Small Maine Town Named ‘Ugliest’ in the Entire State

Editor's note: This article was written by a Townsquare Media Northern New England contributor and may contain the individual's views, opinions or personal experiences.

'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' is likely a phrase you've heard dozens of times. The general meaning of that phrase is that while one person may view something as unsightly, another could find it stunning. So to any of our friends in the small, hard-working town of Howland, Maine, this isn't personal. According to the website Travel A Lot, the small town of just over 1,000 people has been deemed the 'ugliest' in the entire state.

Before busting out the old prom photos showing your perfect smile, being called the 'ugliest' town in Maine has nothing to do with individual looks for the fine residents of Howland. Instead, Travel A Lot proclaims that Howland is unattractive for a variety of reasons not pertaining to townsfolk. One of them may be the ATM located in a muddy parking lot next to the abandoned bus.

In actuality, Travel A Lot's reasoning has mostly to do with the town's current state and its future prospects. Howland is a riverfront community that somehow doesn't have a whole lot of pleasing scenery of the river or anything else. Given its sparse population, Howland isn't exactly ripe with career opportunities.

Travel A Lot mentions that most jobs in town are related to local gas stations or odd jobs. The most confusing criticism of Howland is that it doesn't have any 24/7 restaurants. Most of Maine doesn't have them anymore, with only one restaurant chain still operating under those strenuous hours.

So is this a fair assessment of Howland? Probably not. Could other towns or cities in Maine be deemed just as 'ugly' or even 'uglier'? You bet. Time to own it, Howland. The 2022 motto should be 'COME FEEL PRETTY IN MAINE'S UGLIEST TOWN'. Self-promotion is good promotion.