Greenville, Maine

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For other places with the same name, see Greenville.

Greenville is a town in Piscataquis County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,623 at the 2000 census. The town is centered around the lower end of Moosehead Lake, the largest body of fresh water in the state. Greenville is the historic gateway to the north country and a center for outdoor recreation in the area. Little Squaw Public Reserved Land and Lily Bay State Park are located nearby, in neighboring Moosehead Junction Township and Beaver Cove, respectively.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links
- 4.1 Historic Sites & Museums

[edit] History

Greenville in c. 1905

Nathaniel Haskell of Westbrook bought the Thornton Academy Grant, the southern part of the township, and began clearing trees here in 1824. His family would join him in 1827. "Greenville," named for its green forests, would be incorporated on February 6, 1836 from Haskell Plantation. In the same year, Henry Gower built the first store in Greenville village, located at the southern end of Moosehead Lake. On August 10, 1848, Greenville would annex land from Wilson, the remainder of which was distributed to Shirley and Elliotsville.

A small steamboat was launched in 1836 to tow logs, and in 1838 the first large lake steamer began operation. In later years, a succession of steamers by the name of "Katahdin" plied the waters. The current S/S Katahdin was built in 1914.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 120.1 km² (46.4 mi²). 110.0 km² (42.5 mi²) of it is land and 10.1 km² (3.9 mi²) of it (8.39%) is water.

Located north of the 45th parallel on a line with Montreal, Greenville, in climate and vegetation, has more in common with the northernmost United States and southern Canada than it has with southern Maine.

Latitude: 45.459N
Longitude: -69.591W

[edit] Demographics

This article describes the town of Greenville as a whole. Additional demographic detail is available which describes only the central settlement or village within the town, although that detail is included in the aggregate values reported here. See: Greenville (CDP), Maine.

Squaw Mountain Inn in c. 1915

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 1,623 people, 731 households, and 437 families residing in the town. A resort area, Greenville's seasonal population generally exceeds 6,000. The population density was 14.7/km² (38.2/mi²). There were 1,378 housing units at an average density of 12.5/km² (32.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.77% White, 0.12% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.06% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.25% of the population.

There were 731 households out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.1% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.82.

Moosehead Lake in c. 1920

In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 25.1% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 91.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,365, and the median income for a family was $36,694. Males had a median income of $27,955 versus $19,712 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,638. About 8.9% of families and 12.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.