Westbrook, Maine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 16,142 at the 2000 census. Originally part of Falmouth, the settlement once known as Saccarappa was incorporated as Stroudwater in 1814, but soon changed its name to Westbrook, after an early settler Col. Thomas Westbrook. Westbrook was incorporated as a city in 1891.

The Presumpscot River flows through the center of the city, with two prominent falls (Sacarappa Falls and Congin Falls) providing an ideal location for early mills. The smaller Stroudwater River also flows through the southwestern part of the city.

The historic Oxford & Cumberland Canal, a primary commercial route for goods between the Lakes Region of Maine and Portland from the time it opened in 1829 to its discontinuation in 1871, also flowed through the city. Remnants of the canal can still be seen throughout the city, including Beaver Pond, along Stroudwater Street near the Maine Turnpike overpass, and in the woods between Westbrook High School and Oxford & Cumberland Canal Elementary School.

Contents 1 Economy 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Education 5 Libraries 6 Notable neighborhoods 7 Recreation 8 Notable inhabitants 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Economy

Now primarily a suburb of the larger city of Portland, Westbrook itself has a growing business base and developing core downtown district. Several notable companies are headquartered here, including IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Olympia Sporting Goods, Disability RMS, Acadia Insurance Company, JobsInTheUS.com, WPXT 51 and WPME 35 (Maine’s CW and MyNetworkTV affiliates) and the E.S. Boulos Company.

In addition to the downtown area, many of the city's businesses are located within two industrial parks (the Col. Westbrook Industrial Park and Five Star Industrial Park), as well as in the area surrounding Maine Turnpike Exit 48.

The city is home to Sappi Ltd.'s Westbrook Paper Mill and R&D Center. The mill, formerly the S.D. Warren Paper Mill, was once the city's largest employer and taxpayer, employing over 3,000 people and representing over 50% of the city's tax base. However, foreign competition and the age of the mill have drastically reduced its workforce and production. Today the mill has found a niche in the marketplace, becoming one of the nations top manufacturers of release papers and employing about 300 people. The Westbrook Energy Center has since surpassed the mill as the city's largest taxpayer.

The faith-based Mercy Hospital of Portland operates Mercy Westbrook, a small community hospital complete with minor emergency room and inpatient treatment facilities. Spring Harbor Hospital, Southern Maine's only private psychiatric treatment and recovery center, is also located within the city.

Westbrook was the home of the first Sebago-Moc shoe factory.

[edit] Geography

Westbrook is located at 43°41′7″N, 70°21′26″W (43.685348, -70.357116)^GR1. The city is bordered by Portland to the east, South Portland and Scarborough to the south, Gorham and Windham to the west, and Falmouth to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.2 km² (17.1 mi²). 43.7 km² (16.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.5 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (1.17%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 16,142 people, 6,863 households, and 4,261 families residing in the city. The population density was 369.4/km² (956.9/mi²). There were 7,089 housing units at an average density of 162.2/km² (420.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.69% White, 0.88% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 1.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 6,863 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.9% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.4% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,873, and the median income for a family was $47,120. Males had a median income of $32,412 versus $25,769 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,501. About 6.7% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.7% of those under age 18 and 5.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Education

• Westbrook High School
• Westbrook Regional Vocational Center
• Fred C. Wescott Junior High School - Grades 6 - 8
• Congin Elementary School - Grades 3 - 5
• Oxford-Cumberland Canal School - Grades 3 - 5
• Pride's Corner Elementary School - Grades K - 2
• Saccarappa Elementary School - Grades K - 2

[edit] Libraries

• Walker Memorial Library
• Warren Memorial Library

[edit] Notable neighborhoods

Similar to neighboring Portland and South Portland, Westbrook contains several distinct neighborhoods that are generally recognized by residents but have no legal or political significance. Unlike Portland, however, there is no official signage recognizing these neighborhoods. Some of the notable neighborhoods include:

• Birdland
• Cumberland Mills
• Deer Hill
• Frenchtown
• The Hamlet
• Pride's Corner
• Old Millbrook
• Westbrook Pointe

[edit] Recreation

In addition to the sports complexes located at Westbrook High School and other schools, the city offers several public recreational areas and facilities, including:

• Riverbank Park
• Bicentennial Park & Skate Park
• Westbrook River Walk - along Presumpscot River in downtown area
• Cornelia Warren Memorial Trail - along Presumpscot River between Ash St. and Cumberland St.
• Westbrook River Trail - along Presumpscot River north and east of the Sappi paper mill
• Rocky Hill - network of trails behind Wescott Junior High School
• Warren Little League Complex
• Lincoln Street skating rink - ice hockey in colder months, roller hockey in warmer months
• East Bridge Street skating rink - winter use only
• Stroudwater Street skating rink - winter use only
• East Bridge Street ballfields
• Warren League Grounds
• Warren Pool - outdoor public pool, summer use only
• Davan Pool - indoor pool, open year-round

The city is also home to three privately owned nine-hole golf courses - Twin Falls Golf Club, Rivermeadow Golf Course, and Sunset Ridge Golf Links.

While most of the lake is located in Windham and Falmouth, Highland Lake is also accessible from Westbrook via Duck Pond Road and Mast Road.

[edit] Notable inhabitants

• Benjamin Paul Akers - (1825-1861), born at Saccarappa, sculptor^[1]
• George Gore - born at Saccarappa, Major league baseball player^[2]
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - poet
• Rudy Vallee - musician, bandleader, actor and entertainer
• John Cumberland - Major League Baseball pitcher and coach
• Scott Garland - professional WWE wrestler known as "Scotty 2 Hotty"
• Kevin Eastman - co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

[edit] References

• 1. ^ (1967) Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 

• ^ [1969] (1979) in Reichler, Joseph L.: The Baseball Encyclopedia, 4th edition, New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-578970-8. 

[edit] External links

• Official City Website
• Westbrook School System
• Westbrook Chamber of Commerce
• Westbrook Housing Authority
• Saccarappa Lodge
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 43.685348° -70.357116°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA