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Old Town, Maine

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Main Street in Old Town
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Main Street in Old Town

Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,130 at the 2000 census.

Old Town may be best known for Old Town Canoe, a major manufacturer of canoes and kayaks, which has been based in Old Town for over 100 years. Old Town is situated on an island in the Penobscot River. Its location along a series of drops in the Penobscot River near the head of the tide just downstream in Bangor made it an ideal location in the 1800s for sawing lumber from the millions of board feet of spruce and pine logs floated annually down the Penobscot. Old Town is also the current and historical home of the Penobscot Nation, on Indian Island. Legend has it that Old Town was so named because it had been a principal Penobscot village for many years before white settlers moved there.

Many of the residents work for the University of Maine in Orono and Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, the two largest employers in the area. Other significant employers located in Old Town include the James W. Sewall Company (surveying and mapping), H.E. Sargent Construction, and Labree's Bakery. As of March 2004, Old Town was experiencing a dispute over whether a new landfill should be created in the town.

Old Town is also home to a previous residence of Melville Weston Fuller, former chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Geography

Location of city of Old Town in state of Maine
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Location of city of Old Town in state of Maine

Old Town is located at [44°56′35″N, 68°40′35″W] (44.943047, -68.676461)[Geographic references#1GR1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 110.5 km² (42.7 mi²). 99.2 km² (38.3 mi²) of it is land and 11.3 km² (4.4 mi²) of it (10.24%) is water.

Demographics

Stillwater Avenue, with the Fuller Residence in the background
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Stillwater Avenue, with the Fuller Residence in the background

As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 8,130 people, 3,426 households, and 1,993 families residing in the city. The population density was 82.0/km² (212.3/mi²). There were 3,686 housing units at an average density of 37.2/km² (96.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.62% White, 0.65% African American, 1.48% Native American, 1.83% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population.

There were 3,426 households out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.7% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.0% under the age of 18, 18.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,886, and the median income for a family was $40,589. Males had a median income of $32,961 versus $23,723 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,100. About 11.8% of families and 18.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

External links

The State of Maine
 Capital  Augusta
 Regions  Acadia · Down East · Maine Atlantic Coast · Maine Highlands · North Woods · Southern Coast · Penobscot Bay · Western Maine Mountains / Maine Lake Country 
 Counties  Androscoggin · Aroostook · Cumberland · Franklin · Hancock · Kennebec ·Knox · Lincoln · Oxford · Penobscot · Piscataquis · Sagadahoc · Somerset · Waldo · Washington · York
 Largest cities  Auburn · Augusta · Bangor · Bath · Belfast · Biddeford · Brewer · Caribou · Ellsworth · Houlton · Kittery · Lewiston · Millinocket · Old Orchard Beach · Old Town · Orono · Portland · Presque Isle · Rockland · Rumford · Saco · Sanford · South Portland · Topsham · Waterville · Westbrook
    Geography   Government   History    

 


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