Historic Norway blends snowshoe legacy with outdoor charm
About 22 miles from Lewiston, the town of Norway is a rural community adjacent to its sister city, Paris. Despite being in Maine , both towns’ namesakes derive from European destinations. “It’s a nice community, close to the mountains and skiing areas,” says Brenda Sessions, a local real estate broker with Main Real Estate Pros in Lewiston. Colonial settlers officially incorporated Norway in 1797, but the town’s Pennessewassee Lake was home to local indigenous populations for thousands of years prior. During the late 19th century and throughout much of the 20th century, the town was known as the “Snowshoe Capital of the World” for its prominent role in snowshoe manufacturing. Norway’s industrial history in snowshoeing is celebrated today with a yearly festival. Sessions say that today, one of the town’s most prominent employers is a New Balance Shoe Company factory, which was built in 1997. While the town is primarily residential, locals can find a handful of small businesses and local shopping and dining establishments in the historic downtown area and in neighboring South Paris. Norway has an overall CAP Index Crime Score of 3 out of 10, slightly lower than the national average score of 4.
Single-family homes range from mobile units to lakefront estates
Norway had a wide range of single-family housing options, including everything from manufactured homes, ranchers and Cape Cods to historic New Englanders, custom traditional-style properties and lakefront cabins. Mobile homes typically cost between $30,000 and $400,000, while most turnkey single-family homes range from about $200,000 to $500,000. Waterfront estates on the town’s Pennesseewassee Lake, Sand Pond and North Pond regularly sell for over $800,000. Sessions notes that many waterfront homes—often called “camps” by locals—are vacation properties. The average lot size in Norway is just over half an acre, with homes near Main Street generally having less acreage and sitting closer together than the town’s more rural properties. Balsam firs and pine trees line the winding residential streets and offer residents plenty of privacy.
Recreation includes swimming, skiing and scenic hiking
The Norway Department of Recreation maintains several parks and outdoor spaces throughout town, including the popular Lake Pennesseewassee Park, which offers public access to boat launches, fishing spots and swimming areas during the summer. Roberts Farm Preserve Trails encompass a network of wooded corridors just off the lake; when it snows, the preserve trail system accommodates snowshoers and cross-country skiers. Another hiking spot in town is Ordway Grove, a scenic nature trail ideal for leaf-peeping in autumn. Norway Country Club is a private facility with a 9-hole course and views of the surrounding White Mountains.
Annual Snowshoe Festival hosted in Norway
Norway became known as the epicenter of American snowshoe production during the late 1800s and was widely recognized as the “Snowshoe Capital of the World” throughout the 20th century. Many of the snowshoes were produced for military expeditions during WWII. With modern advancements in manufacturing, the town is no longer the largest snowshoe maker but honors its heritage with the annual Snowshoe Festival in February. Since 2012, this weekend-long celebration has brought the community together for snowshoeing races, family-friendly activities, live music and local vendors.
Historic downtown Norway has local restaurants and shops
Most of the local shopping and dining amenities are located along Main Street in Norway’s historic downtown area, which is also home to landmarks like the Norway Opera House and the Gingerbread House, a uniquely designed Victorian-era property. Dining options range from Dolce Amici, an Italian eatery that serves gelato, to 290 Maine Street, a laid-back sports pub. Norway Brewing Company features an outdoor patio and regular live entertainment. Other downtown establishments include bookstores, antique shops and local parlors. Save A Lot grocery store is located less than a mile down the road in neighboring Paris.
Served by the Oxford Hills School District
Norway students are served by the Oxford Hills School District, also known as Regional School Unit No. 17 or MSAD 17, which earns an overall C rating from Niche. “Eight of the towns in this area feed into the Oxford high school, but most of the towns have their own elementary school,” Sessions says. Primary school options include Guy E. Rowe Elementary School for preschool through sixth-grade students. The school receives a C rating and is the only elementary school in Norway. Oxford Hills Middle School—for grades seven and eight—and Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School for secondary learners are also rated C.
State Routes accessible in Norway and neighboring Paris
State Route 118 is the busiest thoroughfare running through Norway, and a stretch of the route serves as Main Street in the downtown area. Route 118 connects with state Routes 117 and 26, which run north-south. Route 26 can take commuters 22 miles south to Lewiston, passing through the towns of Oxford and Mechanic Falls on the way. MaineHealth manages Stephens Memorial Hospital in Norway, which has a 24-hour emergency department. The nearest commercial airport, Portland International Jetport, is about an hour-long drive from town. “A lot of people commute to Portland and Bath for work,” Sessions says.
