"The goal of Down East has always been to hold a mirror up to Maine — its storied past and lively present — and to celebrate its flinty, independent character and unhurried way of life. As Maine has changed with the times, however, so has Down East. Today the state has come to embrace its future as well as its past. Accordingly, the magazine now focuses more on contemporary Maine life and what the future might bring and less on historical background and quaint rusticity. Booming circulation and advertising gains demonstrate the wisdom of this editorial shift."
Portland Public Library's collection of Down East is complete, and begins with the first issue, August 1954. The hard copies are available in the Portland Room.
Submissions from 2005
"North by East" piece with some statistics on Portland, including population bre
"North by East" piece with statistics on automobiles in Maine in 1905--the year
"North by East" piece with statistics on the Scotia Prince, the seasonal ferry b
"North by East" piece with statistics on visits to Maine's ski slopes from 1984-
"North by East" statistic on Maine's teen pregnancy rate, which dropped from 14.
"North by East" statistic on the decline of the sardine industry in Maine, from
Olivia Cabot has fearlessly made over a sedate townhouse on Portland's West End, Virginia Wright
Painter Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) can be said to have "invented Monhegan" throug, John Hadley
Paramedic Kevin McGinnis of Hallowell has analyzed Maine's emergency medical ser, Andrew Vietze
Peaks Island, with a year-round population of 1,000 that triples in the summer,, Wayne Curtis
Portland dining guide and restaurant directory.
Profile of and interview with Maine native Eli Pariser, 24, who leads the online, Joshua F. Moore
Profile of ceramic artist Cathryn Schroeder Hammond, who lives with her husband, Edgar Allen Beem
Profile of Dennis and Martha "Marty" Gleason, owners of Gleason Fine Art in Boot, Edgar Allen Beem
Profile of Jill Hoy, one of the state's premier plein air painters, and her husb, Edgar Allen Beem
Profile of Lucinda Yates, of South Portland, who went from homelessness to headi, Virginia Wright
Profile of Marion Gray, 80, of Port Clyde, who has been conducting Handel's "Mes, Edgar Allen Beem
Profile of Michael Heath, 44, executive director of the Christian Civic League o, Jeff Clark
Profile of painter Alex Katz, 78, of Lincolnville, whose oil paintings, acclaime
Profile of Portland native, former lawyer, and director of planning and developm, Jeff Clark
Profile of Republican centrist and U.S. senator, Susan Collins of Bangor, who is, Jeff Clark
Profile of Roxanne Quimby, founder of Burt's Bees, resident of Palm Beach and Wi, Gerry Boyle
Profile of Sue Keating of Sweet Pea Gardens in Surry, a business that she owns w, Rebecca Martin Evarts
Profile of the Reverend Paul Plante, 62, pastor of Our Lady of the Lakes Catholi, Monica Wood
Profile of "Tomato Lady" Amy LeBlanc, of Whitehill Farm in Wilton, who grows mor, Sally Noble
Profile of Vietnam vet, Bowdoin College graduate, lawyer, and executive director, Jeff Clark
Profile of wild-animal specialist Dave Sparks, 54, of Windham, who runs Sparks A, Ken Textor
Public school enrollment has dropped from a peak of 250,000 in 1975 and is predi, Jeff Clark
Ralph Owen Brewster (1888-1961) of Dexter, a two-time Republican governor of Mai, Edgar Allen Beem
Retired school superintendent Arthur Pierce, 79, of Belfast, is modest about the, Rebecca Martin Evarts
"Retiring & Relocating to Maine: A Down East Guide to Settling Down in the Pine
Round Pond, a village in Bristol on a protected harbor, has a legendary Fourth o, Elizabeth Peavey
Scarborough, a 54-square-mile area with six distinct villages, is the fastest-gr, Michaela Cavallaro
Thanks to a Right-of-Way Discovery grant from the Maine Coastal Program, the tow, Nancy Comiskey
The 1999 closing of Sherman Lumber Co. and the 2002 bankruptcy of Great Northern, Brian Fiske
The author, a self-confessed "martini snob," evaluates Chicky's Fine Diner in We, Elizabeth Peavey
The author describes how elms were planted as "Liberty Trees" in Colonial Massac, Ken Textor
The author, her husband, and another couple encountered a black bear during a hi, Elizabeth Peavey
The Federal Aviation Commission counts more than 3,000 Maine pilots, with half o, Abby Zimet
The little-known Green Acre Baha'i School in Eliot includes a retreat and confer, Tess Thompson
The mega-yachts of the super-wealthy are increasingly showing up in Maine harbor
The new Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor, named for its founder, Dr. Robert Abbe, is fu, Luther Young
The New England sport of candlepin bowling is more difficult than tenpin. Erin, Ken Textor
The official program for Designers' Showcase 2005, presented by the Portland Sym
"The Talk of Maine" piece on Look's Gourmet Food Company in Whiting. New owners, Jeff Clark
"The Talk of Maine" piece on Maine methadone clinics, five in total, that treat, Jeff Clark
"The Talk of Maine" piece on Nelson Daigle, 66, of Millinocket, who has climbed, Jeff Clark
"The Talk of Maine" piece on outdoors journalist Roberta Scruggs' controversial, Jeff Clark
"The Talk of Maine" piece on Seattle-based Plum Creek Timber's 30-year plan for, Jeff Clark
"The Talk of Maine" piece on the Androscoggin River, the dirtiest river in Maine, Jeff Clark