Bath Characteristics

 

Bath provides a picturesque downtown, which is bordered to the east by the Kennebec River, twelve miles from the ocean and located on mid-coast Route 1.  Its ambiance is Nineteenth Century with brick sidewalks and simulated gas street lamps reflecting its rich maritime and naval history.  The vibrant downtown has a wide range of retail businesses housed in buildings which reflect the history of the City including a department store, a full service market, furniture stores, drug stores, gift shops, antique shops, clothing shops, gift shops, a cooking shop, a variety of restaurants and seven banks.

 

Within the downtown area are the historic Customs House, the Davenport Memorial City Hall, the Chocolate Church Performing Arts Center and the 1843 Winter Street Church, which is the headquarters of Sagadahoc Preservation, Inc.  Sagadahoc Preservations, Inc., the Bath Historical Society and Maine Maritime Museum’s large complex south of the downtown reflect the pride the citizens of Bath have in their rich heritage of shipbuilding.  Shipbuilding is still active at Bath Iron Works located adjacent to the downtown area and is the state’s largest employer.  Stinson Canning Company is located on the north end of Bath.  The second and third stories of most of the downtown buildings house a mix of professionals, artists and residents.  Incorporated in the downtown area are scenic waterfront parks and the larger City Park, which contains the newly expanded Patten Free Library, a gazebo, which serves as a band shell and a pond with the “Spirit of the Sea” statue by William Zorach.

 

The residential areas throughout Bath represent a wide range of architectural styles of the Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, and a trend is toward returning some of those large homes from multi-unit dwellings to single family homes.  The fact that Bath is a City easily accessible on foot is one of its great assets.  Two public boat launches are located on the north and south ends of the five-mile stretch of Bath’s waterfront.  The city boasts two nature preserves within the city limits at Butler Head and Thorne Head.

 

In addition to Morse High School, which has one of the most active and oldest alumni associations in the country, the newly renovated middle school and three active grade schools, the private Hyde School is located in the historic Hyde Mansion.  Outside the downtown area are the historic Sagadahoc County Court House, a new YMCA, a cancer treatment center and a new CED Community Action Center, which was built in the new Wing Farm Commercial and Industrial Park.  There is a shopping center, an 18-hole Bath Country Club and an active Senior Citizens’ Center.  A train station (the last one built in Maine) is adjacent to the Route 1 corridor.

 

Community spirit in Bath is enormously high, including the support of area residents for the July 4th Heritage Days, launchings at Bath Iron Works and for other special events, including the dedication of the new Sagadahoc Bridge across the Kennebec River in August 2000.  Also, there have been tremendous fund-raising efforts which have recently been undertaken; to build the new YMCA, expand the library, enhance the programs of Maine Maritime Museum and to build the new Mid Coast Hospital, which will open in December 2001 between Bath and Brunswick.  Civic groups and service clubs abound the grass roots volunteerism.

 

The faith communities, including sixteen churches and a synagogue, are strong and interactive.  The Bath Business Association has organized promotions, done joint advertising, shared business information and worked actively on downtown issues.  The city officials and city council are concerned with the issues affecting the downtown businesses and future development.  Bath is uniquely positioned to serve as a center not only for its year-round residents, but also for the summer residents and tourist trade from nearby coastal areas.  Bath has also been listed as number seventeen on the list of the top 100 small cities in which to live.