**Discovering the Unique Wonders of Maine**
Maine is a fantastic place that attracts around 25 million visitors each year, especially those who love the outdoors and family adventures. Let’s explore some cool facts that make Maine stand out!
**Maine’s Special Symbols:**
1. **Wild Blueberry – State Berry:** Maine loves its wild blueberries, and they’re not just delicious but also the state berry. Farmers use a hand rake to pick them carefully from late July to early September.
2. **Blueberry Pie – State Dessert:** Because wild blueberries are abundant, blueberry pie became Maine’s official state dessert in 2011.
3. **White Pine Tree – State Tree:** The white pine tree, the largest in the area, became Maine’s state tree in 1945. The state earned the nickname “The Pine Tree State” because of its vast forests covering more than 17 million acres.
4. **Landlocked Salmon – State Fish:** Maine’s state fish is the landlocked salmon, which stays in lakes and can grow up to 35 pounds. They prefer the lakes of Maine, New Hampshire, and New Brunswick.
5. **Moose – State Animal:** The moose is Maine’s state animal, and it’s one of the few states in the east with a good moose population. A specific type called Taiga moose is found in Maine.
6. **Chickadee – State Bird:** The chickadee became Maine’s state bird in 1927 because it’s common all over the state. It has a short, straight, brownish-black bill and a light gray body with black on the head, neck, and throat.
7. **Maine Coon Cat – State Cat:** This cat is native to Maine and can handle cold winters with its heavy, water-resistant coat.
8. **Lobster – State Crustacean:** Lobsters thrive in the Gulf of Maine, making them the state’s crustacean. You can find them in rocky beds along the coastline.
**By the Numbers:**
9. **Almost 3,500 Miles of Coastline:** Maine has the fourth-longest coastline in the country, stretching nearly 3,500 miles, with 228 miles on the mainland and the rest on inlets and islands.
10. **Over 4,600 Offshore Islands:** Thousands of islands surround Maine, but only 15 have residents year-round. Vinalhaven is the island with the most residents.
11. **Over 6,000 Lakes and Ponds:** Moosehead Lake is Maine’s largest, covering over 75,000 acres, while Staples Pond is the smallest at 56 acres.
12. **Over 32,000 Miles of Streams and Rivers:** Maine boasts one of the largest river systems in the United States, including the exciting Kennebec River rapids and tubing on the Saco River. The St. John River serves as a long border between Canada and the United States.
13. **Statehood on March 15, 1820:** Maine became the 23rd state in 1820, separating from Massachusetts as part of the Missouri Compromise, which aimed to balance slave and non-slave states.
**Notable Places:**
14. **Portland – Largest City:** Portland is Maine’s biggest city, home to 66,645 people, making up one-third of the state’s population.
15. **Augusta – State Capital:** Augusta is Maine’s capital, located in Kennebec County, with a population of 18,899 in 2020. The State House is in Augusta, which became the capital in 1827.
16. **Baxter State Park:** This park is a must-visit, housing the highest mountain in Maine, Mt. Katahdin, with an elevation of 5,268 feet. It marks the northern end of the Appalachian Trail.
17. **Acadia National Park:** Over 2 million people visit this park each year, donated in 1916, including 51 miles of carriage trails from John D. Rockefeller Jr.
18. **Eastport:** As the easternmost city in the U.S., Eastport is the first to see the sunrise. It’s on Moose Island and is known for whale watching.
19. **Old Orchard Beach Palace Playland:** Operating since 1902, this amusement park has 28 rides over five acres, hosting Maine’s largest arcade and nightly summer fireworks.
**Notable People:**
20. **George H.W. Bush:** The late former president had an estate called Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport, where the Bush family spends summers.
21. **Nelson A. Rockefeller:** Born in Bar Harbor, the son of John D. Rockefeller Jr. eventually bought a home in Seal Harbor.
22. **Stephen King:** The famous horror author lives in Maine during warm months and has a lake home in Center Lovell. Some of his movies, like Pet Sematary and Graveyard Shift, were filmed in Maine.
23. **Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:** The poet was born in Portland and grew up in the historic Wadsworth-Longfellow House.
**Random Facts About Maine:**
24. **Borders Only One Other U.S. State:** Maine touches only New Hampshire to the west, while Canada borders it to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean borders it to the south.
- **Olde Woolen Mill in “Jumanji”:** Featured as the Parrish Shoe Factory in the movie “Jumanji,” the Olde Wollen Mill is a spot you can visit in North Berwick.
