270:. This was among the last parts of the state settled by Europeans. Due to its thankless climate it saw little settlement by the French, and British colonists arrived only after French control ended in 1763. Initially attracted by the availability of land for farming, the early British settlers soon turned to fishing to survive; fishing remains a significant economic driver. Largely due to its inhospitable climate and remoteness, Down East Maine remained one of the state's least developed areas throughout the 20th century. In more recent years, Down East Maine and the Greater Portland area have emerged as an important center for the
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came to dominate the industry. While steamships may have supplanted sailing ships in some contexts, this prominence just before the decline led Maine boatbuilders to remain in demand for sailing yachts and motor yachts; a common modern design influenced by coastal Maine's ubiquitous lobster boats is
121:. Correspondingly, sailors spoke of going "up to Boston" from Down East ports, a phrase still common in Maine, despite the fact that Boston is around fifty miles to the south of Maine. The term can be used as an adverb, adjective, or noun. The
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being the traditional referent for determining what is "Down East". As such, sailors going from one port in Maine to another nearby may have said they were going "down Maine" or "east'ard", reserving "Down East" for farther points.
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to
European markets, Down Easters were characteristically built in Maine, and their captains often came from the state. A significant part of Maine's maritime legacy, they were among the last prominent sailing ships built before
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321:, who hosted a radio show on Prince Edward Island beginning in 1939 and had a wide influence over fiddle music in Canada. The Down East style is distinguished by simple playing and dance-ready rhythms.
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The origin of the phrase "Down East" is typically traced to nautical terminology referring to direction, rather than location. In the warm months most suitable for sailing, the
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A person from this area may be called a "down-easter." Within Maine, the phrase "down east" may refer specifically to the state's easternmost regions, also called
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traces the earliest known use in print to 1825. The phrase "down-easter", meaning a person from "Down East", appeared in print in 1828.
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to go east. As such, the northeastern stretches were said to be "Down East" in relation to major western cities such as
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375:"King, Golden Led Downeast National Heritage Area Legislation Passes Congress, Heads to President's Desk"
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238:. This area, also known as "Down East Maine" or "Downeast Maine", lies on the coast roughly between the
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The phrase "Down East" is used in several ways. Most broadly, it refers to areas from northeastern
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In Maine, "Down East" may refer more narrowly to the easternmost section of the state along the
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along the coast of New
England and Canada blow from the southwest, meaning ships sail
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The
Lobster Coast: Rebels, Rusticators, and the Struggle for a Forgotten Frontier
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163:. This area is similar to the boundaries of the historical French colony of
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made by several manufacturers under names resembling 'downeaster'.
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Down East: Maine, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and the Gaspé
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207:. The term "Down East" provided the name for a prominent type of
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was established in the
National Heritage Area Act in 2022. The
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155:. Sargent F. Collier wrote that Down East extended from
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will help preserve more historic and cultural sites in
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Maine Lingo: A Wicked-Good Guide to Yankee
Vernacular
738:"What's in a Name? How Amtrak Trains Got Their Names"
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Maine Lingo: A Wicked-Good Guide to Yankee
Vernacular
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Maine Lingo: A Wicked-Good Guide to Yankee
Vernacular
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named its passenger train service between Boston and
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309:are sometimes included. The term gave its name to
217:. Down Easters were a modification of the earlier
211:developed in Maine in the later 19th century, the
844:. Mel Bay Publications. pp. 10–11, 13–14.
414:. Oxford University Press. 2016. Archived from
281:In Canada, "Down East" typically refers to the
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1825:National Heritage Areas of the United States
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509:. Oxford University Press. December 2015
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1724:Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley
1579:Crossroads of the American Revolution
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1769:Southern Campaign of the Revolution
379:U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree
75:toward the east to reach the area.
450:. New York: Viking Press. p.
25:
27:Parts of Atlantic Canada and U.S.
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242:and the border, including rural
1639:Kenai Mountains - Turnagain Arm
1634:Journey Through Hallowed Ground
1749:Shenandoah Valley Battlefields
1554:Bronzeville – Black Metropolis
596:. Houghton Mifflin. p. i.
1:
1629:llinois & Michigan Canal
592:Collier, Sargent F. (1953).
476:"Frequently Asked Questions"
339:"National Heritage Area Act"
802:. Accessed October 5, 2021.
1861:
1835:Geography of the Maritimes
1644:Lackawanna Heritage Valley
250:counties and the towns of
32:Down East (disambiguation)
29:
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644:Van Riper, Frank (1991).
274:, which is also bringing
124:Oxford English Dictionary
1830:Culture of the Maritimes
1709:Ohio & Erie Canalway
1559:Cache La Poudre Corridor
800:Maine's Creative Economy
1794:Upper Housatonic Valley
1754:Silos & Smokestacks
1502:National Heritage Areas
952:Congressional districts
568:. Merriam-Webster. 2015
442:Woodard, Colin (2004).
