These Are Maine’s 20 Least Populated Towns—And They’re Worth the Drive

I grew up in Gorham, Maine, during the '80s and '90s. If you had asked young Chris what he thought of his hometown, he probably would have called it a sleepy little town. There wasn't much going on, there wasn't much to do, and excitement usually meant heading into Portland. To me, Gorham was just...well...Gorham.

Of course, none of this was true. Gorham was a great town to grow up in. It had plenty to do, lots of great eateries, a college campus, and, at the time, a population of over 11,000. How ridiculous was I?

I must admit, I pulled the same move last year when my wife and I moved to Hollis, a town with only 4,700 residents. Clearly, I still have very little concept of what 'little town' really means in Maine.

How Many Small Towns Can be Found Maine?

Full disclosure: when I travel, I typically go south. Sadly, I haven't spent enough time experiencing the beauty and history of our great state. However, that is about to change because I just found a whole bunch of towns I need to visit.

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While researching the Census for a project, I came across countless Maine towns with populations of less than 200. It was incredibly fascinating to see. I'm not talking about plantations and unincorporated areas, but actual incorporated towns. There are more people in line at the grocery store than live in these towns

What are the Least Populated Towns in Maine?

I was obsessed with it, so I decided to put together a list of the 20 least populated towns in Maine, and now it's a goal of mine to visit all of them. I learned a great deal just by putting the actual list together. These towns might be small in stature, but they are big in history.

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How many of these towns have you been to?

A quick note: these numbers are from the 2020 Census results. Only communities designated as towns were included.