Less than an hour by car from Boston, Maine's southernmost region is by far its most visited region. York County is also the state's fastest-growing county, experiencing a development boom that's only likely to continue with the widening of the Maine Turnpike and recent return of passenger rail service in the form of the new Amtrak Downeaster.
 York Beach is a honky-tonk kind of village, with a carousel and arcades along the beach, and Maine's biggest zoo and amusement park a block away. York Village, also known as Old York, is a quaint Maine town with steepled churches and a village green and is home to several historic Revolutionary-era buildings that are part of the Old York Museum.
In York Harbor and York Village, which are both quieter than York Beach, you'll find quaint shops and art galleries, tree-lined streets, and beautiful, stately homes with eye-popping views. York Harbor is filled with working lobster boats as well as grand yachts, and has its own small, scenic beach with gentle surf. At the end of Harbor Beach is the beginning of the famed Cliff Walk, a path that winds between the sea and beautiful old summer cottages and ocean-side estates as it hugs the rocky cliff.  Settled in 1623, Kittery is Maine's oldest town and is famous for ship building. In the 1800's, the Navy Yard in Kittery was its biggest attraction. Kittery, and the quiet neighboring town of Eliot, is an area rich in history and scenic beauty. Kittery is the home of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, and has a proud maritime past. Many of the most famous ships of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars were built in Kittery including the Kearsage, which is known for sinking the Confederate raider Alabama. Kittery's historic roots spread farther than just the Navy yard - Kittery is home to some of the oldest homes in Maine. From Garrisons to Capes all the typical colonial architecture of early America can be found here.
Two parks, Fort McClary and Fort Foster, offer fascinating glimpses into the area's military past and gorgeous harbor views. Fort Foster is the site of Kittery's enormously popular summer Seaside Festival. Cape Neddick, the residential suburb of York, was the last section of York to be developed due to its geographic remoteness from the town center. Lumbering operations and its associated mills along Cape Neddick Josias Rivers furnished employment. The name Cape Neddick is one native place name that has survived and remained a prominent landmark since contact, known first as a navigational marker and today as the site of an oft-photographed lighthouse.The English added the word "Cape", but Neddick is believed to be an Algonkian word meaning "solitary" and refers to the nubble of land isolated from the peninsula. | 
