Small Maine Town Named ‘Ugliest’ in the Entire State

'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is likely a phrase you've heard dozens of times. The general meaning of that phrase is that while one person may view something as unsightly, another could find it stunning. So to any of our friends in the small, hard-working town of Howland, Maine, this isn't personal. According to the website Travel A Lot, the small town of just over 1,000 people has been deemed the 'ugliest' in the entire state.

Before busting out the old prom photos showing your perfect smile, being called the 'ugliest' town in Maine has nothing to do with individual looks for the fine residents of Howland. Instead, Travel A Lot proclaims that Howland is unattractive for a variety of reasons not pertaining to townsfolk. One of them may be the ATM located in a muddy parking lot next to the abandoned bus.

Travel A Lot's reasoning has mostly to do with the town's current state and its future prospects. Howland is a riverfront community that has not maximized its scenery nor found a draw to bring in visitors or new residents. Given its sparse population, Howland isn't exactly ripe with career opportunities, which is a major part of the problem.

Travel A Lot mentions that most jobs in town are related to local gas stations or odd jobs. The most confusing criticism of Howland is that it doesn't have any 24/7 restaurants. Most of Maine doesn't have them anymore, so knocking Howland for a lack of restaurants seems strange.

So is this a fair assessment of Howland? Not particularly. Could other towns or cities in Maine be deemed just as "ugly" or even 'uglier'? Absolutely. Several towns throughout the state struggle with the same issues that Howland has, and they don't even have spectacular river views like above.