Quick Facts
Geography    
A massive glacier tore through Maine into the waters of the Atlantic, leaving Maine with a majestic and rugged coastline that is one of the longest per square mile in the country. The coastline of Maine’s mid-coast region alone is 1,500 miles long and is notable for it’s very unique geography.
To the northeast, the coast overlooks Penobscot Bay and is well defined, with many bays and a deepwater harbor in Rockland that is large enough to accommodate cruise ships. South of Rockland, the coastline is broken up by a maze of peninsulas, rivers and inlets, ideal for exploration by smaller craft.
The nine major peninsulas are:
• St. George
• Cushing
• Friendship
• Bristol
• Boothbay
• Georgetown
• Phippsburg
• Orr’s and Bailey Islands
• Harpswell.

Beaches
Much of the coast is rocky ledge, but there are many beaches dotted along its waters.  Notably, Popham Beach State Park and Reid State Park are two of Maine’s largest and most beautiful beaches, with miles of pristine sand and parkland. Lincolnville Beach, Barrett’s Cove, and Pemaquid beach are some of the smaller beaches that are open to the public in the mid coast region.

Seasonal Weather     
The moderating influence of the ocean gives the coastal zones of Maine, including the mid-coast region, a more temperate climate with less severe winters and less intensely hot summers than in Maine’s interior regions. The mid-coast has ideal four-season weather, and each season has its own particular character and beauty. Warm and sunny summers average in the 70’s with daytime highs reaching into the ‘80’s, often offset by a light sea breeze. Warm weather lingers through September into early October, when the air turns cool and brisk, and brilliant blue skies contrast with the vibrant changing colors of the leaves.  Temperatures during this period typically range from 40’s to the 60’s. Summer’s counterpoint is cold, crisp winters with a generous amount of snowfall from January through March, and temperatures ranging from the single digits to the mid 30’s. Spring in Maine starts off wet and cool, then warms steadily as the grass greens and the flowers and vegetation break out of their winter hibernation. Temperatures during this period can range from the 40’s into the 60’s as in the Fall months.  By June, temperatures reach into the ’70’s and flowers bloom profusely in gardens and along roadsides.

Industry
Mid coast Maine’s unique coastline supports many flourishing industries in addition to tourism, notably ship building and fishing. The Bath Iron Works in Bath is one of Maine’s largest employers, with approximately 6,000 shipbuilders working at the shipyard in 2008. Fishing, particularly in Maine’s famous lobster fishery, is largely pursued by independent operators who sell much of their catch locally to lobster coops, seafood markets, and directly to restaurants and other buyers on the wharves.

Towns
The downtown centers in the southern mid coast region are sited along Penobscot Bay and at the top of the peninsulas along Coastal Route 1, excepting Boothbay Harbor at the tip of the Boothbay Peninsula. They are, from south to north:

Brunswick

  • Population of 21,172 (2000 census)
  • Located in Cumberland County
  • Notable sites include: Bowdoin College, Maine State Music Theatre, Fort Andross
  • Main industries include: Medicine, The Arts, Education, Retail, and the Hospitality services
  • History:  Brunswick first started off as the Pejepscot settlement in 1628. This settlement was burned to the ground and abandoned in 1646.  It wasn’t until 1714 that Boston and Portsmouth bought the land.  In 1717 this land was named Brunswick after the House of Brunswick.  After the rebuilding of the village after a Norridgewock Indian tribe attack it eventually became a very prosperous seaport for the region.  Brunswick is also the site of Bowdoin College, which was founded in 1794, and the first cotton mill in Maine, which was built in 1809.

Bath

  • Population of 9,266 (2000 census)
  • Located in Sagadahoc County
  • Notable sites include: Bath Iron Works, The Chocolate Church Performing Arts Center, and the Maine Maritime Museum
  • Main industries include: Ship Building Retail, and Food services
  • History:  Bath first started out as the Popham colony in 1607, but this colony was a failed one and abandoned shortly after its creation.  In 1660 a new settlement in the area was founded and eventually incorporated in 1753 as part of Georgetown.  Bath was then set off from this and became its own town in 1781.  In 1847 Bath was official incorporated as a city. Bath’s legacy as a ship-building city began with numerous shipyards during the era of the tall ships, and continues through the present day at the Bath Iron Works.

