About Camden, Maine

Midway along the coast of Maine, at the southern end of Penobscot Bay, a cluster of hills rise to the dignity of mountains and shelter the lovely 19th century harbor town of Camden.

One enters Camden from the south, along Route 1, passing beautiful old homes of sea captains, now fine bed and breakfast establishments. The Camden Opera House stands opposite the Village Green, and shops and restaurants fill the modest, turn-of-the-century buildings in the little business district, hugging the harbor.

The harbor is home to a fleet of windjammers, historic sailing vessels offering day-long or week-long adventures on Penobscot Bay each summer. In summer the harbor also fills with elegant yachts and local lobster boats. In winter strong sunlight shines on the bare masts, and every view is like a scene from a Christmas card.

North along Route 1, past the up-to-date library and outdoor amphitheater overlooking Harbor Park, past more old homes, now welcoming inns, lies the Camden Hills State Park. Its scenic roads and hiking trails climb to the top of Mt. Battie and Mt. Megunticook and provide breath-taking views of the islands in Penobscot Bay and the surrounding mountains.

With little industry since the mills along the Megunticook River closed, Camden has remained small. (5,254 at the last census.) Those who live in Camden year-round know their neighbors, attend town meetings, and look out for each other’s children. Business leaders and their families have summered in Camden for generations, and since the latter part of the twentieth century Camden has attracted authors, artists, and retired doctors, diplomats, and executives. Camden has become a cultural and intellectual surprise. Among the windjammers, boat-builders, and winter sports, Camden offers the Bay Chamber Concerts, five bookstores, several local newspapers and community websites, the Bayview Cinema, the Camden Conference in February, the Pop! Tech Conference in October, the Maine Literary Festival in November, and the Mid-Coast Forum on Foreign Relations brown bag lunches every month. As author Tom deMarco said, “We think of Camden not just as a lovely town, but as an idea garden.” (Contributed by Ann Morris, author of The Camden Chronology, 2004, available at the Owl & Turtle Bookshop in Camden.)

Camden information resources