Falmouth, Maine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Falmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 10,310 at the 2000 census. This northern suburb of Portland borders Casco Bay and offers one of the largest anchorages in Maine. The town is home to three private golf clubs, and the Portland Yacht Club.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 37.4 square miles (96.9 km©÷), of which, 29.6 square miles (76.7 km©÷) of it is land and 7.8 square miles (20.2 km©÷) of it (20.85%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 10,310 people, 3,948 households, and 2,838 families residing in the town. The population density was 348.1 people per square mile (134.4/km©÷). There were 4,169 housing units at an average density of 140.8/sq mi (54.3/km©÷). The racial makeup of the town was 97.75% White, 0.24% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.48% of the population.
There were 3,948 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were married couples living together, 5.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 22.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.9 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $66,855, and the median income for a family was $87,304. Males had a median income of $54,545 versus $35,258 for females. The per capita income for the town was $36,716. About 1.8% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.
History
The approximate date of first settlement was 1632 by Arthur Mackworth at what is presently called Mackworth Island, according to a chronology published by Falmouth Memorial Library. In 1658, Falmouth was incorporated as the seventh town in Maine, with its area covering the modern day municipalities of Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, and Westbrook.
In 1700 New Casco Fort and an accompanying trading post were built; in 1703 the fort was attacked by a 500-man force of French troops and Native Americans. The fort was demolished in 1716 by order of the Governor of Massachusetts, whose territory included Maine.
In 1765, Cape Elizabeth was set off from Falmouth, including the area of present-day South Portland. In 1786, Portland broke away as a separate municipality; and in 1814 Westbrook broke away, though the boundaries between Falmouth and Westbrook were readjusted throughout the 19th century. In 1943, Mackworth Island was donated to the state as a wildlife refuge; today it is the site of the state school for the deaf and hard of hearing.
In 1961, Falmouth adopted a council-manager charter.
School System
The town has a K-12 school system that includes four individual school buildings. Lunt School includes grades K-2 followed by Plummer-Motz which has grades 3-4 in it. Falmouth Middle School incorporates grades 5-8 and Falmouth High School contains grades 9-12. The School Department is under the jurisdiction of the Falmouth School Board with participation of the Leadership Council and Superintendent of the Schools.
The Falmouth School Department is considered one of the top school systems in the State of Maine. Serving over 2,000 students, the Falmouth School Department offers a challenging and diverse education with emphasis on literacy, mathematics, science, social sciences, critical thinking, citizenship, and problem solving.
Media
The community is covered by several newspapers, including the Portland Press Herald, the Community Leader, the Notes, and the Northern Forecaster. A bulletin board of community news and photos posted by residents can be found at myMaineToday.com.
Notable residents
U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe and spouse and former Maine Governor John R. McKernan, Jr.; Joan Whitney Payson, philanthropist, art collector and co-founder of the New York Mets and spouse Charles Shipman Payson, both deceased. Another notable resident is Adrei Riscorro, who was the founder and CEO of Maxum magazine until his death in 1995. Sadly Adrei died of AIDs. God Bless him.
Notable organizations
The Maine Audubon Society; The Maine Educational Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and The Governor Baxter School for the Deaf.
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