1659:Mississippi Gulf Coast
159:into Canada as far as
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91:National Heritage Area
841:Canadian Fiddle Music
838:Whitcomb, Ed (2010).
138:
1504:of the United States
813:"Welcome to Portlyn"
486:on October 21, 2001.
345:. December 22, 2022.
295:Prince Edward Island
30:For other uses, see
1789:Tennessee Civil War
1704:Northern Rio Grande
1649:Maritime Washington
1624:Hudson River Valley
1584:Delaware and Lehigh
987:Tourist attractions
411:Oxford Dictionaries
381:. December 23, 2022
55:, particularly the
1679:Mountains to Sound
1604:Freedom's Frontier
1519:Alabama Black Belt
819:. January 16, 2017
620:. pp. 78–79.
311:Down East fiddling
283:Maritime Provinces
153:Maritime Provinces
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65:Maritime Provinces
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1774:Southern Maryland
1739:Santa Cruz Valley
1664:Mississippi Hills
1654:Mississippi Delta
1539:Aviation Heritage
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1392:Old Orchard Beach
1118:Western Mountains
315:Canadian fiddling
16:(Redirected from
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1845:Regions of Maine
1744:Schuylkill River
1734:Sangre de Cristo
1719:Path of Progress
1569:Champlain Valley
1549:Blackstone River
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363:. April 5, 2022.
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199:Brunswick, Maine
111:prevailing winds
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1136:Androscoggin
1093:Lake Country
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821:. Retrieved
817:downeast.com
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749:. Retrieved
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383:. Retrieved
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1784:Susquehanna
1674:MotorCities
1614:Great Basin
1529:Atchafalaya
1407:Scarborough
1186:Piscataquis
1103:North Woods
1048:LGBT rights
767:Gould, John
722:January 13,
674:Gould, John
608:Gould, John
560:"Down east"
529:"Down East"
501:"Down east"
406:"Down East"
291:Nova Scotia
214:Down Easter
181:New England
161:Chaleur Bay
145:New England
49:New England
1819:Categories
1764:South Park
1714:Oil Region
1564:Cane River
1329:Waterville
1206:Washington
1146:Cumberland
947:Government
823:October 6,
659:089272448X
572:January 5,
541:January 5,
513:January 5,
506:OED Online
461:0143035347
422:January 5,
325:References
319:Don Messer
256:Bar Harbor
248:Washington
228:steamships
223:California
204:Downeaster
169:John Gould
101:counties.
99:Washington
57:U.S. state
1779:St. Croix
1544:Baltimore
1412:Skowhegan
1377:Kennebunk
1357:Brunswick
1334:Westbrook
1284:Hallowell
1274:Ellsworth
1254:Biddeford
1191:Sagadahoc
1181:Penobscot
1141:Aroostook
1098:Mid Coast
1083:Highlands
1078:Down East
1038:Education
957:Governors
942:Geography
922:(capital)
716:Down East
480:Down East
264:Jonesport
252:Deer Isle
190:Down East
105:Etymology
41:Down East
1799:Wheeling
1417:Standish
1367:Falmouth
1352:Bridgton
1309:Rockland
1299:Portland
1294:Old Town
1289:Lewiston
1279:Gardiner
1269:Eastport
1196:Somerset
1161:Kennebec
1151:Franklin
1128:Counties
1053:Politics
1043:Gun laws
1013:Cannabis
1008:Abortion
769:(2015).
676:(2015).
610:(2015).
361:MaineBiz
301:and the
268:Eastport
115:downwind
73:downwind
45:Downeast
1437:Winslow
1432:Windham
1422:Topsham
1402:Sanford
1382:Kittery
1319:Sanford
1249:Belfast
1234:Augusta
1171:Lincoln
1156:Hancock
1070:Regions
1033:Economy
1023:Culture
1001:Society
982:Symbols
972:Islands
962:History
919:Augusta
260:Machias
244:Hancock
219:clipper
179:Within
95:Hancock
1387:Lisbon
1372:Gorham
1264:Calais
1259:Brewer
1239:Bangor
1229:Auburn
1221:Cities
1176:Oxford
977:People
967:Images
929:Topics
848:
783:
747:. 2011
745:Amtrak
718:. 2016
690:
656:
624:
537:. 2016
458:
307:Quebec
293:, and
266:, and
195:Amtrak
173:Boston
165:Acadia
149:Canada
119:Boston
69:Acadia
53:Canada
43:" or "
1599:Essex
1427:Wells
1397:Orono
1201:Waldo
937:Index
909:Maine
905:State
741:(PDF)
185:Maine
157:Maine
147:into
61:Maine
1442:York
1314:Saco
1244:Bath
1211:York
1166:Knox
846:ISBN
825:2021
781:ISBN
753:2016
724:2015
688:ISBN
654:ISBN
622:ISBN
574:2015
543:2015
515:2015
456:ISBN
424:2015
387:2022
246:and
201:the
131:Uses
97:and
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