Bath Maine, A place to call Home

A great overview of a classic Mid Coast Maine Town.

A brief history of Bath Maine:
Bath's history begins when the former English colony of Popham during the 1600s was founded. The Popham colony rumored to have built the Virginia of Sagadahoc, the first oceangoing vessel created in the New World was ultimately abandoned in the early 16oo's, but their groundwork laid the foundation for future Europeans to settle and create the towns of Georgetown, Phippsburg, Woolwich and Arrowsic. In 1780, Bath declared itself independent of the surrounding municipalities. Through until present day, Bath has continued to flourish as a city that centers around its maritime history whilst incorporating modern innovation.

At one point in history Bath was one of the largers ship building towns in the world, a lot has changed but with teh The Bath Iron Works http://www.gdbiw.com/ continuing to churn out Aegis Navy Destroyers the city continues to hold strong with its traditional routes. Strolling past the iron works down Washington Street one encounters the great Maine Maritime Museum http://www.mainemaritimemuseum.org/ a 15 acre testament to the history of all Maine ship building.

As a direct consequence of the maritime ship building history, the homes of Bath Maine are quite magnificent. With so many skilled builders working on the ships and numberous wealthy sea captains with unlimited budgets, it was inevitable that marvelous homes would not be constructed. From a real estate perspective, the investment value of the town is great. A stately single family home can by bought for under 250K and many first time starter homes can be found under 150K. With Portland under 45 minutes away and Brunswick 10 miles down the road, one looking to relocate or retire to the coast of Maine should not overlook the city of Ships.

Outdoor Attractions:
Beaches and Nature preserves abound

• Reid State Park and Popham Beach State Park www.maine.gov/doc/parks/index.html - 2 of the greatest sandy beaches in Maine
• Bates-Morse Mountain Conservation Area www.bates.edu/morse-mountain.xml - wonderful hike to a beach
• Josephine Newman Wildlife Sanctuary (ME Hwy 127 (207) 781-2330).
  

Shopping in Bath
Bath's shopping primarily consists of a four block region of the downtown area filled with specialty stores and antique stores galore.

• Now You're Cooking - 49 Front St. (207) 443-1402, http://www.acooksemporium.com/) - simply awesome.
• Magnolia - 129 Front St. (207) 442-8989) - great gift shop
• Bath Natural Market - 36 Centre St. (207) 442-8012, http://www.bathnaturalmarket.com/) -organic food store
• Reny's - 86 Front St. (207) 443-6251, http://www.renys.com/ - if you have never been to a Reny's, stop everything and find one now.

The Arts:

• The Chocolate Church (798 Washington St, (207)443-8455, http://www.chocolatechurcharts.org/
• Maine State Music Theater (Bowdoin College, (207)725-8769, http://www.msmt.org/ where major theatrical

Restaurants:
Bath's restaurant selection offers a surprising wide variety for a small town size.

• Solo Bistro Bistro - 128 Front St, (207) 443-3372, http://www.solobistro.com/ delicious gourmet menu
• MaryEllenz Cafe - 15 Vine St, (207) 442-0960) family-style delights.
• The Cabin - 552 Washington St, (207) 443-6224),the best pizza in the mid-coast area.
• Beale Street Barbecue - 215 Water St, (207) 442-9514, http://www.mainebbq.com/
• Mae's Cafe and Bakery - 160 Centre St,(207) 443-8577, http://www.maescafeandbakery.com/
• Cafe Creme - 56 Front St, (207) 443-6454

Bath's Education:
The public school system in Bath is strong and offers two elementary schools, Dike-Newell (3 Wright Dr, (207)443-8285) and Fisher-Mitchell Schools (597 High St, (207) 443-4167), the Bath Middle School (6 Old Brusnwick Rd, (207)443-8270) ,the Bath Regional Vocational Center, (800 High St, (207)443-8257) and Morse High School (826 High St, (207)443-8250, http://www.bathpublicschools.com/ . 2 Private schools include The Hyde School (616 High St, (207)443-5584, http://www.hyde.edu/ for high schooler and for younger children, the Midcoast Montessori School (785 High St, (207)4439447, http://www.midcoastmontessori.com/ offers a well-rounded education.