The first residents of Maine were the Paleo Indians who settled in the water- and wildlife-rich territory more than 11,000 years ago. Europeans, such as Norse sailor Leif Erikson in 1000 A.D. and Italian Giovanni da Verranzano in 1524, also explored the wild coastal lands. The Plymouth Company built the first settlement at Popham in 1607. This fledgling colony enjoyed an early rivalry with Jamestown, Virginia, for the distinction of being American’s first permanent settlement. It ended quickly, however, because Popham could not survive the harsh Maine winters. By the 1620s, English settlements were established along the coast and several flourished into the 1800s. Following the French and Indian conflict and the Revolutionary War, the people of Maine were passionate for independence. With popular sentiment unified behind statehood, Maine became the 23rd state, a free state, in 1820.

Once Maine became a state, a period of tremendous economic growth occurred in several important industries. Large blueberry, potato, dairy and poultry farms developed as the number of small family farms decreased. These farms are vital to Maine’s economy today. Maine is the single largest producer of blueberries in the country and the 10th largest producer of potatoes. The fishing industry also remains vital as more than $200 million in annual revenues come from the harvesting of millions of pounds of lobster. The mighty Androscoggin, Kennebec, Penobscot and Saco Rivers are tapped to produce the electricity required to fuel Maine’s continued industrial growth.

Following the Great Depression, tourism and small manufacturers emerged as boom industries for the new millennium. The natural beauty of the Allagash Wilderness, the 6,000 lakes, ponds and rivers that are nestled into some of the most stunningly scenic country anywhere in the nation, the majesty of Mt. Katahdin and the state’s sandy beaches combine to make Maine a tourist’s dream. Acadia National Park, replete with mountains, lakes streams, forests, an ocean and islands, is the second-most-popular destination of any national park in the country. More than 60 lighthouses dot Maine’s rocky coastline. The most-visited lighthouse is Portland Head Light, perched at the edge of scenic Fort Williams Park outside of Portland. It’s Victorian keeper’s cottage, filled with maritime artifacts and memorabilia, is a museum.

In the cities, many of Maine’s historic homes are preserved as museums. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s childhood home is the oldest brick residence in Portland. The history of Maine can be found at the Maine State Museum in Augusta or the Maine Maritime Museum in Bath. Modern culture, theater and art co-exist with the remnants of Colonial times and reflect the bond that exists between the two eras. Health services and an outstanding education system are also prevalent in Maine’s modern times.

Many renowned people hale from Maine. Leon Leonwood Bean, a small manufacturer who helped change the shape of Maine’s economy by founding the LL Bean Company in 1912, designed the original lightweight “Bean Boot” with leather tops and waterproof rubber bottoms. Today the popular mail-order company is one of Maine’s major employers. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in Brunswick, Maine. Freeport native, Joan Benoit Samuelson, won the first gold medal awarded in the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon in 1984. Senator Edmund Muskie, a well-known politico from Rumford, was President Carter’s Secretary of State.