Mailboxes And Whoopie Pies Make The Perfect Maine Measuring Stick

Ever had to install a roadside mailbox yourself? I have, and it was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be. However, you'll want to make sure your mailbox is in the right spot so it doesn't get knocked down by the snowplow.

Rural Mailboxes Throughout Maine

According to the 2020 US Census, over 61% of Maine's population lives in rural areas. Maine is one of the most rural states in the entire country. Rural areas, like where I live, have mailboxes on the side of the road. This allows postal carriers to pull up to the mailbox and place the mail inside without having to get out of the car.

The street I grew up on did not have rural mailboxes, so back in the 70s and 80s, the mail carrier would put people's mail in the mailbox usually found next to their front door. Ours happened to be on the side of the garage.

Approximately 30 Whoopie Pies High

When we moved into our home, we decided to replace our roadside mailbox with a new one and install a sturdier post. The MaineDOT had a handy graphic and a purely Maine way to measure standards for the height of your mailbox.

The height of MaineDOT's plows is 39 inches. The MaineDOT recommends that your mailbox have a clearance from the ground of about 44 to 45 inches. The United States Post Office standard height is 41 to 45 inches, or about the height of 30 whoopie pies. That's right. Someone at MaineDOT crunched the numbers and found mailboxes should be approximately the height of 30 whoopie pies.

So my question here is, did they actually stack whoopie pies to 45" tall? Probably not, but I don't see anything wrong with buying a whole bunch of whoppie pies and measuring the height of your mailbox with them. When you're done, toss the one on the ground away and bring the rest in to share with friends and family.