Winter Harbor is a town on the

Schoodic Peninsula The Schoodic Peninsula is a peninsula in Down East Maine. It is located four miles (6 km) east of Bar Harbor, Maine, as the crow flies. The Schoodic Peninsula contains , or approximately 5% of Acadia National Park. It includes the towns ...

in Hancock County,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

, United States. The population was 461 at the 2020 census. The town is located just outside the Schoodic Peninsula portion of

Acadia National Park Acadia National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located along the mid-section of the Maine coast, southwest of Bar Harbor, Maine, Bar Harbor. The park includes about half of Mount Desert ...

and is due east of the town of

Bar Harbor Bar Harbor () is a resort town on Mount Desert Island in Hancock County, Maine, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population is 5,089. The town is home to the College of the Atlantic, Jackson Laboratory, and MDI Biological Laboratory. ...

and Ellsworth. Winter Harbor was once the location of a US Naval Station, NSGA-WH, which closed in the mid-2000s, and is now home to the Schoodic Institute’s Education and Research Center. The Schoodic Point District of

is adjacent to the town, and has played an important role in the community’s economic and social development. The Municipality includes the village proper of Winter Harbor, the summer colony of Grindstone Neck, and the hamlets of Gerrishville and Summer Harbor. An iconic, Downeast

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

, Winter Harbor is home to an active, multigenerational fishing fleet, and is the namesake of the Winter Harbor model boat. In addition, the community is or was a summer residence of several notable figures, such as

Frederick Hauck Frederick Hamilton "Rick" Hauck (pronounced "Howk"; born April 11, 1941) is a retired captain in the United States Navy, a former fighter pilot and NASA astronaut. He piloted Space Shuttle mission STS-7 and commanded STS-51-A and STS-26. Per ...

, Fitzgerald Eugene Dixon, among others. Winter Harbor hosts the annual Winter Harbor Lobster Festival each August, which celebrates the community’s history, culture, and economic activity. The festival draws crowds from across the Peninsula and wider Downeast Acadia Region, and includes activities, markets, boat races, a parade, and other events.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

History

Winter Harbor was raided various times by French and natives during

Queen Anne's War Queen Anne's War (1702–1713) or the Third Indian War was one in a series of French and Indian Wars fought in North America involving the colonial empires of Great Britain, France, and Spain; it took place during the reign of Anne, Queen of Gr ...

. A

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

radio communications station operated here during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 516 people, 255 households, and 145 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 519 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.4%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population. There were 255 households, of which 21.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.1% were non-families. 36.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.02 and the average family size was 2.59. The median age in the town was 51.1 years. 18% of residents were under the age of 18; 3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20% were from 25 to 44; 33.3% were from 45 to 64; and 25.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 988 people, 402 households, and 278 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 558 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 89.98%

, 2.02%

, 0.20% Native American, 0.71% Asian, and 7.09% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 3.64% of the population. There were 402 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were

living together, 8.0% households had a female with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.4% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males. The median income for a household in the town was $28,571, and the median income for a family was $32,750. Males had a median income of $24,063 versus $17,448 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $15,438. About 5.5% of families and 11.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Grindstone Neck

The

summer colony Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

of Grindstone Neck lies on a

peninsula A peninsula is a landform that extends from a mainland and is only connected to land on one side. Peninsulas exist on each continent. The largest peninsula in the world is the Arabian Peninsula. Etymology The word ''peninsula'' derives , . T ...

southwest of the village. In 1889 a group formed “The Gouldsboro Land Improvement Company” with the idea of creating a summer colony much like that of Bar Harbor. Residents of this community share in an association which includes a yacht club, nine-hole golf course, tennis courts and footpaths. The Winter Harbor Yacht Club purchased and renovated all nine original Winter Harbor 21 sailboats. Designed and launched in 1907, they are thought to be the oldest

one-design One-design racing is a racing method which may be adopted in sports using complex equipment, whereby all vehicles have identical or very similar designs or models, avoiding the need for a Handicapping, handicap system. Motorsport One-make racing ...

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

fleet in the United States. Many of the buildings on the neck were designed by Lindley Johnson, though the first few were designed by Wilson Eyre. The homes on Grindstone Neck are called "cottages", though many of them have upwards of 7–12 bedrooms.

Notable person

* Eleanor Widener Dixon (1891-1966), socialite and philanthropist * Fitz Eugene Dixon Jr., educator, philanthropist * Jacob Knowles, lobsterman and social media content creator