Life on Peaks Island Maine

Peaks Island residents tell their stories

"Young & old residents paint a portrait of Peaks Island life"

There are few places more idyllic than a Maine island...

Peaks Island is one of over 211 islands – and just four year-round islands – located in the Casco Bay. It is roughly two miles long and one mile wide (at its widest point), and is a neighborhood in the city of Portland, Maine.

Peaks Island is the most populated island in the Casco Bay, with a winter population of approximately 850. In the summer months, however, the population swells to 4,000 or 5,000. The island has a 130-year-old elementary school serving 54 students from grades K-5. There is also a year-round developmental daycare facility, called the Children’s Workshop, that provides preschool, before- and after-school programs and daycare for ages 2 to 5 years. Most people commute daily to jobs on the mainland as do middle and senior high-school students. The island is also home to many retirees, and the Fay Garmin house was built as a senior housing community.