Fort Fairfield, Maine

Fort Fairfield, Maine
Town
Potato field in Fort Fairfield
Location of Fort Fairfield, Maine
Country	United States
State	Maine
County	Aroostook
Area^[1]
• Total	78.36 sq mi (202.95 km²)
• Land	76.67 sq mi (198.57 km²)
• Water	1.69 sq mi (4.38 km²)
Population (2010)^[2]
• Total	3,496
• Estimate (2012^[3])	3,431
• Density	45.6/sq mi (17.6/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)

Fort Fairfield is a town in Aroostook County, eastern Maine, United States, located along the Canada–US border. The population was 3,496 at the 2010 census.

History

Fort Fairfield is named for John Fairfield, 13th and 16th governor of Maine.^[4]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 78.36 square miles (202.95 km²), of which 76.67 square miles (198.57 km²) is land and 1.69 square miles (4.38 km²) is water.^[1]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1840	26		—
1860	901		—
1870	1,893		110.1%
1880	2,807		48.3%
1890	3,526		25.6%
1900	4,181		18.6%
1910	4,381		4.8%
1920	4,551		3.9%
1930	5,393		18.5%
1940	5,607		4.0%
1950	5,791		3.3%
1960	5,876		1.5%
1970	4,859		−17.3%
1980	4,376		−9.9%
1990	3,998		−8.6%
2000	3,579		−10.5%
2010	3,496		−2.3%
Est. 2014	3,402	^[5]	−2.7%
U.S. Decennial Census^[6]

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 3,496 people, 1,494 households, and 952 families residing in the town. The population density was 45.6 inhabitants per square mile (17.6/km²). There were 1,674 housing units at an average density of 21.8 per square mile (8.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.9% African American, 0.5% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 1,494 households of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.3% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the town was 43.8 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.8% were from 25 to 44; 30.7% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 3,579 people, 1,523 households, and 1,015 families residing in the town. The population density was 46.7 people per square mile (18.0/km²). There were 1,654 housing units at an average density of 21.6 per square mile (8.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.35% White, 0.20% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.03% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.75% of the population.

There were 1,523 households out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the town, the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 27.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 88.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median annual income for a household in the town was $28,563, and the median income for a family was $33,446. Males had a median income of $28,448 versus $25,000 for females. The per capita income for the town was $14,757. About 9.8% of families and 16.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.0% of those under age 18 and 25.0% of those age 65 or over.

Agriculture

Agricultural produce, particularly potato and broccoli farming, is important to the local economy.

Education

Fort Fairfield is part of Maine School Administrative District #20. Marc Gendron is the Superintendent of Schools.^[8]

There are two schools in the district, Fort Fairfield Middle/High School for grades 6 to 12 and Fort Fairfield Elementary School for grades pre-kindergarten to 5.

For the 2011 to 2012 school year, there were approximately 600 students.^[9]

Notable people

Sharon Barker, director of the Women's Resource Center at the University of Maine
Dick Curless, country music singer
Ruth Lockhart, former executive director of the Mabel Sine Wadsworth Women's Health Center, Bangor
Edward Perrin Edmunds, State Senator
John H. Reed, 66th governor of Maine; chairman of the National Governors Association
Tim Sample, New England humorist
Herbert W. Trafton, Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives

Places and events of interest

The town contains the Blockhouse Museum, displaying artifacts from the Aroostook War. The annual State of Maine Potato Blossom Festival is held in the third week of July. The town has a public library. A large levee holds back the spring surge of waters from the Aroostook River. The nearest significant shopping center is in Presque Isle, about 11 miles away. The nearby Aroostook Valley Country Club straddles the Maine-New Brunswick border.^[10]

References

1 2 "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-12-16.
↑ "Population Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
↑ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. p. 129.
↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
↑ "District Contact Information". Retrieved 10 January 2014.
↑ "Maine School Administrative District #20". Maine School Administrative District #20. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
↑ Aroostook Valley Country Club, Club History

External links

Town of Fort Fairfield
Varney, George J. (1886), Gazetteer of the state of Maine. Fort Fairfield, Boston: Russell
Map of Fort Fairfield, ca. 1870, from the Maine Memory Network
Chamber of Commerce

