saco, Kennebec, and Skowhegan.

In 2000, of all Maine residents five years old or older, 92.2% reported speaking only English in the home. About 63,640 residents, or 5.3%, spoke French.

9 Religions

In 2004, Maine had about 217,676 Roman Catholics, and an estimated 8,290 Jews in 2000. Leading Protestant denominations were the United Methodist Church, with 31,689 adherents, and the American Baptists USA, with 26,259 members (both as of 2000), and the United Church of Christ with 23,060 followers, as of 2005. The Muslim community had about 800 members. Over 800,000 people (about 63.6% of the population) were not counted as members of any religious organization.

10 Transportation

Railroad development in Maine has declined rapidly since World War II, while passenger service has been nearly dropped altogether. Although Maine had no Class I railroads in 2003, there

were 7 regional and local railroads that operated on 1,148 miles (1,848 kilometers) of railroad track. As of 2006, Amtrak provided service to four stations in Maine via its Downeaster train that ran from Portland to Boston.

About three-quarters of all communities and about half the population depend entirely on highway trucking for the overland transportation of freight. In 2004, Maine had 22,748 miles (36,624 kilometers) of public roads. There were 1.086 million registered motor vehicles, and 984,829 licensed drivers in the same year. The Maine Turnpike and I-95 are the major highways.

River traffic has been central to the lumber industry. Maine has 10 established seaports, with Portland and Searsport being the main depots for overseas shipping. Portland International Jetport is the largest and most active airport in Maine. In 2004, it had 687,344 passenger boardings. In 2005, Maine had 103 airports, 13 heliports and 37 seaplane bases.

11 History

Sometime around 1600, English expeditions began fishing the Gulf of Maine regularly. By 1630, however, there were permanent English settlements on several islands and at nearly a dozen spots along the coast. In 1652, the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony began absorbing the small Maine settlements, and in

Maine Governors: 1820–2007

1691, Maine became a district of Massachusetts. During the first hundred years of settlement, Maine’s economy was based on farming, fishing, trading, and exploitation of the forests.

The first naval encounter of the Revolutionary War occurred in Machias Bay, when, on 12 June 1775, angry colonials captured the British armed schooner Margaretta. An expedition through the Maine woods in the fall of 1775 intended to drive the British out of Quebec, but this failed.

Another disaster was a 1779 expedition in which Massachusetts forces, failing to dislodge British troops at Castine, abandoned many of its own ships near the Penobscot River. Popular pressure for separation from Massachusetts mounted after the War of 1812. Admission of Maine to the Union as a free state was joined with the admission of Missouri as a slave state in the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Textile mills and shoe factories came to Maine between 1830 and 1860. After the Civil War, the revolution in papermaking that substituted wood pulp for rags brought a vigorous new industry to the state. By 1900, Maine was one of the leading papermaking states in the United States, and the industry continues to dominate the state today. The rise of tourism and the conflict between economic development and environmental protection have been central in the postwar period.

In the 1980s, the state government paid $81.5 million to the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes. This settled a suit claiming that a 1794 treaty under which the Passamaquoddy handed over most of its land—amounting to the northern two-thirds of Maine—was illegal and had never been ratified by Congress.

In the late 1990s, Maine’s economy experienced strong growth, but in the early 2000s, the state’s economy was troubled. By 2003, the state budget was showing a deficit of $24 million. Despite the state’s economic woes, in June 2003, Maine’s governor signed into law a statewide health plan called Dirigo Health.

By 2005, plans were being made by the state to deal with the closing of military bases, including the Brunswick Naval Air Station.

12 State Government

Maine’s constitution was adopted in 1819, and had been amended 169 times as of January 2005. The document sets up a two-house legislature, consisting of a 35-member Senate and a 151-member House of Representatives. The legislature convenes every two years in joint session to elect the secretary of state, attorney general, auditor, and state treasurer. The governor is the

Maine Presidential Vote by Major Political Parties, 1948–2004

only official elected statewide. The governor is limited to two four-year terms. The governor’s veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of members present and voting in each legislative chamber.

