ZIP Code 04609

Bar Harbor is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. During the summer and fall seasons, it is a popular tourist destination and, until a catastrophic fire in 1947, the town was a noted summer colony for the wealthy. Bar Harbor itself was first settled by Europeans Israel Higgins and John Thomas in 1763 and incorporated on February 23, 1796. The town of Bar Harbor was founded on the northeast shore of Mount. Desert Island, which the Wabanaki Indians knew as Pemetic, meaning "range of mountains" or "mountains seen at a distance" The town is also home to the largest parts of Acadia National Park, including Cadillac Mountain, the highest point within 25 miles (40 km) of the coastline of the eastern U.S. The rich and famous tried to outdo each other with entertaining and estates, often hiring landscape gardener and landscape architect Beatrix Farrand, a resident at local Reef Point, to design their gardens. On March 3, 1918, Eden was renamed Bar Harbor, after the sand and gravel bar, visible at low tide, which leads across to Bar Island and forms the rear of the harbor. The name would become synonymous with elite wealth. It was the birthplace of vice-president Nelson Rockefeller. More specifically, Bald Porcupine Island was used to fire 12 live torpedoes. Of those fired, one failed to explode on the first attempt but later fired on the second attempt. In October 1944, there were 30 hotels, including the Mira Monte Inn, a historic landmark that would rival Newport, Rhode Island.

History

The town of Bar Harbor was founded on the northeast shore of Mount Desert Island. The Wabanaki Indians knew the island as Pemetic, meaning "range of mountains" Bar Harbor itself was first settled by Europeans Israel Higgins and John Thomas in 1763. It was incorporated on February 23, 1796, as Eden, after Sir Richard Eden, an English statesman. In the 1840s, its rugged maritime scenery attracted the Hudson River School and Luminism artists Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, William Hart and Fitz Henry Lane. In 1996, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers surveyed all 30 acres of Bald Porcupine Island for unexploded ordnance. Nine were found. The name Bar Harbor would become synonymous with elite wealth, and it was the birthplace of vice-president Nelson Rockefeller. In mid-October 1947, Maine experienced a severe drought, seeing only half of its usual rainfall. On October 17, a cranberry bog near Town Hill ignited a wildfire that intensified over the next ten days. This was one of several wildfires in the state that year that was not declared out until mid-November. Nearly half the eastern side of Mount. Desert Island burned, including 67, including half the Mount Desert side of Bar. Harbor, which has also been known to frequent wildfires, has been seen in Bar Harbor and Mount Desert. It is also known as Burt's Bees, where co-founder and co-owner of Roxanne Quimby has a home near Bar Harbor.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.11 square miles (163.45 km²) Bar Harbor and Mount Desert Island are located near the coastline and surrounded by the North American continent to the northeast and southwest. This location, combined with prevailing winds that are not from the Atlantic, gives Bar Harbor a continental climate with very cold winters for an island location at such a low latitude. According to the Köppen climate classification system, Bar Harbor has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. Bar Harbor is situated on Frenchman Bay and is located on the coast of New England. The town is located in the coastal region of the state of New Hampshire. It has a population of 2,816. It is one of the smallest towns in the state, and the largest city in New Hampshire, with a total population of 1,822. It was the site of the first recorded human sacrifice in 1805. It also has the highest homicide rate in the United States, with more than 100 people per 100,000 residents. In 2010, the city had the highest rate of homicide in the nation, followed by the city of Portland, Maine. The city has a high rate of suicide, with at least one person per 1,000 hours per year. In 2012, the number of murders in Bar Harbor was at a record high of 7.7. The number of people who have died in the town in the past year was at least 2,000. It had the lowest rate of murder in the country in 2012.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,235 people, 2,427 households, and 1,275 families residing in the town. There were 3,495 housing units at an average density of 82.7 per square mile (31.9/km²) The racial makeup of the town was 94.7% White, 0.8% African American, 0,2% Native American, 2.8%. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population. The median income for a household in or near town was $37,481, and $51,989 for a family. The per capita income for the area was $24,103. About 4.9% of families and 8.9%. of the residents were below the poverty line, including 6.7. of those under age 18 and 8,3% of those age 65 or over. The town is located in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers region of the Army National Guard, which is based in the state of New Hampshire. It is home to the New Hampshire National Guard Air and Marine Corps Air Station, which has a base at the town's airport. The U.N. National Guard has a presence in the area, but has no plans to expand into the surrounding area. The National Guard is based at the base in New Hampshire, and has a contract with the State of New Jersey to provide air and sea support. The base is also used by the National Guard to provide support to the state's National Guard forces.

