WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.299 Welcome to the Deep Dive, where we take your 00:00:02.299 --> 00:00:04.820 source material, your articles, research, all 00:00:04.820 --> 00:00:08.220 your notes, and distill it into, well, essential 00:00:08.220 --> 00:00:10.859 and hopefully entertaining knowledge. Hopefully. 00:00:11.080 --> 00:00:13.400 Our mission today is pretty clear. We're going 00:00:13.400 --> 00:00:15.859 way, way beyond the postcard image of Maine. 00:00:16.019 --> 00:00:18.859 Oh, yeah. The lobster rolls, the lighthouses. 00:00:19.079 --> 00:00:21.589 Exactly. We're going to provide you, the listener, 00:00:21.750 --> 00:00:25.210 with a real comprehensive shortcut to understanding 00:00:25.210 --> 00:00:27.809 the true complexity of the state. And that postcard 00:00:27.809 --> 00:00:30.350 image, Vacationland, it's so powerful, right? 00:00:30.449 --> 00:00:32.890 But what we've seen in the sources you provided 00:00:32.890 --> 00:00:37.049 is a state with this startlingly complex history, 00:00:37.189 --> 00:00:40.109 a really unique political identity, and a geography 00:00:40.109 --> 00:00:43.670 that's, well, it's defined by vast, untamed wilderness. 00:00:44.299 --> 00:00:46.159 We're peeling back the curtain on the pine tree 00:00:46.159 --> 00:00:48.100 state. We're going to explore the deep history 00:00:48.100 --> 00:00:50.659 that really shapes its modern identity. Yeah, 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:52.619 we want to figure out what makes this northeastern 00:00:52.619 --> 00:00:55.579 most state truly tick and, you know, why its 00:00:55.579 --> 00:00:57.719 challenges and its unique features are so distinct 00:00:57.719 --> 00:00:59.899 from the rest of the northeast corridor. OK, 00:01:00.020 --> 00:01:02.579 so let's start with the basics. Let's do it. 00:01:02.799 --> 00:01:05.459 Maine's official motto is Durigo. Which is Latin 00:01:05.459 --> 00:01:08.920 for what exactly? It's Latin for I lead or I 00:01:08.920 --> 00:01:12.489 guide or I direct. It's a pretty ambitious motto, 00:01:12.609 --> 00:01:15.150 which, you know, is fitting, I guess, given its 00:01:15.150 --> 00:01:18.870 geographical situation. It certainly is. So Maine 00:01:18.870 --> 00:01:22.489 was admitted as the 23rd state March 15th, 1820. 00:01:22.689 --> 00:01:24.469 And it's the largest state in New England. I 00:01:24.469 --> 00:01:26.269 mean, it takes up almost half the region's entire 00:01:26.269 --> 00:01:28.670 land area. But it has this truly fascinating 00:01:28.670 --> 00:01:31.390 geographical quirk. I love this one. It is the 00:01:31.390 --> 00:01:33.829 only state in the contiguous U .S. to border 00:01:33.829 --> 00:01:36.209 exactly one other state. New Hampshire. Just 00:01:36.209 --> 00:01:39.269 New Hampshire. And it sits right around the 45th 00:01:39.269 --> 00:01:41.530 parallel north. which gives it that, you know, 00:01:41.530 --> 00:01:43.629 that really distinctive northern climate we'll 00:01:43.629 --> 00:01:45.750 get into later. So if we really want to understand 00:01:45.750 --> 00:01:48.409 Maine, we have to go back not just a few centuries, 00:01:48.530 --> 00:01:51.849 but millennia. We're talking deep history. Deep 00:01:51.849 --> 00:01:54.489 history. We need to go back about 12 ,000 years 00:01:54.489 --> 00:01:57.390 to when the massive North American glaciers retreated. 00:01:57.489 --> 00:01:59.790 That's when the area becomes continuously inhabited 00:01:59.790 --> 00:02:02.750 by indigenous populations. And that indigenous 00:02:02.750 --> 00:02:05.569 history is so central to the state story. And 00:02:05.569 --> 00:02:07.859 at the time of European arrival. The land was 00:02:07.859 --> 00:02:10.199 governed by the Algonquin -speaking Wabanaki 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:13.500 nations. Right, a confederacy that included the 00:02:13.500 --> 00:02:16.560 Passamaquoddy, the Melissate, the Penobscot. 00:02:16.740 --> 00:02:20.060 And others. Their presence changed everything. 00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:23.180 The rivers, the forests, long before any European 00:02:23.180 --> 00:02:25.650 sails ever showed up on the horizon. And here's 00:02:25.650 --> 00:02:27.610 something that's absolutely fascinating and I 00:02:27.610 --> 00:02:30.650 think often overlooked. There's a strong possibility 00:02:30.650 --> 00:02:33.430 that Maine was the site of the earliest confirmed 00:02:33.430 --> 00:02:35.810 European discovery in the U .S. We're not talking 00:02:35.810 --> 00:02:38.650 about Columbus. No, we're talking about way earlier, 00:02:38.830 --> 00:02:41.189 potentially around 1000 CE. We're talking about 00:02:41.189 --> 00:02:44.150 Norse explorers, Vikings interacting with the 00:02:44.150 --> 00:02:46.729 native Penobscot people. And this isn't just, 00:02:46.729 --> 00:02:48.530 you know, some archaeological theory. There's 00:02:48.530 --> 00:02:51.650 actual tangible proof. The main penny. The main 00:02:51.650 --> 00:02:53.849 penny. That is the centerpiece of this whole 00:02:53.849 --> 00:02:56.210 historical puzzle. It's an actual 11th century 00:02:56.210 --> 00:03:00.229 Norwegian silver coin. From whose reign? Specifically 00:03:00.229 --> 00:03:02.810 from the reign of King Olaf Kar, who ruled from 00:03:02.810 --> 00:03:07.389 1067 to 1093. And it was found in 1954 at the 00:03:07.389 --> 00:03:09.750 Goddard Archaeological Site in Blue Hill, Maine. 00:03:09.930 --> 00:03:11.729 And it was found in a Native American dwelling. 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:14.900 Exactly. A dwelling that dated to the late 11th 00:03:14.900 --> 00:03:17.819 or early 12th century. And the critical factor 00:03:17.819 --> 00:03:20.699 here is that the coin shows wear patterns. It's 00:03:20.699 --> 00:03:23.099 been handled, passed around over a period of 00:03:23.099 --> 00:03:25.180 time. Which means it wasn't just, you know, dropped 00:03:25.180 --> 00:03:27.900 by some shipwrecked sailor. Right. It suggests 00:03:27.900 --> 00:03:31.539 a confirmed, even if it was sporadic, trade network 00:03:31.539 --> 00:03:35.159 existed between Norse explorers or traders and 00:03:35.159 --> 00:03:38.080 the local indigenous populations centuries before 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:40.520 Columbus. I mean, the Norse had settlements in 00:03:40.520 --> 00:03:42.719 Greenland and Newfoundland. It makes sense they'd 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:45.099 come back to the mainland for timber, for furs. 00:03:45.340 --> 00:03:48.909 And this coin is just this Pivotal piece of evidence 00:03:48.909 --> 00:03:51.969 of pre -Columbian contact in the modern U .S. 00:03:52.050 --> 00:03:54.330 It immediately complicates that whole narrative 00:03:54.330 --> 00:03:57.490 of who discovered the region. But the subsequent 00:03:57.490 --> 00:04:00.009 confirmed European colonization efforts, well, 00:04:00.090 --> 00:04:01.789 they kicked off centuries of conflict. Indeed. 00:04:01.930 --> 00:04:04.370 The first confirmed European settlement was actually 00:04:04.370 --> 00:04:06.990 French. Right. 1604 on Sainte -Claude Island. 00:04:07.150 --> 00:04:09.610 This was led by Pierre de Gouart, Sieur de Mont. 00:04:09.909 --> 00:04:12.569 And his party famously included Samuel de Champlain, 00:04:12.770 --> 00:04:14.909 the cartographer. And they called the whole territory 00:04:14.909 --> 00:04:18.139 Acadia. A name that sticks. The French were really 00:04:18.139 --> 00:04:20.680 focused on the fur trade, on establishing river 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:23.279 routes inland. The English, though, they followed 00:04:23.279 --> 00:04:25.519 pretty quickly. The Plymouth Company tried with 00:04:25.519 --> 00:04:29.240 the Potham colony in 1607. And that's a remarkable 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:31.920 historical note because it was founded only weeks 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:34.220 after Jamestown. So it was one of the earliest 00:04:34.220 --> 00:04:36.959 English attempts. It was, but it was short -lived. 