“The way life should be.” That is Maine’s official slogan, and according to Joe Lipton, it’s not just marketing speak—especially along the coast of Southern Maine in towns like York, Ogunquit, and Kennebunkport. “We live by that motto,” says Lipton, who is the cofounder and CEO of the York-based Crane Hotel Group. “During Covid, so many people moved here because it truly is the way life should be. When you walk down the street, everyone says ‘hello’ to each other. And being on the coast, you don’t feel trapped. You can breathe.”