10 Unusual, Fun Facts About the State of Maine

It's always fun and easy to write about Maine. There's just so many weird people and weird things that happen in this state. It's also why I love Maine so much. There's never a dull moment. Here's a mix of fun facts about the state, along with some observations. Some are from usnews.com, so let's see if you know one, a few, or all of these.

1. Maine is the largest of the six New England states.
This one is kinda obvious if you're looking at a map, but we had to start out easy.

2. Stephen King, one of the most iconic novelists in horror, is actually a Maine native and was once a high school English teacher here.

3. Everyone refers to "up north" as "up-ta-camp".
This one is truly amazing. It's almost like swearing if you don't refer to northern Maine as "up north" or some kind of nickname.

4. Maine's official state insect is the honeybee.

5. Maine, known as the Pine Tree State, contains approximately 17.6 million acres of forest land, covering 89% of the state's land area.

6. The origin of where Maine got its name from is still unknown. I've heard many theories (like how it derives from the "main land"), but nothing has ever been confirmed.

7. Maine was once a part of Massachusetts.

8. More often than not, a store will be pet-friendly. I've walked into T.J. Maxx before and been asked why I didn't bring my dog with me. Amazing.

9. Maine has over 40,000 acres of fresh, wild blueberries. Lots of Mainers love their blueberry pie.

10. Maine is, by opinion, the friendliest and most free state I have ever lived in. Mainers are just built kindly, I swear.