It is a departure point for the Maine State Ferry Service to the islands of Penobscot Bay: Vinalhaven, North Haven and Matinicus.

Abenaki Indigenous People called it Catawamteak, meaning "great landing place."

In 1767, John Lermond and his two brothers from Warren built a camp to produce oak staves and pine lumber.

It was one of the earliest craft unions in the United States and formed among the region's growing granite industry.

Fleets of Friendship Sloops sailed between the harbor and fishing grounds across Penobscot Bay.

Renamed The Samoset Hotel in 1902, it was successful until the Great Depression, which began a slow decline.

In the age of automobiles, travelers were no longer restricted to the limits of train service, but were free to explore elsewhere.

[7] In 1915, the new super-dreadnought USS Nevada (BB-36) conducted tests and completed her running trials just off the shore from Rockland.

It has also seen a substantial 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 historic inns, a coffee roaster, a food co-op, a community radio station WRFR-LP, the Farnsworth Art Museum and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA).

[10][11][12] On March 13, 2017, the Rockland City Council approved a resolve to support community diversity.

[13] Rockland is located on Penobscot Bay and the Gulf of Maine, part of the Atlantic Ocean.

About ten miles to the east are the islands of North Haven and Vinalhaven, reached by ferry from Rockland.

It borders the towns of Owls Head to the southeast, Thomaston to the southwest, Warren to the northwest, and Rockport to the northeast.

Penobscot Bay, which Rockland borders, is known internationally as one of the best recreational sailing grounds in the world.

There are multiple departures per day to Vinalhaven and North Haven, while ferries to Matinicus depart less regularly.

Intercity buses operated by Concord Coach Lines also stop at the ferry terminal, with service to Boston, Portland, Brunswick, Bangor, and other nearby towns.