History UsefulNotes / Maine

Maine's population is heavily clustered in the south near to the New Hampshire border, where sits its largest metro area, Greater Portland; the state capital, Augusta, is a bit further north. Northern Maine is extremely remote and sparsely populated, with Northwest Aroostook -- which makes up nearly half of the state's largest county by area -- boasting all of ''twelve'' residents in the 2020 census. This helps to make the region an attractive setting for LovecraftCountry and other "New England Gothic" horror fiction, imparting as it does a perfect sense of isolation, and is one of the reasons the aforementioned Stephen King likes to set his books there (the other being, of course, that he's a Mainer himself). Maine has the highest median age of all the states (45.0 in 2019 census estimates). Although the state is predominately White (90.2% Non-Hispanic White in the 2020 census), small immigrant communities have developed in the larger cities and towns, like the Irish, Poles, French Canadians, and Somali. Due to historic migration from French-speaking Canada, French is a common working language among their descendants and people living along the northern border with Quebec and majority Francophone parts of New Brunswick. Additionally, Maine is home to four federally-recognized tribes - the Penobscot, the Passamaquoddy, the Maliseet, and the Mi'kmaq - all of whom were historically and loosely joined under the Wabanaki Confederacy. Unlike tribes in other states, the four tribes have land claims settlements with the State of Maine which granted them federal recognition and compensation, but also placed them under jurisdiction of the state as municipalities.

Maine's population is heavily clustered in the south near to the New Hampshire border, where sits its largest metro area, Greater Portland; the state capital, Augusta, is a bit further north. Northern Maine is extremely remote and sparsely populated, with Northwest Aroostook -- which makes up nearly half of the state's largest county by area -- boasting all of ''twelve'' residents in the 2020 census. This helps to make the region an attractive setting for LovecraftCountry and other "New England Gothic" horror fiction, imparting as it does a perfect sense of isolation, and is one of the reasons the aforementioned Stephen King likes to set his books there (the other being, of course, that he's a Mainer himself).

Economically, Maine's history has always been inseparable from the maritime industry. The waters off the coast offer bountiful fish and other seafood, and Portland sits on an excellent natural harbor. One explanation for its name is that it's a shortening of "mainland," as most early European settlers lived on islands off the coast and hence were constantly referencing the nearby territory as "the mainland." Put as much stock in that explanation as you deem appropriate. The coast of Maine is indeed dotted with islands of varying size and importance (including the gorgeous Acadia National Park), hence the abundance of lighthouses trying to help ships navigate through such treacherous waters. Relatedly, shipbuilding has historically been a major sector of the state's economy as well, with two major US shipyards being located there, although the industry has increasingly been subject to outsourcing in recent years. The forests of the north have also been a source of ample wealth, providing resources for paper and construction lumber: most of the Maine North Woods, consisting of the lands north of Greenville and west of Fort Kent, are still privately-owned timberlands and sugaring areas that have been opened to outdoor recreation by agreement, and thus have no permanent residents with most workers commuting from either further south or across the border from Quebec.

Maine (pronounced like "main") was originally part of UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}}, making it one of four states split off from the territory of an already-existing state.[[note]]The others would be UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} (from UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina), Kentucky, and West Virginia (both from UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}})[[/note]] Its northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} was actually not fixed until the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812 ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and even then local farmers around northern Maine and southern New Brunswick fought over the exact border in the now-obscure Aroostook "War" (more like a neighborly squabble, since no one actually fought each other) in the 1830s. Like most states added to the Union during the first half of the 19th century, Maine was admitted as part of the 1820 Missouri Compromise to admit new states in pairs, one slave and one free, to maintain the balance between the two increasingly-bitterly-divided factions in Congress (we all know [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar how well that plan worked out]]). Not that most Mainers were opposed to leaving Massachusetts anyhow, seeing as they'd consistently been left out of that state's politics and had their interests ignored on account of being cut off by New Hampshire. By the way, its NH border makes Maine the only US state to border just one other state, although the majority of its land border is shared with the Canadian province of UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}}.

Economically, Maine's history has always been inseparable from the maritime industry. The waters off the coast offer bountiful fish and other seafood, and Portland sits on an excellent natural harbor. One explanation for its name is that it's a shortening of "mainland," as most early European settlers lived on islands off the coast and hence were constantly referencing the nearby territory as "the mainland." Put as much stock in that explanation as you deem appropriate. The coast of Maine is indeed dotted with islands of varying size and importance (including the gorgeous Acadia National Park), hence the abundance of lighthouses trying to help ships navigate through such treacherous waters. Relatedly, shipbuilding has historically been a major sector of the state's economy as well, with two major US shipyards being located there, although the industry has increasingly been subject to outsourcing in recent years. The forests of the north have also been a source of ample wealth, providing resources for paper and construction lumber.

