You’re not just choosing a business address. You’re choosing where to live. Central Maine — Oakland, Waterville, and the surrounding region — makes that choice easy: spectacular outdoor recreation, a revitalized downtown, strong schools, and a community that feels like home from the start.
Build Your Business. Live Your Life.
Great companies need great places to live. FirstPark offers businesses access to a talented workforce — and gives employees the opportunity to build a life in one of the country’s most livable states.
Oakland sits at the center of the Central Maine region — I-95 at your doorstep, Belgrade Lakes to the west, Waterville next door, and the midcoast under 90 minutes away.
Maine has 6,000 lakes and ponds, 32,000 miles of rivers and streams, and 17 million acres of forestland. That’s not a brochure stat — it’s the landscape outside your window. From FirstPark you have the Belgrade Lakes at your doorstep, the western mountains within an hour, the midcoast within ninety minutes, and the vast North Woods beyond. Whether your preferred mode is a kayak, a pair of skis, or hiking boots, this region delivers year-round.
The region is also home to MaineGeneral Medical Center, a full-service regional hospital, along with extensive specialty care throughout the Kennebec Valley — giving employees and their families access to excellent healthcare close to home.
Central Maine offers a compelling balance of affordability, quality of life, and career opportunity. Compared with higher-cost markets such as greater Boston, housing and living expenses can go further here, giving employees more room to enjoy the space, outdoor recreation, and lifestyle Maine is known for. At the same time, the region’s strong schools, healthcare systems, and civic organizations reflect generations of investment in the community — the same spirit of investment that helped create FirstPark in the first place.
FirstPark sits in Oakland, in the heart of the Belgrade Lakes Region. Three large lakes — Messalonskee (Snow Pond), Great Pond, and Long Pond — anchor a landscape that has drawn visitors since the 1870s. Two public parks offer waterfront beaches. The Messalonskee school system is consistently regarded as one of the finest in the area.
Oakland has a low tax rate, low crime rate, and the kind of community spirit that keeps families here for generations. The town’s median home value is around $217,000 — well below what you’d pay for comparable quality of life in southern New England. It’s also home to Camp Manitou, a renowned boys’ camp operating since 1947, and the Alfond Youth & Community Center, home to a beloved local landmark: a ballfield built as a two-thirds-scale replica of Boston’s Fenway Park.
The town continues to invest in its downtown and public spaces, and residents take real pride in a close-knit, small-town feel that’s still just minutes from a full range of shopping, dining, and services in neighboring Waterville. For families relocating to the area, Oakland offers an easy, welcoming entry point into central Maine living — and for FirstPark employees, it means a short and easy commute.
Directly adjacent to Oakland, Waterville is one of Maine’s fastest-growing cities. Colby College has invested more than $45 million in downtown Waterville’s revival — new hotels, arts centers, mixed-use development, and a civic energy that has transformed the city into a genuine destination. Thomas College and Kennebec Valley Community College round out a remarkably dense educational community for a city of its size.
The arts and culture scene punches well above the city’s size. The Waterville Opera House, the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, the Colby College Museum of Art, Railroad Square Cinema, and the Maine International Film Festival — all part of the community. Downtown has a growing restaurant scene anchored by locally owned spots like Front & Main and OPA.
Waterville’s ongoing revitalization has brought new energy to a city that already had strong bones — a walkable downtown, a historic Main Street, and a growing calendar of festivals and public events throughout the year. It’s increasingly common for FirstPark employees to live in Waterville and commute just minutes to the park, giving them the best of both worlds: a lively small city to call home, and a short drive to work.
Four Seasons Worth Living
Ask anyone who lives here: the seasons are a feature, not a bug. Each one brings its own rhythm and its own reasons to be outside.
Summer
Lakes, trails, golf, and long evenings. Central Maine summer is what people in other places dream about.
On the water
- Messalonskee Lake (Snow Pond) — boating, swimming, fishing, and paddling right in Oakland.
- Belgrade Lakes chain — Great Pond, Long Pond, North Pond, East Pond, and more. Belgrade Region tours.
- Kennebec and Sebasticook Rivers — flatwater paddling and fishing throughout the region.
Trails
- Quarry Road Trails, Waterville — 6.5 miles of multi-use trails, 12 minutes from FirstPark.
- Kennebec Messalonskee Trails — is a network with trailheads across Oakland, Waterville, Winslow, Fairfield, and Benton.
