The biggest and brawniest place along otherwise rural US-2, Rumford (pop. 7,078) is a definite change from the leisure-time orientation of many other places in New England. A historic paper-pulp mill town with low brick buildings and a downscale downtown along Waldo Street, Rumford grew up around Androscoggin Falls, which provided the hydropower that led to the original settlement of the town. Now, enormous steam-puffing smokestacks loom large at the Mead Publishing Paper Division, New England’s largest paper mill, surrounded by huge piles of logs, chips, and wood residue; tours are available (207/369-2589).
The hard-working, perpetually under-paid realities of Rumford (and its next-door neighbor, Mexico, where the mill is located) are in many ways what makes it remarkable. Clearly this isn’t a town designed for tourists, but if you’re interested in how Americans live, work, and drink too much in places where heavy industry still rules the roost, Rumford is worth investigating.
To jump in at the deep end, have breakfast at the 1930s Freddie’s Restaurant (207/364-3069), near the paper mill at 105 Congress Street, where gruff guys in Carhartt caps and union jackets can clue you in to what’s going on in town.
Away from the center of town, the Rumford area is suddenly semi-pastoral and very pretty. US-2 winds around the valley as the Androscoggin makes an oxbow, and an even nicer route heads north following Route 17 and the Swift River toward the popular Rangeley Lakes resort area.