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:40.500 It failed after just 14 months, crippled by a 00:04:40.500 --> 00:04:43.360 harsh winter, the death of its leader, and really 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:45.699 difficult relations with the local tribes. But 00:04:45.699 --> 00:04:48.569 the English claims didn't go away. Control stayed 00:04:48.569 --> 00:04:51.670 fragmented, with both powers really battling 00:04:51.670 --> 00:04:54.050 for supremacy. Eventually, the coastal region 00:04:54.050 --> 00:04:57.509 became the province of Maine in 1622. But as 00:04:57.509 --> 00:05:00.310 English colonization succeeded, the really powerful 00:05:00.310 --> 00:05:02.829 Massachusetts Bay Colony just started absorbing 00:05:02.829 --> 00:05:06.389 huge swaths of territory. So much so that by 00:05:06.389 --> 00:05:10.230 1691, all of present -day Maine was just. York 00:05:10.230 --> 00:05:12.370 County, Massachusetts. And this transition was 00:05:12.370 --> 00:05:14.569 devastating for the native inhabitants. This 00:05:14.569 --> 00:05:16.930 period was marked by really intense native resistance, 00:05:17.329 --> 00:05:19.689 what we call the French and Indian Wars. The 00:05:19.689 --> 00:05:22.310 Abenaki nations, allied with the French, fought 00:05:22.310 --> 00:05:24.610 fiercely to defend their land. They did. For 00:05:24.610 --> 00:05:28.470 instance, the 1692 Abenaki raid on York. It killed 00:05:28.470 --> 00:05:30.389 about 100 English settlers and they took another 00:05:30.389 --> 00:05:33.730 80 hostage. These raids and the retaliations 00:05:33.730 --> 00:05:36.009 that followed drove tribes like the Andescagan 00:05:36.009 --> 00:05:38.550 completely out of central Maine. It just fundamentally 00:05:38.550 --> 00:05:41.529 reshaped the whole demographic map. OK, so let's 00:05:41.529 --> 00:05:43.470 connect this to the bigger picture leading up 00:05:43.470 --> 00:05:45.990 to statehood. Maine was part of Massachusetts 00:05:45.990 --> 00:05:49.350 after the revolution. But that geographical separation 00:05:49.350 --> 00:05:52.069 and the feeling of being undefended by Boston. 00:05:53.120 --> 00:05:55.540 It created this powerful desire for independence. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:58.240 And what truly cemented that desire for secession 00:05:58.240 --> 00:06:01.060 was the War of 1812. Right. The source material 00:06:01.060 --> 00:06:04.199 paints a very clear picture of... Betrayal, really. 00:06:04.319 --> 00:06:06.579 It does. Massachusetts merchants were largely 00:06:06.579 --> 00:06:09.199 pro -British. They were opposed to the war. And 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:11.839 they went so far as to refuse to allocate state 00:06:11.839 --> 00:06:14.240 militia to defend the eastern regions of Maine 00:06:14.240 --> 00:06:17.060 when British forces occupied Potsdam. The British 00:06:17.060 --> 00:06:19.019 even tried to establish a whole separate colony 00:06:19.019 --> 00:06:21.660 there called New Ireland. Right, in eastern Maine. 00:06:21.779 --> 00:06:25.019 So this refusal by Massachusetts to defend their 00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:28.420 own citizens. It just generated this massive 00:06:28.420 --> 00:06:31.180 lasting resentment among Mainers. They felt totally 00:06:31.180 --> 00:06:33.660 abandoned by their government so far to the south. 00:06:33.740 --> 00:06:36.519 That profound feeling of being left undefended. 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:38.600 Yeah. Combined with these longstanding arguments 00:06:38.600 --> 00:06:41.579 over land speculation up north. Yeah. It just 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:44.339 fueled the secession movement relentlessly. Massachusetts 00:06:44.339 --> 00:06:47.959 finally agreed to permit secession in 1819. And 00:06:47.959 --> 00:06:49.459 the timing couldn't have been more politically 00:06:49.459 --> 00:06:52.819 charged or nationally significant. Maine was 00:06:52.819 --> 00:06:55.720 admitted as the 23rd state on March 15th, 1820. 00:06:56.279 --> 00:06:59.459 But not in a vacuum. No, it was the free state 00:06:59.459 --> 00:07:02.000 counterpoint to Missouri's entry as a slave state. 00:07:02.100 --> 00:07:04.920 It's the bedrock of the monumental Missouri Compromise. 00:07:04.939 --> 00:07:07.139 An event that maintained that delicate balance 00:07:07.139 --> 00:07:09.379 between free and slave states in the U .S. Senate. 00:07:09.480 --> 00:07:11.560 I mean, a critical moment that shaped the next 00:07:11.560 --> 00:07:13.920 four decades of American politics. The initial 00:07:13.920 --> 00:07:15.800 state capital was Portland, the biggest city. 00:07:15.899 --> 00:07:18.300 But by 1832, they recognized the need for a more 00:07:18.300 --> 00:07:20.240 central hub. So they moved the capital inland 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:23.360 to Augusta. Right. But interestingly, Portland 00:07:23.360 --> 00:07:26.319 still holds on to some of that importance. The 00:07:26.319 --> 00:07:28.579 principal office for the Maine Supreme Judicial 00:07:28.579 --> 00:07:31.160 Court is still there today. Speaking of monumental 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:34.660 history, Maine played a really outsized role 00:07:34.660 --> 00:07:37.959 in the Civil War, despite being so far from the 00:07:37.959 --> 00:07:41.019 front lines. The 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry 00:07:41.019 --> 00:07:42.759 Regiment. I mean, that's a name that resonates 00:07:42.759 --> 00:07:45.800 with anyone who studies Gettysburg. That regiment. 00:07:46.250 --> 00:07:48.870 led by Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, achieved 00:07:48.870 --> 00:07:51.610 legendary status. They were positioned at the 00:07:51.610 --> 00:07:54.769 extreme left flank of the Union line on Little 00:07:54.769 --> 00:07:57.389 Round Top. a really critical position. And when 00:07:57.389 --> 00:07:59.350 they ran out of ammunition. Chamberlain ordered 00:07:59.350 --> 00:08:02.709 this desperate, incredibly risky bayonet charge 00:08:02.709 --> 00:08:05.529 down the hill. This maneuver completely disrupted 00:08:05.529 --> 00:08:07.750 the Confederate attack, and it prevented the 00:08:07.750 --> 00:08:10.490 entire Union army from being flanked. It's considered 00:08:10.490 --> 00:08:12.329 one of the most critical defensive actions of 00:08:12.329 --> 00:08:15.410 the entire war. It really is. And Maine has produced 00:08:15.410 --> 00:08:17.689 a surprising number of political giants over 00:08:17.689 --> 00:08:20.470 the years. Beyond the military, you've got statesmen 00:08:20.470 --> 00:08:22.389 like Hannibal Hamlin. Who was Lincoln's vice 00:08:22.389 --> 00:08:25.170 president during his first term. Right. And James 00:08:25.170 --> 00:08:27.829 G. Blaine, the charismatic plumed knight, he 00:08:27.829 --> 00:08:29.930 was a major Republican presidential candidate 00:08:29.930 --> 00:08:33.389 in 1884. But maybe the most enduring and impactful 00:08:33.389 --> 00:08:36.309 20th century figure was Margaret Chase Smith. 