Bath

Bath is a seaport city where the meticulously preserved all-American history coexists with a trendy population and culture that makes for city life without the buzzing pace and hectic lifestyle.

 

Located 30 minutes north of Portland and just minutes from pristine beaches, Bath is a city of about 8000 which has with good reason started marketing itself as “Maine’s cool little city”. Positioned upstream on the Kennebec River from the famous Popham Beach on the mouth of the Kennebec River, the location of Bath has incited a number of industries to develop in the city. Starting with industries such as lumber, iron, and brass, Bath has become world-renowned for its shipbuilding industry. These industries have always kept the city with a sense of grit. Largely due to an influx of people in their 20s and 30s in combination with its 19th century architecture, the city has developed into exactly what it has been marketed as: Maine’s cool little city. These new residents and their contemporary lifestyles are revitalizing Bath while preserving the city’s history and the grit that it was built upon.

 

What draws outsiders to Bath is the architecture and history that has been beautifully preserved. In part due to a rejected proposal by the city to transform downtown Bath into an outdoor shopping plaza, downtown Bath is aligned with rows of adorable shops, boutiques, and restaurants that have been magnificently preserved to their original form. Take yourself on a self-guided architectural tour through Bath to witness the picturesque and all-American Main Street as well as homes that date back to the 18th century. Bath’s Main Street received praise in 2012 as it remains the only community in Maine and only the fifth in New England to receive the Great American Main Street Award.

 

Beginning in 1743, the shipbuilding industry in the Bath area has produced around 5000 vessels and had more than 200 firms at one point in time. By the mid-nineteenth century, Bath became the fifth largest seaport in the United States. The most notable shipyard is Bath Iron Works, which has built hundreds of vessels, many of which are warships for the U.S. navy, and they remain the largest employer in the area today. One of the city’s greatest attractions is the Maine Maritime Museum, which demonstrates how Bath’s growth as a city directly echoes the growth of the shipbuilding industry. You can take a ferry ride from the museum up the Kennebec River to see some of Maine’s most iconic lighthouses, exhibits of nature, and an up-close view of the U.S. Navy’s vessels under construction. Trolley tours throughout the city explain the history of the city with relation to the shipbuilding industry, or you can even take a class on shipbuilding for a few days! Regardless of what your interests are, the museum and city have an abundance of exhibitions and activities for all.

 

If you would like to be apart of a community where life has always revolved around the water and a movement that has turned Bath into Maine’s cool little city, contact us to start your Bath, ME Real Estate search so that you can be apart of the city’s history and make Bath a place you can call home.