York

1787-1794 John Hancock Warehouse and Wharf in York (2018)

Most of the town’s inhabitants are located between U.S. Route 1 (inland) and U.S. Route 1A which runs along the coast. Its population has more than doubled in the past thirty years, and grew by nearly 31 percent between 1990 and 2000. Beaches and cottages characterize the coast.

Wallagrass

Fish River at Soldier Pond Village in Wallagrass (2018)

Settled by Acadians, the town lies just south of Fort Kent on the Fish River, whose Eagle Lake outlet is in the southern portion of the township. See photos. Wallagrass Station village is located at the southern end of the town, where Station Road leads to the shore of Eagle Lake.

Robbinston

Henrietta Brewer House, now Redclyffe Motel (2013)

has as its eastern border is the scenic St. Croix River and Passamaquoddy Bay. The main village is on U.S. Route 1 along the shore, where most of its population is located. Most of the western portion is undeveloped, with unimproved roads and several lakes and ponds.

Ogunquit

Grand House on the Shore Road in Ogunquit overlooking Perkins Cove (2013)

Ogunquit, before 1980, was a village corporation and functioned for the most part as a town of its own, supporting its own police, fire, highway and sewer departments. The town is a well known actors and artists colony, featuring the historic Ogunquit Playhouse and beautiful beaches. Perkins Cove, south of the main village on Shore Road, combines a working waterfront, a restaurant, an art museum, and fine cottages.

Norway

One of Several Houses of interesting design in Norway (2003)

Norway-South Paris is a community of two adjoining towns serving as a retail center for southern Oxford County. It includes a commercial strip with the usual array of auto dealerships and fast food. Pennesseewassee Lake, the largest of several in the town, abuts the main village and contributes mightily to local recreational opportunities. A clerical “correction” of the originally proposed “Norage,” the Indian word for falls, resulted in the name Norway.

Naples

Long Lake on Route 302 in Naples (2013)

Blessed with ample access to Long Lake, Sebago Lake at the intersection of U.S. Route 302 and Maine Routes 11, 35 and 114, Naples has long been a vacation resort community. See photos. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne have sung its praises. The Songo Lock, built about 1830 and now shared with the town of Casco, linked Long Pond and Brandy Pond with Sebago Lake

Kennebunkport

Dock Square list of Shops in Kennebunkport (2012)

in York County, incorporated 1653 as Cape Porpoise. See photos. After early white settlers were driven away by Indian raids, it was reorganized as Arundel in 1718. In 1821 its name was changed to Kennebunk Port. It has long been an attraction for tourists and summer residents. Well-known residents included writers Booth Tarkington and Kenneth L. Roberts.

Jefferson

Abandoned granite quarries and clay banks where bricks were made suggest the early economic activities of the area. See photos. Several fine farm houses and barns have survived to recall the great heritage of the town. See images below from the Library of Congress of the old cattle pound.

Embden

Embden Pond Boat Launch and Short Pier (2018)

The first white people arrived in the 1770’s, making settlements along the Kennebec River. Embden Pond, in the shadow of Dunbar Hill, dominates the northwest portion of the town. The shoreline is dotted with many cottages and is active in the summer with swimming, boating, and water skiing. See photos. The town has shown consistent population growth in each of the four decades 1970-2010.

Machiasport

Libby Island Light Station (1966)

The town lies primarily on the west side of Machias Bay as the Machias River enters the Bay. It offers many sheltered harbors including the well known Bucks Harbor. Machiasport was at the center of controversy in the late 1960’s when an oil terminal was proposed, unsuccessfully, for the quiet coastal community.

Danforth

The Geneva House and other grand houses in Danforth Village (2013)

in the Baskahegan valley, is the northernmost town in Washington County, The village is at U.S. Route 1 and Maine Route 169 at the end of Crooked Brook Flowage. The majestic, historic 1888 Union Hall clock tower dominates the village. See photos.

Cherryfield

1850 Cherryfield Academy building, with a veterans memorial (200

in Washington County, incorporated 1816, straddles the Narraguagus River. See photos. Once a favorite spot for catching the now endangered Atlantic Salmon, it is a blueberry growing and processing center. A shipbuilding community, it produced the bark Belgrade, which rounded Cape Horn with 56 local men during the California gold rush.

Bar Harbor

The Harbor from Newport House (c. 1901)

After Newport, Rhode Island, Bar Harbor was the resort of choice for wealthy eastern Americans until the great fire of 1947 destroyed many homes and forested areas. Acadia National Park dominates tourists’ itineraries when the town’s population swells each summer. The College of the Atlantic is located here.