Belfast, Maine: Midcoast Harbor Town
Belfast occupies the western shore of Penobscot Bay at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River. The city was settled by Scots-Irish immigrants in the 1770s and named after Belfast in Northern Ireland. Its harbor served the coasting trade through the 1800s, with schooners carrying lumber, lime, and ice to ports along the Atlantic seaboard. The brick downtown along Main Street preserves the architecture of that commercial era, and several buildings date to the mid-19th century.
Poultry processing was Belfast's major industry for much of the 20th century. The Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad, one of the shortest railroads in America, once connected the city to the inland town of Burnham and the Maine Central line. The railroad ceased freight operations decades ago but the tracks remain. In recent years, Belfast has attracted new residents drawn by the lower cost of living compared to southern Maine and the town's walkable downtown.
The Belfast Co-op, a member-owned natural foods store, has been a centerpiece of the town's commercial life since the 1970s and reflects a strain of alternative culture that took root here. Belfast's population is around 6,700. The town sits roughly midway along the coast between Portland and Bar Harbor, and its position on Route 1 brings through-traffic from tourists heading to Acadia and Downeast Maine.
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Belfast occupies the western shore of Penobscot Bay at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River. The city was settled by Scots-Irish immigrants in the 1770s and named after Belfast in Northern Ireland. Its harbor served the coasting trade through the 1800s, with schooners carrying lumber, lime, and ice to ports along the Atlantic seaboard. The brick downtown along Main Street preserves the architecture of that commercial era, and several buildings date to the mid-19th century.
Poultry processing was Belfast's major industry for much of the 20th century. The Belfast and Moosehead Lake Railroad, one of the shortest railroads in America, once connected the city to the inland town of Burnham and the Maine Central line. The railroad ceased freight operations decades ago but the tracks remain. In recent years, Belfast has attracted new residents drawn by the lower cost of living compared to southern Maine and the town's walkable downtown.
The Belfast Co-op, a member-owned natural foods store, has been a centerpiece of the town's commercial life since the 1970s and reflects a strain of alternative culture that took root here. Belfast's population is around 6,700. The town sits roughly midway along the coast between Portland and Bar Harbor, and its position on Route 1 brings through-traffic from tourists heading to Acadia and Downeast Maine.
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