Just like the rest of the country, getting into Canada from Maine means stopping to show passports, answering questions and in some cases getting out of the car to chat with border control. This experience is typical… unless you live in one small town in Northern Maine. Here, the border actually runs THROUGH the neighborhood. You can sit in your Canadian backyard and then cook a meal in your American kitchen.
Those wishing to enter Canada from Maine will be met with a sign like this most of the time.
joeshlabotnik / Flickr Border crossings between Canada and the US are typically very official with customs agents ready and waiting to give their permission to those seeking adventure on the other side.
However, there’s one town in Maine with a very unique predicament.
magtravels / Flickr
Estcourt Station is technically in Maine, but you can’t actually GET there without going through Canada.
Google Maps
You’ll need to make your way to the Northern town of Fort Kent where you’ll drive through a small piece of the Canadian province, New Brunswick.
partychief3 / Flickr From here, continue for about an hour on rough roads in logging towns where you better hope you can speak French.
To get back to Maine, you’ll need to go to the small town of Pohénégamook in Quebec which is literally just across the street.
VideoVik / Flickr
While this might sound peculiar, the REALLY strange part is that some of the homes in Estcourt Station actually straddle the Canada and US border, meaning that residents can live in both countries at the same time.
Google Maps A holdover from the power struggle between the US and Britain, we have the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 to thank for this unique border arrangement.
Despite there being a small checkpoint, the actual border line bounces around running through backyards, gardens and even separating kitchens from living rooms.
joeshlabotnik / Flickr
To confuse matters more, the homes that sit in Estcourt Station all have Quebec 418 area codes and their electricity is supplied by Hydro-Québec. while their mail is delivered by the US Post Office.
neilharvey / Flickr
The local Estcourt Station Gulf Gas Station can be found about 200 feet beyond the border, placing it in America.
joeshlabotnik / Flickr But, if you’re in Pohénégamookwant and need to fill up you better make sure border control is open.
Authorities here maintain that residents are responsible for knowing exactly where the border is to avoid breaking the law by entering either country illegally.
Google Maps
In 2003 a Canadian man crossed the border for gas at this station after the border control office was closed.
Mrgriscom / Wikimedia Commons He was caught by US border patrol agents and spent 35 days in jail for an illegal entry into the US. Later, Secretary of State Colin Powell admitted that this was an “unfortunate incident.”
While it might seem like this is an easy place to cross the border undetected, the reality is that even accessing the border is an arduous task.
The closest town is more than an hour away, making Estcourt Station a true destination versus just a place you’d go to visit. The roads leading to the town are unpaved and mostly used for logging trucks. In spring and summer months, the roads are muddy. Winter means tire chains and a lot of practice.
With its ability to create a Canadian backyard while making an American front yard, there truly is no other international border in the country quite like this one.
For more unexpected things found in Maine, check out this article which lists the 10 weirdest places you can possibly go in Vacationland.
joeshlabotnik / Flickr
Border crossings between Canada and the US are typically very official with customs agents ready and waiting to give their permission to those seeking adventure on the other side.
magtravels / Flickr
Google Maps
partychief3 / Flickr
From here, continue for about an hour on rough roads in logging towns where you better hope you can speak French.
VideoVik / Flickr
A holdover from the power struggle between the US and Britain, we have the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842 to thank for this unique border arrangement.
neilharvey / Flickr
But, if you’re in Pohénégamookwant and need to fill up you better make sure border control is open.
Mrgriscom / Wikimedia Commons
He was caught by US border patrol agents and spent 35 days in jail for an illegal entry into the US. Later, Secretary of State Colin Powell admitted that this was an “unfortunate incident.”
While it might seem like this is an easy place to cross the border undetected, the reality is that even accessing the border is an arduous task.
The closest town is more than an hour away, making Estcourt Station a true destination versus just a place you’d go to visit. The roads leading to the town are unpaved and mostly used for logging trucks. In spring and summer months, the roads are muddy. Winter means tire chains and a lot of practice.
With its ability to create a Canadian backyard while making an American front yard, there truly is no other international border in the country quite like this one.
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