The legislative salary in 2004 was $11,384 for the first year and $8,302 for the second. The governor’s salary as of December 2004 was $70,000.

13 Political Parties

The Republican Party dominated Maine politics for 100 years after its formation in the 1850s. The rise of Democrat Edmund S. Muskie, elected governor in 1954 and 1956, and to the first of four terms in the US Senate in 1960, signaled a change. Muskie appealed personally to many traditionally Republican voters, but his party’s revival was also the result of demographic changes, especially an increase in the proportion of French-Canadian voters. In 2002 there were 912,092 registered voters. In 1998, of all registered voters in Maine, 32% were Democrats, 29% Republicans, and 39% unaffiliated or members of other parties.

In 2002, Democrat John Baldacci was elected governor; he was reelected in 2006. In 2006 Republican Olympia Snowe won reelection in the US Senate. Republican Susan E. Collins won the seat left vacant by retiring three-term senator William S. Cohen in 1996 (Collins was reelected in 2002). Cohen, a Republican, went on to serve Democratic president Bill Clinton as Secretary of Defense. Both of Maine’s seats in the US House of Representatives were held by Democrats following the 2006 midterm elections. In 2000, Democrat Al Gore won 49% of the presidential vote and Republican George W. Bush received 44%. In the 2004 election, Democrat John Kerry received 53.4% of the presidential vote to George W. Bush’s 44.6%. Following the 2006 elections, the state house of representatives had 89 Democrats, 60 Republicans, and 2 independents, while the state senate had 18 Democrats and 17 Republicans. Forty-three women were elected in the state legislature in 2006, or 23.1%.

14 Local Government

The principal units of local government in 2005 included 16 counties, 22 cities, 282 public school districts, and 222 special districts. In 2000, there were 467 townships. As is customary in New England, the basic instrument of town government is the annual town meeting, with an elective board of selectmen supervising town affairs between meetings. Some of the larger towns employ full-time town managers. Maine’s counties function primarily as judicial districts.

15 Judicial System

The highest state court is the Supreme Judicial Court, which has statewide appeals jurisdiction in all civil and criminal matters. The 16-member Superior Court has original jurisdiction in cases involving trial by jury and also hears some appeals. The district courts hear non-felony criminal cases and small claims and juvenile cases. In 2004, Maine’s violent crime rate (murder/nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault) was 103.5 incidents per 100,000 persons (the second-lowest in the United States after North Dakota). As of 31 December 2004, there were 2,024 state and federal prisoners held in Maine. The state has not had a death penalty since 1887, but does provide for a life sentence without parole.

16 Migration

Throughout the colonial and early national periods, Maine’s population grew primarily by immigration from elsewhere in New England. About 1830, after agriculture in the state had passed its peak, Maine farmers and woodsmen began moving west. Europeans and French Canadians came to the state at about that time.

Between 1990 and 1998, the state had a net loss of 15,000 in domestic migration and a net gain of 3,000 in international migration. In the period 2000–05, some 5,004 people moved into the state from other countries, while 36,804 moved into the state from other states, for a net gain of 41,808 people.

17 Economy

Maine’s greatest economic strengths are its forests and waters, yielding wood products, water power, fisheries, and ocean commerce. As of 2005, among the largest industries in the state was paper manufacturing, for which both forests and water power are essential. Maine’s greatest current economic weakness is its limited access to the national transportation network that links major production and manufacturing centers with large metropolitan markets. On the other hand, this relative isolation, combined with the state’s traditional natural assets, has contributed to Maine’s attractiveness as a place for tourism and recreation.

Maine’s gross state product (GSP) in 2004 totaled $43.336 billion, of which the real estate sector accounted for the largest portion, by value, at 13.4%, followed by manufacturing at 11.9% of GSP. Of the 40,304 businesses that had employees, an estimated 97.5% were small companies.

