In a state where we pride ourselves on independence, remoteness, and truck ownership, the recent surge in gas prices is, well, rather horrendous.

As a whole, the country has officially topped the $5 a gallon threshold, according to the New York Post. It's the first time in America's history that this has occurred, according to the Wall Street Journal. The prices had been steadily climbing due to recent war and other factors. But, the summer driving demand was the cherry on top of this nightmare sundae, and only seems to be getting worse.

The Wall Street Journal recently shared an infographic that illustrates the difference in gas price averages across the country.

While some states continue to hold on to lower averages, Maine has said "screw that", and has gone for jugular. The Pine Tree State is nearing the top of the class with its $5.02 to $5.21 price tag. That puts us in the second highest gas average category.

Joining Maine is the majority of the northeast, including Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island. However, New Hampshire and (amazingly) Connecticut have not reached those heights in averages yet.

It will be interesting to see if this causes any negative effect to this summer's tourist season. So far it seems to be mostly a horror story as opposed to having any serious impact locally. Speaking for experience, there isn't a lack of traffic or vacationers right now in Southern Maine. I think it also helps that people have been dying to get out after years of living in a global pandemic.

However, it's still rising, so the uncertainly will only grow. And it's impossible to think there won't be negative consequences.

Here's hoping for some more stability as we head deeper into the summer demand.

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