Maine
This Maine City Has Been Named One of the Happiest in the Nation
The latest happiness report is out, and Portland has passed with flying colors.
Wallethub.com, a personal finance website, recently published its annual report on the happiest cities in America. Maine’s largest city was rather far up on the list.
Portland came in as the 17th happiest city in America, and the happiest in all of New England. This’s quite the achievement for our little city. Apparently happy things do come in small packages.
The study included every state’s two largest cities, plus the top 150 cities in the nation. Portland’s actual happiness score was a 63.46. The scoring was based on a 100-point system. Three major categories were used: emotional & physical well-being, income & employment rank, and community & environment rank. These categories were broken down into 29 subcategories, making it as detailed as possible. You can read about the methodology here.
Portland’s rankings were all found in the top 50. The lowest score could be found in emotional & physical well-being, where Portland finished with a ranking of 43rd. While lower than the others, it’s still a solid top 50 placing.
Portland’s second-best score could be found in community & environment. The city finished a ranking of 27th. I’m surprised it was this low, considering the city’s green space and overall safety. However, 27th is one of the best scores, so perhaps I’m just nitpicky.
Where Portland really shined was its income & employment rank, having finished as the third best in the nation. This category included metrics like job security, job satisfaction, and commute time. It’s really no surprise to see Portland finish so highly. However, it wasn’t the highest-ranked Maine city. That went to Lewiston, that finished as the number one city in America in this category, though sadly just 133rd overall, when combining all the metrics.
Obviously, it’s great to see Portland finish so strongly in this poll, but it shouldn’t be a shock to any of us here. Portland is a wonderful city, full of life, culture, delicious food, and vibrance. It’s easily walkable, bike-friendly, and literally has no traffic. Small cities just know how to do it better.
So, how did the rest if New England score? Here are the results.
Burlington, VT – 23
South Burlington, VT – 54
Boston, MA – 58
Nashua, NH – 64
Manchester, NH – 88
Worcester, MA – 97
Providence, RI – 102
Bridgeport, CT – 105
New Haven, CT – 114
Warwick, RI – 119
Lewiston, ME – 133
Wallethub’s happiest city went to Fremont, CA, followed by Overland Park, KS, and San Jose, CA. The most miserable city on the list was the fine hamlet of Detroit. Hey, at least the Lions are good now. You can check out the entire list here.
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Maine
Maine man accused of lighting bed on fire after fight with girlfriend
WISCASSET, Maine (WMTW) – A Maine man has been arrested after police say he intentionally set a bed on fire after a dispute with his girlfriend, while they were still in it.
Police responded Monday, March 9, to a report of a fire that had been intentionally set inside a home on Beechnut Hill Road, according to the Wiscasset Police Department.
Investigators say the homeowner, Terry Couture, 41, set the bed on fire following an argument while both he and his girlfriend were in it. Authorities said the fire was extinguished and no serious injuries were reported.
Couture was arrested and charged with attempted murder, arson, aggravated criminal mischief, and domestic violence criminal threatening with a dangerous weapon.
The investigation is ongoing.
Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.
Maine
Celebrate Maine Maple Weekend at Williams Family Farm
CLIFTON, Maine (WABI) – Maine Maple Sunday is less than two weeks away, and the Williams Family Farm in Clifton is gearing up for one of the sweetest seasons yet.
A long stretch of frost and snow meant a late start this year, but the first boil of sap has finally run through the evaporator, and maple season is officially underway.
At Williams Family Farm, everything is done by hand:
- Fresh maple syrup, bottled on-site
- Maple sugar, carefully extracted in small batches
- Baked candied pecans, cashews, and more
The Williams family has spent years working with whatever weather sends their way.
Long winters, surprise warmups, and everything in between—they’ve learned how to adapt so community members can enjoy their products.
As co-owner John Williams explains, the key is in the temperature.
“You need to have it warm during the day and still freezing at night, so typically that’s the middle of February,” said Williams. “We have a lot of trees, so we have to start tapping them before the conditions are ideal, so we start tapping way before it’s time for it to run just so we can get them all tapped. If you have ten trees in your backyard, you want to wait until roughly now, the middle of February to now, and when it’s actually running and put them in then because you can put all your taps in, in one day.”
They’re excited to welcome the community during Maine Maple Weekend on March 21 and 22.
They will be boiling up sap, hosting demonstrations, and providing free samples.
Locals can also join them for their third annual pancake breakfast where all proceeds are donated to Holbrook Recreation.
Follow the link to find out their hours for March and more.
Copyright 2026 WABI. All rights reserved.
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