Calais, Maine | |
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 Logo | |
| Motto: "Bridging Culture, Commerce, and Community" | |
  Calais, Maine Location within the state of Maine Show map of Maine Calais, Maine Calais, Maine (the United States) Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:45°10′N67°14′W / 45.16°N 67.23°W /45.16; -67.23 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Maine |
| County | Washington |
| Settled | 1779 |
| Incorporated | June 16, 1809 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Marcia Rogers |
| • City Manager | Michael Ellis |
| Area | |
• Total | 40.11 sq mi (103.88 km2) |
| • Land | 34.32 sq mi (88.90 km2) |
| • Water | 5.78 sq mi (14.98 km2) |
| Elevation | 43 ft (13 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 3,078 |
| • Density | 89.7/sq mi (34.64/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 04619 |
| Area code | 207 |
| FIPS code | 23-09585 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0563341 |
| Website | www |
Calais/ˈkælɪs/[2] (similar to the word "callous"[3]) is a city inWashington County, Maine, United States. As of the2020 census, it had a population of 3,079, making Calais the largest municipality by population in Washington County, but the third least-populous city in Maine (afterHallowell andEastport).[4] The city has threeCanada–US border crossings (also known asports of entry) over theSt. Croix River connecting toSt. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada.
Calais has been a city of commerce and is recognized as the primary shopping center of eastern Washington County and ofCharlotte County, New Brunswick. Retail, service, and construction businesses are the primary components of the Calais economy.
This area was occupied for thousands of years by indigenous peoples. The historicPassamaquoddy, an Algonquian-speaking people of theWabanaki Confederacy, was predominant in this area at the time of European encounter and settlement.
The St. Croix River and its area were first explored by the FrenchSamuel de Champlain when he and his men spent a winter onSt. Croix Island in 1604. The first permanent settler was Daniel Hill ofJonesboro, who arrived in 1779 during theAmerican Revolutionary War, when this was still part of Massachusetts. With other settlers, he built the firstsawmill in 1782. On June 27, 1789, theMassachusetts General Court sold the township to Waterman Thomas for 19¢ an acre (0.4 hectares) (approx. $2.86 an acre in 2018 dollars). Early occupations in the settlement includedfarming,hunting andship building.[5]
On June 16, 1809, Plantation Number 5 PS was incorporated as Calais afterCalais,France, in honor ofFrench assistance during theAmerican Revolution. The river provided themill town withwater power for industry, which included sawmills,clapboard andshingle mills, twoplaning mills, asaw factory, twoaxe factories and fourgrain mills. There werefoundries,machine shops,granite works,shoe factories and atannery. Other businesses producedbricks,bedsteads,brooms,carriages andplaster.[6]
The relationship between Calais and the neighboring Canadian town of St. Stephen has been remarkably close, over a period of many years. As evidence of the longtime friendship between the towns a likely apocryphal[7] story is told that during the War of 1812, the British military provided St. Stephen with a large supply of gunpowder for protection against the enemy Americans in Calais, but St. Stephen's town elders gave the gunpowder to Calais for its Fourth of July celebrations.[8]
Calais is the home of the first railroad built in the state of Maine, the Calais Railroad, incorporated by the state legislature on February 17, 1832.[9] It was built to transport lumber from a mill on the St. Croix River oppositeMilltown, New Brunswick, 2 miles (3 km) to the tidewater at Calais in 1835. In 1849, the name was changed to the Calais & Baring Railroad, and the line was extended 4 miles (6 km) farther toBaring.[10] In 1870, it became part of the St. Croix & Penobscot Railroad.[11]
Calais was incorporated as a city on August 24, 1850. On July 18, 1864,Confederate agents crossed the border fromNew Brunswick and attempted to rob a bank in Calais.[12]
TheCalais Free Library was designed byBoston architectArthur H. Vinal and opened on July 4, 1893. TheRomanesque Revival building was listed on theNational Register of Historic Places in 2001.
Other places in Calais listed on the National Register of Historic Places are the Calais Historic District, Calais Residential Historic District, Devils Head Site,Gilmore House,Thomas Hamilton House,Hinckley Hill Historic District,Holmes Cottage,Dr. Job Holmes House,Theodore Jellison House,Pike's Mile Markers,St. Anne's Episcopal Church,George Washburn House andWhitlocks Mill Light.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.10 square miles (103.86 km2), of which 34.32 square miles (88.89 km2) is land and 5.78 square miles (14.97 km2) is water.[13] Calais is located at thehead of tide on theSt. Croix River.
