Lisbon Falls is a former mill town on the Androscoggin River
Lisbon Falls is a small, rural village within the larger town of Lisbon. Driving through the community, people can find all the traits of a quintessential New England town—restaurants along Main Street, walking trails that line pine forests and the Androscoggin River, and colonial-style homes from the early 20th century. Mills were once the cornerstone of Lisbon Falls, but after they closed, most residents pivoted to commuting to employers in metropolitan hubs like Lewiston-Auburn, a 20-minute drive away.
Lisbon Falls is known for popularizing Moxie, a bittersweet soft drink that was declared Maine’s official beverage in 2005. In the 1880s, Dr. Augustin Thompson created the elixir in Massachusetts with gentian root. Though never produced in Maine, the drink became a state-wide phenomenon largely because of Frank Anicetti, a local Lisbon business owner who relentlessly promoted it. The town hosts an annual Moxie Festival in July to celebrate the soda with parades, contests and live shows. “Moxie has a strong flavor, and everyone says you either love or hate it. But it’s folded into the community identity here,” says Pauline Gendron, a resident of Lisbon Falls since the 1970s.
20th-century New England colonials and ranch styles
Centered around Main Street, Lisbon Falls has quiet, gridded residential roads lined with coniferous trees and classic New England architecture. In the southern part of the village, closer to the Androscoggin River, potential buyers can find cottages and Colonial Revivals from the early 1900s. The community’s rural areas feature later 20th-century homes with more spacious lots. “Lisbon Falls had more planned developments in the 1970s, while Lisbon still had farms,” Gendron says. “Growing up in the ‘80s, it was still woods right around the corner from our house, and we would walk there to go pick blueberries and raspberries.” Bi-level and ranch-style homes were usually built between the 1960s and early ‘90s. Turnkey single-family homes mostly range from $200,000 to $500,000, with a median sale price of $340,000.
Storytelling electives at Lisbon High School
Lisbon Falls is part of the Lisbon School Department, a district that receives an overall C rating from Niche. Students in kindergarten through fifth grade can attend Lisbon Community School, which is rated C-minus. Grades 6 through 8 progress to the B-minus-rated Philip W. Sugg Middle School. Older students finish at Lisbon High School, which is also rated B-minus, and counts famous horror author Stephen King among its alumni. King attended the high school in the 1960s, and his novel "11/22/63" features a teacher who lives in the area and works at Lisbon High School, and several of King’s fictional towns are modeled after Lisbon Falls. Today, Lisbon High students can enroll in an English elective to study horror storytelling.
Outdoor recreation includes trail systems and river views
The Lisbon MTM Community Center has a fitness center that costs $15 a month for those wanting to work out inside, but families can take their kids to the playground equipment outside for free. Locals often walk or bike along several nature trails close to Lisbon Falls. Papermill Trail, a 4-mile paved route, begins in Lisbon and winds through forests along the Sabattus River. The trail then follows the Androscoggin River and ends near Main Street in Lisbon Falls. The Androscoggin Woods are a popular destination for bird watching and hiking through the oak and pine forests, and kayakers and anglers are often spotted along the river.
Main Street is lined with local dining options
Contemporary restaurants line Main Street in downtown Lisbon Falls. “It’s grown and kept up with the times. McDonald's and Sam’s [a regional Italian restaurant] used to be our big places to go out to eat,” Gendron says. Frank’s Restaurant and Bar, which was named to honor Moxie enthusiast Frank Anicetti, serves pub fare like poutine and burgers. Lisbon House of Pizza is another casual dining spot for Italian food, while Flux Restaurant and Bar offers elevated American fare in a modern, vibrant setting. In the summer, community members drive to the Big Dipper Ice Cream to order large scoops of ice cream. “They even make a Moxie-flavored ice cream there,” Gendron says. Residents can head to Food City, a regional supermarket, for groceries and household essentials. Lewiston, which is 10 miles northwest, has retail stores like Target and T.J. Maxx.
Commuting to Lewiston-Auburn and Portland
There aren't any public transportation options in the area, so the community is fully car dependent. State routes wind through the neighborhood and connect to Lewiston and Auburn, both 10 miles northwest. Locals often head to Lewiston for big box stores and healthcare amenities like the Central Maine Medical Center and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, which also have 24-hour emergency departments. Lisbon Falls is about 8 miles from the on-ramp to Interstate 95 and about 10 from Interstate 295; both highways lead 35 miles south to Portland. For longer trips, residents can head to the Portland International Jetport, about 35 miles away.