* ''[[Literature/{{MASH}} M*A*S*H Goes to Maine]]''

* As mentioned above, nearly all of Stephen King's works are set in Maine, including:

The easternmost of the 48 contiguous states of the [[UsefulNotes/UnitedStates US]], as well as the northernmost one east of the Great Lakes.[[note]]On maps it looks like it's farther north than the Washington-to-Minnesota northern border, but that's an artifact of map projection.[[/note]] Part of the New England region, it is famous for its forests, lighthouses, and lobster, as well as for being the home state of (and [[CreatorProvincialism setting for almost all books]] written by) Creator/StephenKing.

In politics, Maine was traditionally regarded as a key bellwether state, as its elections for state and congressional positions were held in September rather than November, providing an early indicator of voter sentiments and leading to the aphorism, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." This bellwether status faded after 1932, when Maine voted for a Republican Party governor in September and then (in November) was one of just two states to vote for Republican Alf Landon instead of Democrat UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt. Maine evolved over the late 20th century from a Republican-leaning state, to a swing state, to a Democratic-leaning state with some unique political quirks. It has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992. Its current senators are Republican Susan Collins and independent Angus King, the latter of whom typically caucuses with the Democratic Party (he effectively votes like a normal Democrat, but Mainers evidently like having one of the two independent Senators). Its governor, Janet Mills, is a Democrat. State and local elections are usually competitive; Collins faced a serious challenge from Democrat Sara Gideon in 2020 and pulled out a victory at the same time Democratic presidential candidate UsefulNotes/JoeBiden cruised to an easy victory in the state, and Mills defeated Republican Shawn Moody in 2018. Many Mainers pride themselves on their state's (and their own) bipartisan nature. It is also notable as one of two states (the other being Nebraska) that conventionally awards its electoral votes by proportion of popular vote, rather than using the winner-take-all model employed by everyone else; for example, it split its four electoral votes in the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections, with three each going to UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton and Joe Biden and the other to UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump. Maine is also more willing than most states to support and even elect independent candidates -- Angus King served as Governor from 1995–2003 as an independent, for example, and independent candidates received a huge chunk of the vote and played a significant role in shaping the outcomes of the 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial elections. This support of independent candidates has led to Maine becoming the first state to use ranked-choice voting for statewide primaries and for both primaries and general elections for Federal offices.[[note]]Use of ranked-choice voting for statewide general elections was found to be a violation of the state constitution by the state supreme court.[[/note]]

In politics, Maine was once considered a key bellwether state; its elections for state and congressional positions were held in September rather than November, providing an early indicator of voter sentiments and leading to the saying, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." This bellwether status faded after 1932, when Maine voted for a Republican Party governor in September and then (in November) was one of just two states to vote for Republican Alf Landon instead of Democrat UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt. Maine evolved over the 20th century from a Republican-leaning state to a swing state to a Democratic-leaning state with some unique political quirks. It has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992. Its current senators are Republican Susan Collins and independent Angus King, the latter of whom typically caucuses with the Democratic Party (he effectively votes like a normal Democrat, but Mainers like having one of the two independent Senators). Its governor, Janet Mills, is a Democrat. State and local elections are usually competitive; Collins faced a serious challenge from Democrat Sara Gideon in 2020 and pulled out a victory at the same time Democratic presidential candidate UsefulNotes/JoeBiden cruised to an easy victory in the state, and Mills defeated Republican Shawn Moody in 2018. Many Mainers pride themselves on their state's (and their own) bipartisan nature. It is also one of two states (the other being Nebraska) that conventionally awards its electoral votes by proportion of popular vote, rather than using the winner-take-all model employed by everyone else; for example, it split its four electoral votes in the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections, with three each going to UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton and Joe Biden and the other to UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump. Maine is also more willing than most states to support and even elect independent candidates -- Angus King served as Governor from 1995–2003 as an independent, for example, and independent candidates received a huge chunk of the vote and played a significant role in shaping the outcomes of the 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial elections. This support of independent candidates has led to Maine becoming the first state to use ranked-choice voting for statewide primaries and for both primaries and general elections for Federal offices.[[note]]Use of ranked-choice voting for statewide general elections was found to be a violation of the state constitution by the state supreme court.[[/note]]

