Peace, Beauty, and Space to Breathe: Maine Ranks Among the Best

I was recently chatting with a friend who lives just off the Beltway in Northern Virginia. If you know anything about the Beltway, you probably know where this story is going.

Even though his office is only a few miles away, he still spends more than two hours a day in his car.

Could you imagine living like that? Stuck in gridlock day in and day out, while your life seemingly passes you by?

Thankfully, the worst traffic jam in Maine takes about 10 minutes to deal with—unless we're talking about the disaster in Wiscasset, but that rant is for another day.

Maine is Commonly Known for Being One of the Most Peaceful and Serene States

This is just one example of the advantages of living in an idyllic state—one that’s blissfully free of, well, people.

Most of Maine is remote and perfectly spaced out, with easy access to life’s necessities. Plus, you're never far from a trail, mountain, lake, beach, park, or simply a quiet spot.

Maine has minimal natural disasters, no native poisonous snakes or spiders, low crime rates, and no major cities to pollute the area with smog, light, or noise. Almost the entire state offers incredible views of the stars at night. It truly is an oasis.

These are just a few of the reasons why the state was recently named one of the most peaceful in America.

How Peaceful is Maine Compared to Other States?

The lifestyle website Far and Wide put out a list of the most peaceful states, and wouldn't you know it, Maine blew away most of the competition.

Here is a little about why Far and Wide selected Maine as the second most peaceful state.

Quiet, beautiful and remote, Maine effortlessly exudes peace. The state is mostly rural, with lots of farmland as well as several state and national parks. A generous coastline is dotted with small historic towns decorated with sailboats and graced with gorgeous sunrises.

Maine was only beaten by its northern New England cousin, Vermont. The Green Mountain State took top honors, while New Hampshire rounded out the top three, making it a clean sweep for the tri-state area. I guess there's no denying where the most peaceful region of America is.

Other states on the list came from all over. The most surprising? New Jersey. There is nothing peaceful about New Jersey. I don’t care that there may be, like, one farm in the northwest corner of the state, it’s still New Jersey.

READ MORE: Legendary Maine State Park Named One of America's Best

Congratulations to Maine. Here’s to hoping that peaceful way of life continues for as long as possible.