18 Income

In 2004, Maine ranked 34th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia with a per capita (per person) income of $30,046, compared to the national average of $33,050. For the three-year period 2002 through 2004, the state’s median household income was $39,395, compared to the national average of $44,473. For the same period, 12.2% of the state’s residents lived below the federal poverty level, as compared to 12.4% nationwide.

19 Industry

Manufacturing in Maine has always been related to the forests. From the 17th century through much of the 19th, the staples of Maine industry were shipbuilding and lumber. As of 2005, it was papermaking and wood products, but footwear, textiles and apparel, shipbuilding, and electronic components and accessories are also important items.

Maine has the largest paper-production capacity of any state in the nation. There are large papermills and pulpmills in more than a dozen towns and cities. As of 2004, wood-related industries (paper, lumber, wood products) accounted for about 25% of the value of all manufactured product shipments. In 2004, the shipment value of all products manufactured in the state was $13.656 billion. Of that total, paper manufacturing accounted for the largest share at $3.601 billion, followed by transportation equipment at $2.019 billion. In that same year, a total of 57,901 people were employed in the state’s manufacturing sector.

20 Labor

In April 2006, the civilian labor force in Maine numbered 716,300, with approximately 30,000 workers unemployed, yielding an unemployment rate of 4.2%, compared to the national average of 4.7% for the same period. In April 2006, early nonfarm employment data indicated that about 5% of the labor force was employed in construction; 9.7% in manufacturing; 20.4% in trade, transportation, and public utilities; 5.5% in financial activities; 8.3% in professional and business services; 18.4% in educational and health services; 9.7% in leisure and hospitality services; and 17.1% in government.

In 2005, a total of 69,000 of Maine’s 582,000 employed wage and salary workers were members of a union. This represented 11.9% of those so employed, and below the national average of 12%.

21 Agriculture

Maine’s gross farm income in 2005 was $546 million (43rd in the United States). There were 7,200 farms in 2004, with an estimated 1.37 million acres (554,000 hectares) of land.

Maine produces more food crops for human consumption than any other New England state. Maine ranks first in the world in the production of blueberries, producing over 25% of the total blueberry crop and over 50% of the world’s wild blueberries. Maine is also home to the largest bioagricultural firm in the world, which produces breeding stock for the broiler industry worldwide. In New England, Maine ranks first in potato production and second in the production of milk and apples. Nationally, Maine ranks third in maple syrup and seventh in potatoes. The greenhouse/nursery and wild blueberry sectors have also shown steady growth in sales since 1990.

22 Domesticated Animals

In 2005, Maine had an estimated 92,000 cattle and calves worth around $101.2 million. Dairy farmers had an estimated 35,000 milk cows, which produced 624 million pounds (283.6 million kilograms) of milk in 2003. Poultry farmers sold an estimated 10.2 million pounds (4.6 million kilograms) of chickens in the same year. South-central Maine is the leading poultry region.

23 Fishing

Fishing has been important to the economy of Maine since its settlement. In 2004, Maine landings brought a total of 208.4 million pounds (84.3 million kilograms) with a value of $315.8 million (the third highest value in the nation). Rockland and Portland were main ports.

The most valuable Maine fishery product is the lobster. In 2004, Maine led the nation in landings of American lobster for the 23rd consecutive year, with 58.5 million pounds (26.6 million kilograms). Flounder, halibut, scallops, and shrimp were also caught. Maine also was the leading state in soft clams catch, with 2.4 million pounds of meats (1.1 million kilograms) in 2004. In 2003, there were 35 processing and 176 wholesale plants in the state, with a total of about 1,780 employees. The state commercial fleet in 2001 had 5,836 boats and 1,656 vessels.

In 2004, Maine had 15 trout farms. The state also has nine inland fish hatcheries and hosts two national fish hatcheries. In 2004, there were 270,698 licensed sports fishing participants in the state.

