The dream of Maine—lighthouses, dining on red lobsters, crashing shores—is encapsulated by the small, rocky Isle au Haut where reclusiveness is cultivated, but the island’s sparse inhabitants are now opening their arms and hoping to welcome new neighbors, who are landbound but share their dream, to join them on their lonely isle in Maine.
Who hasn’t dreamt of warm turtleneck knit sweaters in cottages with fog-strewn vistas overlooking the Atlantic, at some point, and thought: “Nothing else would feel so much like home!”
This dream has become a reality for American settlers since Samuel Champlain first landed on the isle in 1604 and found the mounds of seafood shells from Native Americans, who once paddled out here to escape the blackflies and mosquitos of the mainland, and to hunt clams, marine mammals, ducks, and other coastal game. And now the Isle au Haut wants to welcome you—should you fit the bill.
They are really seeking those who have the right skillsets, family values, and self-sufficiency needed to flourish in living the Maine Dream. In particular, they ask, “Do you have a small business, craft enterprise, or other form of employment that would allow you to operate from the island? Are you licensed to lobster?”
A tiny population of about 50 inhabitants always lives here on the Isle au Haut, but the number doubles seasonally as landbound residents return. There were just 5 people living here when the first deeds were documented in 1773, and that has grown to form into an extended family several hundred strong at its height.
As big fisheries and ocean liners came to dominate the fishing trade, populations on the Isle au Haut such as at Head Harbor and Duck Harbor have dwindled, with more fishermen heading to the mainland to work. Until today, there are schools with attendees hovering around zero in number and locals who were born here and still living here numbering as few as a dozen. The median age is around 50.
It appears that you are being welcomed to join that extended family. In their advert, the Isle au Haut writes: “To sustain a vibrant year-round community, we readily welcome new year-round residents. We particularly sound the call for families with children to attend our school; to people who can work remotely; to commercial fishermen—who would add to our fleet; to people who care about building community.”
It is true, they add, that life on a lonely island in Maine demands “a certain amount of self-sufficiency, creativity, and practicality,” but that certainly will prove a small price to pay for those who wholeheartedly dream the Maine Dream as they do.
For those who are interested in making the move, the Isle au Haut wants to inform you that it “owns four family rental homes that it rents out to year-round tenants,” and that if you think you might be a good fit for one of them to please indicate that on your application form.
