Norway is a medium-sized town of approximately four-thousand residents in western Maine's Oxford county. It has a number of businesses, including two motels and several restaurants.
LODGING: The Inn Town Motel, located on Paris Street, is open year-around and is relatively inexpensive (it also has lower commercial rates). According to its webpage, room features include air conditioning, cable TV, radios, telephones, and internet access. See the webpage URL at the end of this article for more details. There is also a cottage rental business (hillsidecottages.com; the cottages have many amenities/features) and the Ledgewood Motel (according to the Maine Office of Tourism, it has 17 units and an outdoor swimming pool). Other area lodging includes a campground in the neighboring town of Oxford and an inn in Paris.
SHOPPING: Many types of shopping are possible in Norway. Businesses include CatTails cards & gifts, Vintage Pantry antiques, Maine Made & More (on Main Street), Norm's (antiques, tools, furniture, more), Western Auto (in addition to auto parts, it sells furniture, futons, and appliances), Arsenault's Digital Satellite TV (also sells woodstoves), a florist, a book store (Books 'n Things), Fare Share Market (natural foods), Aubuchon hardware, a boutique, and an artist & sign painter supply store. There is a Goin' Postal franchise as well (shipping, packaging materials). Neighboring Oxford has a large Hannaford grocery store near Norway's town line, along with additional opportunities for shopping (including a Wal-Mart department store).
DINING: Dining establishments include the Trolley House Food & Spirits, Woitko's Talk of the Town (soft serve ice cream, clams, onion rings), Colonial coffee shop, Boomer's (take-out; has subs, pizza, french fries, salad, chicken nuggets), Michael's Dining and Lounge, Dad's Place (dadsplace.info; has pizza, sandwiches, salads, hamburgers, seafood), Ari's (pizza, subs, soup, soda), a Chinese take-out restaurant, and Amato's (italian). There is also a Tim Horton's franchise. Several other fast food restaurants and other dining establishments are located in neighboring Paris.
PARKS: Norway has a large town park along part of Norway Lake. It has a public boat access, small sandy beach, playground (has separate equipment for young children and children in elementary school, donated to the town by New Balance shoes), a short foot path, and an outhouse. This park is near the Lake Store (has convenience/grocery items) and not far from Boomer's. There is also an area at the end of North Pond Dam Road which has a boat launch for non-motorized boats, a dam, and a foot path.
TRAVEL/AUTO: There is a Gulf gas station with a Cumberland Farms convenience store (w\ tire air pump). More gas stations and convenience stores are located in the town of Paris. Also, Norway has a VIP Discount Auto Center, which sells auto parts, tires, and other equipment. The Maine DOT website can be used to access specific information on local travel conditions during the winter.
MEDIA: Local media based in Norway includes the Advertiser-Democrat newspaper (advertiserdemocrat.com) and a radio station (WOXO 92.7 FM and 1450 AM). There is also a Sun Journal (based in Lewiston, Maine) newspaper office in Norway.
OTHER: Other businesses include a car dealership, banks (Norway Savings Bank w\ 24hr. ATM, Key Bank), Woodman's (has a game inspection station, non-resident hunting/fishing licenses, and worms/crawlers), plumbing/heating supply, and a tanning salon. There is also a hospital (Stephens Memorial), the Ripley Medical Office Building (near the hospital), a midwife, child health center, elementary school (Guy E. Rowe), veterinary hospital, a marina (White's Marina, whitesmarina.com), town office, library (has wireless internet service), post office, and church.
The neighboring towns of Paris, South Paris, and Oxford offer additional lodging, dining, and shopping establishments. These towns and Norway, all in close proximity, combine to offer almost everything available in larger Maine cities like Lewiston or Augusta.
For more information, see the town office website at norwaymaine.com.
The Town of Boone is adding another recycling option in light of tougher trash laws.
The town has developed a collection center in the heart of the town limits to help residents meet a state law banning plastic bottles from landfills, a regulation that became effective Oct.1.
Marsha Story, the town's recycling coordinator, said the center is designed for everyone's convenience, but is particularly geared toward multi-family apartment complexes that don't have room to add another recycling container.