24 Forestry

Maine’s 17.7 million acres (7.2 million hectares) of forest in 2003 contained over 3.6 billion trees and covered 90% of the state’s land area, the largest percentage for any state in the United States. About 16,952,000 acres (6,860,000 hectares) are classified as commercial timberland, over 96% of it privately owned, and half of that by a dozen large paper companies and land managing corporations. Principal commercial hardwood include ash, hard maple, white and yellow birch, beech, and oak; commercially significant softwoods include white pine, hemlock, cedar, spruce, and fir. Total lumber production in 2004 was 964 million board feet, of which 86% was softwood.

25 Mining

The value of nonfuel mineral production in Maine in 2003 was estimated to be $100 million. The mining and production of construction materials accounted for the vast majority of the state’s nonfuel mineral production. Construction sand and gravel, and crushed stone, together accounted for about 65% of total nonfuel mineral output by value that year. According to preliminary data, output of construction sand and gravel totaled 9.3 million metric tons, worth $37.9 million, while crushed stone production came to 4.4 million metric tons, and was valued at $26 million. In 2003, portland cement, and dimension granite were also important nonfuel minerals produced in Maine. Gemstone production that same year was valued at $262,000.

26 Energy and Power

In 2003, Maine had a total net summer generating capacity of 4.285 million kilowatts, with output that same year of 18.971 billion kilowatt hours. Natural gas-fueled power plants accounted for 49.8% of all power generated, followed by other renewable sources at 20.6% and hydroelectric plants at 16.7%. Maine no longer generates electricity through nuclear power. As of 2003, Maine’s only nuclear plant, the Maine Yankee Atomic Power plant in Wiscasset, was being dismantled after being closed down in 1997.

Maine has no proven reserves or production of crude oil, coal, or natural gas.

27 Commerce

In 2002, Maine’s wholesale trade sector had sales of $10.3 billion, while the state’s retail sector in that same year had sales of $16.05 billion. Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts dealers accounted for the largest portion of retail sales at $3.7 billion, followed by food and beverage stores at $2.7 billion. The value of Maine’s exports amounted to $2.3 billion in 2005.

28 Public Finance

Maine’s biennial budget is prepared by the Bureau of the Budget and submitted by the governor to the legislature for consideration. The fiscal year extends from 1 July to 30 June.

Total revenues for 2004 were $8.3 billion, while total expenditures were $7.3 billion. The largest general expenditures were for public welfare ($2.286 billion), education ($1.65 billion), and highways ($536 million). The state had a total debt of about $4.6 billion, or $3,531.55 per capita (per person).

29 Taxation

As of 1 January 2006, the state’s individual income tax had four brackets ranging from 2% to 8.5%. The corporate income tax ranges from 3.5% to 8.93%. The state sales tax is 5% on most goods, although basic foods are tax exempt if consumed off premises (such as at home). Cigarettes and gasoline are subject to state excise taxes

In 2005, Maine collected $3.071 billion in tax revenues, or $2,323 per person, placing the state 19th out of the 50 states in per capita tax burden, compared to the national average of $2,192 per person. Of the tax revenues raised, 42.3% was generated by the state income tax, followed by sales taxes at 30.4%, and state excise taxes at 13.9%. The state’s corporate income tax accounted for 4.4% of all tax revenues collected.

30 Health

In 2003, Maine’s crude death rate was 9.6 deaths per 1,000 inhabitants. As of October 2005, the state’s infant mortality rate was estimated at 6.1 per 1,000 live births. In 2004, about 20.9% of the state’s population were smokers. Maine’s reported AIDS case rate in 2004 stood at around 4.6 per 100,000 people. The death rates from major causes of death in 2002 (per 100,000 people) were: heart disease at 244.9; cancer at 247.7; cerebrovascular disease at 63.6; chronic lower respiratory diseases at 61.1; and diabetes at 31.2.

Maine’s 37 community hospitals had about 3,700 beds in 2003. There were 1,009 nurses per 100,000 people in 2005, while in 2004 there were 302 physicians per 100,000 population in 2004. In that same year, Maine had 629 dentists. The average expense for community hospital care was $1,416 per day in 2003. In 2004, about 10% of the state’s population was uninsured.

