Maine Places to Love: Arundel

The traditionally agricultural town was first settled in the mid-1600s, and incorporated in 1719. Today, Arundel’s historic charm, wooded areas and rolling farmland continue to attract new residents and visitors. Businesses are concentrated along U.S. Route 1, which provides easy access to neighboring towns including Kennebunkport, and to the Maine Turnpike. Small (pop. 4,259) but fast-growing, the primarily residential York County town offers a peaceful lifestyle within its 24 square miles, and was named a 2014 “Best Place to Live In Maine” by DownEast Magazine.

A Bundle of Names: Initially Cape Porpus, the town became Arundel in 1719, then Kennebunkport and North Kennebunkport from 1821 until 1957, when by town vote it became Arundel again. (arundelmaine.org)
4 Quiet Miles: Arundel’s section of the 65-mile Eastern Trail is a path through woods and wetlands between Biddeford and Kennebunk. (arundelmaine.org)
Sour Name, Sweet Music: According to legend, the Vinegar Hill Music Theatre’s name originated with a farmer’s pouring barrels of apples gone bad down the hill. Today, the historic timber barn offers live music in a range of genres. See vinegarhillmusictheatre.com.
$1.8 Million: Value of the 1948 Tucker, an attraction at the Maine Classic Car Museum on U.S. Route 1, and one of only 47 such cars remaining.
6 of the Best: All six schools in RSU 21, Arundel’s district, are among Maine’s highest-performing. (www.arundelmaine.org)
Hearty Review: Novelist/reviewer Margaret Deland called Kenneth Roberts’ 1929 novel “Arundel” “Brown bread, and roast beef, and beer!” (“Arundel,” 1956 printing)
Since 2012: Frinklepod Farm has strived “to provide our community with healthy food, preserve agricultural land, and help inspire a new generation of farmers.” (frinklepodfarm.com)
Antiques? Magnifique!: Arundel Antique Village at the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Log Cabin Road features 200 dealers and 250 display areas. (arundelantiquevillage.com)
46: The number of family burial grounds that have been identified within the town. Sounds like a boon to genealogistis. (arundelmaine.org)
Parvo Hall: The original name of the late-1800s Town Hall building, which was first a social hall, on Limerick Road. (arundelmaine.org)
3 Rs, 5 Schools: Five one-room schoolhouses provided instruction in “reading and ‘riting and ‘rithmetic” before the 1960 opening of Arundel Elementary, which is now the Mildred L. Day School. (arundelmaine.org)

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