Hollis, Maine

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Hollis is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,114 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 Hollis in the Present
5 Related Information
6 References

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 85.3 km² (32.9 mi²). 82.9 km² (32.0 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (2.79%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 4,114 people, 1,507 households, and 1,139 families residing in the town. The population density was 49.6/km² (128.5/mi²). There were 1,592 housing units at an average density of 19.2/km² (49.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.81% White, 0.15% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.07% from other races, and 0.61% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.53% of the population.

There were 1,507 households out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,846, and the median income for a family was $53,621. Males had a median income of $35,064 versus $25,510 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,065. About 4.6% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History

The town of Hollis was originally called Little Falls Plantation encompassing the towns of Hollis, Dayton and part of Limington. It was bought by Major William Phillips from the town of Hobinowil and Mogg Hegon of the local Sagamore Indian tribe in 1664. In 1728 a trading post by an order from the General Court of Massachusetts was to be constructed on the site to protect trade with the Indians.It was made crudely of logs and equipped with a cannon. Ten men and a sergeant garrisoned it. John and Andrew Gordon tried to settle the land in 1754, but were driven away by the Indians. On March 27, 1781, the first recorded plantation meeting took place and Joseph Chadbourne was elected Moderator. By 1790 the population had grown to 607. The first vote for state office came in 1791 and Littlefalls gave John Hancock 27 votes. In 1798 Littlefalls was incorporated into Phillipsburg, named in honor of Major Phillips. The first town meeting took place on September 27, 1798, at the home of Stephen Hopkinson. The moderator was Joseph Chadbourne. In 1810 a committee was put together to rename the town, headed by Colonel Isaac Lane and Captain Eben Cleaves. It was finally decided upon the name Hollis. The reasoning behind the name is not known; it is thought to have been inspired by Hollis, New Hampshire, or possibly by the Duke of Newcastle, whose family name was Holles.

[edit] Hollis in the Present

Today with a population slightly above four thousand and its proximity to Portland, Hollis is growing fast. Many residents commute from Hollis to their jobs in Portland, South Portland, Saco, Westbrook, and Sanford. The few large businesses in Hollis include Eagle Industries, and a bottling plant for Poland Spring Water. Many of the local businesses are family-run and well-establshed in the community. Elementary students in Hollis attend Hollis Elementary School, while junior high and high school students attend Bonny Eagle Middle School and High School respectively. Hollis is located within the MSAD 6 District.