Calais, Maine Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Calais, Maine
City

Calais, Maine Location in Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Washington
Settled	1779
Incorporated	June 16, 1809
Area
• Total	40.11 sq mi (103.88 km²)
• Land	34.32 sq mi (88.90 km²)
• Water	5.79 sq mi (14.98 km²)
Elevation	43 ft (13 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	3,079
• Density	89.71/sq mi (34.64/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	04619
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-09585
GNIS feature ID	0563341

Calais (say "CAL-iss") is a city in Washington County, Maine, United States. It's located right on the border with Canada. In 2020, about 3,079 people lived there. This makes Calais the biggest town in Washington County by population.

Calais is an important place for shopping and business in eastern Washington County. It's also a key shopping spot for people from Charlotte County, New Brunswick in Canada. Many businesses in Calais focus on retail, services, and construction.

A Look Back: Calais History
Calais Today: Geography and Nature
Who Lives in Calais?
Learning in Calais: Schools and Colleges
- Public Schools
- Higher Education
Getting Around and Staying Healthy
- Transportation
- Healthcare
Famous People from Calais
Crossing the Border to Canada
Cool Places to Visit in Calais
See also

A Look Back: Calais History

Early Days and First Settlers

For thousands of years, native people lived in this area. The Passamaquoddy people, who spoke an Algonquian language, were here when Europeans first arrived.

The St. Croix River area was first explored by the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1604. He and his crew spent a winter on St. Croix Island. The first permanent settler was Daniel Hill. He came from Jonesboro in 1779 during the American Revolutionary War. In 1782, he and other settlers built the first sawmill here.

How Calais Got Its Name

On June 16, 1809, the area was officially named Calais. It was named after Calais, France. This was done to honor France for helping the United States during the American Revolutionary War.

The river was very important for early industries. It provided water power for many mills. These included sawmills, mills for making clapboard and shingles, and grain mills. There were also factories that made axes, shoes, and bricks.

A Special Friendship with Canada

Calais has a very close and long-lasting friendship with its Canadian neighbor, St. Stephen, New Brunswick. A great example of this friendship happened during the War of 1812. The British military gave St. Stephen a lot of gunpowder to protect against the American "enemy" in Calais. But the leaders of St. Stephen actually gave that gunpowder to Calais! They used it for their Fourth of July celebrations.

Railroads and Growth

Calais was home to the very first railroad built in Maine. It was called the Calais Railroad. It started in 1832. This railroad helped move lumber from mills to the river. Later, it became part of the St. Croix & Penobscot Railroad.

Calais officially became a city on August 24, 1850.

Historic Buildings and Places

The Calais Free Library is a beautiful building. It was designed by an architect from Boston and opened on July 4, 1893. This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Many other places in Calais are also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These include:

Main Street in 1913
Calais Avenue around 1905
International Bridge in 1913
Looking east from the bridge in 1908

Calais Today: Geography and Nature

Calais viewed from St. Stephen across the St. Croix River

Calais is located where the St. Croix River meets the ocean tides. The city covers about 40 square miles (103.88 square kilometers). Most of this is land, with some water.

The City of Calais recently bought a special place called Devil's Head. This area has 318 acres (128.7 hectares) of land. It also has a mile of riverfront along the St. Croix River. Devil's Head features a tall granite cliff, a sandy beach, forests, and lots of wildlife. Trails for exploring were finished in 2003.

Calais is also the northern end of the East Coast Greenway. This is a long trail that goes all the way down to Key West, Florida.

Who Lives in Calais?

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
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:

In 2010, there were 3,123 people living in Calais. Most people were White (95.5%). About 1.3% were Native American. The average age in Calais was 45.3 years old.

Learning in Calais: Schools and Colleges

Public Schools

Calais has schools for all ages, from elementary to high school. There's also a technical school.

Calais High School
St. Croix Regional Technical School

Higher Education

For students who want to continue their education, Calais has a two-year community college.

Washington County Community College

The closest four-year university is in Machias, Maine.

Getting Around and Staying Healthy

Transportation

Calais is a hub for travel. It's where two main roads meet: U.S. 1 (which runs along the East Coast) and Route 9 (which crosses Maine).

Since 2012, Calais also has direct access to New Brunswick Route 1 in Canada. This is a major highway that connects to other parts of Canada. You can also take a bus from Calais to Bangor.

Healthcare

Calais Regional Hospital (CRH) is an important hospital for the area. It has 15 beds for acute care and 10 "swing" beds. It also has an emergency room that's open 24 hours a day. The hospital serves about 14,000 people in northeastern Washington County. CRH is the biggest employer in Calais, with over 200 staff members.

Calais Regional Hospital

Famous People from Calais

Many interesting people have come from Calais, including:

Nehemiah Abbott, a U.S. congressman
Lyn Mikel Brown, an academic and author
Ron Corning, a television anchorman
Andrea Gibson, a spoken word artist and poet
Frederick A. Pike, a U.S. congressman
Tim Sample, a humorist
Harriet Prescott Spofford, an author

Crossing the Border to Canada

Sign at the international border between Calais, Maine, United States (left) and St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada (right)

Calais has three ways to cross the border into St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. These are the Ferry Point International Bridge, the Milltown International Bridge, and the International Avenue Bridge.

The International Avenue Bridge opened in 2009. It was built to help with traffic and make border crossings smoother. This bridge is mainly for commercial trucks, but cars and buses can use it too. The other two bridges are still used for cars and people walking.

The new border facility is very modern. It uses special equipment to check vehicles quickly and safely. It was also built using "green" building practices. This means it uses recycled materials and saves energy and water.

Calais, Maine facts for kids

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