Maine: the only state bordering just one state
Photo: Boston Public Library.
Sticking out like a thumb asking for a ride, Maine is the country’s only state bordered by a single other state. But the state is not as isolated as it looks. It’s part of a neighborhood that’s full of characters.
Next door there’s New Hampshire, the free spirit who drives at reckless speeds on the highway without wearing a seat belt but can be counted on to plow your driveway with a John Deere tractor that’s beat up but still going strong.
There’s New Brunswick, the half-sibling neighbor a couple houses down who is so close to you words hardly need to be spoken but when they are “I went down to the store, mais c’était closed, so j’ai revenu back home” makes perfect sense.
Down the street is Quebec, who somehow makes “You have poutine on your shirt” sound sexy while wearing a Speedo.
And across the street, there’s the Atlantic Ocean, the gorgeous, unhinged siren you can stare at endlessly but you never know if she’ll heave a log through your front door or supply you with all the lobsters you can eat.
Maine’s neighborhood may be small, but as anyone living in a rural place knows, who your neighbors are matters. They’re the ones who will haul your car out of the ditch when you slide off the road during mud season and not bother to hide their laughter. They’re also the ones who will shovel a path to your door after you throw out your back trying to get out of that ditch before they found you there, knowing you’d never hear the end of it.
Author: Stephanie Bouchard