Maine (pronounced like "main") was originally part of UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}}, making it one of four states split off from the territory of an already-existing state.[[note]]The others would be UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} (from UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina), Kentucky, and West Virginia (both from UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}})[[/note]] Its northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} was actually not fixed until the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812 ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and even then local farmers around northern Maine and southern New Brunswick fought over the exact border in the now-obscure Aroostook "War" (more like a neighborly squabble, since no one actually fought each other) in the 1830s. Like most states added to the Union during the first half of the 19th century, Maine was admitted as part of the 1820 Missouri Compromise to admit new states in pairs, one slave and one free, to maintain the balance between the two increasingly-bitterly-divided factions in Congress (we all know [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar how well that plan worked out]]). Not that most Mainers were opposed to leaving Massachusetts anyhow, seeing as they'd consistently been left out of that state's politics and had their interests ignored on account of being cut off by New Hampshire. By the way, its NH border makes Maine the only US state to border just one other state, though a majority of its land border is shared with the Canadian province of UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}}.

Maine's population is heavily clustered in the south near the New Hampshire border, where sits its largest metro area, Greater Portland; the state capital, Augusta, is a bit further north. Northern Maine is extremely remote and sparsely populated, with Northwest Aroostook -- which makes up nearly half of the state's largest county by area -- boasting all of ''twelve'' residents in the 2020 census. This helps to make the region an attractive setting for LovecraftCountry and other "New England Gothic" horror fiction, imparting as it does a perfect sense of isolation, and is one of the reasons the aforementioned Stephen King likes to set his books there (the other being, of course, that he's a Mainer himself).

The easternmost of the 48 contiguous states of the US, as well as the northernmost one east of the Great Lakes.[[note]]On maps it looks like it's farther north than the Washington-to-Minnesota northern border, but that's an artifact of map projection.[[/note]] Part of the New England region, it is famous for its forests, lighthouses, and lobster, as well as for being the home state of (and [[CreatorProvincialism setting for almost all books]] written by) Creator/StephenKing.

The easternmost of the 48 contiguous US states, as well as the northernmost east of the Great Lakes.[[note]]On maps it looks like it's farther north than the Washington-to-Minnesota northern border, but that's an artifact of map projection.[[/note]] Famous for its lighthouses, lobster, and forests, and for being the home state of (and [[CreatorProvincialism setting for almost all books]] written by) Creator/StephenKing.

In politics, Maine was once considered a key bellwether state; its elections were held in September rather than November, providing an early indicator of voter sentiments and leading to the saying, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." This bellwether status faded after 1932, when Maine not only voted for a Republican Party governor but became one of just two states to vote for Republican Alf Landon instead of Democrat UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt. Maine evolved over the 20th century from a Republican-leaning state to a swing state to a Democratic-leaning state with some unique political quirks. It has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992. Its current senators are Republican Susan Collins and independent Angus King, the latter of whom typically caucuses with the Democratic Party (he effectively votes like a normal Democrat, but Mainers like having one of the two independent Senators). Its governor, Janet Mills, is a Democrat. State and local elections are usually competitive; Collins faced a serious challenge from Democrat Sara Gideon in 2020 and pulled out a victory at the same time Democratic presidential candidate UsefulNotes/JoeBiden cruised to an easy victory in the state, and Mills defeated Republican Shawn Moody in 2018. Many Mainers pride themselves on their state's (and their own) bipartisan nature. It is also one of two states (the other being Nebraska) that conventionally awards its electoral votes by proportion of popular vote, rather than using the winner-take-all model employed by everyone else; for example, it split its four electoral votes in the 2016 and 2020 US presidential elections, with three each going to UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton and Joe Biden and the other to UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump. Maine is also more willing than most states to support and even elect independent candidates -- Angus King served as Governor from 1995–2003 as an independent, for example, and independent candidates received a huge chunk of the vote and played a significant role in shaping the outcomes of the 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial elections. This support of independent candidates has led to Maine becoming the first state to use ranked-choice voting for statewide primaries and for both primaries and general elections for Federal offices.[[note]]Use of ranked-choice voting for statewide general elections was found to be a violation of the state constitution by the state supreme court.[[/note]]

Maine (pronounced like "main") was originally part of UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}}, making it one of four states split off from the territory of an already-existing state.[[note]]The others would be UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} (from UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina), Kentucky, and West Virginia (both from UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}})[[/note]] Its northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} was actually not fixed until the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812 ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and even then local farmers around northern Maine and southern New Brunswick fought over the exact border in the now-obscure Aroostook "War" (more like a neighborly squabble, since no one actually fought each other) in the 1830s. Like most states added to the Union during the first half of the 19th century, Maine was admitted as part of the 1820 Missouri Compromise to admit new states in pairs, one slave and one free, to maintain the balance between the two increasingly-bitterly-divided factions in Congress (we all know [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar how well that plan worked out]]). Not that most Mainers were opposed to leaving Massachusetts anyhow, seeing as they'd consistently been left out of that state's politics and seen their interests ignored on account of being cut off by New Hampshire. By the way, its NH border makes Maine the only US state to border just one other state, though a majority of its land border is shared with the Canadian province of UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}}.