00:08:36.629 --> 00:08:39.350 Absolutely. The first woman to serve in both 00:08:39.350 --> 00:08:42.169 the House and the Senate and her 1950 Declaration 00:08:42.169 --> 00:08:44.529 of Conscience speech. Delivered right on the 00:08:44.529 --> 00:08:47.269 Senate floor. It's a landmark moment in American 00:08:47.269 --> 00:08:49.950 political history. It really is. She stood up 00:08:49.950 --> 00:08:52.669 against the rampant fear and smear tactics of 00:08:52.669 --> 00:08:55.490 McCarthyism, stating very clearly that the Senate 00:08:55.490 --> 00:08:57.950 should not become a forum for hate and character 00:08:57.950 --> 00:09:00.590 assassination. It was just an act of profound 00:09:00.590 --> 00:09:02.909 political courage. And we also have Democrat 00:09:02.909 --> 00:09:05.539 Edmund Muskie. A real heavyweight. He served 00:09:05.539 --> 00:09:07.639 as governor, senator. Was the vice presidential 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:10.399 running mate for Hubert Humphrey in 68, and even 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:13.000 briefly served as secretary of state. So this 00:09:13.000 --> 00:09:15.299 state has a history of producing these really 00:09:15.299 --> 00:09:17.240 consequential leaders who operate on a national 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:19.460 level, and they're often defined by a kind of 00:09:19.460 --> 00:09:21.820 pragmatism. Okay, let's transition from that 00:09:21.820 --> 00:09:24.879 historical bedrock to the physical one. Geographically, 00:09:24.980 --> 00:09:27.240 Maine is a place of these fascinating extremes 00:09:27.240 --> 00:09:30.120 and paradoxes that truly define its identity. 00:09:30.440 --> 00:09:33.080 It is the easternmost state in the contiguous 00:09:33.080 --> 00:09:36.149 U .S. both in its extreme points and its geographic 00:09:36.149 --> 00:09:38.950 center. And that eastern extreme holds a truly 00:09:38.950 --> 00:09:42.049 surprising fact. The town of Lubeck is the easternmost 00:09:42.049 --> 00:09:44.330 organized settlement and its West Quaddy Head 00:09:44.330 --> 00:09:47.529 lighthouse. Well, it's the closest place in the 00:09:47.529 --> 00:09:50.730 entire continental United States to Africa and 00:09:50.730 --> 00:09:53.320 Europe. Think about that perspective. You're 00:09:53.320 --> 00:09:55.340 looking across the shortest possible distance 00:09:55.340 --> 00:09:57.460 between the U .S. and the European continent. 00:09:57.879 --> 00:10:00.779 It just highlights how far east this state juts 00:10:00.779 --> 00:10:03.019 out into the Atlantic. And if you head way up 00:10:03.019 --> 00:10:05.480 north, you reach Escort Station, the northernmost 00:10:05.480 --> 00:10:08.139 point in all of New England. But even with all 00:10:08.139 --> 00:10:10.460 these specific points, what really defines Maine 00:10:10.460 --> 00:10:13.480 is the sheer scale of its land area and how little 00:10:13.480 --> 00:10:15.259 of it is actually developed. It's called the 00:10:15.259 --> 00:10:17.759 Pongtree State for a reason. For a reason. Specifically, 00:10:17.919 --> 00:10:21.029 the eastern white pine. The density of its forest 00:10:21.029 --> 00:10:23.990 cover is unparalleled in the east. Over 80 % 00:10:23.990 --> 00:10:27.029 of its total area is forested or unclaimed. That's 00:10:27.029 --> 00:10:29.090 the highest forest cover of any U .S. state. 00:10:29.289 --> 00:10:31.330 And that translates directly to its population 00:10:31.330 --> 00:10:34.330 density. It makes Maine the least densely populated 00:10:34.330 --> 00:10:37.149 state east of the Mississippi River. The sources 00:10:37.149 --> 00:10:39.330 also highlight its enormous bodies of water. 00:10:39.889 --> 00:10:42.230 Moosehead Lake, up in the massive Northwoods. 00:10:42.230 --> 00:10:44.649 It's the largest lake located wholly within New 00:10:44.649 --> 00:10:47.629 England. stretches over 40 miles long. And then 00:10:47.629 --> 00:10:51.370 there's Mount Katahdin, soaring to 5 ,270 feet. 00:10:51.750 --> 00:10:54.850 It's not just a peak. It's this massive symbolic 00:10:54.850 --> 00:10:58.250 and logistical hub for hikers. Katahdin has this 00:10:58.250 --> 00:11:00.809 amazing distinction of being a key terminus for 00:11:00.809 --> 00:11:03.690 two major trail systems. Right. It's the formidable 00:11:03.690 --> 00:11:05.830 northern end of the Appalachian Trail. Which 00:11:05.830 --> 00:11:08.409 stretches nearly 2 ,200 miles south to Georgia. 00:11:08.690 --> 00:11:11.470 But it's also the southern terminus of the ambitious 00:11:11.470 --> 00:11:14.129 International Appalachian Trail. Which is a project 00:11:14.129 --> 00:11:16.289 designed to follow the ancient geological path 00:11:16.289 --> 00:11:18.409 of the mountain range all the way up through 00:11:18.409 --> 00:11:20.490 Atlantic Canada. To Newfoundland and Labrador. 00:11:20.570 --> 00:11:22.750 It's incredible. Okay, let's unpack the geology 00:11:22.750 --> 00:11:25.509 of the coastline. Because this feature is arguably 00:11:25.509 --> 00:11:28.419 the most famous part of... main. Its rugged, 00:11:28.480 --> 00:11:31.620 jagged shoreline has a specific geological name. 00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:34.700 A drowned coast. A drowned coast. And this is 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:37.529 a direct consequence of the last ice age. Right. 00:11:38.009 --> 00:11:40.730 Geologists use that term because as the massive 00:11:40.730 --> 00:11:43.210 glaciers retreated, the land rebounded. But at 00:11:43.210 --> 00:11:46.330 the same time, global sea levels rose dramatically. 00:11:46.649 --> 00:11:49.049 So the rising sea levels basically just invaded 00:11:49.049 --> 00:11:51.690 the former river valleys and low lying land. 00:11:51.929 --> 00:11:54.190 Exactly. The valleys became the thousands of 00:11:54.190 --> 00:11:56.870 bays and harbors you see today. And the former 00:11:56.870 --> 00:11:58.950 mountaintops were turned into the thousands of 00:11:58.950 --> 00:12:01.370 offshore islands that Maine is so famous for. 00:12:01.509 --> 00:12:04.250 That geological process makes that dramatic visual. 00:12:04.409 --> 00:12:07.100 The forested slopes sweeping right. down to the 00:12:07.100 --> 00:12:09.600 sea makes perfect sense and the numbers really 00:12:09.600 --> 00:12:12.820 back it up they do the direct ocean coastline 00:12:12.820 --> 00:12:16.320 is nearly 230 miles long but once you factor 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:18.820 in all those jagged bays and inlets and islands 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:21.360 created by the drowning the tidal coastline expands 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:25.139 to almost 3 500 miles it's incredible and glacial 00:12:25.139 --> 00:12:27.600 activity is still visibly key to understanding 00:12:27.600 --> 00:12:30.269 the landscape Look at some sound in Acadia National 00:12:30.269 --> 00:12:32.710 Park. It's often described as the only fjord 00:12:32.710 --> 00:12:35.009 on the East Coast. Right. Carved out by glaciers 00:12:35.009 --> 00:12:37.850 to depths of 175 feet, it's deep enough for large 00:12:37.850 --> 00:12:40.110 ships. Then you have these fascinating little 00:12:40.110 --> 00:12:42.570 features like bubble rock, a classic glacial 00:12:42.570 --> 00:12:44.789 erratic. That's the huge boulder that looks like 00:12:44.789 --> 00:12:46.549 it's about to fall off the mountain. Exactly. 00:12:46.549 --> 00:12:49.129 It was carried 30 miles by the ice sheet before 00:12:49.129 --> 00:12:52.309 being just... deposited precariously on the side 00:12:52.309 --> 00:12:54.090 of Bubble Mountain. And as you mentioned, Acadia, 00:12:54.149 --> 00:12:56.190 we should emphasize that it's the only national 00:12:56.190 --> 00:12:58.549 park in all of New England. Which makes it a 00:12:58.549 --> 00:13:02.200 huge conservation priority. But there's a small 00:13:02.200 --> 00:13:04.600 piece of land off the down east coast that's 00:13:04.600 --> 00:13:06.700 still a source of diplomatic tension between 00:13:06.700 --> 00:13:08.720 the U .S. and Canada. You're talking about Makia 00:13:08.720 --> 00:13:11.419 Seal Island. Makia Seal Island and its companion, 00:13:11.799 --> 00:13:15.360 North Rock. These tiny uninhabited pieces of 00:13:15.360 --> 00:13:18.039 rock are claimed by both Canada and by the main 00:13:18.039 --> 00:13:20.940 town of Cutler. It's one of the very few remaining 00:13:20.940 --> 00:13:23.399 disputed land areas between the two countries. 