Welcome to Skowhegan

Skowhegan, a community of 8,800 residents, is the county seat of Somerset County. The town has a rich history of being an economic leader in manufacturing with an emphasis on quality shoes and forest products.

The Town of Skowhegan is located in central Maine, approximately 100 miles north of Portland, Maine’s largest city. The Town is considered a gateway to Canada. The Kennebec Chaudiere International Corridor is a historic, cultural and heritage corridor which unites the Province of Quebec to the State of Maine.

A few miles west of Skowhegan is Sugarloaf Mountain, a premier skiing resort that is considered one of the best in the country. A few miles north of Skowhegan is the famous Moosehead Lake Region which, along with our prestigious mountain ranges, comprises one of Maine’s best kept secrets – the beauty of the State’s interior lakes and mountains.

Skowhegan is a service center community providing shopping, restaurants, an excellent medical center, a regional school system and many other services to people of several communities and to the many visitors to this area. US Routes 2 and 201 intersect in Skowhegan placing the town in an ideal position for tourism and commerce growth.

Known for their excellence throughout the world, New Balance athletic shoes are manufactured in Skowhegan at a facility employing several hundred people. Skowhegan is also the home of South African Pulp and Paper (SAPPI) Somerset Mill where high quality coated papers are produced for fine commercial printing of leading magazines and catalogs.

In 2005, the Town of Skowhegan was named a Maine Street USA community. This designation is derived from a program that targets key communities across the country for their commitment to preserve and enhance downtown centers. Skowhegan’s energies to succeed with this program have been significantly bolstered through the award of three major grants from the Community Development Block Grant program.

Please enjoy your visit to our Web site, or better still, we welcome you to visit our community and see for yourself the many fine features that makes Skowhegan what it is.

Very Truly Yours,

Phil Tarr
Town Manager