So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Maine?

Being the northern most state in the U.S., Maine is also the largest state in the New England region, taking up almost half the total land area of New England. It also has the distinction of being the only state to border just one other state, New Hampshire on its western side. It is bordered by Canada to the north, northeast, and northwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south.

Maine is the most sparsely populated state east of the Mississippi River. 90% of its territory is made up of forests, which has a large number of uninhabited areas in the interior of the state. Along with Maine's plentiful woodlands, it is also well known for its dramatic ocean scenery. This area is composed of sandy beaches, lighthouses, thousands of offshore islands, and many quiet fishing villages. Jagged rocks and cliffs along with thousands of bays and inlets add to the beauty of Maine's coast.

The climate of Maine, generally, is colder than many other states. Temperatures average around 10-20°F in the winters and 70-80°F in the summer. In the winters, though, wind chill can cause temperatures to drop below -20°F at times.

Weather in Maine is comparatively mild. While Maine can, on occasion, be affected by tropical cyclones, the chances of one reaching the state at hurricane strength are slim. The state also has fewer days of thunderstorm activity than any other state east of the Rocky Mountains, averaging less than 20 a year. Tornadoes, while they do happen, are rare, with the average at less than 2 a year and occurring mostly in the southern section of the state.

The estimated population of Maine, as of 2005, was 1,321,505. This figure could be very different, however, depending on the time of year. Due to the harsh winters of the state, many people have summer residences located here but vacate them during the winter. Other notable facts about the population of Maine is that it is second only to New Hampshire in the percentage of French Americans in comparison to the other U.S. states. It also has the highest percentage fo non-Hispanic whites of any state and the largest percentage of current French-speakers.

In terms of politics, Maine residents don't really show strong support to either of the main two parties. In state general elections, they tent to accept independent and third-party candidates more frequently than most other states. The politicians of Maine, both Republican and Democrat, tend to have more moderate views than many of their peers. In recent years, the Democrats have tended to win in Presidential elections and control Maine's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives while the Republicans have maintained control of the state's U.S. Senate seats.

The population of Maine are mostly affiliated with the Christian faith. 82% of residents say they are Christians. Of these, 56% are Protestant while 25% are Roman Catholic. Only 1% of the population belong to other religious beliefs while 17% consider themselves to be non-religious.

The income tax rate in Maine contains four brackets, which range from 2-8.5% of one's personal income. Maine's sales tax rate is now set at 5%, though the state also levies taxes of 7% on lodging and prepared food and 10% on short-term auto rentals.

There are several colleges and universities based within Maine to choose from if you happen to be interested in attending school there. These include such institutions as:

• The University of Maine

• The Maine Maritime Academy

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degrees page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Maine".

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