00:13:23.620 --> 00:13:25.980 And it's complicated by the fact there's a Canadian 00:13:25.980 --> 00:13:29.480 manned lighthouse there and the lobster and fishing 00:13:29.480 --> 00:13:32.279 waters around it are. incredibly rich. Okay, 00:13:32.340 --> 00:13:34.679 moving on to the climate. It's classified as 00:13:34.679 --> 00:13:37.960 a humid continental climate, DFB, for the climate 00:13:37.960 --> 00:13:40.120 nerds out there. And for the rest of us, what 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:43.960 DFB means is a climate with no dry season, consistently 00:13:43.960 --> 00:13:46.940 high humidity, and just extreme temperature swings 00:13:46.940 --> 00:13:49.899 between warm, sometimes humid summers, and very 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:52.580 long, cold, freezing winters. And those winters 00:13:52.580 --> 00:13:55.279 are brutal, especially in the northern and western 00:13:55.279 --> 00:13:57.960 interior. The state's record low temperature, 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:01.559 set in 2009 at Big Black River, was a shocking 00:14:01.559 --> 00:14:04.240 minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Which tied the New 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:06.240 England record. You really have to understand 00:14:06.240 --> 00:14:08.519 that level of cold to understand life in the 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:11.519 interior of Maine. Yet Maine holds a rarity for 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:13.700 the eastern U .S. Yeah, mainly because of its 00:14:13.700 --> 00:14:15.799 latitude and its proximity to the cool ocean. 00:14:15.980 --> 00:14:18.159 It has fewer days of thunderstorms than any other 00:14:18.159 --> 00:14:20.419 state east of the Rockies. Averaging fewer than 00:14:20.419 --> 00:14:23.159 20 days a year. And tornadoes, while they happen, 00:14:23.320 --> 00:14:26.110 are rare. They average only about two per year 00:14:26.110 --> 00:14:28.889 and mainly stick to the warmer southwestern interior. 00:14:29.370 --> 00:14:32.710 This lack of severe instability really distinguishes 00:14:32.710 --> 00:14:35.129 it from the rest of the continental U .S. That 00:14:35.129 --> 00:14:38.110 vast geography and that northern climate, they 00:14:38.110 --> 00:14:40.490 fundamentally dictate the unique fauna you find 00:14:40.490 --> 00:14:43.009 there. Maine's position at the northern edge 00:14:43.009 --> 00:14:45.649 of the contiguous U .S. means it harbors the 00:14:45.649 --> 00:14:48.370 largest populations of two iconic Northwoods 00:14:48.370 --> 00:14:50.350 creatures. Which speaks directly to the quality 00:14:50.350 --> 00:14:52.509 of its wilderness. It really does. We're talking 00:14:52.509 --> 00:14:54.750 about moose and black bears. Maine holds the 00:14:54.750 --> 00:14:56.789 largest populations of both in the contiguous 00:14:56.789 --> 00:14:59.629 United States. That density just says so much 00:14:59.629 --> 00:15:01.850 about the extent of its undisturbed, heavily 00:15:01.850 --> 00:15:04.710 forested habitat and the success of its conservation 00:15:04.710 --> 00:15:07.090 efforts. And beyond the big mammals, you see 00:15:07.090 --> 00:15:09.590 thriving populations of white -tailed deer, red 00:15:09.590 --> 00:15:12.190 squirrels, snowshoe... hares. And along the coastline, 00:15:12.350 --> 00:15:14.789 the marine life is incredibly rich. Atlantic 00:15:14.789 --> 00:15:17.950 puffins, harbor seals, migrating mink whales. 00:15:18.330 --> 00:15:20.850 And crucially, for both environmental protection 00:15:20.850 --> 00:15:24.090 and economic history, the rivers of central and 00:15:24.090 --> 00:15:26.629 eastern Maine are home to the U .S.'s last remaining 00:15:26.629 --> 00:15:29.429 wild populations of Atlantic salmon. And those 00:15:29.429 --> 00:15:32.500 have been under threat for a long time. Decades 00:15:32.500 --> 00:15:35.100 of damming and pollution severely depleted those 00:15:35.100 --> 00:15:37.399 stocks, and there are massive governmental and 00:15:37.399 --> 00:15:40.820 NGO efforts focused entirely on protecting these 00:15:40.820 --> 00:15:43.399 fragile, unique survivors. But when you talk 00:15:43.399 --> 00:15:46.039 about the economy connected to the sea, the blue 00:15:46.039 --> 00:15:49.820 economy, there is one animal that just reigns 00:15:49.820 --> 00:15:53.639 supreme. The lobster. Of course. Maine is, without 00:15:53.639 --> 00:15:56.580 question, the largest producer of American lobster 00:15:56.580 --> 00:15:59.139 in the United States. It's the central pillar 00:15:59.139 --> 00:16:02.269 of the state's seafood economy. An iconic industry. 00:16:02.470 --> 00:16:04.769 It is an iconic industry, but the sources show 00:16:04.769 --> 00:16:06.909 there are some important and sometimes worrying 00:16:06.909 --> 00:16:09.809 shifts happening. While lobster is king, the 00:16:09.809 --> 00:16:12.450 industry is facing some severe long -term challenges. 00:16:12.769 --> 00:16:15.129 Like what? Warming waters are driving the populations 00:16:15.129 --> 00:16:17.450 further north, and there are conservation pressures 00:16:17.450 --> 00:16:19.610 related to the endangered North Atlantic right 00:16:19.610 --> 00:16:21.710 whales. So that vulnerability has spurred the 00:16:21.710 --> 00:16:23.850 development of alternative blue harvest sectors, 00:16:24.009 --> 00:16:27.320 like aquaculture. Exactly. The harvest of oysters 00:16:27.320 --> 00:16:30.039 and, surprisingly, seaweed are both on the rise. 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:34.200 For example, back in 2015, Maine supplied a significant 00:16:34.200 --> 00:16:37.460 14 percent of the Northeast's total oyster supply. 00:16:38.120 --> 00:16:40.759 And that number keeps climbing. And we have to 00:16:40.759 --> 00:16:42.639 talk about the fate of the northern shrimp industry 00:16:42.639 --> 00:16:46.500 as a kind of stark warning sign. Yeah, that population 00:16:46.500 --> 00:16:48.899 has declined so dramatically that there's been 00:16:48.899 --> 00:16:51.379 a government -mandated hold on commercial fishing 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:54.679 since 2014. A pilot program for limited fishing 00:16:54.679 --> 00:16:57.620 just started in 2025, but the collapse itself 00:16:57.620 --> 00:16:59.820 highlights the extreme vulnerability of these 00:16:59.820 --> 00:17:02.940 marine resources. Okay, moving inland. Maine's 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:05.299 agricultural bounty is heavily specialized. It 00:17:05.299 --> 00:17:07.160 really reflects that northern climate. That's 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:09.380 a critical point. Maine is the only state in 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:11.740 the U .S. where wild low bush blueberries are 00:17:11.740 --> 00:17:13.940 produced commercially. And it's the top producer 00:17:13.940 --> 00:17:16.480 of this specific, intensely flavored variety. 00:17:16.839 --> 00:17:18.599 They're very different from the high bush blueberries 00:17:18.599 --> 00:17:21.119 you get in, say, Michigan or New Jersey. Totally 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:23.079 different. And while that blue harvest is culturally 00:17:23.079 --> 00:17:25.259 significant, Aroostook County, often just called 00:17:25.259 --> 00:17:27.799 the county up north, is famous for its massive 00:17:27.799 --> 00:17:30.960 potato crops. They generate over $166 million. 