All real Mainers know the basics! We have sixteen counties, our state bird is the black-capped chickadee, and we're the #1 blueberry-producing state in the Union.

Portland is our biggest city, and West Quoddy Head is the easternmost point in the contiguous United States. Find any fifth grader in Vacationland, and they can tell you all these things.

Here's a list of stuff we came up with that genuinely surprised us. Ready to have your mind blown? We bet you don't know most of these #MaineFacts:


1 - Maine's Moose Population Isn't As Big As You'd Think

Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife
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According to state biologists, the current moose population is somewhere between 60,000 and 70,000.


2 - We Make a TON of Beer!

Allagash Brewing via Facebook
Allagash Brewing via Facebook
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Allagash Brewing Company in Portland produces 45,000 barrels of beer each year... and that's just one of Maine's many breweries!


3 - We Catch 20,000 Lobsters Every Year for the Maine Lobster Festival

The Maine Lobster Festival helps bring in nearly $1 million in tourism cash to the state and boasts over 1,000 volunteers that help haul more than 20,000 lobsters that weight 25,000 pounds total.


4 - E.B. White Said Charlotte's Web Was Set in Maine

Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
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Elwyn Brooks White was a Mainah! Most people know author E.B. White for his beloved children’s story “Charlotte’s Web” and grammar lover’s guide “The Elements Of Style.” White’s passionate essays about life in our home state of Maine are considered by many to be his best work. He died in North Booklin in 1985.


5 - We Invented Practically Everything That Deals With Snow

The snowplow, earmuffs, and an early version of the snowmobile were all invented and patented in Maine! Mainers also were the first to patent salt-dispensing trucks to keep the roads clear.


6 - "The Ballpark" in OOB Used to Host Concerts

UMPI Owls Website - UMPI.edu
UMPI Owls Website - UMPI.edu
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"The Ballpark" in Old Orchard Beach was the venue for a ton of shows in the '80s and '90s. This Phish ticket was just $1.50, and even included parking!

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7 - Almost 15% of Mainers are Divorced

That's the highest in the entire country. In 2015, 14.6% of people living in Maine were divorced. If you include married couples who are separated, that number jumps up to 17.1% of the entire population.


8 - How Many Off-Shore Islands Are There in Maine?

Google Maps
Google Maps
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More than 3,100! According to the Maine GIS Office, there are 3,166 offshore islands here in Maine. That's crazy! I wonder if there's anyone who can name all of them...


9 - Maine is the Only State with Just One Syllable

You might have to drive over the Piscataqua River (six syllables) to get into Vacationland (four syllables), but you won't be in Louisiana (five syllables), you'll be here in Maine! ...and what's the state with the most syllables? Try saying this five times fast: Rhode Island and Providence Plantations! (ten syllables!)

Maine is also the only state in America that borders just one other state, New Hampshire. Think about it... all the other states border more than one, or none. We're #1!


10 - Maine is Really Big! No, Really.

Google Maps
Google Maps
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Geographically, Maine is bigger than the five other New England states... combined. Aroostook County alone is bigger than the states of Connecticut AND Rhode Island combined. That's a LOT of potatoes!


11 - Jumanji Shot on Location in North Berwick!

The Olde Woolen Mill in North Berwick Maine is the real Parrish Shoe Factory that was filmed in the movie “Jumanji,” starring the late great Robin Williams!


12 - Maine's Coast is More Than 3,500 Miles Long!

...That's longer than the entire coastline of California! This may or may not have been a question on Jeopardy!


13 - The Pier in OOB is Wicked Old!

OOBPier.com
OOBPier.com
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The Pier first opened in 1898, offering entertainment of all types - including concerts, dancing, lectures, and a casino located at the very end of the pier. The 1825 foot structure was built with three pavilions by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company for a cost of $38,000. It has been damaged and destroyed several times by the weather and by fire - check out the full history at OOBPier.com.


14 - Our State Flower Really Isn't a "Flower" At All

Maine.gov
Maine.gov
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It's a pinecone! Maine's official "state flower" is the White Pinecone & Tassel. They might not look good in a vase on a table, but those suckers burn easily!


15 - Maine's Allagash Wilderness Waterway is 92 Miles Long

One of the last truly wild rivers in the United States is the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in the North Maine Woods. Established by the Maine Legislature in 1966, it's a 92-mile-long ribbon of lakes, rivers, ponds and streams, largely cut off from any outside contact or outside development. It lies in the heart of Maine's industrial forest, and parts of the waterway flow North into Canada, and parts flow South to the Penobscot and down to Bangor

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