What is the most rural part of Maine? The no-man’s land between Calais and Houlton, the western Maine highlands and remote Aroostook County all have their claims.
Those regions just about evenly split the top 10 towns in the Bangor Daily News’ Rural Maine Index, a statistical model that we created to rank towns by rurality using distance to major stores, population density, commuting patterns and distance to Portland.
Here’s why these towns jumped to the front of the lineup.
Topsfield
Rank: 1
It’s about 45 minutes to Calais, 50 minutes to Lincoln and over an hour to Houlton, putting this town of 180 people in a uniquely inconvenient place along U.S. Route 1 when it comes to access to services. The town is known for a remote canoe route that goes north toward East Grand Lake.
Moose River
Rank: 2
This small town, which is the last incorporated place north of Jackman on U.S. Route 202, was settled around the time Maine became a state by the son of a Revolutionary War veteran. He may have seen it as a business opportunity given the road to Quebec that was being explored at the time. Now, it is sparsely populated but home to many outdoors-oriented businesses.
Allagash
Rank: 3
Going west from Fort Kent, this is the end of the paved road in Aroostook County, the end of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway and a sought-after moose hunting destination. (Two Rivers Lunch in the village is one of my favorite breakfast spots in all of Maine.)
It is about as far as you can get from Portland in Maine but lies only about a half-hour from stores in Fort Kent, dropping it farther down the list than anyone who has been there might think it belongs.
Weston and Danforth
Ranks: 4 and 5
These two towns belong on the list together because they sit on the Aroostook and Washington sides, respectively, of East Grand Lake. There is a small grocery store in Danforth, but bigger trips require a 45-minute drive from there to Houlton. The East Grand School is in that town, which makes that commute a little smaller than many of the other towns on this list.
Masardis
Rank: 6
This town sits on a remote part of State Route 11 on the way from southern Penobscot County to the Fort Kent region. It’s just south of Ashland, where connectivity to the rest of Aroostook County improves because you can go west to Presque Isle or north to the St. John Valley.
Jackman
Rank: 7
The biggest town in the top 10, Jackman is a four-season tourism destination and service center for its sparsely populated region, with a clinic, a small grocery store, restaurants and Forest Hills High School sitting within its borders. When you reach it on U.S. Route 201, it feels like a metropolis.
Portage Lake
Rank: 8
Just above Ashland, this town is mostly known for its large, Y-shaped lake and the businesses around it. That is headlined by Dean’s Motor Lodge, the restaurant and motel that has served weary travelers and snowmobilers for generations. ( It’s still up for sale.)
Eustis
Rank: 9
“Useless in Eustis” is a geocaching event but may as well be a motto for this outdoors hub in Franklin County. It is more than 50 miles from Farmington, which puts it farther than any other Maine town from a major grocery store, although there are several smaller ones in the region.
The Bigelow Preserve is a great alternative to other hiking destinations that are more crowded in the summer. Camping there is fairly easy, and its namesake mountain’s highest peak is above 4,000 feet.
Moscow
Rank: 10
Named in a patriotic furor over the Russian city after its citizens burned Napoleon’s soldiers out in 1812, this is the gateway to the Jackman region. Above it lies The Forks and other plantations and unorganized areas. Below it is Bingham and other small towns on the way to Skowhegan.