About Calais
When considering its history, demographics and location, the city of Calais is ideally
suited as the host community for a state-of-the-art LNG facility.
Located in eastern Maine, along the shores of the St. Croix River, the city of Calais
is a border community and the U.S. neighbor of St. Stephen in New Brunswick, Canada.(Click here for a detailed map)
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Calais has a rich history that dates back to the late 1600s, when early settlers
were
drawn to its ample lumber supply and coastal connection. With a population
of |
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roughly 3,500 residents, the city is today one of Washington County’s principal
commerce centers, serving a regional population of approximately 15,000 people in
eastern Washington County.
Although once a vibrant economic hub that centered upon shipping, commercial fishing,
and the state’s lumber industry, Calais is |
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working hard to revitalize a lagging
regional economy
and to retain a population that has been steadily shrinking for
nearly 100 years. |
History:
The St. Croix River area was first explored by Samuel de Champlain in 1609. A permanent
settlement was established in the early 1700s and flourished because of vast, nearby
forests that fueled area sawmills and the shipbuilding trade.
The town of Calais was officially incorporated in 1809 and named after Calais, France
in recognition of the French government’s assistance during the American Revolution.
By the mid-1800s, Calais was thriving as one of the nation’s most prominent ship-building
communities, and as a major seafaring port that exported lumber and agricultural
products to Europe, the Caribbean and ports along the Eastern seaboard of the United
States.
The city’s population hit its peak in the early 1900s, boasting a community of nearly
7,200 people, many of whom were employed in a variety of trades including regional
sawmills, lumber harvesting, agriculture and the distribution of imported sugar,
rum and molasses from distant ports.
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“Our city is the very definition of a river community,” says a member of the Calais |
Historical Society. “The river is why we’re here; it has always been our lifeblood,
our main connection to the rest of the world.”
As the city grew, so did its port activity, including the shipment of coal and petroleum
products that continued through the mid 1940s. In fact, coal was the primary heating |
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source for residents and businesses; and a coal-gasification facility near what
is known locally
as the Custom’s House at the foot of the Ferry Point Bridge, produced
syngas that replaced whale oil as a lighting source for a vast majority of the city’s
homes and businesses. |
Demographics:
Similar to many other communities in northern and eastern Maine, the city of Calais
is committed to retaining its unique cultural heritage while fostering a more sustainable
economy for its residents.
According to the
Maine Department of Labor,
the unemployment rate in Washington
County is more than double the statewide average. In March 2008, the unemployment
rate in Calais was 12 percent, when compared to a statewide average of 5.8 percent
during the same period.
The county’s population has been trending downward, dropping roughly 5.7 percent
between 1996 and 2005, even as the state’s overall population grew by 5.5 percent
during the same period, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The $25,094 per capita income in Washington County is the lowest of all of Maine’s
16 counties. This income level is 22 percent lower than the Maine average of $32,348.
Many of the city’s residents have expressed a pressing need for economic development
and more job opportunities. In 2005, the Calais City Council demonstrated broad
support for a proposed LNG facility in their community.
Most recently on April 8, 2008, the mayor of Calais presided over a Calais LNG Workshop
presented to the Calais City Council and Planning Board, as well as members of the
public. On April 10, 2008, the Calais City Council unanimously endorsed a resolution
supporting the Calais LNG project. |
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