Environmental data are often compiled for archaeological sites; however, the natural distributions of environmental variables are seldom investigated. A study of Ceramic Period coastal settlements in the Boothbay region of Maine used a simulated site distribution of random locations to obtain an unbiased representation of the available physical environment. The site locational data were then compared to the random locational data to test specific hypotheses. Examples show the importance of non-site environmental data in evaluating cultural hypotheses.