00:17:31.819 --> 00:17:34.019 annually. And of course, you have other agricultural 00:17:34.019 --> 00:17:36.579 mainstays like apples, maple syrup, maple sugar. 00:17:36.740 --> 00:17:39.200 But here is a burgeoning industry that completely 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:41.539 changes the economic picture of Maine. Yeah. 00:17:41.619 --> 00:17:44.640 The seaweed boom. The seaweed boom. Maine supplies 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:47.460 an astonishing 60 % of all American seaweed. 00:17:47.579 --> 00:17:49.859 This isn't just some niche product anymore. It's 00:17:49.859 --> 00:17:52.500 fueling that growth. It's demand for kelp and 00:17:52.500 --> 00:17:54.680 other sea vegetables across multiple sectors, 00:17:54.940 --> 00:17:58.519 food, pharmaceuticals, fertilizer, and importantly, 00:17:58.680 --> 00:18:03.380 as a component in animal feed to Wow. Production 00:18:03.380 --> 00:18:06.259 was estimated at $20 million a year in 2017, 00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:09.759 and it is forecast to rise dramatically. Harvests 00:18:09.759 --> 00:18:12.400 are expected to hit 4 .1 million pounds by 2025. 00:18:13.390 --> 00:18:16.369 This focus on sustainable cold water aquaculture 00:18:16.369 --> 00:18:19.029 is a huge evolutionary step for the state's economy. 00:18:19.210 --> 00:18:21.470 Let's turn now to the people who inhabit this 00:18:21.470 --> 00:18:24.069 unique landscape. Demographically, Maine holds 00:18:24.069 --> 00:18:26.210 one of the most significant paradoxes in the 00:18:26.210 --> 00:18:28.490 country. It's statistically the oldest state 00:18:28.490 --> 00:18:30.589 by population. Right. Yet it is also hitting 00:18:30.589 --> 00:18:32.849 its highest ever population estimate in 2024 00:18:32.849 --> 00:18:36.369 at just over 1 .4 million residents. That tension 00:18:36.369 --> 00:18:38.769 is absolutely key to understanding modern Maine. 00:18:39.339 --> 00:18:41.619 It has the highest proportion of its population 00:18:41.619 --> 00:18:45.039 age 65 or older in the entire United States. 00:18:45.240 --> 00:18:47.720 The implications of that are profound, you know, 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:49.619 for health care costs, workforce availability, 00:18:50.059 --> 00:18:53.480 political priorities. So if it's the oldest state, 00:18:53.640 --> 00:18:56.700 how is the population still growing, even if 00:18:56.700 --> 00:18:59.599 it's just modestly? The growth is almost entirely 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:01.759 concentrated in the southern coastal counties, 00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:04.440 especially the greater Portland area, which holds 00:19:04.440 --> 00:19:06.640 nearly 40 percent of the state's total population. 00:19:06.900 --> 00:19:09.230 And that growth is driven by migration. Right. 00:19:09.309 --> 00:19:11.069 Younger families looking for a better quality 00:19:11.069 --> 00:19:14.690 of life and also retirees. Exactly. But the flip 00:19:14.690 --> 00:19:17.569 side is that the state overall remains extremely 00:19:17.569 --> 00:19:20.750 rural. The sources confirm this. Maine is the 00:19:20.750 --> 00:19:23.990 most rural state in the union. Less than 40 percent 00:19:23.990 --> 00:19:26.309 of its population lived in urban areas as of 00:19:26.309 --> 00:19:29.049 2010. And this connects directly back to our 00:19:29.049 --> 00:19:31.650 geography discussion. It's the least densely 00:19:31.650 --> 00:19:34.190 populated state east of the Mississippi. Only 00:19:34.190 --> 00:19:36.970 about 41 people per square mile. The cities where 00:19:36.970 --> 00:19:39.099 they exist are pretty small. Looking at race 00:19:39.099 --> 00:19:42.440 and ethnicity, Maine has historically been considered, 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:45.140 you know, statistically homogenous. It reported 00:19:45.140 --> 00:19:47.319 the highest percentage of non -Hispanic white 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:51.420 population of any state. Over 94 % in 2010. But 00:19:51.420 --> 00:19:54.559 the complexity really lies just beneath the surface, 00:19:54.740 --> 00:19:58.599 in the deep ancestry groups. English ancestry 00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:02.059 dominates, Irish is very strong, but the third 00:20:02.059 --> 00:20:04.180 largest group, which carries massive cultural 00:20:04.180 --> 00:20:08.140 weight, is French, at 15 .7%. And that French 00:20:08.140 --> 00:20:10.539 influence is absolutely vital to understanding 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:12.299 Maine's identity, especially when you look at 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:14.599 language. Maine has the highest percentage of 00:20:14.599 --> 00:20:16.880 French Americans and French peoples of any state. 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:20.319 That's a surprising statistic. It is. 3 .93 % 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:22.940 of households speak French at home. I think most 00:20:22.940 --> 00:20:24.900 people would assume Louisiana holds that title. 00:20:25.059 --> 00:20:27.259 So where do these robust French origins come 00:20:27.259 --> 00:20:29.299 from? It's primarily Canadian, but from two distinct 00:20:29.299 --> 00:20:31.980 groups. Right. First, you have the Acadian culture, 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:34.099 which is concentrated up in Aroostook County, 00:20:34.259 --> 00:20:36.180 which borders New Brunswick and shares a long 00:20:36.180 --> 00:20:39.009 history. And second. And equally important are 00:20:39.009 --> 00:20:41.309 the waves of French -Canadian immigrants from 00:20:41.309 --> 00:20:44.809 Quebec that arrived between 1840 and 1930. They 00:20:44.809 --> 00:20:47.329 were drawn by industrial jobs in textile and 00:20:47.329 --> 00:20:50.289 lumber mills. And they created these large, vibrant 00:20:50.289 --> 00:20:53.589 Franco -American communities in cities like Lewiston, 00:20:53.890 --> 00:20:56.309 Waterville, and Biddeford. And this heritage 00:20:56.309 --> 00:20:58.849 isn't just cultural, it's territorial history. 00:20:59.170 --> 00:21:01.549 The Upper St. John River Valley in Arista County 00:21:01.549 --> 00:21:04.609 was once, for a very brief time, the Republic 00:21:04.609 --> 00:21:08.670 of Madawaska. 1842 Webster -Ashburton Treaty 00:21:08.670 --> 00:21:11.230 finally settled that volatile border dispute. 00:21:11.490 --> 00:21:13.910 Exactly. This moment in history where locals 00:21:13.910 --> 00:21:16.049 just declared their own independence because 00:21:16.049 --> 00:21:17.930 neither side of the border was protecting them, 00:21:18.049 --> 00:21:20.750 it speaks to that longstanding Maine tradition 00:21:20.750 --> 00:21:23.430 of independence. That sense of historical and 00:21:23.430 --> 00:21:25.769 linguistic separation is still powerful in the 00:21:25.769 --> 00:21:28.109 far north today. We should also note the American 00:21:28.109 --> 00:21:31.430 ancestry group, which comes in at 7 .8%. Right. 00:21:31.529 --> 00:21:34.029 In Maine and a lot of New England, this often 00:21:34.029 --> 00:21:36.750 represents people of over... English descent 00:21:36.750 --> 00:21:38.430 whose families have been in the region since 00:21:38.430 --> 00:21:40.710 the 17th century and they just identify as American 00:21:40.710 --> 00:21:43.829 rather than a specific European origin. And looking 00:21:43.829 --> 00:21:46.710 at religion, Maine is broadly Christian dominant, 00:21:46.789 --> 00:21:50.009 about 63 % of the population. But the truly notable 00:21:50.009 --> 00:21:52.690 figure here, and one that aligns with New England 00:21:52.690 --> 00:21:55.529 trends, is the high rate of religious unaffiliation. 