31 Housing

There were an estimated 676,667 housing units in Maine in 2004. Approximately 534,412 of the total units were occupied, with 72.9% being owner-occupied. About 68.9% of all units are single-family, detached homes. Fuel oils and kerosene are the primary heating fuel for most units. It was estimated that 12,214 units lacked telephone service, 3,771 lacked complete plumbing facilities, and 3,336 lacked complete kitchen facilities. The average household size was 2.39 people.

In 2004, a total of 8,800 privately owned units were authorized for construction. The median home value is $143,182. The median monthly cost for mortgage owners was $1,020. Renters paid a median of $582 per month.

32 Education

Maine has a long and vigorous tradition of education at all levels, both public and private. In 2004, of Maine residents age 25 and older, 87.1% were high school graduates, and 24.2% had obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Total public school enrollment was estimated at 200,000 in fall 2003, and was expected to drop to 178,000 by fall 2014. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2003 was 20,696. Expenditures for public education in 2003/2004 were estimated at $2.2 billion.

As of fall 2002, there were 63,308 students enrolled in institutions of higher education. As of 2005, Maine had 30 degree-granting institutions. Since 1968, the state’s public colleges and universities have been incorporated into a single University of Maine System. The original land grant campus is at Orono. The other major campus in the system is the University of Southern Maine at Portland and Gorham. The state also operates the Maine Maritime Academy at Castine and the Maine Technical College System, comprised of seven technical colleges. Of the state’s private colleges and professional schools, Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Colby College in Waterville, and Bates College in Lewiston are the best known.

33 Arts

Maine has long held an attraction for painters and artists, including Winslow Homer and Andrew Wyeth. The state has many summer theaters, the oldest and most famous of which is at Ogunquit, which celebrated its 74th anniversary in 2006.

The Portland Symphony (est. 1923) is Maine’s leading orchestra. Augusta and Bangor also host symphonies. The Maine State Ballet Company is based in Westbrook. The Portland Ballet is also well known in the state. The Bossov Ballet Theatre in Pittsfield is part of a boarding school for high school students looking for rigorous pre-professional training in dance. One of the newest additions to Maine’s cultural life is the Maine Grand Opera Company (est. 2001), based at the Camden Opera House. There are many local theater groups.

Some well-known festivals include the Arcady Summer Music Festival (est. 1980), specializing in chamber music, and the annual Bowdoin Summer Music Festival (est. 1964), presented at Bowdoin College in Brunswick.

The Maine Arts Commission is an independent state agency funded in part by the Maine State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts. The state Department of Educational and Cultural Services has an Arts and Humanities Bureau that provides funds to artists in residence, Maine touring artists, and community arts councils. The Maine Humanities Council, founded in 1975, provides support to about 100 nonprofit art organizations each year. Several ongoing reading programs sponsored in part by MHC include Born to Read, for children and youth; New Books, New Readers, for adult learners; and Let’s Talk About It, for adult readers.

34 Libraries and Museums

In 2001, Maine had 280 public libraries, of which 7 were branch libraries. In that same year, the state’s libraries had 5,891,000 volumes and a combined circulation of 8,155,000. Leading libraries included the Maine State Library at Augusta, Bowdoin College at Brunswick, and the University of Maine School of Law. Maine has at least 121 museums and historic sites. The Maine State Museum in Augusta houses collections in history, natural history, anthropology, marine studies, mineralogy, science, and technology. The privately supported Maine Historical Society in Portland maintains a research library and the Wadsworth Longfellow House, the boyhood home of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The largest of several maritime museums is in Bath.

35 Communications

In 2004, a total of 96.6% of occupied housing units had telephones, while as of June 2004, there were 610,533 mobile telephone service subscribers. In 2003, of all households in the state, 67.8% had a computer, while 57.9% had access to the Internet. Maine had 33 major commercial radio stations (5 AM, 28 FM) in 2005, along with 11 major television stations. Educational television stations broadcast from Augusta, Biddeford, Calais, Orono, and Presque Isle.