- Allen Whitney Memorial Forest, Manchester — 7.6 miles, easy to moderate.
Golf
- Waterville Country Club — 18 holes in Oakland.
- Fogg Brook Resort — 18-hole par 72, Palmyra.
- Pine Ridge Municipal — par 3, Waterville.
- Belgrade Lakes Golf Club — championship 18-hole course ranked among the country’s top public courses.
Arts and dining
- Maine International Film Festival — each July in Waterville.
- Waterville Opera House summer season.
- Colby College Museum of Art — free admission, one of the largest college art museums in the country.
- Local restaurants: Front & Main, OPA, Silver Street Tavern, Wild Clover Café & Market, Holy Cannoli, and Amici’s Cucina.
Autumn
Maine’s fall foliage is world-class. In central Maine, you experience it from the inside.
Foliage drives
- Route 2 — through Norridgewock, Canaan, Pittsfield, and Palmyra.
- Route 201 (Old Canada Road) — Kennebec Valley north into the forests.
- Peak color: late September through mid-October. Maine foliage reports.
Outdoor activities
- Kayaking on Messalonskee, China Lake, and North Pond amid fall color.
- Lake George Regional Park — hiking and nature walks in Canaan.
- Hunting season: deer, bear, and waterfowl. Maine IF&W.
- Birdwatching — bald eagles, loons, and migratory waterfowl.
Harvest and fairs
- Clinton Lions Agricultural Fair.
- Maine Cheese Festival.
- Apple picking at The Apple Farm and Lakeside Orchards.
- Waterville and Fairfield farmers’ markets at peak harvest.
- Common Ground Country Fair — MOFGA’s celebration of organic agriculture and rural living, held each September in Unity.
- Windsor Fair — Maine’s second-largest agricultural fair, with livestock shows, harness racing, and a giant midway each Labor Day week.
History
- Fort Halifax Park, Winslow — one of the oldest blockhouses in the U.S.
- Oosoola Days, Norridgewock — beloved community autumn tradition.
Winter
Winter is part of the Maine lifestyle. From world-class trails minutes away to alpine skiing just 90 minutes down the road, there’s plenty to enjoy outside.
Quarry Road Trails
- Quarry Road, Waterville — 6.5 miles of groomed Nordic trails designed by two-time Olympian John Morton. 12 minutes from FirstPark.
- Machine-made snow, lit trails until 9 p.m. Colby Nordic trains here.
- Open to skiers, snowshoers, and walkers.
Alpine skiing
- Sugarloaf — 4,237 feet, Maine’s highest ski area. ~75 minutes. 1,600+ acres plus Maine’s largest Nordic center.
- Sunday River — 135+ trails across 8 peaks. ~90 minutes.
- Saddleback — family-owned, uncrowded. ~75 minutes.
Snowmobiling
- The Forks and Jackman — just over an hour, extensive groomed trails and snowmobile clubs.
- Northern Outdoors — brewery, restaurant, lodging, trail access in The Forks.
Backcountry
- Maine Huts & Trails — just over an hour away. Skiing, snowshoeing, fat tire biking, ice fishing, lodge-style huts.
Spring
Spring in Maine is a season of renewal and getting outside. As the ice melts away, lakes and ponds open up for paddling, the rivers run and the fish are biting, and the landscape bursts into bloom.
Fishing
- Ice-out fishing on Messalonskee Lake and the Belgrade chain — landlocked salmon and brook trout season opens in April.
- Kennebec River — one of Maine’s premier trout and salmon rivers. Maine IF&W fishing regulations.
- Sebasticook River — spring bass and perch close to the park.
Maple sugaring
- Maine is New England’s largest maple syrup producer. Central Maine sugarhouses open for tours February–April.
- Maine Maple Sunday — annual open-sugarhouse event each March.
Trails and paddling
- Quarry Road transitions to mountain biking and trail running — typically mid-April.
- Spring paddling on the Kennebec and Sandy Rivers — high water, exciting runs.
- Northern Outdoors whitewater rafting on the Kennebec Gorge from May.
The Midcoast, reawakening
- Under 90 minutes from FirstPark. Spring is when locals reclaim the coast before summer crowds.
- Camden, Rockland, Belfast, and Boothbay Harbor — easy reach for a spring weekend.
- Mid-Maine Fish Off — annual fishing derby hosted by the Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce.
Ready to see it for yourself? The Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce and the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce can connect you with the local events, resources, and community that bring this region to life.