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Updated: August 2, 2021 How To

Get to know Maine’s 16 counties

By Nancy Marshall

I may not have been born in Maine, but I’ve been doing business in Vacationland for more than three decades, plus I earned my college degrees in this great state. Even if you’re “from away,” you can be successful here too. Who knows: you may enjoy it enough to never leave, just like me.

Nancy Marshall
Nancy Marshall

To be successful here, you need to truly understand Maine as a state and the Maine mindset. Learning the ins and outs can’t be a passing fancy; you must take real interest in exploring the different corners of Maine and having a deep respect for the people here.

What helped me early on was to learn more about Maine’s 16 counties, one by one. Each county has its own personality and landscape.

If you can learn one detail about each county in Maine, it gives you a leg up on the competition and ingratiates you within the local community.

Mainers will appreciate the time and effort it took to learn more about their corner of the state.

Here is one detail for each Maine county:

Androscoggin: Health care is the No. 1 industry in the county.

Aroostook: Is the largest “wood basket” in New England, providing the region with lumber and other natural resources.

Cumberland: Home to the coastal city of Portland, the county is Maine’s most densely populated and its economic engine.

Franklin: Boasts picturesque lakes, mountains, and forests, making the county perfect for skiing, hiking, and other activities (Sugarloaf is in Franklin County).

Hancock: Home to Acadia National Park and the renowned Jackson Laboratory, with tourism and the associated lobster industry being major employers.

Kennebec: Features the city of Augusta, which is the county seat and the state capital.

Knox: Home to two state parks, the Knox County Regional Airport and the famous Maine Lobster Festival.

Lincoln: The county seat is Wiscasset, known for its early architecture in the Federal style.

Oxford: Home to the White Mountain National Forest, a substantial portion of the Appalachian Trail section in Maine, and two major lakes, Richardson and Mooselookmeguntic (Sunday River Skiway is in Oxford County, too).

Penobscot: As the third largest of all Maine counties, Penobscot is home to the largest University of Maine campus, in Orono.

Piscataquis: Is home of the scenic Mount Katahdin (the state’s highest peak), Moosehead Lake, and Baxter State Park.

Sagadahoc: Known for Popham and Reid State Parks, as well as the iconic Bath Iron Works shipyard

Somerset: With its logging, paper milling, and tourism, including hunting and fishing, the county offers a wide range of opportunity and adventure

Waldo: Boasts a vibrant arts and artisan community, organic farms, the destination harbor city of Belfast, and the Colburn Shoe (the oldest shoe store in the United States).

Washington: Home to over 75% of wild blueberries produced in Maine and a majority of the state’s lobsters caught off the coast.

York: Maine’s oldest and southernmost county, it borders New Hampshire and serves as the gateway to the state.

Of course, there are other notable details in Maine’s counties, and you will accumulate your own experiences and memories in each of them. But knowing the basics will serve as a useful conversation-starter.

Nancy Marshall, host of “The PR Maven Podcast” and a frequent Mainebiz contributor, is founder of Marshall Communications. She’d like to thank Lauren Haven from the Maine County Commissioners Association for the factoids from each county. She can be reached at nmarshall@marshallpr.com

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