00:21:55.910 --> 00:21:59.089 30 % of Mainers are religiously unaffiliated, 00:21:59.170 --> 00:22:01.329 which is significant when you look at the rest 00:22:01.329 --> 00:22:02.950 of the country. So let's talk about the economic 00:22:02.950 --> 00:22:06.359 engine of Maine. Gross state product of $91 .1 00:22:06.359 --> 00:22:10.799 billion in 2023, a strong minimum wage at $14 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:15.539 .65 in 2025. It's a healthy, if highly specialized, 00:22:15.680 --> 00:22:18.220 economy. And the core industrial outputs are 00:22:18.220 --> 00:22:21.640 traditional, right? Paper, lumber, wood products, 00:22:21.700 --> 00:22:23.579 which reflects that enormous forest cover we 00:22:23.579 --> 00:22:26.480 talked about. But the economy is diversifying. 00:22:26.700 --> 00:22:28.799 Into more modern sectors like electronic equipment, 00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:32.079 advanced food products, and increasingly biotechnology. 00:22:32.650 --> 00:22:34.710 And one industrial sector that serves as a real 00:22:34.710 --> 00:22:36.470 pillar for the working class and the federal 00:22:36.470 --> 00:22:39.009 economy is naval shipbuilding. Absolutely. It's 00:22:39.009 --> 00:22:41.650 a critical, longstanding sector highlighted by 00:22:41.650 --> 00:22:43.849 major facilities like Bath Iron Works, B .I .W. 00:22:43.950 --> 00:22:46.450 in Bath and the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in 00:22:46.450 --> 00:22:48.930 Kittery. B .I .W. is one of the largest private 00:22:48.930 --> 00:22:51.299 employers in the state. It's a major federal 00:22:51.299 --> 00:22:53.400 defense contractor building some of the U .S. 00:22:53.420 --> 00:22:56.839 Navy's most advanced destroyers. Its huge employment 00:22:56.839 --> 00:22:59.000 role makes it an anchor for the whole region, 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:02.059 tying the state's economic health directly to 00:23:02.059 --> 00:23:04.960 federal contracts. But the single greatest economic 00:23:04.960 --> 00:23:08.400 driver and the source of that vacation land image. 00:23:08.839 --> 00:23:11.240 has to be tourism. That's absolutely accurate. 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:15.180 In 2023, Maine welcomed over 15 .2 million visitors 00:23:15.180 --> 00:23:18.519 who spent more than $9 billion. And the impact 00:23:18.519 --> 00:23:21.440 isn't just economic, it's structural. An estimated 00:23:21.440 --> 00:23:24.240 14 % of the state's housing stock is used as 00:23:24.240 --> 00:23:26.640 vacation homes. Which contributes to rising property 00:23:26.640 --> 00:23:29.720 values and the state's high average age. And 00:23:29.720 --> 00:23:31.599 the major attractions are just these powerful 00:23:31.599 --> 00:23:34.400 draws. Acadia National Park, the state's only 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:37.119 national park, draws over 4 million visitors 00:23:37.119 --> 00:23:40.519 annually. And it contributed a remarkable $475 00:23:40.519 --> 00:23:44.240 million to the Bar Harbor area economy in 2024 00:23:44.240 --> 00:23:46.759 alone. Then you have the commercial flagships 00:23:46.759 --> 00:23:49.059 like the L .L. Bean store in Freeport. That store, 00:23:49.220 --> 00:23:53.400 famous for being open 247, 365 days a year, pulls 00:23:53.400 --> 00:23:56.420 in over 3 million visitors annually. It's a massive 00:23:56.420 --> 00:23:58.460 national tourist destination in its own right. 00:23:58.640 --> 00:24:00.839 And this tradition of tourism goes way back. 00:24:01.180 --> 00:24:04.109 It predated the Civil War. And then exploded 00:24:04.109 --> 00:24:06.829 afterward. Right. As the urban middle class in 00:24:06.829 --> 00:24:09.450 Boston, New York, Philadelphia, they sought fresh 00:24:09.450 --> 00:24:11.829 air and relaxation in Maine's woods and along 00:24:11.829 --> 00:24:14.650 its coast, trying to escape the industrial grime 00:24:14.650 --> 00:24:16.789 of the cities. And famous names have certainly 00:24:16.789 --> 00:24:19.529 amplified that draw. Oh, for sure. Henry David 00:24:19.529 --> 00:24:23.009 Thoreau published The Maine Woods in 1864. Theodore 00:24:23.009 --> 00:24:26.009 Roosevelt explored what is now the Katahdin Woods 00:24:26.009 --> 00:24:28.650 and Waters National Monument. And maybe most 00:24:28.650 --> 00:24:31.109 significantly, John D. Rockefeller Jr. developed 00:24:31.109 --> 00:24:33.819 the famous intricate carriage roads of Acadia, 00:24:33.940 --> 00:24:36.440 preserving the landscape while making it accessible. 00:24:36.700 --> 00:24:39.220 And on the more modern side, the greater Portland 00:24:39.220 --> 00:24:41.980 area has seen a burgeoning creative economy. 00:24:42.430 --> 00:24:44.630 Portland's nonprofit arts and culture industry 00:24:44.630 --> 00:24:47.950 alone generated $86 million in economic activity 00:24:47.950 --> 00:24:51.289 in 2022. It's become a magnet for culture and 00:24:51.289 --> 00:24:53.609 culinary innovation. Looking at transportation, 00:24:53.970 --> 00:24:56.369 the state has historically relied heavily on 00:24:56.369 --> 00:24:59.670 its geography for logistics. For decades, Portland's 00:24:59.670 --> 00:25:02.390 deep, ice -free port made it Canada's principal 00:25:02.390 --> 00:25:05.240 winter port. Until the mid -20th century, yeah, 00:25:05.380 --> 00:25:07.740 when technology allowed Canadian ports to stay 00:25:07.740 --> 00:25:10.200 open year -round. Today, the infrastructure is 00:25:10.200 --> 00:25:13.019 modern and focused on connectivity. The Amtrak 00:25:13.019 --> 00:25:15.900 Downeaster runs five daily passenger trips between 00:25:15.900 --> 00:25:18.859 Brunswick and Boston, linking Maine to the rest 00:25:18.859 --> 00:25:21.099 of the Northeast Corridor. And critically, the 00:25:21.099 --> 00:25:23.019 International Marine Terminal in Portland has 00:25:23.019 --> 00:25:26.579 seen huge expansion since 2016. This was spurred 00:25:26.579 --> 00:25:28.980 by the Icelandic shipping company Iamskip opening 00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:31.839 its U .S. headquarters there in 2013. So what's 00:25:31.839 --> 00:25:34.200 the significance of that route? It connects Atlantic 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:36.819 Canada and Iceland, effectively establishing 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:40.019 Portland as a direct logistical link to Europe 00:25:40.019 --> 00:25:42.799 and Asia. It's fundamentally transformed the 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:46.099 port's role from a regional hub to a true international 00:25:46.099 --> 00:25:48.700 gateway. Okay. When we look at law and government, 00:25:49.259 --> 00:25:52.519 Maine uses the standard three branches, but its 00:25:52.519 --> 00:25:54.759 governmental structure has some truly fascinating 00:25:54.759 --> 00:25:57.099 peculiarities. They really reflect its history 00:25:57.099 --> 00:25:59.900 of independence. For one, Maine is one of only 00:25:59.900 --> 00:26:01.779 seven states that does not have a lieutenant 00:26:01.779 --> 00:26:04.289 governor. So if there's a vacancy in the governor's 00:26:04.289 --> 00:26:06.609 office, the Senate president is first in line 00:26:06.609 --> 00:26:09.430 for succession. Right. It's a streamlined executive 00:26:09.430 --> 00:26:12.509 structure, a very New England trait. Politically, 00:26:12.549 --> 00:26:15.049 the state presents this profound paradox that 00:26:15.049 --> 00:26:18.049 analysts are always debating. On one hand, it's 00:26:18.049 --> 00:26:20.759 seen as a blue -leaning swing state. But on the 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:23.000 other, it has unusually high support for independent 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:26.160 candidates, and governors frequently win by pluralities, 00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:28.839 not majorities. So what does that mean? Well, 00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:30.700 the political historian Kenneth Palmer suggests 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:33.779 this speaks to a deep, ingrained pragmatism in 00:26:33.779 --> 00:26:37.319 Maine's political DNA. He argued that Maine's 00:26:37.319 --> 00:26:39.599 leaders often end up as centrists because the 00:26:39.599 --> 00:26:42.160 core goal is just finding practical solutions 00:26:42.160 --> 00:26:45.059 to difficult problems. So they prioritize local 00:26:45.059 --> 00:26:47.660 needs over national partisan fights. Exactly. 