The Town of Bar Harbor

Charming, Quaint, Artsy... and Touristy

The town of Bar Harbor is the premier destination town near Acadia National Park. Bar Harbor is not short on charm... or people during tourist season.

Bar Harbor is just a small town, but because of its oddly funky charm and its proximity to Acadia, it is the most well-known and visited village on Mt. Desert Island. It has a population of 4,820 residents according to the 2000 census, although obviously the numbers in town swell immensely during the summer months each year.

The town of Bar Harbor actually includes three rural districts: Hull’s Cove, Salisbury Cove and Town Hill, but most people think of the village of Bar Harbor ME as the actual entity.

The History of Bar Harbor

Like most of Downeast Maine, Bar Harbor has a rich heritage, beginning with the earliest Native American settlers. The town of Bar Harbor was originally a seasonal camping site of the Wabanaki Indians and was called Man-es-ayd’ik, which means clam gathering place).

Situated on Frenchman’s Bay, Bar Harbor was first settled in 1763, and was originally called Eden. In the 1840s, it attracted Hudson River School and Luminism artists and the first hotel, the Agamont House, was built in 1855.

Birch Point was the first summer "cottage," built in 1868 by Alpheus Hardy. By 1880, 30 hotels operated in the town of Bar Harbor ME, rivaling Newport, Rhode Island.

In 1918, Eden was renamed Bar Harbor. John D. Rockefeller was one of the notable early residents and Nelson Rockefeller (who later became the governor of New York and then Vice President of the US) was born there. In 1947, a huge drought caused a fire that burned for 10 days, destroying over 170 homes and 5 hotels. The business district was spared, but the town was never again the same as a resort for the wealthy.

Bar Harbor Today

Today, the town of Bar Harbor is home to the College of the Atlantic, the world-renowned Jackson Laboratory and the MDI Biological Laboratory. It is also the port of entry for ferries from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, and of course, home to the largest parts of Acadia National Park.

Bar Harbor hosts two music festivals every year, as well as a super fun Fourth of July celebration, complete with lobster fest, parade and fireworks.

In short, no trip to Acadia is complete without a day spent exploring the town of Bar Harbor!

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