Maine is ‘a sleeping giant’ — Rankings finds the state patriotic, safe and with great food

17-month-old Olivia Romanelli of Glenburn reacts to applause as she showed off her fancy stickwork on a snare drum before her dad Sgt. Rick Romannelli, a baritone saxophonist, and other members of the 195th Maine Army National Guard Band performed during Corinth's 200th Birthday "Incorporation Day" celebration in this 2011 BDN file photo. Real estate website Motovo named Maine the country's second most patriotic state. (BDN photo by John Clarke Russ)

17-month-old Olivia Romanelli of Glenburn plays a snare drum before her dad, Sgt. Rick Romanelli, and other members of the Maine Army National Guard Band performed during Corinth’s 200th birthday celebration in this 2011 BDN file photo. Real estate website Motovo named Maine the country’s second most patriotic state. (BDN photo by John Clarke Russ)

Over the past few weeks, Maine has gotten another wave of listicle/ranking love, and rather than milk them all individually for blog posts, we’ve decided to cram them all into a single roundup.

The real estate website Motovo has blasted out a pair of July maps ranking states on their respective patriotism (what with Independence Day this month) and safeness.

A third list, posted by Thrillist.com, lined up all the states based on how good their food and drink are.

Maine, a certifiable champion in the world of Internet rankings, fared well in all three.

Motovo placed Maine second only to South Carolina in terms of state patriotism, writing this:

As far as states that know how to celebrate their past and their future, Maine’s got it handled. With the fourth most historic national landmarks per capita and the highest voter percentage in our top 10, it’s pretty apparent why the Pine Tree State ranked No. 2 overall. This state is also home to a fair amount of veterans, with about one in 10 locals having served. It’s hard to deny that this state knows how to work for the betterment of our country.

That same website, using U.S. Census and FBI Uniform Crime Report data, subsequently posted a state-by-state ranking that placed Maine the fifth safest state in the country (Maine is annually found to be one of the nation’s safest places, so Motovo’s realization on this front shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone here).

Here’s Motovo’s writeup on Maine’s safety ranking:

Speaking of non-violent states, it would be hard not to mention Maine for that particular criterion. For starters, this state had the lowest violent crime ranking, at only 121 of those crimes per 100,000 people. It also didn’t hurt that the murders here were the eighth lowest on our list. While Maine did do a little worse in property crime, where it ranked 14th, this state had the 10th lowest overall crime and is a perfect place for people who want to not fret about personal safety and space.

Motovo's Map of America's Safest States (Ranked from safest to least safe)

Motovo’s Map of America’s Safest States (Ranked from safest to least safe)

While we’re on the subject of stuff Maine has been lauded for repeatedly before, let’s make a segue to Thrillist, which placed the state at No. 10 in terms of having the best food and drink.

Dante Altavilla , then 5, enjoys a bite of lobster at the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland.  (BDN file photo by Leanne Robicheau)

Dante Altavilla , then 5, enjoys a bite of lobster at the Maine Lobster Festival in Rockland. (BDN file photo by Leanne Robicheau)

Ever since Portland was named America’s “Foodiest Small Town” by Bon Appetit magazine in 2009, Maine and its largest city have been buried by accolades for their food — just last month, Portland topped Kitchen Daily’s list of Best American Cities for Food, for instance.

California, Texas and New York finished first, second and third, respectively, in this one. Maine finished just behind No. 9 Kentucky and just ahead of No. 11 North Carolina.

Thrillist’s writeup on Maine:

The Pine Tree State is a bit of a sleeping giant in the food world, and not simply because it is actually so big that you can be hundreds of miles North of Montreal, and still in Maine. Their dominance in the lobster game is legendary, as are the tiny lobster shacks covering a wide swath of Southern Maine, but seafood, in general, is often incredible. Their blueberries are tiny, sweet, and equally glorious; their beer game — led by Allagash, Shipyard, Rising Tide, and Maine Beer Company — is strong; and everyone in the New England area seems to have simultaneously started carrying Downeast Cider, which started in Waterville. And on top of all that, they have Portland, a small city that’s quickly becoming known as a food/drink destination, thanks to spots like Fore Street, Eventide Oyster, and Duckfat.