I Don’t Fully Agree With This Maine Town Being Listed as a ‘Hippie Hideout’

Oh God, she’s sharing her opinion again.

Yes, well, you clicked it so you must be somewhat interested!!

So, let’s get into this.

I recently stumbled upon an article about the ‘Hippie Hideouts’ in America, which is just essentially a place filled with wook-like, hippie folk.

Naturally, as I do with all listicls, I scrolled through looking for the word “Maine”. I’m always curious about what lists we make and why. We actually made this list twice.

Unity, Maine

Our first debut in the article about towns in America where hippies congregate was the mention of the small town, Unity. As of 2020, the population of Unity, Maine, was 2,292, so this is truly a small Maine town.

The publication, Only In Your State, actually listed Unity as one of the most hippie towns in our state. For even more credibility, Thrillist listed it as THE most hippie town in our state.

My partner is in a band and played at a festival right next to the artsy town and it was filled with interesting museums, more than a handful of places just to drink tea, people adorning creative yet low-key attire, and people just naturally letting loose in all aspects.

There was no Vinyard Vines or basic attire in sight; the people of Unity seemed to just be one with the Earth, their environment, and nature as a whole.

So, for the reasons listed above and the fact that it’s the home to the Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association, I’m going to agree with this Maine mention in the hippie article.

Portland, Maine

Now, this is where you lose me.

If we’re looking at the hippie lifestyle as a counterculture against the societal norm, I am quickly taking Portland off the list. I LOVE our city and its art and creative scene and all of our people living in this quirky little city but I also see it as a bit of a basic place filled with people following Tik-Tok trends.

Sue me.

I would agree with it as a ‘hippie’ scene if we look into the hippie culture’s ethos of peace and love and the inclusive, harmonious community that pours in and through the hippie lifestyle.

Portland does embody those things.

But, I also don’t believe just because we have people running around in overpriced Mexicali Blues pashminas and going to Thompson’s Point concerts drinking craft beer that we are a hipster place. We are inclusive and full of love but I think it’s a bit of a stretch to put Portland, Maine, on a list of America’s ‘hippie hideouts’.

I will give Portland credit for being an artsy and creative scene that’s fairly, to some extent, off the grid, but out of all the places in the country, I just don’t know if I agree with its spot on the list.

But again, that’s just my subjective opinion.