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Maine’s forest and waterpower resources invited exploitation during the early years of the Industrial Revolution; for a long time, skilled low-cost labour provided an advantage to textile and shoe manufacturing until those industries moved their operations to factories in lower-wage areas of the South and overseas. Thus, Maine is a relatively poor state, with the lowest income per capita in New England.
Since the mid-1950s the state government has promoted an active economic development program through the Department of Economic and Community Development. Public and private agencies have combined to form the Finance Authority of Maine and the Maine Municipal Bond Bank to encourage investment and provide loan guarantees. The state also has used the services and financial assistance of the federal Economic Development Administration and of the Small Business Administration.
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing
Only a small proportion of the state’s workforce is employed in agriculture. Aroostook county, where potatoes are the main crop, is one of the few areas with rich agricultural soils. Terrain and soil conditions throughout most of the rest of the state are inadequate for large-scale farming; in addition to potatoes, eggs and dairy products make up the greatest part of farm income. Maine also produces high-quality apples, blueberries, and other fruits, and dairying is an important activity. With its vast areas of forest, Maine was once a national leader in the forest-products industry. Although the sector has experienced a decline in the face of strong international competition, it has remained a significant employer in the state. Fishing also has a long tradition in Maine. However, fish stocks largely have been depleted, and—with the exception of lobster production—fishing has become a marginal activity.
Resources and power
In addition to timber and marine life, Maine’s primary natural resources are sand, gravel, limestone, and building stone. There are significant deposits of low-grade copper ore and limited amounts of other metallic minerals and semiprecious stones. Peat is mined for horticultural use.
Less than two-thirds of the state’s total energy output is produced in coal-fired thermal power plants; hydroelectric stations provide about one-fifth, and diesel and gas-turbine units constitute the remainder. Many of the state’s hydroelectric sites that had fallen into disrepair have been restored, and biomass generators have been constructed in several areas. The state’s only nuclear power plant, Maine Yankee, near Wiscasset, closed in 1997, and Maine has come to depend more on energy purchases from areas outside the state to supplement its own production.
Manufacturing, services, and taxation
The service sector represents the largest component in the market value of Maine goods and services; the manufacturing sector is second. Pulp and paper products and transportation equipment constitute the largest items in manufactured goods. Tourists—attracted by Maine’s picturesque lakes, streams, and coastal areas and by opportunities for a wide variety of outdoor activities and sightseeing—account for a large portion of retail sales and service income.
The revenue of local communities depends on several sources, including property taxes; automobile excise taxes; fees for hunting, driving, and other licenses; state aid for education, roads, and welfare; and federal grants-in-aid. State revenues are obtained from a corporate and personal income tax, inheritance tax, sales and use taxes, motor fuel taxes, tobacco and alcoholic beverage taxes, licenses and miscellaneous taxes, federal grants-in-aid, and a state lottery.
Transportation
Since 1950 Maine has made major changes to its transportation infrastructure that have both improved and restricted accessibility to different parts of the state. Northern Maine became more accessible when Interstate Highway 95 was extended into the region in the 1960s, and the north woods were opened up considerably when a private road system was developed in them. Maine depends heavily on its highways for ground transportation. Buses provide urban, intrastate, interstate, and passenger service; free shuttle buses and trolleys serve many recreational areas. Portland and Searsport are the major seaports. State-run and private ferry services carry passengers and freight to many of the coastal islands, and Portland and Bar Harbor have ferry connections with the Canadian port of Yarmouth, N.S. Railroads mainly carry freight, but Amtrak passenger trains travel daily between Boston and Portland. Portland International Jetport provides regularly scheduled interstate and intrastate flights as well as international air service. Several airlines operate from Bangor to points within and outside Maine; commuter airlines in other cities also provide limited service to other Maine communities and to Boston.
Government and society
Constitutional framework
The state constitution, adopted in 1819, is based on the constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and reflects colonial traditions of checks and balances. The governor is Maine’s chief executive officer, whose power is checked by the members of the two-chamber state legislature (House of Representatives and Senate) and their joint standing committees. This legislature elects several executive officers, including the attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, and state treasurer. Department heads, appointed by the governor, are subject to the approval of the Senate. In 1957 the state legislature approved a constitutional amendment that extended the governor’s term of office from two to four years, with a two-term limit.
Members of both the 35-member Senate and 51-member House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms; the House also seats two nonvoting members, representatives of the Penobscot Nation and the Passamaquoddy Tribe. The president of the Senate is the constitutional successor to the governor. Maine has a three-tiered judicial branch, including district courts, superior courts, and a supreme court. Probate courts serve at the county level.
Maine’s 16 counties traditionally have provided an administrative framework for the superior court system, law enforcement, land records, and probate practice and for some road maintenance and construction functions. Town government, with the annual town meeting and a board of selectmen, prevails in most communities. More than 20 communities operate under city charters. Professional managers are used in most cities and in many towns.
Beginning with the election of 1954, traditional Republican dominance in Maine’s state offices and national representation ended. Thereafter, Democrats have competed successfully with Republicans for the governorship and for federal and state legislative seats. Party officials are elected in local caucuses and state conventions. Nominations for county and state offices are obtained through primary elections; with the exception of 1996 and 2000, when Maine conducted federal presidential-preference primaries, the political parties conduct municipal caucuses to determine the number of delegates for each candidate that will attend their state convention. The state convention selects representatives to the national convention.