Education

Mount Desert Island High School serves the four towns of Mount Desert Island, plus the outlying islands of Swans Island and Cranberry Isles. The school also serves students from towns such as Trenton, Hancock, Lamoine and Mariaville on the mainland. Conners Emerson School, founded in 1962, is located in Bar Harbor, serving students of grades K through 8. The College of the Atlantic is located on Route 3, in the town of Bar Harbor. The island is home to the U.S. Naval Academy, which was founded in 1941. The U.N. Children's Hospital of New England, which opened in 1973, is based in the island. The University of Maine at Bar Harbor is also located on the island, and serves students in grades K to 8. It is the only public university in the state, and the only one in New England. It was founded by the state legislature in the 1950s, and was the first public college in the United States in the 1960s. The college is now part of the University of New Hampshire, which also opened in the 1970s. There are no public high schools in the area, but there are several private schools, such as Mount Desert High School and Mount Desert Elementary School, which serves students of all grade levels. There is also a private school, Mount Desert Preparatory School, for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The Island's only public high school is Mount Desert College, which offers classes in ninth through 12th grade.

Transportation

Bar Harbor's main access road, from the north or south, is State Route 3, which is the coastal Eden Street taken from the Trenton Bridge. The town is served by the Hancock CountyBar Harbor Airport, which provides year-round nonstop flights to Boston, Massachusetts. Bar Harbor is the western terminus for The CAT, a high-speed summer ferry service across the Gulf of Maine to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, operated by Bay Ferries. The 3.5-hour route returned to service in 2022 after previously operating from 1955 to 2009. Downeast Windjammer Cruise Lines operates regular summer ferry services across Frenchman Bay between Bar Harbor and Winter Harbor. The Town of Bar Harbor was named after the town of the same name, which was founded in 1788. The name was later changed to Bar Harbor, and the town is now known as Bar Harbor. It is located in Hancock County, Maine, and is located on the eastern tip of Mount Desert Island, in the northern part of the state. It has a population of about 2,000 people, making it one of the smallest towns in the state, with the largest population centers being Elliotsville, on the coast, and Bar Harbor on the southern tip of the island. It also has the largest number of residents in the United States, with about 1,200 people living in the town and its surrounding areas. The city is home to a number of tourist attractions, including the Mount Desert National Park, a national park, and a state park.

Tourism

Cadillac Mountain is the highest point on the Atlantic seaboard. The Village Green was named one of the top ten Great Places in America for Public Spaces in 2012. Bar Harbor is the eastern terminus of the Adventure Cycling Association's Northern Tier Bicycle Route. It is also the northern termini of the Atlantic Coast Bicycle Route (Key West, Florida, is the southern terminus). Ben & Bill's Chocolate Emporium, on Main Street, is a popular location due to its lobster-flavored ice cream. At low tide a sand bar is exposed that links the town to Bar Island. The forecast for 2019 was 176 ship visits and more than 254,000 passengers, with 154 ship visits in the harbor from May through October. The town is also home to many long-distance cyclists, as it is the western terminus for the Northern Tier bicycle Route and the northern end of the Northern Coast Bicycle route. It also is home to a lobster restaurant, which has a lobster statue at its storefront. The city is located on the shore of Mount Desert Island, which is the largest island in the state. The island is also a popular destination for whale watching and whale watching tours, with puffins, whales, seals, seabirds, and lighthouses among the species that can be seen on the marina. The harbor is also popular with cruise ships, with more than 222,000 visitors in 2018. It has a population of about 2,000 people, with the majority of whom live in Bar Harbor.

In popular culture

Bar Harbor is featured in the 2007 book The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan as the setting of Westover Hall, a boarding school. The Far Harbor add-on for the video game Fallout 4 is located on Mount Desert Island, with Bar Harbor being reimagined as the post apocalyptic settlement of Far Harbor. Bar Harbor is also the setting for the film version of The Hobbit, starring Tom Hanks and J.K. Rowling. The town is featured on the cover of the book, as well as in the film The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films. It is also featured in a number of other films and TV shows, including The Godfather and The Hobbit. It also appears in the TV series The Walking Dead, which is set in the town of Bar Harbor in the 1950s and 1960s. It has also appeared in several other books and TV series, such as The Hobbit: A Short History of the World, The Lord Of The Rings, and The Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II. It was also used as the location for the opening of the movie The Hobbit in the 1990s and the film adaptation in the 2000s. In the film, Bar Harbor was also the location of the opening scene of The God of War, starring Heath Ledger and Harrison Ford. The city is also mentioned in the book The Hobbit as a setting for The Great Wall of China, and in the movie of the same name in the novel The Great wall of China.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Bar Harbor, Hancock County, Maine = 69.2. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 99. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Bar Harbor = 2.9 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 5,089 individuals with a median age of 43.4 age the population grows by 10.64% in Bar Harbor, Hancock County, Maine population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 120 residents per square mile of area (46.5/km²). There are average 1.94 people per household in the 1,425 households with an average household income of $41,185 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 4.80% of the available work force and has growths 0.75% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 36.70%. The number of physicians in Bar Harbor per 100,000 population = 216.6.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Bar Harbor = 50.2 inches and the annual snowfall = 64.9 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 126. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 196. 78 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 14.5 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 56, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Bar Harbor, Hancock County, Maine which are owned by the occupant = 39.14%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 51 years with median home cost = $243,840 and home appreciation of -2.96%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $10.32 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $9,837 per student. There are 8.5 students for each teacher in the school, 244 students for each Librarian and 281 students for each Counselor. 4.31% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 25.43% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 17.83% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).