Our Southern Coast is all these things. It is the flirtatious belle at the masquerade ball with a different mask in hand for each suitor. This is the reason we love it. Although neither of us was born here, we decided to stay because of the coast's many offerings and their proximity to each other. Then there are the towns such as York and Old Orchard Beach that seem to disappear altogether once the souvenir shops and arcades close after summer and all the tourists head home.
Tourism is one of the state's largest industries.
Fishing is another. As you drive down our back roads, you'll see stacks of lobster crates piled high on more than one lawn. Much of the financial strength along our Southern Coast comes from out of state and goes south when the summer ends, but the real wealth here in Maine is in its people. We know one woman who dresses like she couldn't afford her next meal but lives in her town's most luxurious house. She just doesn't feel like buying the clothes to prove it.