By 2000, a total of 25,583 Internet domain names had been registered in Maine.

36 Press

In 2005, Maine had seven daily newspapers and four Sunday editions. The most widely read newspapers (with their 2005 circulation) were the Bangor Daily News (mornings, 62,462; weekend, 74,754) and the Portland Press Herald (mornings, 77,788). Maine’s largest Sunday newspaper is the Portland Sunday Telegram (125,858). The capital is served by the Augusta Kennebec Journal (15,167 daily; 14,422 Sundays). Regional interest magazines include Maine Times and Down East

37 Tourism, Travel & Recreation

In 2004, the state of Maine hosted 43 million travelers who spent $13.6 billion dollars. Though Maine is a year-round resort destination, 59% of travelers arrive during the months of July, August, and September.

Sightseeing and outdoor activities are the primary tourist attractions. In the summer, the southern coast offers sandy beaches, icy surf, and several small harbors for sailing and saltwater fishing. Northeastward, the scenery becomes more rugged and spectacular, and sailing and hiking are the primary activities. Hundreds of lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams offer opportunities for freshwater bathing, boating, and fishing. Whitewater canoeing lures the adventurous along the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in northern Maine. Maine has always attracted hunters, especially during the fall deer season. Wintertime recreation facilities include nearly 60 ski areas and countless opportunities for cross-country skiing.

There are 12 state parks and beaches. Acadia National Park is a popular attraction, along with other wildlife areas, refuges, and forests. The state fair is held at Bangor.

38 Sports

Maine has no major league professional sports team. The Portland Pirates (a minor league hockey team) of the American Hockey League play on their home ice at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland. Minor league baseball’s Sea Dogs of the AA Eastern League play their games at Hadlock Field, which opened in 1994.

Harness racing is held at Scarborough Downs and other tracks and fairgrounds throughout the state. Sailing is a popular participant sport with a Windsummer Festival held each July at Boothbay Harbor and a Retired Skippers Race at Castine in August.

39 Famous Mainers

The highest federal officeholders born in Maine were Hannibal Hamlin (1809–1891), the nation’s first Republican vice-president, under Abraham Lincoln; and Nelson A. Rockefeller (1908–1979), governor of New York State from 1959 to 1973 and US vice-president under Gerald Ford. Margaret Chase Smith (1897–1995) served longer in the US Senate—24 years—than any other woman.

Maine claims a large number of well-known reformers and humanitarians: Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802–1887), who led the movement for hospitals for the insane; Elijah Parish Lovejoy (1802–1837), an abolitionist killed while defending his printing press from a proslavery mob in St. Louis, Missouri; and Harriet Beecher Stowe (b.Connecticut, 1811–1896), whose novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852) was written in Maine. Other important writers include poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) and Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856–1923), author of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869–1935) and Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950) were both Pulitzer Prize-winning poets. E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White (1899–1985), New Yorker essayist and author of the children’s classic Charlotte’s Web, maintained a home in Maine, which inspired much of his writing. Winslow Homer (b.Massachusetts, 1836–1910) had a summer home at Prouts Neck, where he painted many of his seascapes. Joan Benoit-Samuelson (b.1957), famous distance runner during the 1980s, was born in Cape Elizabeth.

40 Bibliography

BOOKS

Beem, Edgar Allen. Maine: the Spirit of America. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000.

Bristow, M. J. State Songs of America. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.

Brown, Jonatha A. Maine. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens, 2007.

Dornfeld, Margaret. Maine. New York: Benchmark Books, 2001.

Gale, Robert L. A Sarah Orne Jewett Companion. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.

McAuliffe, Emily. Maine Facts and Symbols. Rev. ed. Mankato, MN: Capstone, 2003.

Murray, Julie. Maine. Edina, MN: Abdo Publishing, 2006.

WEB SITES

Official Website of the State of Maine. Maine.gov. www.state.me.us (accessed March 1, 2007).

Visit New England. Maine. www.visit-maine.com (accessed March 1, 2007).