History of Rockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine|Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the United States Census, 2000|2000 census, the city population was 7,609. It is the county seat of Knox County, Maine|Knox County{{GR|6}}. It was settled in 1769, and was originally part of Thomaston, Maine. In 1848 it became a separate New England town|town named East Thomaston, and was chartered as a city in 1854.{{cite book |last= Maine League of Historical Societies and Museums |editor=Doris A. Isaacson |title=Maine: A Guide 'Down East' |year=1970 |publisher=Courier-Gazette, Inc. |location=Rockland, Me | pages = 261-262 }} Rockland is also an officially designated micropolitan area, and has made several "best cities and towns to live" lists in recent years. Since the early 1990s, Rockland has seen a shift in its economy away from the fishery and toward a service center city. It has also seen a large increase in tourism and the downtown has transformed into one of unique shops, boutiques, fine dining and art galleries. Rockland is the commercial center of the midcoast Maine region, with many [http://www.historicinnsofrockland.com/ historic inns], a [http://www.rockcitycoffee.com/ coffee roaster], a food co-op and is also home to the Farnsworth Art Museum.
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