BANGOR (AP) -- There are 65 counties in New England. Only one -- Piscataquis County in northern Maine -- went for Republican John McCain in the Nov. 4 presidential election.

The county, a large rectangular swath far from Maine's urban centers, is best-known as the home to Thoreau's North Woods, Moosehead Lake and Baxter State Park. It can also claim to be a Republican stronghold.

"I guess we're a lot smarter than the rest," joked Paul Davis, a state representative-elect, former state Senate floor leader and staunch Republican from Sangerville.

Barack Obama soundly beat McCain statewide by a margin of 58-41; but in Piscataquis County, McCain took 51 percent of the vote to 47 percent for Obama.

In the U.S. Senate race, incumbent Republican Susan Collins got 69 percent of the vote in the county, compared to 61 percent statewide. And in the 2nd District congressional race, longshot Republican John Frary got 41 percent against Democrat incumbent Michael Michaud, his best showing in any county.

The GOP is a dying breed in New England. Come Inauguration Day in January, no Republicans will represent the region in the House of Representatives, while only three of the six states' 12 senators will be Republican.

The party is thriving, however, in Piscataquis County, which is poor and rural with dwindling job opportunities.

The county has barely 17,000 people, the fewest of any Maine county. It has the state's second-lowest per capita income ($14,374) and the highest unemployment rate (8.5 percent).

Beyond the numbers, people say they simply feel Republican: They go to church, they hunt, they oppose high taxes and disdain big government.

"I just felt like with McCain, we knew more about him," said Tim Anderson, proprietor of the Monson General Store, a one-stop shop where customers can buy anything from milk to bullets to bait. "I still feel like I don't know anything about Obama."

Tom Lizotte of Dover-Foxcroft, who has been involved in local politics for more than a decade, said he's a Republican because he believes in fiscal restraint. He thinks many of his Piscataquis County neighbors feel the same way.

"There is a vein of self-reliance," he said. "These are people that don't live beyond their means, and they think that should extend to government."

Maine, like New England, has turned more Democratic in recent elections. In the 2000 presidential election, five Maine counties voted Republican. In 2004, only Piscataquis and Washington counties were "red." This year, Piscataquis stands alone.

Susan Mackey-Andrews, a Democrat from Dover-Foxcroft who ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate, said unenrolled voters still make up the highest voting bloc in the county.

Thirty-four percent are registered as Republicans, 28 percent are Democrats and the remainder are independent.

"We are shifting, although maybe not as quickly as some other Maine counties," Mackey-Andrews said. "I still think people in Maine tend to vote for a person, not a party."

Peter Johnson, a Republican state representative from Greenville, doesn't expect the county to turn "blue" anytime soon.

"I think it will be a long time before it slips away," he said.

Davis scoffs at the idea that Piscataquis County residents are somehow different from other Mainers. He said the county votes Republican because the party has served it well.

"We might be a bit more conservative, but we don't live on an island out here," Davis said. "We have the Internet. We have cable TV."