00:26:47.859 --> 00:26:50.319 They distrust ideological extremes. And Maine 00:26:50.319 --> 00:26:52.680 has become a national pioneer in electoral reform. 00:26:52.920 --> 00:26:55.319 In 2016, it became the first state to adopt ranked 00:26:55.319 --> 00:26:58.819 choice voting, or RCV, for statewide elections. 00:26:59.079 --> 00:27:01.700 Through a referendum, which is key. They now 00:27:01.700 --> 00:27:04.140 use it for primary elections for state and federal 00:27:04.140 --> 00:27:06.799 offices and general elections for federal offices. 00:27:07.059 --> 00:27:09.299 This is a complex but crucial innovation we should 00:27:09.299 --> 00:27:12.589 probably explain. Yeah. With RCV, voters rank 00:27:12.589 --> 00:27:15.529 candidates in order of preference. If no one 00:27:15.529 --> 00:27:18.210 gets a majority over 50 % of first place votes, 00:27:18.529 --> 00:27:20.890 the candidate with the fewest votes gets eliminated. 00:27:21.250 --> 00:27:23.910 And the second choices on those ballots are reallocated 00:27:23.910 --> 00:27:25.849 to the remaining candidates. And that process 00:27:25.849 --> 00:27:28.529 continues until one candidate secures a majority. 00:27:28.910 --> 00:27:31.710 It's a mechanism designed to combat plurality 00:27:31.710 --> 00:27:34.369 winners and ensure the elected official has broader 00:27:34.369 --> 00:27:37.250 support. This willingness to embrace radical 00:27:37.250 --> 00:27:40.309 electoral reform really shows Maine's political 00:27:40.309 --> 00:27:43.230 character. They're willing to adopt complex solutions 00:27:43.230 --> 00:27:45.289 if they think they lead to greater fairness. 00:27:45.609 --> 00:27:48.390 But the single most striking administrative feature 00:27:48.390 --> 00:27:50.690 of Maine, and the one that absolutely defines 00:27:50.690 --> 00:27:53.529 its identity as the most rural state, is the 00:27:53.529 --> 00:27:56.730 existence of the unorganized territory, or UT. 00:27:57.049 --> 00:27:59.029 Okay, let's unpack this governmental oddity. 00:27:59.170 --> 00:28:01.269 We're used to the idea that every square mile 00:28:01.269 --> 00:28:04.019 of a state belongs to some city or town. But 00:28:04.019 --> 00:28:06.480 in Maine, over half the state's entire land area 00:28:06.480 --> 00:28:09.259 is unincorporated. That's right. The unorganized 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:12.279 territory consists of more than 400 unincorporated 00:28:12.279 --> 00:28:14.920 townships covering slightly over half of Maine's 00:28:14.920 --> 00:28:18.099 area. It's a profound rarity, especially in densely 00:28:18.099 --> 00:28:20.339 populated New England. And the population living 00:28:20.339 --> 00:28:24.099 in this vast wilderness is tiny. About 9 ,000 00:28:24.099 --> 00:28:26.559 year -round residents spread out over this gigantic 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:29.140 region. When you think about a state being half 00:28:29.140 --> 00:28:32.440 wilderness, that is literal in Maine. So what 00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:34.519 are the administrative implications for those 00:28:34.519 --> 00:28:35.900 residents? There's no local government, right? 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:38.599 No town council, no zoning board, no municipal 00:28:38.599 --> 00:28:42.180 police. Residents rely solely on state and county 00:28:42.180 --> 00:28:44.640 governments for everything. The state is essentially 00:28:44.640 --> 00:28:47.720 their municipality, managing roads, trash disposal, 00:28:48.180 --> 00:28:50.680 law enforcement. And the starkest example of 00:28:50.680 --> 00:28:53.299 this immense emptiness is Northwest Aroostook. 00:28:53.609 --> 00:28:56.589 This single unorganized territory covers a colossal 00:28:56.589 --> 00:28:59.710 2 ,668 square miles that's larger than Rhode 00:28:59.710 --> 00:29:01.630 Island and Delaware combined. With a reported 00:29:01.630 --> 00:29:04.269 population of only 10 people. 10 people. That's 00:29:04.269 --> 00:29:08.750 one person for every 267 square miles. It creates 00:29:08.750 --> 00:29:12.769 this fascinating duality where you have 483 organized 00:29:12.769 --> 00:29:15.589 municipalities, but they cover less than half 00:29:15.589 --> 00:29:19.569 the state's total landmass. The UT is the silent, 00:29:19.569 --> 00:29:21.829 dominating geographical feature of the state. 00:29:22.200 --> 00:29:23.819 Let's conclude by looking at the distinctive 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:26.200 culture that emerges from this unique mix of 00:29:26.200 --> 00:29:29.259 coastal tradition, deep woods isolation, and 00:29:29.259 --> 00:29:31.880 those indigenous and French influences, especially 00:29:31.880 --> 00:29:34.240 in food and language. Maine cuisine is definitely 00:29:34.240 --> 00:29:36.880 defined by seafood, but it has much deeper roots. 00:29:37.019 --> 00:29:38.900 It shares a lot of ingredients with Wabanaki 00:29:38.900 --> 00:29:41.940 cuisine, corn, beans, squash, wild blueberries, 00:29:42.180 --> 00:29:44.619 and of course, seafood. And we have two unique 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:46.700 items that define the state's culinary identity 00:29:46.700 --> 00:29:48.559 that have nothing to do with lobster. First, 00:29:48.700 --> 00:29:50.319 the Maine Italian sandwich. A working -class 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:52.900 staple invented in Portland around 1902, it's 00:29:52.900 --> 00:29:54.960 distinct from other subs. It's often got ham, 00:29:55.119 --> 00:29:57.859 American cheese, onions, peppers, pickles, tomatoes, 00:29:58.240 --> 00:30:01.299 black olives, always on a long, soft roll. And 00:30:01.299 --> 00:30:03.960 second, Maine baked beans. This is a recognized 00:30:03.960 --> 00:30:06.880 regional style, fiercely protected, and very 00:30:06.880 --> 00:30:09.619 distinct from the molasses -heavy Boston baked 00:30:09.619 --> 00:30:13.220 beans. Mainers traditionally use lighter, thicker 00:30:13.220 --> 00:30:16.079 skinned native beans like marifax or yellow eye 00:30:16.079 --> 00:30:18.200 beans, and they're often sweetened with maple 00:30:18.200 --> 00:30:20.859 syrup instead of molasses. That distinction is 00:30:20.859 --> 00:30:23.400 so culturally important that for over a century. 00:30:23.880 --> 00:30:28.420 From 1913 until 2021, the B &M Baked Beans factory 00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:31.220 canned them right on the Portland waterfront. 00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:33.680 And that factory closing wasn't just an economic 00:30:33.680 --> 00:30:36.380 event. It was the end of a century -long cultural 00:30:36.380 --> 00:30:39.799 fixture. It shows you just how seriously Mainers 00:30:39.799 --> 00:30:42.039 take their specific bean style. We also have 00:30:42.039 --> 00:30:44.059 to mention the official state beverage, Moxie. 