Dirigo Pugnam Libertas ("I Lead the Fight for Freedom (also "I Direct the Fight for Freedom")") | |||||||
| Capital (and largest city) |
Portland | ||||||
| Other cities | Bangor, Lewiston, Augusta, Presque Isle, Kittery | ||||||
| Language official |
English | ||||||
| others | French, Arabic, Somali | ||||||
| Demonym | Mainer | ||||||
| Governor | Libby Mitchell | ||||||
| Lieutenant Governor | Stephen King | ||||||
| Population | 3,467,251 | ||||||
| Established | March 20, 1820 | ||||||
| Annexation | to Republic of New England's creation | ||||||
| date | April 3, 1986 | ||||||
| Currency | New England Dollar (NE Dollar) | ||||||
| Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time | ||||||
The State of Maine is the northernmost region of the Republic of New England, bordered to the south by the State of New Hampshire. It is the only state of New England that borders only one other state. It's northern border is split between the Republic of Quebec and the Eastern Republic of Acadia.
It's governor is Libby Mitchell, a member of the Progressive Social Democratic Party (PSDP). It's Lieutenant Governor is Stephen King, a prominent author of many books and an early advocate of New English independence, and a Senator in the New English congress. King is also a member of the PSDP. King has written many books and for a wide variety of topics and genres, from horror such as It and The Shining (among many others) to political manifestos, such as the PSDP's manifesto for 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010. King, despite being just the Lieutenant Governor, is actually the more famous of the two members of the executive branch of Maine, as being a prominent political activist and writer has kept him in the spotlight since the 1980s.
Maine's official nickname is the "Pine Tree State", a name bestowed upon the region before the founding of the Republic of New England, but has recently been called "The Forefather of New English Freedom", as many prominent Maine politicians, and many "Intolerable Actions" by the United States Government led to the secession of New England, such as the Woodstock Massacre.
The Executive Capital of the Republic of New England is in the town of Kittery, right on the border with New Hampshire.
Modern History and Politics
In the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Maine was one of the many states that accepted people of "countercultures" and racial, religious and sexual minorities. As such, the city of Portland swelled to over 150,000 people, and the Village of Woodstock held the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969, in which United States President Spiro Agnew initiated the Woodstock Massacre, one of the many events that led to the secession of New England.
The "counterculture" arrivals in Maine solidified it as a staunchly left-wing area in the United States. It remains very left-wing to this day, but Centrist politicians (such as George Mitchell and Susan Collins) have also come out in recent years, leading former Maine governor Angus King (Independent) to say "Mainers are very politically independent. The people of Maine will vote their feelings, and strongly dislike partisan politics."
It is still a very diverse and very liberal state. Rural areas generally support Conservative or American Reunionist Party candidates, but the populaces of Portland, with 150,000 people and Bangor, with 90,000 people, are staunchly PSDP, and the RNE's second president, Milton Emerson, Jr., was Head of the New England Anti-Conservative Organization (NEACO) and a prominent Socialist Party member at the 1986 New England secession.
Maine remains a popular destination for Iraqi, Somalian and Sudanese immigrants escaping warlords and genocide in their homelands. Arabic and Somali are common languages in the larger cities. French is also common around the Republic of Quebec border, but English is by far the dominant language throughout the state.
There is an active Acadian Nationalist wing in Maine politics, as some people along the border to the Eastern Republic of Acadia want the Republic of New England to cede some or all of Maine to the ERA. They're generally extremist, and almost never make political gains. Acadia is also staunchly opposed to the Maine cession to the ERA, with Premier Darrell Dexter of the New Democratic Party (NDP) saying "Acadia and Acadians strongly believe in Republic of New England's sovereign territory, and that includes all of Maine."
Libby Mitchell became the first female governor of Maine, after her election in 2010. Stephen King, New England Senator from Bangor, ran on the equal rights and economic equality platform with Mitchell, and defeated Centrists Eliot Cutler and Shawn Moody, and Conservatives Paul LePage and Kevin Raye. Mitchell/King won in a landslide, with the next closest finishers being Cutler/Moody, 20 points behind.
Capital City
The capital of Maine has switched hands several times throughout it's history. Portland had been Maine's capital in some form 1633 onward. After Maine became an American state in 1820, it's capital was again declared to be Portland. However, in 1827, the capital was moved to Augusta, and the legislature moved to Augusta in 1833 after the Maine State House was built.
Augusta remained Maine's capital city until 1987, when it was moved back to Portland. The Maine State House was turned into a museum about Maine's history, and was rebuilt using the original blueprints in downtown Portland, taking up several abandoned warehouses and factories, and helping rejuvenate the downtown Portland area. The capital of Maine has remained in Portland since then. The Governor's Mansion (colloquially named the "New Blaine House") is on Congress Street in the "Old Port" neighborhood.
Sports
Hockey is a very popular sport throughout New England, with several teams in the New England Hockey League having homes in cities and towns throughout Maine. Baseball, American football, football, and basketball are also popular in Maine. Curling, which was popular in Canada and continues to be in the Eastern Republic of Acadia and Republic of Quebec, is also popular in Maine, as it is surrounded on two sides by former Canadian territory.