Municipalities and communities of Aroostook County, Maine, United States

County seat: Houlton

Cities	Caribou Presque Isle

Towns	Allagash Amity Ashland Blaine Bridgewater Castle Hill Caswell Chapman Crystal Daigle Dyer Brook Eagle Lake Easton Fort Fairfield Fort Kent Frenchville Grand Isle Hamlin Hammond Haynesville Hersey Hodgdon Houlton Island Falls Limestone Linneus Littleton Ludlow Madawaska Mapleton Mars Hill Masardis Merrill Monticello New Canada New Limerick New Sweden Oakfield Orient Perham Portage Lake St. Agatha St. Francis Sherman Smyrna Stockholm Van Buren Wade Wallagrass Washburn Westfield Westmanland Weston Woodland

Plantations	Cary Plantation Cyr Plantation Garfield Plantation Glenwood Plantation Macwahoc Plantation Moro Plantation Nashville Plantation Oxbow Reed Plantation Saint John Plantation Winterville Plantation

Unorganized territories	Bancroft Central Aroostook Connor Northwest Aroostook South Aroostook Square Lake

CDPs	Ashland Blaine Fort Fairfield Fort Kent Houlton Limestone Loring AFB (former) Madawaska Mapleton Mars Hill-Blaine (former) Mars Hill Van Buren Washburn

Other villages	Clayton Lake Crouseville Estcourt Station Fort Kent Mills Maine Portage Saint David Sinclair Smyrna Mills Wytopitlock

Saint John River Watershed

Tributaries	Allagash River Aroostook River Baker Branch Saint John River Becaguimec Stream Big Black River Birch River Blackwater River Campbell Branch Little Black River River De Chute Daaquam River Fish River Hammond River Jemseg River Kennebecasis River Keswick River Little Black River Little Machias River Little Madawaska River Little River Little Saint Roch River Little Southwest Branch Saint John River Machias River Madawaska River Meduxnekeag River Musquacook Stream Nashwaak River Nerepis River North Branch Birch River North Branch Blackwater River North Branch Meduxnekeag River Northwest Branch Saint John River Oromocto River Red River Saint Croix Stream Saint Francis River Shields Branch South Branch Birch River South Branch Blackwater River South Branch Machias River South Branch Meduxnekeag River Southwest Branch Saint John River Tobique River West Branch Little Black River

Lakes	Baker Lake Beau Lake Chemquasabamticook Lake Churchill Lake Clear Lake Cross Lake Eagle Lake (Allagash R.) Eagle Lake (Fish R.) Fish River Lake Glazier Lake Grand Lake Long Lake Mactaquac Lake Millinocket Lake Mud Lake Munsungan Lake Musquacook Lakes Lake Pohenegamook Portage Lake Saint Froid Lake Saint John Ponds Scopan Lake Square Lake Umsaskis Lake

Towns	Allagash Ashland Blaine Bridgewater Caribou Eagle Lake Easton Edmundston Florenceville-Bristol Fort Fairfield Fort Kent Fredericton Frenchville Grand Bay–Westfield Grand Falls Grand Isle Hampton Hartland Hodgdon Houlton Lac-Frontière Limestone Littleton Madawaska Mapleton Mars Hill Masardis Monticello Nackawic New Limerick Oromocto Perham Perth-Andover Pohénégamook Portage Lake Presque Isle Quispamsis Rivière-Bleue Rothesay Sainte Agatha Saint-Camille-de-Lellis Saint-Cyprien Saint Francis Saint John Saint-Just-de-Bretenières Saint-Léonard Saint-Marcel Saint-Pamphile Saint-Zacharie Stockholm Sussex Van Buren Washburn Westfield Woodstock

Landmarks	Allagash Wilderness Waterway Bangor and Aroostook Railroad Clair–Fort Kent Bridge Edmundston–Madawaska Bridge Florenceville Bridge Fort Kent Hartland Bridge North Maine Woods Reversing Falls Saint John Harbour Bridge Saint John River High Level Crossing Saint Leonard–Van Buren Bridge Tinker Dam Watson Settlement Bridge

Coordinates: 46°46′8.6″N 67°50′9.1″W / 46.769056°N 67.835861°W / 46.769056; -67.835861

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