00:30:44.299 --> 00:30:47.039 Oh, Moxie. If you haven't tried it, it's a fiercely 00:30:47.039 --> 00:30:49.059 unique soft drink, one of the oldest in the U 00:30:49.059 --> 00:30:51.940 .S. It's known for its bitter, slightly herbal 00:30:51.940 --> 00:30:53.819 flavor from gentian root. It's definitely an 00:30:53.819 --> 00:30:56.259 acquired taste. But it's a uniquely Maine cultural 00:30:56.259 --> 00:30:58.359 touchstone. And of course, the official state 00:30:58.359 --> 00:31:01.619 foods, blueberry pie. Using those unique, wild, 00:31:01.700 --> 00:31:03.779 low -bush blueberries we discussed. And the whoopie 00:31:03.779 --> 00:31:06.099 pie. Which is a dessert sandwich, two chocolate 00:31:06.099 --> 00:31:08.380 cake -like cookies with a creamy frosting center. 00:31:08.680 --> 00:31:11.099 And this modern culinary renaissance is building 00:31:11.099 --> 00:31:13.990 right on that foundation. Portland was named 00:31:13.990 --> 00:31:16.529 Bon Appetit's Restaurant City of the Year in 00:31:16.529 --> 00:31:19.329 2018. And Biddeford was recognized by Food and 00:31:19.329 --> 00:31:22.869 Wine in 2022 as one of America's next great food 00:31:22.869 --> 00:31:25.309 cities. It shows this modern creative energy 00:31:25.309 --> 00:31:27.869 is really thriving in those old coastal cities. 00:31:28.109 --> 00:31:29.950 The culture is reinforced by all these festivals, 00:31:30.029 --> 00:31:33.250 too. Le Kermesse, celebrating French -Canadian 00:31:33.250 --> 00:31:36.119 roots, the Acadia Night Sky Festival. And Maine 00:31:36.119 --> 00:31:39.220 is famous for its 25 agricultural fairs like 00:31:39.220 --> 00:31:41.640 the Common Ground Country Fair and the Ancient 00:31:41.640 --> 00:31:44.240 Freiburg Fair that celebrate the state's farming 00:31:44.240 --> 00:31:46.339 traditions. Finally, we have to talk about the 00:31:46.339 --> 00:31:49.339 language, the vernacular that instantly identifies 00:31:49.339 --> 00:31:53.299 a Mainer. This specific slang is central to local 00:31:53.299 --> 00:31:55.599 identity. And it really emphasizes the unique 00:31:55.599 --> 00:31:58.200 geography. Everyone knows the most famous one, 00:31:58.359 --> 00:32:01.240 IU. Which is just an affirmative, yes. But the 00:32:01.240 --> 00:32:04.039 geographical terms are way more revealing. Like 00:32:04.039 --> 00:32:06.839 down east. If you travel down east, you're not 00:32:06.839 --> 00:32:09.259 just traveling east. You are referring specifically 00:32:09.259 --> 00:32:11.940 to the coastline of Washington and Hancock counties 00:32:11.940 --> 00:32:15.380 east of Ellsworth, including Bar Harbor. Historically, 00:32:15.420 --> 00:32:17.980 sailing ships traveling from Boston to that region 00:32:17.980 --> 00:32:21.660 went downwind and east. So the term stuck. It's 00:32:21.660 --> 00:32:24.119 not just a direction. It's a specific, rugged 00:32:24.119 --> 00:32:26.519 cultural place. And if you're not from that region 00:32:26.519 --> 00:32:28.720 or not from Maine at all, you are designated 00:32:28.720 --> 00:32:31.220 as from away. A non -native person of Maine. 00:32:31.660 --> 00:32:33.880 That distinction really captures the strong, 00:32:34.039 --> 00:32:36.539 sometimes insular identity that many Mainers 00:32:36.539 --> 00:32:39.259 hold. It differentiates between those with deep 00:32:39.259 --> 00:32:41.500 roots and those who have just moved to the state. 00:32:41.640 --> 00:32:44.019 My favorite is up to camp. Going up to camp. 00:32:44.180 --> 00:32:46.519 It means heading to a rustic, out -of -the -way 00:32:46.519 --> 00:32:49.160 place, usually a cabin or cottage on a lake in 00:32:49.160 --> 00:32:51.579 the woods. It was really popularized by the comedian 00:32:51.579 --> 00:32:54.700 Bob Marley. It perfectly captures that ritualistic 00:32:54.700 --> 00:32:57.559 retreat into the remote, unorganized interior 00:32:57.559 --> 00:33:00.740 of the state. It's a cultural encapsulation of 00:33:00.740 --> 00:33:03.579 Maine's deep dual identity, the civilized coast 00:33:03.579 --> 00:33:07.339 versus the vast, wild interior. So what does 00:33:07.339 --> 00:33:09.299 this all mean for you, the learner, trying to 00:33:09.299 --> 00:33:12.039 get a comprehensive handle on Maine? We've covered 00:33:12.039 --> 00:33:14.140 a huge amount of ground today, from the Maine 00:33:14.140 --> 00:33:16.619 penny confirming ancient Viking contact to the 00:33:16.619 --> 00:33:19.180 state's modern industrial pillars like naval 00:33:19.180 --> 00:33:21.480 shipbuilding and that new seaweed farming boom. 00:33:22.039 --> 00:33:24.140 I think the key takeaway is the state's persistent 00:33:24.140 --> 00:33:26.920 structural duality. It's the oldest state by 00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:29.799 population, yet its southern coastal areas are 00:33:29.799 --> 00:33:32.519 experiencing this modest economic and demographic 00:33:32.519 --> 00:33:35.240 growth that's reshaping its political landscape. 00:33:35.460 --> 00:33:37.940 It's famous globally for its rocky coastline, 00:33:38.039 --> 00:33:41.579 but geographically, it's overwhelmingly forested 00:33:41.579 --> 00:33:45.220 and largely comprised of that massive unorganized 00:33:45.220 --> 00:33:47.859 territory. We saw a state that is deeply rooted 00:33:47.859 --> 00:33:50.619 in practical history and tradition, from the 00:33:50.619 --> 00:33:52.759 centuries -old lobster fleets to its crucial 00:33:52.759 --> 00:33:55.000 role in the Civil War, but which is simultaneously 00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:58.000 politically innovative, embracing radical electoral 00:33:58.000 --> 00:34:00.880 reform like ranked choice voting, while remaining 00:34:00.880 --> 00:34:03.640 fundamentally centrist and pragmatic. So understanding 00:34:03.640 --> 00:34:06.119 Maine really requires appreciating that tension 00:34:06.119 --> 00:34:09.599 between the iconic vacation land image and its 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:12.000 profound Franco -American heritage, its huge 00:34:12.000 --> 00:34:15.280 tourism economy, and its vast, largely uninhabited... 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:17.460 interior, that defining unorganized territory. 00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:19.360 And this leaves us with an important question 00:34:19.360 --> 00:34:21.960 for you, the listener, to consider as you reflect 00:34:21.960 --> 00:34:24.920 on the steep dive. Maine has the largest populations 00:34:24.920 --> 00:34:27.199 of moose and black bears in the contiguous U 00:34:27.199 --> 00:34:29.900 .S., and over half its land area is legally defined 00:34:29.900 --> 00:34:33.199 as unorganized territory. So if we consider the 00:34:33.199 --> 00:34:36.139 intense urbanization and population density of 00:34:36.139 --> 00:34:39.639 the entire Northeast Corridor, Boston, New York, 00:34:39.780 --> 00:34:43.460 Philadelphia. What are the long -term economic, 00:34:43.880 --> 00:34:46.300 environmental, and political implications of 00:34:46.300 --> 00:34:49.300 Maine maintaining this massive, sparsely populated, 00:34:49.639 --> 00:34:52.460 largely wilderness area? Will the state be able 00:34:52.460 --> 00:34:54.940 to indefinitely resist the enormous pressures 00:34:54.940 --> 00:34:57.300 of development and resource extraction that such 00:34:57.300 --> 00:34:59.900 land represents? Can it manage the challenges 00:34:59.900 --> 00:35:01.699 of climate change and environmental protection 00:35:01.699 --> 00:35:04.800 to maintain that unique wild identity? Or does 00:35:04.800 --> 00:35:06.840 the economic and population potential represented 00:35:06.840 --> 00:35:09.159 by those millions of acres mean that radical 00:35:09.159 --> 00:35:11.400 change is ultimately inevitable? That's your 00:35:11.400 --> 00:35:13.340 Deep Thought for today. Thank you for joining 00:35:13.340 --> 00:35:15.360 us for this deep dive into the complexities of 00:35:15.360 --> 00:35:17.699 the pine tree state. We hope you feel truly well 00:35:17.699 --> 00:35:18.039 informed.