coastal town, Hancock county, southern Maine, U.S. It is on Mount Desert Island at the foot of Cadillac Mountain (1,530 feet 【466 metres】) facing Frenchman Bay, 46 miles (74 km) southeast of Bangor. Settled in 1763, it was incorporated in 1796 as Eden; the present name (for Bar Island in the main harbour) was adopted in 1918. Most of the town was destroyed by fire in 1947. Rebuilt Bar Harbor is the centre of a popular resort area verging on Acadia National Park and is a port of entry. Communities in the town include Bar Harbor, Hulls Cove, and Salisbury Cove. It is linked to the mainland by bridge and is the terminus for the ferry service to and from Yarmouth, N.S., Can. The College of the Atlantic opened there in 1969. The Jackson Laboratory for biological research is nearby. Area 42 square miles (109 square km). Pop. (1990) 4,443; (2000) 4,820.