Maine Land for Sale

Geographers claim that Maine is part of New England. But is it really? Maine is a maverick compared to its prim and proper neighbors to the south: its scale is grander, its folk feistier, its scenic beauties move to greater passion. Maine Land for Sale is a stake in the Eastern seaboard’s last great frontier.

If you were to unravel all the small inlets, bays and harbors that make up Maine’s fabled shore you’d get 3500 miles of coastline dotted with lighthouses, islands and tidal ledges. The state’s western edge pushes up against an Appalachian ridge called the Longfellow Mountains, after native son Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Maine has been an inspiration to many writers and poets: Henry Thoreau wrote extensively about Mount Katahdin, the state’s highest point and the northern end of the Appalachian Trail, as well as the deep water lakes Moosehead and South Twin; while Edna St. Vincent Millay’s first published poem was an ode to the deep forests that cover 90% of the state and give Maine its nickname, The Pine Tree State. West Quoddy Head is the easternmost point in lower 48 states; a whirlpool called Old Sow is the largest tidal vortex in the Western Hemisphere. Maine is also the site of one of the United States’ remaining border disputes with Canada: both nations lay claim to Machias Seal Island and North Rock in the Gulf of Maine. The great Maine North Woods covers much of the northwestern part of the state, and is said to be haunted by fabulous creatures seen no where else on the planet, including the Windigo (a kind of Native American Abominable Snowman) and the Ding-ball (a cougar that eats human flesh.)

Maine’s largest city is Portland, a major fishing port as well as the largest oil port on the Eastern coast and the point of origin for the Portland-Montreal Pipeline, carrying crude oil overland into Canada. Portland is also well known as a “foodie” town, famous for its seafood (especially lobsters) and microbreweries. Lewiston in the south-central part of the state was once a textile manufacturing boomtown; now it’s chiefly known as the home of Bates College, one of the best-regarded liberal arts colleges in the nation. Bangor was a lumber town that has made the transition to paper products while Augusta is the state capital and home to the University of Maine.

There’s a popular saying in the Pine Tree State: “If you don’t like Maine’s weather, just wait a minute.” Changeable is the word for Maine’s weather as Jet stream meets Gulf stream meets cold Canadian air masses. Maine Winters are not for the faint of heart but are for anyone who loves snow sports: Maine is famous for its many downhill and cross-country skiing and snowboarding opportunities. Spring and summer are not as hot as they are in other parts of New England. Fall is the season when Maine comes into its own: the changing colors of its deep forests are a spectacular sight indeed.

Maine was hard hit by the recent economic downturn. The speculative housing bubble, such as it was, was restricted to communities with resort-like economies; but Maine’s biggest economic drivers — tourism and natural resource based industries like fishing and paper production — showed enormous weaknesses: the rising price of gasoline deterred many travelers from visiting the state while the demand for paper products throughout the world plummeted (driven in part by the green revolution.) At one point recently the average selling price of a pound of lobster off the boat was actually lower than an equivalent pound of hamburger. But economists are seeing signs of recovery. Maine Land for Sale may be a bargain right now but it won’t be for long.