York, Maine

Infobox Settlement
official_name = York, Maine
settlement_type = Town
nickname =
motto =

imagesize =
image_caption = York Village


image_

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pushpin_label_position =left
pushpin_map_caption =Location within the state of Maine
pushpin_mapsize =

|mapsize =
map_caption =


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Maine
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = York
government_footnotes =
government_type =
leader_title =
leader_name =
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1652

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =

area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 149.4
area_land_km2 = 142.2
area_water_km2 = 7.2
area_total_sq_mi = 57.7
area_land_sq_mi = 54.9
area_water_sq_mi = 2.8

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 12854
population_density_km2 = 90.4
population_density_sq_mi = 234.1

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes =
elevation_m = 58
elevation_ft = 190
latd = 43 |latm = 9 |lats = 48 |latNS = N
longd = 70 |longm = 38 |longs = 55 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 03909
area_code = 207
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 23-87985
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0582832
website =
footnotes =

York is a town located in York County, Maine, United States at the southwest corner of the state. As of the 2006 census, the town had a total population of 13,306. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort. It is home to three 18-hole golf clubs, three sandy beaches, and one mountain, Mount Agamenticus. It includes the villages of York Village, York Harbor, York Beach and Cape Neddick.

York is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The area was first called Agamenticus, meaning "beyond-the-hill-little-cove," the Abenaki name for the York River. In 1638, settlers changed the name to Bristol after Bristol, England, from which they had immigrated. Envisioning a great city arising from the wilderness, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Lord Proprietor of Maine under the Plymouth patent, named the capital of his province Gorgeana, which by charter of King Charles I became, in 1642, the first incorporated city in America. John P. McKenna was one of the towns earlier watchmen, he would look out in high trees for indian attacks.

Following Gorges' death, however, the Massachusetts Bay Company claimed his dominion. In 1652, York, Massachusetts was incorporated from a portion of Gorgeana, making it the second oldest town in Maine after Kittery, incorporated two days earlier. It was named for York, England, site of the defeat of Oliver Cromwell. But control of the region was contested between New England and New France, which incited Native Americans to attack English settlements throughout the French and Indian Wars. During King William's War, York was destroyed in the Candlemas Massacre of 1692. The final local Indian attack occurred at the Cape Neddick area during Dummer's War in 1723. Hostilities diminished with the French defeat at the 1745 Battle of Louisburg, and ceased altogether with the 1763 Treaty of Paris.

As provincial capital and site of the King's Gaol (Jail), York prospered. Numerous wharves and warehouses serviced trade with the West Indies. Agricultural products and lumber were shipped in exchange for sugar, molasses and other commodities. One notable merchant was John Hancock, whose establishment is now a museum. Following the Revolution, however, President Thomas Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807 crippled trade. York, bereft of status as capitol, would not again be prosperous until after the Civil War, when its sea breezes and colonial charm, including old homes like the John Sedgley Homestead, attracted tourism.

Like Bar Harbor and Newport, Rhode Island, York would become a fashionable summer resort, and retains many distinctive examples of Gilded Age architecture, particularly in the Shingle Style. A cluster of historic buildings in the center of York Village are maintained as museums by the Old York Historical Society.

Notable residents

* Richard Foerster, poet
* Rufus McIntire, congressman
* May Sarton, poet
* George Thatcher, statesman
* Christopher Cassidy, NASA astronaut

The Yorks

* York Village — including the historic structures and upscale shops
* York Harbor — with a number of elegant inns, historic homes and large estates
* York Beach — with popular attractions such as arcades, souvenir shops and stores
* Cape Neddick — mainly residences

During summer months, tourists (chiefly families) throng Short Sands Beach, which is in the district of York Beach itself, as well as Long Sands Beach, the town's longest with more than a mile of sand stretching between York Beach and York Harbor. Dozens of five star hotels and other accommodations operate in the York Beach area, although most close after summer.

Many spots throughout The Yorks have picturesque views of the famous Cape Neddick Light at Nubble Rock, which has figured in both artists' work and souvenirs of the Maine coast. Visible in clear weather is the 133 foot (40 meter) tall Boon Island Light on Boon Island, located 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) off York.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 57.7 square miles (149.4 km²), of which, 54.9 square miles (142.2 km²) of it is land and 2.8 square miles (7.2 km²) of it is water. The total area is 4.82% water. The York watershed drains into the York River. The highest point in town is Mount Agamenticus, with an elevation of 692 feet (211 meters) above sea level. An automobile road travels to the summit, where miles of hiking, biking and horse-riding trails are available.

Housing

York has the highest home values in Maine, followed by Cape Elizabeth, a suburb of Portland. York County has the highest real estate values in the state.Fact|date=February 2007

Government

York has a council-manager form of government.

Voter registration

32.61% Republican, 23.44% Democrat, 0.9% Green, 43.05% unenrolled. [reported in June 2002 by the State of Maine] [http://www.bangornews.com/towns/town.cfm?ID=york&x=0&y=0]

Education

York School Department receives the largest portion (69%) of the town's budget. The town of York supports 2,000 students in four schools. Village Elementary School serves grades K-2. Coastal Ridge Elementary School provides education for grades 3-4. York Middle School serves students in grades 5-8, and York High School serves students in grades 9-12. Adult education is also available to York residents.

York students have consistently achieved better than the state average in English and Mathematics. www.GreatSchools.net gave York High School a 10 (out of 10) rating in 2007.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 12,854 people, 5,235 households, and 3,690 families residing in the town. The population density was 234.1 people per square mile (90.4/km²). There were 8,053 housing units at an average density of 146.7/sq mi (56.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.36% White, 0.25% African American, 0.11% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,235 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.5% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 30.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $64,000, and the median income for a family was $73,400. 19.8% of household earn over $200,000 per year. [http://www.bangornews.com/towns/town.cfm?ID=york&x=0&y=0] Males had a median income of $49,415 versus $31,743 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,895. 3.8% of the population and 1.3% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 1.8% of those under the age of 18 and 6.7% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

ites of interest

* Cape Neddick Lighthouse (Nubble Light)
* John Sedgley Homestead, c. 1715

References

External links

* [http://www.yorkmaine.org/ Town of York, Maine]
* [http://www.lighthouse.cc/boon/ Boon Island Lighthouse]
* [http://www.lighthouse.cc/capeneddick/ Cape Neddick Lighthouse (Nubble Light)]
* [http://www.hollowhill.com/me/nasson.htm Haunted York, Maine]
* [http://www.oldyork.org/ Old York Historical Society]
* [http://www.york.lib.me.us/ York Public Library]
* [http://www.yorkschools.org/ York School Department]
* [http://history.rays-place.com/me/york-me.htm History of York, Maine (1886)]