MAINE Main Info

John Cabot and his son, Sebastian, are believed to have visited the Maine coast in 1498. However, the first permanent English settlements were not established until more than a century later, in 1623.

The first naval action of the Revolutionary War occurred in 1775 when colonials captured the British sloop Margaretta off Machias on the Maine coast. In that same year, the British burned Falmouth (now Portland).

Maine produces 98% of the nation's low-bush blueberries. Farm income is also derived from apples, potatoes, dairy products, and vegetables, with poultry and eggs the largest selling items.

The state is one of the world's largest pulp-paper producers. With almost 89% of its area forested, Maine turns out wood products from boats to toothpicks. Maine also leads the world in the production of the familiar flat tins of sardines, producing more than 75 million of them annually. In 2001, Maine lobstermen landed nearly 48 million pounds of lobster, compared with an estimated 53 million pounds in 2000.

A scenic seacoast, beaches, lakes, mountains, and resorts make Maine a popular vacationland. There are more than 2,500 lakes and 5,000 streams, plus 26 state parks to attract hunters, fishermen, skiers, and campers.

Major points of interest are Bar Harbor, Acadia National Park, Allagash National Wilderness Waterway, the Wadsworth-Longfellow House in Portland, Roosevelt Campobello International Park, and the St. Croix Island National Monument.

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See more on Maine:
Encyclopedia: Maine
Encyclopedia: Geography
Encyclopedia: Economy
Encyclopedia: Government
Encyclopedia: History
Monthly Temperature Extremes

Accredited Colleges and Universities

Selected famous natives and residents:

F. Lee Bailey defense attorney;
Charles F. Browne (Artemus Ward) humorist;
Cyrus Curtis publisher;
Dorothea Dix civil rights reformer;
John Ford film director;
Melville Fuller jurist;
Marsden Hartley painter;
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poet;
Sarah Orne Jewett author;
Stephen King writer;
Linda Lavin actress;
Edna St. Vincent Millay poet;
Marston Morse mathematician;
Frank Munsey publisher;
Walter Piston composer;
George Putnam publisher;
Kenneth Roberts historical novelist;
Edwin Arlington Robinson poet;
Margaret Chase Smith politician;
Samantha Smith peacemaker and actress;
John Hay Whitney publisher.