The median income for families is that amount above which half the families have more and below which half the families have less income. It is “in the middle.” According to the U.S. Census: Family. A family is a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage,…
The median income for a group is that amount above which half the group has more and below which half the group has less. It is “in the middle.” According to the U.S. Census: Family. A family is a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage,…
The value of housing tells a lot about income and the competition for housing in a particular area. For nearly three decades the coastal counties (except for Washington) have registered higher housing values, while the northern counties and Washington County have had the lowest. During the 2005-2009 period, the distribuion has generally held to the…
The area was also known as Nicatou, or “the forks,” since it marks the joining of the East and West branches of the Penobscot River. Medway is midway between Bangor and the northern line of Penobscot County, hence the modern name. Once home to Congressman Michael Michaud, it is a gateway to Baxter State Park.
The Great Northern Paper Mill and the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad have been keys to the economic life of Millinocket for many years. See photos. The declining employment in the paper industry contributed to the steady loss of population over the past forty years – 42%. Millinocket is the gateway to Baxter State Park and its famed Mount Katahdin.
Mining has been significant part of the Maine economy at different times in different places, thanks to its geologic composition. Granite, slate, and gem extraction have been important local industries at certain points in the state’s history. The Mt. Mica mine in Paris, Maine was the site in 1820 where amateur naturalists Elijah Hamlin and…
Commercial fishermen who harvest monkfish, also known as American goosefish, have had substantial landings for most of the period 1974 through 2011. However, the recent rapid decline since the peak in 2005 is troubling and may signal several year of closure unless the resource rebounds. As usual, prices per pound rise with declining landings. They…
just east of Farmington, has been growing consistently in population over the past four decades. New Sharon village straddles the Sandy River, which winds through from Farmington on its way to Starks and then Norridgewock where it enters the Kennebec River. The 1916 steel bridge, now retired from service, crosses the river at the end of the main street.
North Maine Woods In addition to be a general term for the forests of northern Maine, North Maine Woods is an organization that manages access to a specific area of mostly privately own land. Land Ownership The complicated historic land ownership in…
Harvesting Northern Quahogs by commercial fishermen has been a rocky business over the period for which data is available. (Gaps are related to quota regulations to protect the resource.) Otherwise known as “hard clams,” these shellfish are sometimes completely absent from the harvest rolls, sometimes overflowing. Until the year 2001, the price per pound only…
The Maine Yankee Atomic Power plant was built between 1968 and 1972 at a cost of $231 million in Wiscasset. The Central Maine Power Company, its largest shareholder, selected Wiscasset because of its fresh water and ocean access, a nearby railroad and highways, proximity to electrical load centers and transmission lines, and excellent bedrock for…
Jeremiah O’Brien (1778-1858) was a U.S. Representative; born in Machias, on January 21, 1778. He attended the common schools, then engaged in lumber manufacturing and in shipping. A member of the Maine State Senate 1821-1824, he was elected to the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Congresses (March 4, 1823-March 3, 1829). O’Brien was chairman of the…
Originally settled in 1831 and organized for the assessment of taxes in 1866, the town itself was incorporated on February 24, 1897. See photos. The main village, is located on the Mattawamkeag River, just south of Smyrna Mills. Its mountainous terrain, known as the Oakfield Hills, earned it the name “Switzerland of the Aroostook” by one observer. Sam Drew Mountain is the highest point at 1,516 feet.
The town is named for a well-respected Chief of the Penobscots who supported the American Revolution. See photos. A land-grant agricultural school was established at Orono in 1862, evolving in 1865 into the University of Maine, which now dominates the town’s economy and culture.
“Quoddy is an example of a project planned by private capital and supported by pressure groups, but which could not be financed without public aid.” So noted Lincoln Smith in his analysis of the long-studied but never funded tidal hydroelectric project in Washington County. Conceived in the early 20th century by Dexter P. Cooper, the…
Dr. Edith Marion Patch taught entomology at the University of Maine and served as director of entomology at the Maine Agricultural Experiment Station from 1903- 1937. Patch was the first woman to head a state agricultural experiment station department and was honored for her scholarship and educational leadership in 1930 by being elected president of…
Historically low periwinkle harvests by commercial fishermen (averaging about 118,000 pounds per year) suddenly spiked in 1989 to 3.8 million pounds, then crashed to a level after 1993 of averaging about 616,000 pounds. The decade ending 2016 rebounded to an average of 852,041. In a narrow range of 6 to 8 cents a pound from 1950…
Maine’s personal income per person (per capita) has lagged the national average by varying amounts since 1929. The state’s percent of the national average (green line on the chart) has not strayed far from the long-term average of 86% durng the period. In the early 1930’s it exceeded 90% probably because the agricultural sector…
I saw mountains of potatoes–oceans–more potatoes than you would think the world’s population could consume in a hundred years. –Steinbeck These girls, probably in the 1950’s, had been hand-picking potatoes, then carrying their baskets to the barrels. The small card, or “ticket” on each barrel identifies the picker by number. The number of completed barrels…
Official Poverty Levels by Family Size Size Income 1 $12,140 2 $16,460 3 $20,780 4 $25,100 5 $29,420 6 $33,740 7 $38,060 8 $42,380 – – – – – – – – – – For each additional family member, add $4,320. Standards for 2018 issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The…