Until this week, when the circulation department first showed it to me, I’d never seen this map before. Intellectually, I knew that Down East has a surprisingly long reach for a state magazine (and this doesn’t even show our international subscribers, not to mention those in Alaska and Hawaii), but there’s something about seeing an illustration that brings an idea to life.

What struck me about this map were the strange clusters of readers scattered about in unexpected places. It makes sense that we would have tens of thousands of subscribers in Maine. And given that our state is the nation’s second-home capital, with more seasonal residences than any other, it follows that you’d see concentrations of readers throughout the Northeast, within a day’s drive of the Piscataqua River Bridge. But that little clump of greenness around Dallas surprised me, as did that verdant oasis in Colorado. The empty spaces were telling, too. We need to ramp up our subscription efforts around Sioux Falls, I’d say.

One of the things I’ve learned over the years, watching publications come and go, is that the most successful regional magazines are those located in places with the strongest regional identities. Maine is such a place. There’s a mystique to the Pine Tree State that captures the imaginations of people all across the country. I’ve actually spoken over the phone with subscribers who have never set foot in Maine.

The way I see it, this map is actually a painted portrait of you — the people who love Maine the most. And you’re a pretty handsome bunch, if I do say so myself.