Bridgton is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,418 at the 2020 census. A resort area in Maine's Lakes Region, Bridgton is home to Bridgton Academy, a private preparatory school, and the Four on the Fourth Road Race.
Bridgton is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area.
History
The undeveloped land was first called Pondicherry. It was granted in 1768 by the Massachusetts General Court to Moody Bridges and a group of proprietors. Settlement began in 1770 at what is now North Bridgton, where a tavern was built. The community was organized in 1779 as Bridgetown Plantation, named after Moody Bridges, and then incorporated on February 7, 1794 as Bridgton.
Stevens Brook is only a mile and a half long, but it provided water power for 12 mill sites. It developed as an industrial center, with sawmills, gristmills, woolen textile mills, a tannery, shoe factory and brick manufacturer. Later, a corn and vegetable packing plant was built, in addition to a foundry, machine shop, shovel handle factory, sash and blind factory, and a coffin shop. Population increased when goods manufactured by water power could be transported to outside markets on the Cumberland and Oxford Canal, which opened to Portland in 1832. By the mid-19th century, the town contained about 3,000 inhabitants. When the Portland and Ogdensburg Railway bypassed Bridgton, the town built the Bridgton and Saco River Railroad link to the national rail network in 1883. Summer vacationers arrived by rail and steamboat until automobile tourists began arriving after designation of the Theodore Roosevelt International Highway in 1919 (identified as U.S. Route 302 since 1935). The convenience of highway travel caused abandonment of the canal steamboats in 1932 and the narrow-gauge railroad in 1941. Bridgton remains a popular resort area, with many children's summer camps located along the shores of the beautiful lakes and Pleasant Mountain Ski Area (formerly Shawnee Peak), a ski resort, located in the western part of town.
Villages and neighborhoods
Bridgton has several villages and areas that can be classified as neighborhoods. They are: Bridgton is the main, central area of town. It begins on Route 302, near Meadow Road, and continues up towards Main Street, passing Highland Lake and the Civil War monument at the top of Main Hill. This is the central, downtown of Bridgton, featuring shops, offices and a movie theater. Also located in this area is Stevens Brook Elementary School, Bridgton Memorial School, the Bridgton Community Center, and Pondicherry Park. It is bordered to the west by South High Street.Pondicherry Park is a 62+acre tract of land that includes forest, wetlands pastures and brooks. Hiking trails throughout allow visitors to step from downtown Bridgton into quiet woodlands in an instant. Dogs are not allowed in the entire park, but a Dog Trail is opening in summer 2012. North Bridgton is located just south of the towns of Waterford and Harrison. The main focal point here is Bridgton Academy. It has a separate post office and ZIP code (04057) from the rest of Bridgton, although this ZIP code serves only mail delivered to post office boxes in the North Bridgton Post Office; street delivery in North Bridgton carries the Bridgton address and ZIP code (04009). The area has magnificent views of Long Lake. South Bridgton is, as the name describes, to the south of Bridgton. It is located mainly off Route 107, near Sebago. The most central portion of the area is near Adams Pond and features the South Bridgton Congregational Church. Sandy Creek is a sub-area of South Bridgton. It is based around Denmark Road, near Woods Pond Beach. There are multiple summer camps in this area, and it is primarily residential. West Bridgton is bordered to the south by Denmark and to the west by Fryeburg. The main area of development here is on Route 302, from the West Bridgton Fire Station near Cedar Drive, across the Moose Pond causeway to Shawnee Peak. In addition, West Bridgton is home to Camp Winona, which has been in operation for a century.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and is water. To the east of Bridgton is Long Lake, which eventually flows into Sebago Lake and the Atlantic Ocean. Long Lake is partly fed by Stevens Brook. The source of Stevens Brook is Highland Lake, which is located just west of the downtown.