Yarmouth, Maine
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- There are other places named Yarmouth.
Yarmouth is a small town along the coast of Maine about a fifteen minute drive north of Portland, Maine. It is unusually affluent for its size, especially for Maine. There are many tourist attractions during the summer such as the [Yarmouth Clam Festival] and the large scale model of the Earth, Eartha, at the headquarters of Delorme.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 59.0 km² (22.8 mi²). 34.6 km² (13.3 mi²) of it is land and 24.4 km² (9.4 mi²) of it (41.44%) is water.Yarmouth is nearly square in form, and is divided through the middle by Royal River. Cousin's River separates it from Freeport on the north-east, and the latter with Pownal bound it on the east, North Yarmouth on the north, Cumberland on the west and Casco Bay on the south. Included in the corporation are also Cousin's Island, Lane's Island, Great and Little Moges, Little John's and Crab islands.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 8,360 people, 3,432 households, and 2,306 families residing in the town. The population density was 242.0/km² (626.7/mi²). There were 3,704 housing units at an average density of 107.2/km² (277.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.49% White, 0.37% Black or African American, 0.04% Native American, 0.36% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.59% of the population.There were 3,432 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.2% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,030, and the median income for a family was $73,234. Males had a median income of $48,456 versus $34,075 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,317. About 4.0% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.2% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
History
When settlers arrived at Yarmouth's site in 1640, they found a fort already built, which had for some time been occupied by George Felt, who had in turn purchased it from John Phillips, a Welshman. In 1646, William Royall purchased a farm on the river which has ever since borne his name. This stream and its vicinity were called by the Indians, Wescustogo. John Cousins had arrived a year or more earlier than Royall, occupying the neck of land between the branches of the stream which has since been called Cousin's River, and owning the island now bearing his name.In 1688, while the inhabitants on the eastern side of the river were building a garrison, they were attacked by Indians, and attempted a defense. They continued the contest until night, when the Indians retired. It was not long before they appeared again, in such force that the thirty-six families of the settlement were forced to flee, abandoning their homes.
It was not until about 1713 that settlers revisited their homes, when they found their fields and the sites of their habitations covered by a young growth of trees. Among the new proprietors at the time were descendants of the Plymouth pilgrims. Until after the year 1756 the Indians were again very troublesome. In 1725 William and Matthew Scales and Joseph Felt were killed, and the wife and children of the latter carried into captivity. A grandson of Felt, Joseph Weare, became a noted scout, pursuing the Native Americans with unrelenting hate at every opportunity. In August, 1746, a party of thirty-two Indians secreted themselves near the lower falls for the purpose of surprising Weare's garrison, killing Philip Greely, who came in their way. This was the last act of resistance by the indigenous people which occurred within the limits of the town.
Yarmouth constituted the eastern part of North Yarmouth until 1849, when it was set off and incorporated as an independent town; this split occurred because of a dispute over the purchase of a fire wagon. Said wagon would have benefited what is today Yarmouth greatly, as the houses were tightly clustered and could all be reached quickly by the wagon, but the more rural areas of the town (today's North Yarmouth) were too remote to have much use for the device. Unable to resolve this difference, the two halves of the town split, and have been separate ever since. (Interestingly, this is the reason that North Yarmouth Academy is thusly named while being in Yarmouth itself - it was founded before the split).
Yarmouth Today
Today, Yarmouth is a small urban community approximately ten to fifteen miles from the nearest major city, Portland, Maine. It has four schools: two elementary (William H. Rowe School and Yarmouth Elementary School), one middle school, and one high school, as well as the North Yarmouth Academy. Yarmouth's two elementary schools are unique in that the William H. Rowe School caters to students in kindergarten and the first grade, while Yarmouth Elementary educates second through fourth graders. Yarmouth High School was named #297 in the 1000 best high schools in the US by Newsweek in 2005 and #289 in 2006; it is one of only two other Maine schools that made the list. The town is mostly residential, but with commerce scattered throughout the town, located on US Route 1 and Main Street (State Route 115.) Yarmouth is also famous as the home of DeLorme, the large map-making company.The Yarmouth Clam Festival
Every year in Yarmouth there is a three-day period in the middle of July where people from all parts of Maine flock down to attend the famous Yarmouth Clam Festival, an event that has taken place since 1965. The Clam Festival features a carnival, various fried food (especially fried clams), music, dancing, a parade as well as a five mile race and other attractions.Transportation
The Interstate 295 (Maine) runs through Yarmouth and has two exits in the town. U.S. Route 1 and State Route 115 run through the town. Yarmouth is also know for its two railroad junctions (Royal Junction and Yarmouth Junction). The two railroads in the town are Guilford Rail System's Maine Central Railroad, and the St. Lawrence&Atlantic Railroad (ex-Grand Trunk.See also
External link
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