Recently,[when?] the City of Calais acquired Devil's Head. The site comprises 318 acres (129 ha) of land, 1-mile (1.6 km) of frontage on the St. Croix River estuary, and 0.6 miles (0.97 km) of frontage onU.S. Route 1. Significant features on the property include a 340-foot (100 m) high granite headland towering over the estuary, a low-tide sand and boulder beach, upland forest, and abundant wildlife. Trail construction was completed in 2003.
Calais is the northern terminus of theEast Coast Greenway, which has its southern terminus inKey West, Florida.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 372 | — | |
| 1820 | 418 | 12.4% | |
| 1830 | 1,686 | 303.3% | |
| 1840 | 2,934 | 74.0% | |
| 1850 | 4,749 | 61.9% | |
| 1860 | 5,621 | 18.4% | |
| 1870 | 5,944 | 5.7% | |
| 1880 | 6,173 | 3.9% | |
| 1890 | 7,290 | 18.1% | |
| 1900 | 7,655 | 5.0% | |
| 1910 | 6,116 | −20.1% | |
| 1920 | 6,084 | −0.5% | |
| 1930 | 5,470 | −10.1% | |
| 1940 | 5,161 | −5.6% | |
| 1950 | 4,589 | −11.1% | |
| 1960 | 4,223 | −8.0% | |
| 1970 | 4,044 | −4.2% | |
| 1980 | 4,262 | 5.4% | |
| 1990 | 3,963 | −7.0% | |
| 2000 | 3,447 | −13.0% | |
| 2010 | 3,123 | −9.4% | |
| 2020 | 3,079 | −1.4% | |
| sources:[14] | |||
As of thecensus[15] of 2010, there were 3,123 people, 1,403 households, and 771 families residing in the city. Thepopulation density was 91.0 inhabitants per square mile (35.1/km2). There were 1,737 housing units at an average density of 50.6 per square mile (19.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 95.5%White, 0.5%African American, 1.3%Native American, 0.6%Asian, 0.4% fromother races, and 1.7% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.4% of the population.
There were 1,403 households, of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% weremarried couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.0% were non-families. 39.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.80.
The median age in the city was 45.3 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20% were from 25 to 44; 29.9% were from 45 to 64; and 20.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.
The City of Calais operates under thecouncil-manager form of government. The current city manager is Michael Ellis. Some past city managers include:William Bridgeo, Nancy Orr, Nicholas Mull, Linda Pagels,Mark Ryckman, Diane Barnes and James Porter. The current city mayor is Marcia Rogers.[16]
Calais is a part of theCalais School District.[17] It has anelementary school, amiddle school, ahigh school, and atechnical school.
Calais also has the superintendent's office of theMaine Indian Education (MIE) school system, a public school system for Native Americans in three other communities.[18]
Calais is home to a two-yearcommunity college. The nearest four-yearuniversity is located inMachias, Maine.
Calais is located at the junction ofU.S. 1, a major north-south highway that runs along theEastern Seaboard, andRoute 9, which crosses the state from east to west. SinceOctober 25, 2012, the city also has had direct access toNew Brunswick Route 1, a controlled-accessfreeway that begins at theCanada–US border and runs east throughSaint John to a junction with theTrans-Canada Highway. West's Bus Service operates a bus service between Calais andBangor.[19]
Calais Regional Hospital (CRH) currently has 15 acute care beds and 10 swing beds, in addition to a 24-hour physician staffed emergency department. It serves northeastern Washington County with an approximate population of 14,000 fromTopsfield to the north,Wesley to the west, andEastport to the south. CRH is the largest employer in Calais, employing more than 200 people. The hospital is licensed by the State of Maine.
Calais has a full-timepolice,fire, andEMS department.
TheFerry Point International Bridge and theMilltown International Bridge connect Calais toSt. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. Construction began in 2008 on a third bridge andPort of entry (POE) to connect the two communities. Referred to as theInternational Avenue Bridge, this bridge and POE opened on November 16, 2009, and serves commercial, cargo,trucking, passenger vehicles, campers, RVs, and buses. However, both the Ferry Point and Milltown crossings remain in use for passenger vehicles and pedestrians.[22]
The new inspection facility alleviates traffic congestion from downtown Calais and the neighboring towns in Canada. It is equipped with state-of-the-art security equipment that allows for efficient processing of both commercial and passenger vehicles. The new facility is occupied byU.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), theU.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) andU.S. General Services Administration (GSA). This facility was built as part of GSA's high-performance green building program and has received theLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification for comprehensive use ofsustainable design and technology. Recycled, reused, and local materials were used during the construction. The facility conserves energy by bringing natural light into every occupied space, and conserves water by using low-flow fixtures that consumes 40 percent less water than traditional plumbing. The Calais port of entry, designed byRobert Siegel Architects, provides six lanes of non-commercial inspection and three lanes of commercial inspection.
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