Wells, Maine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Seal of Wells, ME

Wells is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 9,400 at the 2000 census. Wells Beach is a popular summer destination.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

Hotel Winona in 1908

In 1622, the Plymouth Company in England awarded to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Lord Proprietor of Maine, territory which included the "Plantation of Wells." His young cousin, Thomas Gorges, acting as deputy and agent, in 1641 granted settlers from Exeter, New Hampshire the right to populate the land from northeast of the Ogunquit River to southwest of the Kennebunk River.

With the death of the elder Gorges, the Massachusetts Bay Company laid claim to all of Maine. In 1653 Wells was incorporated, the third town in Maine to do so, and named for Wells, England. The Abenaki Indians had called it "Webhannet," which means "at the clear stream," a reference to the Webhannet River. After 1675, inhabitants were beleaguered through the French and Indian Wars, with devastating attacks in 1692 and 1703. Native American hostility, encouraged by the French, would end with the Battle of Louisburg.

Wells originally included what is now Kennebunk until it was set off in 1820, the year Maine was set off from Massachusetts. It also included Ogunquit, which by act of legislature in 1913 became a village within Wells, and then in 1980 a separate town.

Wells celebrated its 350th anniversary in 2003.

Historical Sites & Museums:

Meetinghouse Museum (1862)
Wells Auto Museum

[edit] Geography

Wells is situated on the southern coast of Maine, surrounded by the following towns: Kennebunk to the northeast; Sanford to the northwest; North Berwick to the west; South Berwick to the southwest; and Ogunquit to the south.

There are several ways to get in and out of Wells, including:

U.S. Route 1
Interstate 95
Amtrak passenger rail service via the Downeaster train, which operates over the Pan Am Railway (formerly the Boston & Maine Railroad)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 150.6 km² (58.2 mi²). 149.3 km² (57.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (0.88%) is water. Wells is drained by the Webhannet River.

[edit] Demographics

Boat Landing in 1916

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 9,400 people, 4,004 households, and 2,690 families residing in the town. The population density was 63.0/km² (163.1/mi²). There were 7,794 housing units at an average density of 52.2/km² (135.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.18% White, 0.23% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.

There were 4,004 households out of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.0% 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 2.85.

Hotel Elmwood & Hotel Fairview in c. 1910

In the town the population was spread out with 21.0% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $46,314, and the median income for a family was $53,644. Males had a median income of $39,682 versus $28,463 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,130. About 3.1% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.