Maine

G

Transportation

Because of the termination of all railroad passenger service in the state and because of a shrinkage in railroad operations generally, Maine relies increasingly on its roads. Buses and automobiles carry a large share of the state’s passengers, and trucks transport much of the freight. Maine’s road network is dense in the relatively heavily settled southwestern part of the state and is sparse in the north. The sparsely populated region of northwestern Maine is served almost exclusively by private roads owned and maintained by large forest owners. Use of these roads is by fee. The two most important trunk lines are the American Realty, which runs between Ashland and Daaquam, Québec, and the Golden Road, between Millinocket and Saint Zacharie, Québec. In addition, miles of other passable private gravel roads give high accessibility to north Maine woods. Auto ferries offer service between Bar Harbor and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia; between Portland and Yarmouth; and to many of the offshore islands.

In 2005 Maine was served by 36,703 km (22,806 mi) of highway, of which 591 km (367 mi) was part of the federal interstate highway system. The principal route in the state is Interstate 95, which links most of the state’s main cities.

Railroad tracks totaled 1,848 km (1,148 mi) in length in 2004. Only regional and local railroads served the state. Some 60 percent of the tonnage of goods originating in Maine was pulp and paper, while wood products and lumber accounted for another 23 percent.

There is regular airline service from Maine’s largest cities to Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, and there are direct connections between Portland and Bangor to many national locations. In 2007 the state had 3 airports, many of which were private airfields. The busiest airport was in Portland.

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Waterborne commerce no longer plays a vital role in Maine’s economy. However, Portland, Maine’s leading port, handles a considerable volume of trade and ranks second to Boston among New England ports.

IV

The People of Maine

The earliest permanent European settlers in Maine came from western England. They were soon followed by the Scots-Irish and by a number of Quakers, or Friends, from the other New England colonies. In the 1740s Germans settled in Waldboro, and soon afterward many Irish Roman Catholics moved to York, Lincoln, and Cumberland counties. The French, who controlled much of Maine’s territory until 1759, were not active colonists. However, a number of families of French Huguenots settled along the coast.

Large-scale emigration westward in the mid-19th century aroused fears for the state’s future. As a result, in 1870, William W. Thomas, the state commissioner of immigration, brought over a group of Swedish immigrants who established the colony of New Sweden in northern Aroostook County. Although the French Canadians, who constitute the largest group with non-British ancestry, have lived in Maine since early colonial days, the greatest number of them came to Maine beginning late in the 19th century to work in industry. There still remain large numbers of people of French American descent in the Lewiston-Auburn, Biddeford-Saco, and Augusta-Waterville areas. They were eventually joined in the industrial centers by Finns, Russians, Poles, Italians, and others from southern and eastern Europe.

A

Population Patterns

The population of Maine in 2000 was 1,274,923, according to the national census, ranking it 40th among the states. The population grew during the 1990s by 3.8 percent. Only 40 percent of Maine’s people live in areas classified as urban, making Maine the third most rural state in the nation, behind Vermont and West Virginia. The average population density in 2006 was 17 persons per sq km (43 per sq mi). However, the density in about one-half the state is about 1 person per 3 sq km (1 per sq mi). More than one-half the population lives in the southwest corner of the state.

Whites comprise the vast majority of Maine’s residents, representing 96.9 percent of the people in 2000. Another 0.7 percent are Asians, 0.6 percent are Native Americans, 0.5 percent are blacks, and 1.2 percent are of mixed heritage or did not report race. Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders numbered 382. Hispanics, who may be of any race, represent 0.7 percent of the people. Native Americans in present-day Maine belong to either the Passamaquoddy or Penobscot tribe. The Penobscot reservation is on Indian Island, in the Penobscot River near Old Town, and the two Passamaquoddy reservations are in Washington County.

B

Principal Cities

Portland, with a 2005 population of 63,889, is Maine’s largest city, as well as its chief seaport and transportation, trading, and banking center. The Portland metropolitan region (population 513,667; 2006) includes South Portland, Westbrook, Cape Elizabeth, and Falmouth. Lewiston, with a population of 36,050, is Maine’s second largest city. Together with Auburn, which had 23,602 residents, it makes up the Lewiston-Auburn metropolitan area (population 107,552; 2006). Other important cities in Maine are Bangor, with a population of 31,074, and Augusta, the state capital, with a population of 18,626.

C

Religion

The largest single religious group in Maine is the Roman Catholic church, with a membership of about one-third of all churchgoers. Major Protestant denominations include the Baptists and the Methodists.

V

Education and Cultural Institutions

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