The largest state by total area in New England, Maine is the 12th-smallest by area, the 9th-least populous, the 13th-least densely populated, and the most rural of the 50 U S states.
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The largest state by total area in New England, Maine is the 12th-smallest by area, the 9th-least populous, the 13th-least densely populated, and the most rural of the 50 U S states.
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Maine has traditionally been known for its jagged, rocky Atlantic Ocean and bayshore coastlines; smoothly contoured mountains; heavily forested interior; picturesque waterways; and its wild lowbush blueberries and seafood cuisine, especially lobster and clams.
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Coastal and Down East Maine have emerged as important centers for the creative economy, especially in the vicinity of Portland, which is bringing gentrification.
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Territory of Maine has been inhabited by aboriginal populations for thousands of years after the glaciers retreated during the last ice age.
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Maine was part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1820 when it voted to secede from Massachusetts to become a separate state.
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Original inhabitants of the territory that is Maine were Algonquian-speaking Wabanaki peoples, including the Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, Penobscot, Androscoggin, and Kennebec.
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The coastal areas of eastern Maine first became the Province of Maine in a 1622 land patent.
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All of present-day Maine was unified as York County, Massachusetts under a 1691 royal patent for the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
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Central Maine was formerly inhabited by the Androscoggin tribe of the Abenaki nation, known as Arosaguntacook.
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Maine was much fought over by the French, English, and allied natives during the 17th and 18th centuries.
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The territory of Maine was confirmed as part of Massachusetts when the United States was formed following the Treaty of Paris ending the revolution, although the final border with British North America was not established until the Webster–Ashburton Treaty of 1842.
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Secessionist sentiment in Maine was stoked during the War of 1812 when Massachusetts pro-British merchants opposed the war and refused to defend Maine from British invaders.
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Maine is the northernmost state in New England and the largest, accounting for almost half of the region's entire land area.
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Maine is the only state to border exactly one other American state.
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Maine is the easternmost state in the United States both in its extreme points and in its geographic center.
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Maine is the least densely populated U S state east of the Mississippi River.
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Maine is in the temperate broadleaf and mixed forests biome.
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Along the famous rock-bound coast of Maine are lighthouses, beaches, fishing villages, and thousands of offshore islands, including the Isles of Shoals which straddle the New Hampshire border.
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Much of Maine's geomorphology was created by extended glacial activity at the end of the last ice age.
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Maine has a humid continental climate, with warm and sometimes humid summers, and long, cold and very snowy winters.
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Maine has fewer days of thunderstorms than any other state east of the Rockies, with most of the state averaging fewer than twenty days of thunderstorms a year.
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Maine rarely sees the effect of tropical cyclones, as they tend to pass well east and south or are greatly weakened by the time they reach Maine.
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French-speakers are the state's chief linguistic minority; census figures show that Maine has the highest percentage of people speaking French at home of any state: 5.
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Maine is the number one U S producer of low-bush blueberries.
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Preliminary data from the USDA for 2012 indicate Maine was the largest blueberry producer of the major blueberry producing states, with 91, 100, 000 lbs.
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Concomitantly with the tourist and recreation-oriented economy, Maine has developed a burgeoning creative economy, most notably centered in the Greater Portland vicinity.
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Maine has very few large companies that maintain headquarters in the state, and that number has fallen due to consolidations and mergers, particularly in the pulp and paper industry.
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Some of the larger companies that do maintain headquarters in Maine include Covetrus in Portland, Fairchild Semiconductor in South Portland, IDEXX Laboratories in Westbrook, Hannaford Bros.
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Maine is the home of the Jackson Laboratory, the world's largest non-profit mammalian genetic research facility and the world's largest supplier of genetically purebred mice.
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Maine has an income tax structure containing two brackets, 6.
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All real and tangible personal property located in the state of Maine is taxable unless specifically exempted by statute.
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Maine has a long-standing tradition of being home to many shipbuilding companies.
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Maine receives passenger jet service at its two largest airports, the Portland International Jetport in Portland, and the Bangor International Airport in Bangor.
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The state of Maine has three Constitutional Officers and one Statutory Officer (the State Auditor).
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Maine is one of seven states that do not have a lieutenant governor.
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On May 6, 2009, Maine became the fifth state to legalize same-sex marriage; however, the law was repealed by voters on November 3, 2009.
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Maine has voted for Democratic Bill Clinton twice, Al Gore in 2000, John Kerry in 2004, and Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012.
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Maine is the first state to have introduced ranked-choice voting in federal elections.
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Maine has three Reservations: Indian Island, Indian Township Reservation, and Pleasant Point Indian Reservation.
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These institutions include the University of Maine, which is the oldest, largest and only research university in the state.
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UMaine was founded in 1865 and is the state's only land grant and sea grant college.
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The University of Maine is located in the town of Orono and is the flagship of Maine.
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Collegiate system of Maine includes numerous baccalaureate colleges such as: the Maine Maritime Academy, Unity College, and Thomas College.
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Private schools in Maine are funded independently of the state and its furthered domains.
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Maine was a center of agriculture before it achieved statehood.
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In 2022, Maine ranked ninth in producing the most potatoes in the nation.
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Maine is the number one U S producer of low-bush blueberries.
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Preliminary data from the USDA for 2012 indicate Maine was the largest blueberry producer of the major blueberry producing states, with 91, 100, 000 lbs.
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Maine was a center of grain production in the 1800s, until grain production moved westward.
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The revival of grain farming and milling in Maine has led to the creation of other businesses, including bakeries and malthouses.
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Maine has a smaller number of commodity farms and confined animal feeding operations.
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Maine has many vegetable farms and other small, diversified farms.
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Maine is home to the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association and had 535 certified organic farms in 2019.
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In New England, Maine baked beans are one of two well-known regional styles of baked beans, the other being Boston baked beans.
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The difference is that Maine baked beans use thicker skinned, native bean varieties such like Marafax, soldier, and yellow-eye beans, and Boston baked beans use thinner skinned, small, white beans such as navy beans.
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