Has Google Maps Proven That Maine, Maine, is a Real Place?

Did you know that there's a Maine, Maine? There's been debate about whether or not it exists, because it doesn't show up on any maps. At least not until recently, when I found one that does.

According to the Maine State Library, the name "Maine" first appeared in writing in 1622 as a province, but little more is known about the origin of the name. It is, however, used in five other states:

• Maine, New York
• Maine, North Carolina
• Maine, Iowa
• Maine, Minnesota
• Maine, Arizona

There's not a whole lot of originality in naming those towns after Maine, but then there's Maine, Maine. How bad is that? But back to the question of whether or not Maine, Maine, exists.

In 2021, we posted an article asking if there really is a village in Aroostook County called Maine, Maine. At the time, there was a link to a Wikipedia page claiming that Maine, Maine, is an "unincorporated village located inside the city of Caribou." As of 2024, that page is gone. So I decided to see if I could find Maine, Maine, on Google Maps. Guess what?

A search for Maine, Maine, in Google Maps showed me that it indeed is a village in Caribou. Caribous is shown in white ,and the United States/Canadian border is not far to the east. At first, I thought it was indicating the border, but it most definitely is not.

When you look at Google Street View where Google dropped the pin, you find a farm.

So Google has unofficially put Maine, Maine, on the map, but you'd never find it otherwise.