Stay Maine Rentals, Vacation Rentals in Maine

Maine is a state rich in history. Thirteen years before the Pilgrims arrived at Massachusetts, the English established a colony in an area that is now part of the state. However, a severe winter forced most of the settlers back to England in 1608. Augusta, Maine's capital, was built where Pilgrims set up a trading post in 1628. The state was part of Massachusetts for about 200 years before it entered the Union as the 23rd state. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, one of the greatest American poets, was born in Portland, Maine's largest city. Maine's name comes from an ancient French province of the same name. Also, early explorers called the region "The Main," a shortened form of the word "mainland," to distinguish it from nearby islands. The abbreviation for Maine is ME. Maine is the northernmost and largest New England state. It is the only state bordered on three sides by Canada. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the north and east. It is also bordered by New Hampshire to the southwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast. Eastport, Maine, is the easternmost city in the United States. The state has the fewest people per square mile of land of any state east of the Mississippi River.

The “human” element of Maine State history begins with its earliest inhabitants. Most archeologists believe that they were descendants of the Ice Age hunters. They are referred to as the "Red Paint" people because of the red clay with which they lined their graves. Maine's two earliest Native American inhabitants were the Micmacs of eastern Maine and New Brunswick. For the most part, they were a warlike people. In contrast, the Abnakis, who inhabited other parts of Maine, were a peaceful nation. It was not until 1602 that the first European settlements arrived in Maine. Samuel de Champlain, the famous French explorer was a member of this party. They named the area Acadia. The next significant event in Maine State history occurred in 1607, when English colonists sponsored by the Plymouth Company settled in the area. Of course, this caused frequent battles between the French and English during the 17th and 18th century. To make matters even more complicated, this period in the history of Maine was also marked by a series of Indian raids on white settlements. Since the French wanted to see the English driven from the land, in a true Machiavellian spirit of divide and conquer, they supported these raids.

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 in temperature year-round than the other two. The annual mean temperature in the northern zone is about 5°C; in the southern interior zone, 7°C; and in the coastal zone, 8°C. Record temperatures for the state are –44°C, registered at Van Buren on 19 January 1925, and 41°C at North Bridgton on 10 July 1911. The mean annual precipitation increases from 40.2 inches in the north to 41.5 inches in the southern interior and 45.7 inches on the coast. Average annual precipitation at Portland (1971–2000) was 45.8 inches. Average annual snowfall is 78 inches (198 cm).

Bar Harbor: Perhaps the coolest village in Maine, Bar Harbor has a long and engaging history. The largest population center on Mount Desert Island.

Portland: It is difficult to conceive that Portland is the biggest city in Maine with its meager population of perhaps 65,000.

Rockland: The City of Rockland is located about 42 miles to the east of Augusta Maine which is the state capital and is located in Knox County. Its main industry is commercial fishing and lobstering.

Monhegan: A gorgeous island roughly ten miles off the coast of Maine, Monhegan is officially a "plantation" (something sort of between a town and a township).

Castine: Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine related industries.

Maine has a beautiful landscape of forests, water, and rugged coastline. If you want to see all of these things, visit Arcadia National Park, located mainly on Mt. Desert Island. It is the only national park in New England. Go there and see a beautiful combination of mountains, lakes, forests, and rugged shoreline.

Airports: Maine receives passenger jet service at its two largest airports, the Portland International Jetport in Portland, and the Bangor International Airport in Bangor. Both are served daily by many major airlines to destinations such as New York, Atlanta, and Orlando. Essential Air Service also subsidizes service to a number of smaller airports in Maine, bringing small turboprop aircraft to regional airports such as the Augusta State Airport, Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport, Knox County Regional Airport, and the Northern Maine Regional Airport at Presque Isle. These airports are served by US Airways Express with small 19 to 30 seat planes. Many smaller airports are scattered throughout Maine, only serving general aviation traffic. The Eastport Municipal Airport, for example, is a city-owned public-use airport with 1,200 general aviation aircraft operations each year from single-engine and ultralight aircraft.

Highways: Interstate 95 runs through Maine, as well as its easterly branch I-295. In addition, U.S. Route 1 starts in Fort Kent and runs to Florida. The eastern terminus of the eastern section of U.S. Route 2 starts in Houlton, near the New Brunswick, Canada border to Rouses Point, New York, at US 11. There is also another US 2A connecting Old Town and Orono, Maine, primarily serving the University of Maine campus. U.S. Route 2, Route 6 and Route 9 are often used by truckers and other motorists of the Maritime Provinces en route to other destinations in the United States or as a short cut to Central Canada.

Rail: The Downeaster passenger train, operated by Amtrak, provides passenger service between Portland and Boston's North Station, with stops in Old Orchard Beach, Saco, and Wells. The Downeaster makes five southbound trips and five northbound trips every day. Seasonal passenger excursions between Brunswick and Rockland are operated by the Maine Eastern Railroad, which leases the state-owned Rockland Branch rail corridor. Freight service throughout the state is provided by a handful of regional and shortline carriers: Pan Am Railways (formerly known as Guilford Rail System), which operates the former Boston & Maine and Maine Central railroads; St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad; Maine Eastern Railroad; Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway; and New Brunswick Southern Railway.