Maine (pronounced like "main") was originally part of UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}}, making it one of four states split off from the territory of an already-existing state.[[note]]The others would be UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} (from UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina), Kentucky, and West Virginia (both from UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}})[[/note]] Its northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} was actually not fixed until the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812 ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and even then local farmers in northern Maine and southern New Brunswick fought over the exact border in the now-obscure Aroostook "War" (more like a neighborly squabble, since no one actually fought each other) in the 1830s. Like most states added to the Union during the first half of the 19th century, Maine was admitted as part of the 1820 Missouri Compromise to admit new states in pairs, one slave and one free, to maintain the balance between the two increasingly-bitterly-divided factions in Congress (we all know [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar how well that plan worked out]]). Not that most Mainers were opposed to leaving Massachusetts anyhow, seeing as they'd consistently been left out of that state's politics and seen their interests ignored on account of being cut off by New Hampshire. By the way, its NH border makes Maine the only US state to border just one other state, though a majority of its land border is shared with the Canadian province of UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}}.

Maine (pronounced like "main") was originally part of UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}}, making it one of four states split off from the territory of an already-existing state.[[note]]The others would be UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} (from UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina), Kentucky, and West Virginia (both from UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}})[[/note]] Its northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} was actually not fixed until the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812 ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and even then local farmers in northern Maine and southern New Brunswick fought over the exact border in the now-obscure Aroostook "War" (more like a neighborly squabble, since no one actually fought each other) in the 1830s. Like most states added to the Union over the first half of the 19th century, Maine was admitted as part of the 1820 Missouri Compromise to admit new states in pairs, one slave and one free, to maintain the balance between the two increasingly-bitterly-divided factions in Congress (we all know [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar how well that plan worked out]]). Not that Mainers were opposed to leaving Massachusetts anyway, seeing as how they'd been consistently left out of that state's politics and their interests were often ignored on account of being cut off by New Hampshire. Incidentally, its NH border makes Maine the only US state to border just one other state, though a majority of its land border is shared with the Canadian province of UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}}.

Maine (pronounced like "main") was originally part of UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}}, making it one of four states split off from the territory of an already-existing state.[[note]]The others would be UsefulNotes/{{Tennessee}} (from UsefulNotes/NorthCarolina), Kentucky, and West Virginia (both from UsefulNotes/{{Virginia}})[[/note]] Its northern border with UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} was actually not fixed until the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812 ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and even then local farmers in northern Maine and southern New Brunswick fought over the exact border in the now-obscure Aroostook "War" (more like a neighborly squabble, since no one actually fought each other) in the 1830s. Like most states added in the first half of the 19th century, it was admitted as part of the Missouri Compromise to admit new states in pairs, one slave and one free, to keep a balance between the two increasingly-bitterly-divided factions in Congress (we all know [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar how well that plan worked out]]). Not that Mainers were against leaving Massachusetts, seeing as they were consistently left out of the state's politics and their interests were often ignored on account of being cut off by New Hampshire. Its NH border makes Maine the only state to border one other US state, though most of its land border is shared with the Canadian province of UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}}.

Maine's population is heavily clustered in the south near the New Hampshire border, where sits its largest metro area, Greater Portland; the capital, Augusta, is a bit further north. Northern Maine is extremely remote, with Northwest Aroostook, nearly half of the state's largest county by area, boasting a population of ''ten people.'' This makes it an attractive setting for LovecraftCountry and other "New England Gothic" horror fiction, imparting the perfect sense of isolation. This is one of the reasons the aforementioned Stephen King likes to set his books there, the other being, of course, that he's a Mainer himself.

Economically, Maine's history has always been inseparable from the maritime industry. The waters off the coast offer bountiful fish and other seafood, and Portland sits on an excellent natural harbor. One explanation for its name is that it's a shortening of "mainland," as most early European settlers lived on islands off the coast and hence were constantly referencing the nearby territory as "the mainland." Put as much stock in that explanation as you deem appropriate. The coast of Maine is indeed dotted with islands of varying size and import (including the gorgeous Acadia National Park), hence the abundance of lighthouses trying to help ships navigate through such treacherous waters. Relatedly, shipbuilding has historically been a major sector of the state's economy as well, with two major U.S. shipyards being located there. In recent years, however, shipbuilding has been increasingly outsourced, leading to a decline in the sector. The forests of the north have also provided ample wealth, providing resources for paper and construction lumber.

