Rangeley, a town in Franklin County, incorporated on March 29, 1855 from a portion of Rangeley Plantation.
The area received it name from Squire James Rangeley, a Yorkshire Englishman who, in 1825, began to establish a great estate, including a saw mill, a grist mill and a ten-mile long road to connect to the outside world.
The town is at the center of the Rangeley Lakes Region with many hotels, campsites, boat launching facilities and recreational opportunities.
Rangeley Lake's Hunter Cove nature preserve consists of three miles of trails through cedar swamp, spruce-fir forest, mature poplars, white pines, and alder thickets. The sanctuary, part of the state game preserve, is maintained by the Maine Audubon Society.
Bald Mountain Public Reserved Land features a one mile trail to the summit that offers panoramic views of Rangeley, Cupsuptic and Mooselookmeguntic lakes and the Height of Land. Especially popular in the fall with autumn colors, the area contains more than 200 species of wildlife in its 1,873 acres.
