As you travel the roads that roll through town after town, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more beautiful and scenic countryside.

Most towns are small, founded in the 1800s, and rural in nature. Some are on the coast, busied by the commerce of US Route 1; others are inland, and set amongst rolling fields, blueberry barrens, apple orchards and farms. When it comes to town character they are all unique architecturally and geographically, each reflecting their ancestral heritage.

Some are on the coast, busied by the commerce of US Route 1; others are inland, and feature blueberry fields and farms. Still, when it comes to town character, geography is not destiny. There are deeper intangibles to explore.

Towns here in Maine are generally governed by an elected board of selectmen. Larger towns might have a town manager as well, or a mayor. Some decisions are put to the vote of the townspeople in the grand New England tradition of town meeting. Many aspects of town government are handled by volunteer committees — this includes zoning and land use. The State of Maine requires that each town have a comprehensive plan to govern its growth, and that directly affects landowners. What a town’s code allows, and how it is applied by individual code enforcement officers can make all the difference on some home improvement projects.

We will gladly share our impressions, but it’s your own that matters most. The best way to find out about a town is to drive through it, stop at the town office, talk with the clerk, pick up a town report. Walk your dog, take your kids to the school playground, buy a local newspaper at the general store, have a picnic. Talk to anyone you can; you’ll see firsthand what it’s like to live there, and you’ll have a feel for whether it’s a fit for you.