In politics, Maine was once considered a key bellwether state; its state elections were held in September rather than November, giving an early indicator of sentiments and leading to the saying, "As Maine goes, so goes the nation." This bellwether status faded after Maine voted for a Republican governor in 1932, then became one of only two states to vote for Republican Alf Landon instead of Democrat UsefulNotes/FranklinDRoosevelt. Maine evolved over the 20th century from a Republican-leaning state to a swing state to a Democratic-leaning state with some unique political quirks. It has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election going back to 1992. Its current senators are Republican Susan Collins and independent Angus King, the latter of whom caucuses with the Democratic party (he effectively votes like a normal Democrat, but Mainers like having one of the two independent Senators). Its governor, Janet Mills, is a Democrat. State and local elections are generally competitive; Collins faced a serious challenge from Democrat Sara Gideon in 2020 and pulled out a victory at the same time Democrat Joe Biden cruised to an easy victory in the state, and Mills defeated Republican Shawn Moody in 2018. Many Mainers pride themselves on their state's (and their own) bipartisan nature. It's also one of the two states (the other being Nebraska) that conventionally splits its electoral votes by proportion of popular vote, rather than using the winner-take-all model used by everyone else; it split its 4 electoral votes in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, with 3 going to the Democrat candidates and 1 to UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump. Maine is more willing than most states to support and even elect independent candidates -- King served as Governor from 1995-2003 as an independent, for example, and independent candidates received a huge chunk of the vote and played a significant role in shaping the outcomes of the 2010 and 2014 gubernatorial elections. This support of independent candidates has led to Maine becoming the first state to use ranked-choice voting for statewide primaries and for both primaries and general elections for Federal offices.[[note]]Use of ranked-choice voting for statewide general elections was found to be a violation of the state constitution by the state supreme court.[[/note]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maine_map.gif]]
[[caption-width-right:350:No giant spiders here. That we know of.]]

The easternmost of the 48 contiguous US states, and the northernmost east of the Great Lakes.[[note]]On maps it looks like it's farther north than the Washington-to-Minnesota northern border, but that's an artifact of map projection.[[/note]] Famous for its forests, lobster, and lighthouses, and for being the home state of (and [[CreatorProvincialism setting for almost all books]] written by) Creator/StephenKing.

The easternmost of the 48 contiguous US states, and the northernmost east of the Great Lakes.[[note]]On maps it looks like it's farther north than the Washington-to-Minnesota northern border, but that's an artifact of map projection.[[/note]] Famous for its lighthouses, lobster, forests, and for being the home state of (and [[CreatorProvincialism the setting for almost all books]] written by) Creator/StephenKing.

And no, there's no town in the state named Series/CastleRock, though someone will probably try to found one eventually.

And no, there's no town named Series/CastleRock, though someone will probably try to found one eventually.

The easternmost of the 48 contiguous US states, and the northernmost east of the Great Lakes.[[note]]On maps it looks like it's farther north than the Washington-to-Minnesota northern border, but that's an artifact of map projection.[[/note]] Famous for its lighthouses, lobster, forests, and for being the home state of (and [[WriteWhatYouKnow the setting for almost all books]] written by) Creator/StephenKing.

Maine (pronounced like "main") was originally part of UsefulNotes/{{Massachusetts}}, making it one of four states split off from the territory of an already-existing state.[[note]]The others would be Tennessee (from North Carolina), Kentucky, and West Virginia (both from Virginia)[[/note]] Its northern border with Canada was actually not fixed until the UsefulNotes/WarOf1812 ended with the Treaty of Ghent, and even then local farmers in northern Maine and southern New Brunswick fought over the exact border in the now-obscure Aroostook "War" (more like a neighborly squabble, since no one actually fought each other) in the 1830s. Like most states added in the first half of the 19th century, it was admitted as part of the Missouri Compromise to admit new states in pairs, one slave and one free, to keep a balance between the two increasingly-bitterly-divided factions in Congress (we all know [[UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar how well that plan worked out]]). Not that Mainers were against leaving Massachusetts, seeing as they were consistently left out of the state's politics and their interests were often ignored on account of being cut off by New Hampshire.

The easternmost of the Lower 48 US states, and the northernmost east of the Great Lakes.[[note]]It looks like it's farther north than the Washington-to-Minnesota northern border, but that's an artifact of map projection.[[/note]] Famous for its lighthouses, lobster, forests, and for being the home state of (and [[WriteWhatYouKnow the setting for almost all books]] written by) Creator/StephenKing.