One thingour York real estate agentshave come to appreciate about living on the Maine coast is that we are spoiled when it comes to lighthouses. From the towering Portland Head Lighthouse and the candy-striped West Quoddy Head Lighthouse to the stark granite bricks of the Whaleback Light, Maine lighthouse hunters have enough choices to keep them busy for a lifetime.

Today, we want to focus on one of lour local favorites– Nubble Lighthouse. Built in 1879 and still in use today, the Nubble Lighthouse is also known as the Cape Neddick Light, and is one of the most picturesque attractions in the York, Maine area.

The Nubble Lighthouse A Maine Icon

As stunningly beautiful as the Maine coast is, it has always posed a danger to vessels seeking safe harbor along the rugged shoreline. Hence the need for the Nubble Lighthouse commissioned in 1874 and completed within a few short years to guide sailors to safety. The lighthouse stands on Nubble Island, where it has done its essential job continuously for over a century. The island's reputation as a rocky little "nub" of land is what gives Nubble Island, and the lighthouse that sits on it, their names.

It's hard to imagine a more archetypal American lighthouse– whitewashed and perched next to its cozy lighthouse keepers' cottage on a craggy island on the Maine coast. The lighthouse is so iconic that its image was included in the Voyager spacecraft, alongside likenesses of the Great Wall of China and the Taj Mahal.

More than 30 lighthouse keepers called Nubble Island home from 1879 to 1987, the year that Nubble Light was automated, ending the need for a continuous lighthouse keeper. It was the last lighthouse in North America to be automated. The Nubble Lighthouse's powerful Fresnel lens is visible 13 nautical miles from shore and continues to be a guiding beacon in all weather.

Viewing Nubble Lighthouse

Since 1997, Nubble Lighthouse has been under the guardianship of the town of York, with York's Parks Department overseeing the daily maintenance and care of the lighthouse, grounds, and outbuildings. Although Nubble Lighthouse's 41-foot tower is one of the most photographed lighthouses in America, the island itself is, at present, off-limits to the public.

Luckily, visitors can see a spectacular view of the lighthouse fromSohier Park on the mainland in York. The park is home to the Nubble Light Gift Shop (open seven days a week from May to late October) as well as picnic areas, fishing access, walking paths and a telescope that allows an even closer look at the iconic lighthouse. It's a great place to do some coastal wildlife watching as well, with frequent appearances bygreat black-backed gulls, herring gulls, double-crested cormorants, ocean sunfish, and harbor seals.

Contact our York real estate office today to learn more about life on the Maine coast, and to access our extensive resources for findingYork homes for sale. Our team will help you find your dream home in Maine, and we can't wait to get you started on your path to homeownership!