Home to Sugarloaf Mountain and its ski area, it has many related seasonal homes. The population has exploded in the latest census decade. A “ski academy” and a small airport are two enterprises based on the skiing economy. The Appalachian Trail passes north-south through the community along the western side of North and South Crocker Mountains. See video and photos.
As with many rural Maine towns, Mars Hill is a community of pickup trucks as an essential tool of the farm economy. See photos. It shares a main street, U.S. Route 1, with neighboring Blaine. Mars Hill is located on the Prestile Stream where U.S. Route 1 forks to Presque Isle and Route 1A leads to Fort Fairfield. Established in the 1960’s, the Big Rock Ski Area on Mars Hill was purchased in 2000 by the Maine Winter Sports Center.