
What’s the Botton Line Definition of a Mainer?
I'm a Mainer by heart, but not by definition.
WMTW went looking for the answer to what makes a bonafide true Mainer. They went to Cundy's Harbor and talked to retired lobsterman Ron Alexander, who has lived there for 80 years. Ron says that to be a true Mainer, you have to be born in Maine.
Step one to being a true Mainer: born in Maine.
At Watson's General Store in Cundy Harbor, it's a sixth-generation store where you can grab a slice of pizza or a can of paint. No questions asked - Mainers. But what if you are a first-generation Mainer, what else do you need to be a 'true' Mainer?
You gotta own something from LL Bean and it should probably be their famous boots.
But Lowell Ruck's op-ed piece in the Bowdoin Orient from 2019 sums up when you get to use the term Mainer.
From the descendants of early settlers to more recent immigrants, most Mainers are fundamentally rooted in their communities. In contrast, many wealthier, newer residents often do not develop similar attachments—many are not around long enough in the year to truly be a part of the towns they inhabit, and they rarely abandon their old urban sensibilities when present. This cultural indifference, along with the historical imbalance between “locals” and rich visitors, is precisely what makes their adoption of the term “Mainer” so ridiculous.
READ MORE: The Happiest City to Live in New England Is in Maine
Ah, the people from away with money. Covid saw a ton of them come to Maine and probably consider themselves Mainers after plunking down way over the asking price for a house near the water. Nope - it doesn't count.
I think after nearly 40 years in Maine and most of that time on the radio talking to Mainers daily, I feel deep in my soul like a Mainer. But I know I'll always be from away.
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