Bar Harbor, a town in Hancock County, incorporated on February 23, 1796 under the name Eden from land set off from the town of Mount Desert on Mount Desert Island. After over 120 years, its name was changed to Bar Harbor on March 5, 1918.
After Newport, Rhode Island, Bar Harbor was the resort of choice for wealthy eastern Americans until the great fire of 1947 destroyed many homes and forested areas.
Acadia National Park dominates tourists itineraries when the population of the town and the island swells each summer.
Bar Harbor is home to the Jackson Laboratory which describes itself as an independent non-profit mammalian research laboratory.
The College of the Atlantic, with a focus on environmental and marine science studies, is a relatively new member of the community. The college, whose campus overlooks the harbor just outside the village, enrolls about 300 students in its four-year degree programs.
The Indian Point - Blagden Preserve has 110 acres of mature red spruce, northern white cedar, and balsam fir forest that survived the 1947 fire, with long frontage on Western Bay, including a gravel beach. Harbor seals bask on small islands nearby. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, the preserve has extensive walking trails.
