Maine |
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| Entered the Union: March 15, 1820 (23) | Capital: Augusta | |
| Origin of Name: First used to distinguish the mainland from the offshore islands. It has been considered a compliment to Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I of England. She was said to have owned the province of Mayne in France. | ||
| State Nicknames: Pine Tree State • The Vacation State | ||
| State Motto: Dirigo (I lead) | ||
| State Tree: White Pine | State Bird: Chickadee | |
| State Flower White Pine Cone & Tassel | State Animal: Moose | |
| State Song: “State of Maine Song" | State Cat: Maine Coon Cat | |
| National Parks: 2 • National Forests: 1 • State Parks: 33 | ||
| Famous for: Lobster, Blueberries, Scenic Coast, Acadia National Park | ||
| Famous Mainers: F. Lee Bailey (attorney), John Ford (6 Academy Awards), Melville Fuller (US Supreme Court), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poet), Stephen King (writer), Edna St. Vincent Millay (poet), George Putnam (publisher), Kenneth Roberts (novelist) | ||
| Animals and Birds: Click on photos of the animals and birdson this page to find out more about them and to hear the sounds they make. | ||
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| The Vikings probably discovered Maine 1,000 years ago. | ||||||||||||
| In 1498, France sent many explorers to Maine. They claimed the area of Canada and Maine, calling it Acadia. In 1604, the first French colony was established on the St. Croix River. | ||||||||||||
| Two wealthy Englishmen, Ferdinando Gorges and John Popham, sent men to explore the Maine coast for England in 1605. Two years later, colonists from England established Popham Colony near the mouth of the Kennebec River. | ||||||||||||
| France and England fought for control of the New England area during the French and Indian Wars. With English victory, The Treaty of Paris ended all French claims to Maine and most of North America in 1763. | ||||||||||||
| 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 dozens of state parks to attract hunters, fishermen, skiers, and campers. | ||||||||||||
| Eastport is the most eastern city in the United States, receiving the first rays of the morning. | ||||||||||||
| The first sawmill in the nation was established near York in 1623. York became the nation’s first incorporated city in 1642. | ||||||||||||
| Maine is the only state in the United States whose name has one syllable. | ||||||||||||
| More than nine-tenths of Maine's total land area is forested, the highest percentage of forest coverage of any state. | ||||||||||||
| Maine is one of the world's largest pulp-paper producers. Maine turns out wood products from boats to toothpicks. | ||||||||||||
| For more than a century Maine led the world in canning sardines, until the last U.S. sardine cannery, in Prospect Harbor, closed in 2010. In 2000, Maine lobstermen landed nearly 53 million pounds of lobster (90% of the nation's lobster supply). | ||||||||||||
| In the 17th and 18th centuries, domestic cats brought over from Europe faced very severe winters in New England, where only the strongest and most adaptable cats survived. The Maine Coon Cat developed into a large, rugged cat with a water-resistant, thick coat and a hardy constitution. | ||||||||||||
| Maine produces 99% of all the blueberries in the country. | ||||||||||||
| An adult Bull Moose stands about 7 feet tall at the shoulders and can weigh over 1,600 pounds. The top of it's antlers may stand as much as 10 feet off the ground and may weigh 60 pounds. Moose can be found feeding in ponds with lots of vegetation on the bottom. They can eat around 30 pounds of food a day. | ||||||||||||
| Maine's Ethnic Roots: French 22.8%, English 21.5%, Irish 15.1%, American 9.4%, Italian 4.6%. | ||||||||||||
| Religion in Maine: 82% Christian (56% Protestant, 25% Catholic, 1% Other), 17% No Religion, 1% Other Religions | ||||||||||||
| Maine has over 5,000 miles of coastline. | ||||||||||||
| Maine has 63 lighthouses. | ||||||||||||
| Maine has over 2,000 Islands. | ||||||||||||
| Maine has more Moose per mile than any other state. | ||||||||||||
| Acadia National Park is one of the ten most visited national parks in the United States. | ||||||||||||
At a Glance
Maine Quick Facts
| Entered the Union | March 15, 1820 (23) |
|---|---|
| Capital | Augusta |
| Nickname | Pine Tree State • The Vacation State |
| State Bird | Chickadee |
| State Flower | White Pine Cone & Tassel |
| State Tree | White Pine |
New for 2026
More Maine Facts & Photos
Katahdin, Maine's highest peak at 5,269 feet, marks the northern end of the Appalachian Trail. Former Governor Percival Baxter bought the mountain and gave it to the state, the first of 28 land gifts that built Baxter State Park.
In 2016, Burt's Bees co-founder Roxanne Quimby donated more than 87,000 acres east of Baxter State Park to create Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, proclaimed on the eve of the National Park Service's 100th birthday.
The first naval battle of the American Revolution was fought off Machias in June 1775, when townspeople captured the British armed sloop Margaretta.
Project Puffin brought Atlantic puffins back to Eastern Egg Rock starting in 1973, using transplanted chicks, decoys, and recorded calls. More than 1,000 pairs now nest on five Maine islands.
Fifteen-year-old Chester Greenwood of Farmington invented the earmuff in 1873 after a cold day of ice skating. His factory eventually turned out hundreds of thousands of pairs a year.
Voices of America
In Their Own Words
"The reason that Christianity is the best friend of Government is because Christianity is the only religion that changes the heart."
"...a true American Patriot must be a religious man... He who neglects his duty to his maker, may well be expected to be deficient and insincere in his duty towards the public."
Letter to husband John Adams 1776
"Those who are attacking religion claim they are doing it in the name of tolerance, freedom, and open-mindedness. Question: Isn't the real truth that they are intolerant of religion? They refuse to tolerate its importance in our lives."
"I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day."
Last updated: July 2026