On Saturday September 13th, my friends and i visited Old Orchard Beach. It was the start of the school year and as our yearly tradition, (we had not seen each other all summer), we went to the beach on the first of the weekend in order to hang out and have fun. It was a warm day for September, and we were able to lie on the beach and catch some sun. We didn't go into the water because the weather wasn't that warm. There happened to be a lot of college students there, mostly from USM, and we recognized many of them. We sat on the beach most of the day. There were quite a lot of tourists there too. This is the finial days for Old Orchard Beach, and many shops were having 50% off sales because they were about to close up for the fall and winter. However, there were a few stores that were staying open through October. Palace Playland was open but not many rides were going. The Ferris wheel above was broken and was not operational. When it started to get colder outside, my friends and I packed our belongings and headed back to school. However before we left, we took a picture of all of us in a gazebo that we had parked next to. 
Historical Significance
When I think of Old Orchard Beach i think of two things, the big Ferris wheel and the pier. These two things are implanted in most beach goers and most tourists. Old Orchard Beach has a long Maine history and is one of the oldest towns that Maine has.
Old Orchard Beach was established by Thomas Rogers in 1657 but in most textbooks the town was seen as a settlement in 1658. The length of the beach is eleven miles. Before this beach town even became an official town, Old Orchard Beach was a popular getaway and tourists attraction in 1631. Tourists would stay at local farms, paying them for room and board. Eventually a train route was built between Boston and Portland and Old Orchard Beach was one stop between these two cities.
One of the many things that Old Orchard Beach has is an abundance of shops and taverns. The main drag of the beach is covered in tourists shops and t-shirt stands. Palace Playland is the only amusement park in Maine that is built on a beach and beach goers can freely walk around the park or use its rides and games. In addition to having all the shops and the amusement park, the highlight of the beach is the pier.
The pier originally built in 1898 was 1,770 feet long built out of steel with a casino at the end of it. The casino housed a ballroom the could accommodate 5,000 dancers. A storm eventually destroyed some of the pier and the pier was shortened by 170 feet. Ten years after this storm another storm hit the pier and destroyed it. The pier was rebuilt out of wood but was reduced to only 700 feet in length.
Tourism is the biggest thing that Old Orchard Beach has and this is what it will always have. Old Orchard's revenue from its tourist season greatly helps Maine economy. OOB is significant to Maine because without it the economy in Maine wouldn't be where it is today. Since Maine's economy is heavily dependant on the tourists that visit the state, with Old Orchard Beach's attraction, the contribution alone shows its importance to the state of Maine.
Resources: Wikipedia
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