At the end of every year, Google does a wrap-up of certain cities, towns, and regions all across the globe based on what they've been Googling the most. Typically, those results are rather mundane and boring, filled with searches about the closest gas stations or best restaurants nearby.

Google
Google
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But if you dig in a little deeper on Maine, it appears the residents of Vacationland have a few peculiar interests and hobbies that other states don't have. The year-end wrap for Maine concentrates on three areas around Portland, Bangor, and Presque Isle. Here are the good, bad, and weird Google trends for Maine in 2022.


Wordle

Wordle Photo Illustrations
NurPhoto via Getty Images
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Do you still play Wordle every single day? Apparently, people in Portland, Maine, do. More than any other region in the United States, people in and around Portland searched about Wordle. Are we just suckers for a good word game, or are we all cheating to ensure our streak stays alive? Only Google knows for sure.


 

Artisan Bread

Bread
YelenaYemchuk
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For several years now, Portland has been quietly trying to shake the notion that it's a "hipster" city. But when one of your top Google trends for 2022 is searches about "artisan bread", bro, you ain't shaking that label. Artisan bread, fancy cheese, and craft beer. Let's have a dinner party.


 

Podiatrist Near Me

Foot care on beach
kosziv
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There was only one Google search that was trending in all three regions in Maine: searches for podiatrists near me. It's fair to wonder what the hell is going on with people's feet in Maine from Madawaska to York. Then again, if you're a podiatrist reading this from another state, there's high demand for your expertise, and also, welcome to Maine.


 

Acoustic Music

Man playing music at black wooden acoustic guitar
Cristian Gabriel Kerekes
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The people of Maine have long loved and supported live music, but try to wrap your head around this factoid: not a single region in the entire United States searched Google more for acoustic music than Bangor, Maine. Google doesn't specify whether people are searching for tracks to listen to or performances to catch in person. All we know is that people in and around Bangor love acoustic music.


 

Steller Sea Eagle

Getty Images/iStockphoto
Getty Images/iStockphoto
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For bird-lovers, the fact that the Bangor area led the nation in searches for the Steller Sea Eagle probably comes as no surprise. The saga of the rare, Eastern Siberian bird was hot news amongst nature lovers in 2022. For everyone else, you're doing a double-take. The Steller Sea Eagle has a chance to make it two years in a row because it has made its way back to Maine, and people are geeked about it.


 

Shrimp Scampi

Homemade Lemon Shrimp Scampi
Getty Images/iStockphoto
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If you've been been to northern Maine, you know that the "county" specializes in outdoor recreation, potatoes, and shrimp scampi? Maybe not shrimp scampi, but it appears the people that live in the Presque Isle area love themselves some of the decadent dish. Presque Isle was the only region in the entire United States that had shrimp scampi as its top searched recipe.


 

Bee Exterminators Near Me

Man spraying vegetables in the garden
fotokostic
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Is there a bee problem in northern Maine? You might believe there is, considering 'bee exterminator near me' was the third most-searched phrase in the Presque Isle region. Only searches about oil and libraries were more frequent in the Presque Isle area over bee exterminators. While bees seem to be having issues thriving in other regions of the country, northern Maine seems to be the opposite.


 

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