YARMOUTH, Maine — Back in February, when Maine’s iconic mapmaker DeLorme was acquired by global GPS giant Garmin, many worried about the fate of DeLorme’s popular Maine Atlas and Gazetteer.
Garmin announced after the acquisition that they’d decide the fate of the gazetteers some time in the future.
On Tuesday, Mainers and folks across the country received great news: Garmin will continue to produce the popular series in all 50 states and will continue to market them under the DeLorme name.
For many adventurous Mainers, that book of maps has served as a nearly magical tool, making sense of rural logging roads and rural byways that crisscross the state.
It’s safe to say, in fact, that with a DeLorme’s gazetteer at your side, you could “get there from here,” after all.
After the initial acquisition of DeLorme by Garmin, some Mainers said they’d likely start stockpiling the map books, and many others shared their DeLorme memories with the BDN. Some told us they’d been using the maps for more than 30 years. Our staffer Troy Bennett even immortalized the atlas and gazetteer in a song that proved popular with DeLorme fans.
“As part of the acquisition earlier this year and subsequent integration efforts, Garmin recently completed its analysis of DeLorme’s Atlas and Gazetteer business,” Ted Gartner, Garmin’s director of corporate communications, said in a news release. “We’ve concluded that these venerated, highly respected products will not only remain as a part of Garmin’s offering, but will continue to be enhanced in the coming months and years.”
The company’s statement pointed out that paper maps continue to be popular, even as digital alternatives become more readily available.
Gartner also explained the reasons for continuing to offer the map books under the DeLorme name.
“Because the DeLorme name is so well-known and closely associated with the unique feature set and style of the Atlas and Gazetteers, which combines digital cartography with human editing, the product line will continue under the same iconic brand and familiar appearance,” Gartner said. “Furthermore, we will be revising and updating the atlas series in the coming years, by investing in additional resources and cartography staff based in the Yarmouth facility, formerly the DeLorme headquarters.”
The atlases will continue to be sold in major retailers and bookstores, according to Garmin. At the end of 2016, direct online sales will switch from delorme.com to garmin.com.
