Founded in the early 17th century, and declared a state in the early 1800s, lying at the most northeastern corner of the United States is the largest New England state – Maine.
There plenty to consider when you think of Maine and its amazing quality of life, from its beautiful wide-stretching Atlantic coastlines, rich, green forests, national parks, and some of the world’s best seafood. Not to mention the economic aspects of the state, which are equally as impressive and lucrative.
Why people decide to visit or relocate to the Pine Tree State are certainly in abundance. So, take a look at some of the reasons and discover why people believe Maine is such a special place, by checking out our list of the most amazing facts about the state of Maine!
Here are our facts about the state of Maine – enjoy!
1. The famous coastline of Maine spans around 228 miles long. However, when you include the tidal coastline, which includes inlets, and bays, the coastline jumps to a staggering 3,478+ miles long, and if you add the surrounding islands to the equation, the total state coastline is over 5,500 miles long!
2. Maine is an extremely unique state for a plethora of reasons, but something that really does stand out is that Maine is primarily considered a coastal state surrounded by the Atlantic ocean but it has a 40-acre desert that can be found in the state! Located just outside the town of Freeport you can find the desert, which is a direct result of the area being over-farmed.
3. There are over 32,000 miles of rivers and streams running through the beautiful state.
4. Maine’s state nickname is Pine Tree State. The origins of this nickname are still a little unknown as nothing was ever officially released. However, Maine’s state tree is a Pine Tree, and you can find many residing in the luscious, expansive forests found within the state.
5. What are the 5 most populated cities in Maine?
- Portland (over 66,000)
- Lewiston ( over 36,000)
- Bangor (over 32,000)
- South Portland (over 25,000)
- Auburn (over 23,000)
6. Maine’s official state animal is the moose, maybe because the state is home to over 76,000 moose! This is the highest moose population out of the lower 48 states, and unsurprisingly, moose-watching has become a popular tourist activity over recent years.
7. Earmuffs were invented in Farmington, Maine, all the way back in the 1870s. The 15-year-old native, Chester Greenwood came up with the idea as a way to stay warm when he went ice skating.
Hold On!
If you would like to see the economic facts about Maine that could be crucial in your decision to start a business or franchise in the state, then scroll down a little further to see the business and economic facts
8. Maine is home to over 3,100 off-shore islands, with only around 1,200 of them consisting of an acre or more.
9. The Pine Tree state is the only US state to border only one other state, New Hampshire but to have a name consisting of just one syllable too.
10. Being a part of the 10 coldest states in the entire country, it will probably come as very little surprise that Maine is notorious for having some harsh, cold, and snowy winters. With the coldest day ever officially coming in January 2009, reaching a stunning -50°F in Big Black River.
11. As mentioned, the weather in the winter can be extreme, however, this is the same notion as the other seasons within the state. With Maine’s fall season being as colorful and aesthetically pleasing as anywhere else in the world, sporting incredible displays of red, yellow, and orange, supported by the fact that over 90% of the state is covered in trees.
Economic Facts About Maine the State
There is a lot to be said about the business climate and economic strength of Maine, although smaller in size and population to a lot of other states, Maine’s economy remains extremely healthy and stable.
Maine has been considered by many over the years as having one of the best environments for growth and development for businesses, employees, investors, and entrepreneurs alike. Backed up by having a comparatively low cost of living and extremely high quality of life.
If you would like to learn how to register a business in Maine so you can start your entrepreneurial journey, we have created a checklist walking you through the process.
Let’s check out the economic facts about Maine the state
- Maine’s GDP is approximately $58 billion.
- Maine has a three-tier income tax system, with the amount you earn determining the amount you will be taxed. The income tax rates range between 5.8%, 6.75%, and 7.15%.
- The sales tax rate in Maine is 5.5%.
- Maine has the 3rd best crimes and corrections rank out of all 50 states (US News & World Report).
- Maine ranks 4th for health care quality (US News & World Report).
- Maine also ranks number 1 for public safety (US News & World Report).
- Forbes rated Portland, Maine as one of the most livable cities in 2009, and also Portland was ranked as one of the most affordable cities to retire by AARP in 2011.
- The average house price in Maine is $259,992, however, this number is seasonally adjusted, in order to keep updated, make sure to take a look at Zillow’s website.
- Maine is home to over 149,000 small businesses.
- The minimum wage in Maine is $12.00 per hour, making it one of the highest active minimum wage rates in the US.
- Small businesses make up over 99% of all Maine businesses.
- Maine is home to over 293,000 small business employees.
- Small business employees make up over 57% of all of Maine’s employees.
- There are over 3,777 self-employed minorities.
- Over 1,610 small business exporters.
- Firms with fewer than 20 employees have the largest share of small business employment in Maine.
- The corporate income tax rates range between 3.50%-8.93%.
Here are some more fun facts about Maine
12. 75 mph is the maximum speed limit you can drive on certain roads in Maine.
13. Did you know that most of the famous horror writer Stephen King’s books were set in Maine? As a native to Portland, Maine, Stephen has set novels like Pet Sematary, It, and Salem’s Lot in small towns hailing from Maine. Writing his first-ever novel, Carrie whilst working as a teacher in Bangor, Maine.
14. Maine’s state insect is the honeybee, supporting the adoption of the honeybee as Maine’s insect was Burt Shavitz, the co-founder of Burt’s Bees, who moved to Maine in 1984 to keep bees.
15. The abbreviation for Maine comes with its fair share of controversy, this is due to Maine, along with Massachusetts and Maryland all sharing the first two letters of their names. The reason this has sparked debate surrounding abbreviations is that most states will use the first two letters of the name as the postal abbreviation, however, Maine couldn’t do this due to the competition from the other two states, leading for Maine’s abbreviation to be the first and last letter of the name, ME.
What are 6 Interesting Facts About Maine?
- Approximately 90% of the United States toothpick supply is produced in Maine.
- Almost 90% of the entire nation’s lobster supply comes from Maine.
- York, ME became the nation’s first incorporated city in 1642.
- Maine was admitted to the Union on March 15, 1820, becoming the 23rd official state.
- Maine boasts the largest blueberry crop in the entire nation.
- Maine has adopted many different state symbols over the years, with one of the more notable being the state flower – the white pine cone.
16. It may come as a surprise that Portland, Oregon is named after Portland, Maine! Oregon’s city of Portland was founded by two New England residents, one from Massachusetts, and the other from Maine. The city’s name choice came down to a coin-flip, and obviously, Francis Pettygrove from Maine won the coin flip and got to choose the city’s name, picking Portland after his hometown.
17. It is no secret that Maine has a thing for lobsters, but did you know that Maine’s relationship with the little red critters stretches as far as the University of Maine, having its own Lobster Institute! Dedicated solely to help those learn more about the animals.
18. There is still no official origin as to why and how Maine got its name. However, speculation would suggest that it was a shortened version of “Mainland”, which would make sense.
19. Maine’s official state motto is “Dirigo”, which means “I lead” in Latin.
20. The nation’s first-ever sawmill was established in York, Maine in 1623!
Thank you for checking out our list of 20 facts about the state of Maine, and the addition of the economic and business highlights. If there is anything we missed or you would like to point out on this page, feel free to let us know by leaving a comment, and don’t forget to share the post!
