China, Maine

China, Maine
—  Town  —
China, Maine Location within the state of Maine
Coordinates: 44°25′47″N 69°32′15″W / 44.42972°N 69.5375°W / 44.42972; -69.5375
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Kennebec
Area
– Total	56.8 sq mi (147.0 km2)
– Land	49.8 sq mi (129.1 km2)
– Water	6.9 sq mi (17.9 km2)
Elevation	272 ft (83 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	4,106
– Density	82.4/sq mi (31.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	04358
Area code(s)	207
FIPS code	23-12735
GNIS feature ID	0582410

China is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,106 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.8 square miles (147 km²), of which, 49.8 square miles (129 km²) of it is land and 6.9 square miles (18 km²) of it (12.21%) is water.

Bodies of water in the town include China Lake, Three Mile Pond, and Branch Pond.

History

In 1774 a family named Clark settled in the area and established Jones' Plantation. In 1796 Jones' Plantation was incorporated as Harlem. On June 25, 1818, the Town of China was incorporated by combining Harlem, Fairfax (Albion), and Winslow.

The name of the town was chosen by Japheth Washburn. He wanted to call the town Bloomville, but people from the town of Bloomfield objected, saying that the similarity of names could cause confusion. Mr. Washburn settled on the name China, because it was the name of one of his favorite hymns. This hymn, now known as Jesus Loves Me, was then titled China in some hymnals.^[1] China actually had a fourth district located at the height of land between Palermo and Albion. It was in this area that numerous families of African-American descent settled. Their history, spanning roughly 1790 to 1860, can be itemized in the Maine state archives. If you have a guide, you can still locate some cemetery plots including a large obelisk stone in memory of "Tolbot" on a high wooded ridge which was also the location of an early shingle mill. Other burial and foundation sites are also present and can best be located by using early census maps and their indicators

It is theorized that these families migrated here because it represented a safe area which slavehunters would not approach as China and several other towns were "Quaker" towns which would not tolerate slavehunters, no matter what either federal Fugitive Slave Act demanded.

Localities

The town of China contains four villages: China Village, South China, Weeks Mills, and Branch Mills.

Government

At a yearly Town Meeting citizens elect five Town Selectmen, one of whom is chosen as chairman. The citizens also outline the budget for the coming year. The Selectmen appoint a Town Manager who oversees the daily operation of the town.^{[citation needed]}

Education

China is part of Regional School Unit 18 (China, Rome, Belgrade, Sidney and Oakland). China students are given the choice of attending any public high school including nearby schools in Winslow, Waterville, Augusta and Oakland. There is also a private high school, Erskine Academy, in South China, which some students choose to attend, and the town subsidizes their tuition (which Erskine reduces for China students). The town subsidizes a portion of tuition to any other private school a student chooses to attend, as well as the tuition to attend a public school.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1890	1,423		—
1900	1,380		−3.0%
1910	1,297		−6.0%
1920	1,257		−3.1%
1930	1,163		−7.5%
1940	1,252		7.7%
1950	1,375		9.8%
1960	1,561		13.5%
1970	1,850		18.5%
1980	2,918		57.7%
1990	3,713		27.2%
2000	4,106		10.6%

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 4,106 people, 1,549 households, and 1,175 families residing in the town. The population density was 82.4 people per square mile (31.8/km²). There were 2,029 housing units at an average density of 40.7 per square mile (15.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.98% White, 0.15% African American, 0.46% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.05% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population.

There were 1,549 households out of which 37.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 17.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,250, and the median income for a family was $42,768. Males had a median income of $31,802 versus $23,371 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,262. About 2.1% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

• Rufus Jones, Quaker theologian.
• Brendan Kehoe, author.
• Leroy S. Starrett, inventor.

References

1. ^ "Hymnals: Psalter Hymnal: 571". Calvin Hymnary Project. Calvin College. http://www.hymnary.org/hymn/PsH/571. Retrieved 2009-04-20. 
2. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Official website
• China, Maine: History & Genealogy

Coordinates: 44°28′43″N 69°31′02″W / 44.47861°N 69.51722°W / 44.47861; -69.51722