Wiscasset

  • Population of 3,603 (2000 census)
  • Located in Lincoln County
  • Notable sites include: Castle Tucker, Nickles-Sortwell House, and Old Jail (Lincoln County Museum)
  • Main industries include: Education, Healthcare, Professional Services, Scientific Services and Technical Services
  • History:  Wiscasset was first settled in 1663 along the Sheepscot River but then abandoned during the French and Indian war.  In 1730 it was resettled. Sited along the Sheepscot River it became a hub for Fishing Lumber and Shipbuilding during the early 1800s.

Boothbay/Boothbay Harbor

  • Populations 2,960/2,334 (2000 census)
  • Located in Lincoln County
  • Notable sites include: Boothbay Opera House, Maine State Aquarium, Burnt Island Light, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, the Boothbay Regional Historical Society and Museum, Boothbay Playhouse, Boothbay Railway Village, and Ram Island Light
  • Main industries include: Construction, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, Hunting, Education, Healthcare and Hospitality services
  • History: Henry Curtis first settled The Boothbay area, where it was used as a fishing camp in 1666.  This settlement was destroyed during King Phillip’s war and King William’s war, as most settlements were at the time.  After its abandonment a town called Townsend was created in the area in 1730.  This town was successful despite the numerous wars that would affect the area in the coming decades.  Townsend was renamed Boothbay in 1842 as the harbor quickly developed into a fishing a seafood center because of its deep protected harbor.

Damariscotta

  • Population of 2,041 (2000 census)
  • Located in Lincoln County
  • Notable Sites include: The Thompson Ice House, The Chapman-Hall House, and the Whaleback Shell Midden
  • Main industries include: Healthcare, Educational services, and Transportation Equipment
  • History: First settled in the mid-1600’s, Damariscotta grew as a major trade center during Colonial times for those living in the Pemaquid Peninsula Region.  Situated beside the Damariscotta River, early businesses included sawmills, a matchstick factory, tannery, and several brickyards.  Prosperity arrived in the 1800’s as local shipyards began launching clipper ships. Incorporated in 1848, the town’s name “Damariscotta” is from the Algonquin word “Madamescontee”, meaning “place of abundance of alewives”, the small, salty fish that travel the Damariscotta River each spring to spawn in Damariscotta Lake. 

Rockland

  • Population of 7,609 (2000 census)
  • Located in Knox County
  • Notable sites include: Farnsworth Museum, Maine Lighthouse Museum, Owls Head Transportation Museum
  • Main industries include: Construction, Healthcare, Hospitality services, Tourism, Public Administration, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting
  • History:  The area that is Rockland today was first settled as a lumber camp in 1767.  In July 1848 it officially became a town and in 1850 it gained the name Rockland, which it still holds today.  Its first booming industries were shipbuilding and lime production, with many quarries in the area. The introduction of the railroad brought an influx of tourists to the Rockland area.

Camden

  • Population of 5,254 (2000 census)
  • Located in Knox County
  • Notable sites include: Camden Hills State Park, Camden Opera House, Curtis Island Light, and the Camden Snow Bowl
  • Main industries include: Educational services, Healthcare, Retail, and Real Estate Food services
  • History: The area that is Camden was first settled in 1769 and was named for Charles Pratt, the first earl of Camden in 1791.  This area had a steady population and economic growth until 1892 when a fire destroyed what was then Camden’s business district.  The local residents rebuilt this area using brick instead of wood to prevent future disaster.  The brick structures of downtown Camden still stand as a legacy today.

Belfast

  • Population of 6,381 (2000 census)
  • Located in Waldo County
  • Notable sites include: Belfast Historical Society and Museum, and the National Theater Workshop for the Handicapped
  • Main industries include: Tourism, Fishing, Food Services, Retail
  • History:  The area that is Belfast was originally a plantation owned by General Samuel Waldo.  After his death in 1759, his heirs sold this land to a group of Scots-Irish that named this area after Belfast, Ireland.  During the revolution it was primarily occupied by the British and mostly abandoned by its residents.  After the war Belfast was rebuilt and became a great shipbuilding and shipping hub.  At the turn of the 1900s a large shift of its economy went to fishing and seafood harvesting.

Searsport

  • Population of 2.641 (2000 census)
  • Located in Waldo County
  • Notable sites include: Moose Point State Park, Penobscot Marine Museum, and Sears Island
  • Main industries include: Healthcare, Educational Services, Finance, Insurance, Paper, and Hospitality services
  • History:  General Samuel Waldo proposed to move the capital in 1747 from Boston to Searsport, which was part of his Waldo patent, but was unsuccessful in his endeavor.  Searsport was incorporated into its own town in 1845.  Previously it was part of the town of Belfast. Searsport is a town famous for its rich maritime history due to its many shipyards, and merchant captains.