Damariscotta, Lincoln County, Maine, USA

Damariscotta is a town in central Lincoln County on Maine’s midcoast, situated near the head of the tidal Damariscotta River about 12 miles inland from the Gulf of Maine. The river forms much of the town’s western boundary and separates its principal village from Newcastle; the two communities are connected by the Main Street bridge and commonly known as the Twin Villages. U.S. Route 1 crosses northern Damariscotta, linking it with Wiscasset, Waldoboro and other midcoast communities. The town developed as a shipbuilding and maritime center and now serves as an important regional hub for retail, healthcare, education, professional services, arts and tourism. Its waterfront, historic commercial center and nearby oyster fisheries are central to its identity, while ancient shell middens along the river document Indigenous use of the area extending back thousands of years. Damariscotta covers 12.42 square miles of land and had 2,297 residents at the 2020 census; the more densely settled Damariscotta census-designated place within the town had 1,193 residents.